Field Archery

[Tunku]

Anyone on here into Archery?
I used to be when a youngster, was in the Scottish and European Field Archery championships back in the 70's in my teens. My youngest son has suddenly decided to do the same at age 13, so I've bought all the kit I had back in the 70's, but updated. It's made me decide at the age of 50 to take up archery again myself. I did notice a login called EnglishArcher, which prompted this post.

[Meoricin]

I was into it very briefly when I was younger, and my brother became national compound champion for a year (or something like that), but then he stopped competing and I started sailing, so archery sort of died out.

I'd like to pick it up again, actually - is anyone a member of a club near Worthing or Brighton?

Edit: to clarify, I'm referring to traditional archery - field archery is of course a specific form of competition (though I'd still be interested in trying it out).

[mattdaniels]

Have done field archery a couple of times at Centre Parcs. Quite good fun.

[englisharcher]

Hi, i'm a member of the National field archery society (N.F.A.S.).

What sort of information are you after?

You can also look at the N.F.A.S. website for information.

[englisharcher]

For people who are unsure about this

This is field archery (yes that is me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDpyYZcLWD8

And this is target archery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmXHYtbNCPw

[TheHeretic]

So field archery is just going out and shooting at whatever you happen to have, and target archery involved lots of people who don't smile in a gym?

PS, do you have a secret bunker full of beans?

Edited by TheHeretic on Monday 12th December 07:14

[englisharcher]

In field, you normally shoot at foam or rubber 3d animals, but the practice targets at our club that you see in the video are home made

[big dub]

Not done it for a few years, but I used to target shoot with a Compound bow, we had an archery team at work.

[RemainAllHoof]

TheHeretic said:

So field archery is just going out and shooting at whatever you happen to have, and target archery involved lots of people who don't smile in a gym?

PS, do you have a secret bunker full of beans?

Edited by TheHeretic on Monday 12th December 07:14

Come the Zombie Apocalypse you'll be laughing on the other side of your face when you realise you have nothing to defend your family with from attacking zombies. It's the only reason I keep my bow.










That and I can't be bothered to ebay it.

[Skii]

Field archery is fun, especially clout shooting where you aim into the sky to hit flags in the ground hundreds of yards away, bloody enjoyable imagining the flag is a frenchie at Agincourt

[Snowboy]

You'll also find that the subs and insurance for a local field archery course are around £10-20 a year, and you can go and shoot whenever you like.

But, a Target Archery centre will cost a lot more (maybe hundreds) and is likely to only be open an specific time.
(at least, that's my experience).

Field archery, wandering round a forest shooting targets in strange places, is a lot more fun that target archery.

But, you will need decent boots, you will loose or break a lot more arrows.
It's easy to find arrows lying around behind a clean target on the grass or under the catch net – it's much harder to find them in dense undergrowth.
On some of the smaller target (think rabbit sized) it's very easy to miss.
It's worth getting a good knife to help you cut the arrows out of trees too.

On an 18 target shoot wandering round the forest I'd probably lose or break at least 3 arrows, sometimes more.
So, it's worth learning how to make your own, or to perhaps try and buy a job lot of moderate quality arrows you won't mind losing.

You do sometimes get them back though.
My old club used to have a found arrow bucked by the door of the clubhouse where you would deposit any arrows you found that weren't yours.
Wooden arrows were often beyond repair, and even the plastic and metal ones looked very shabby after a few days or weeks buried in the forest.

[englisharcher]

Snow boy, if you lose or break 3 arrows that quickly, you need a lot more practice.

In a competition of 40 targets, i will lose or break 1 wooden arrow from my flat bow if i am unlucky, and i can't remember the last time i lost or broke an alloy arrow from my compound.

And a well built arrow should survive been lost for a month or two, even if it needs refletching.

But you are right about the price of arrows, they are around £60 upwards for a set of 12 wooden arrows, but i can buy the components and make my own for around £40 a dozen

Edited by englisharcher on Monday 12th December 11:21

Edited by englisharcher on Monday 12th December 11:22

[Happy82]

Ah excellent! I thought that field and target archery were run by the same groups I'll find a local field archery club, the target club we were going to join were a little 'odd' and made me feel uneasy

[Snowboy]

englisharcher said:

Snow boy, if you lose or break 3 arrows that quickly, you need a lot more practice.

There is that, but also I blame the course layer.

A 2foot target 30 yards away uphill over broken ground with 8 inch scrub all around is a nightmare to hit, and if one misses the arrows can land anywhere.
Personally, I think the course layer had shares in the local arrow shop.

It'd be much easier to hit a large group of Frenchmen.

I always found field archery to be a lot more social too.
The short walk between each peg, and the time waiting to shoot in turn gave a lot more chance for smalltalk and to watch each other shoot.

[Tunku]

Well! It's nice to see others who do the sport. I've always loved Field Archery but never seemed to have the time to keep it up until number two son decided to give it a bash. We are minutes away from one of the biggest field courses in Scotland, so it's a case of joining them, getting his bow he's getting for christmas fettled, get him a pair of sturdy boots.
I haven't set up a bow in years, so may be asking for help! The nocking point is one thing I'll have to revise.

[englisharcher]

Snowboy said:

I always found field archery to be a lot more social too.
The short walk between each peg, and the time waiting to shoot in turn gave a lot more chance for smalltalk and to watch each other shoot.

Very very true, it's a nice social occasion

[englisharcher]

Tunku said:

Well! It's nice to see others who do the sport. I've always loved Field Archery but never seemed to have the time to keep it up until number two son decided to give it a bash. We are minutes away from one of the biggest field courses in Scotland, so it's a case of joining them, getting his bow he's getting for christmas fettled, get him a pair of sturdy boots.
I haven't set up a bow in years, so may be asking for help! The nocking point is one thing I'll have to revise.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want, you can also p.m. me if you want to

[mattdaniels]

Snowboy said:

Field archery, is a lot more fun that target archery.

This.

There is nothing better than riding through a field on a Sunday morning, reins clipped to your stirrups, pinging off arrows at little woodland creatures. Hitting the moving ones at the gallop is quite a skill.

[Tunku]

mattdaniels said:

Snowboy said:

Field archery, is a lot more fun that target archery.

This.

There is nothing better than riding through a field on a Sunday morning, reins clipped to your stirrups, pinging off arrows at little woodland creatures. Hitting the moving ones at the gallop is quite a skill.