There I am.................on top of the mountain about a year ago. I had just come off a great year of shooting. This particular morning I had chased two 6x6 bulls all across an 11,500 foot peak. I had drawn my bow a few times but came up empty in the shot department. I was.....oh so close but nothing came out of the opportunities
That pretty much sums up my year of shooting this year. Although I've never felt like I was at the bottom, I've often wondered if I had lost my ability to compete with the best shooters of the region. Had my age finally caught up to me? Some people's abilities drastically fall off the map at certain ages........maybe I was finally a victim of that. However, others seem to get better..........and I think that can be me, but over the course of the last three months, I began doubting that.
Coming off a great performance at last week's Extreme Challenge, I gained a lot of confidence at a shoot that most people would've lost it. So going into the week, I was searching for answers. That's when I had a conversation with my buddy Rick Baker and he suggested that I try shooting my SuperDrive 23s because the spine on them is a tad stiffer than the arrows I've been shooting. So Tuesday night I gave it a whirl and shot that my V-grip Energy 35 with the SuperDrive 23s. After shooting groups out to 67 yards, I felt excited to go to the New England Trail Shoot. I was pounding with it. Rick also told me he had his TRX 38 figured out and was pounding with his bow. We both discussed the excitement for the weekend. We both liked our chances and thought we could compete if everything went the right way. I made a few more changes and swapped my peep out for a larger one, the largest one I've shot in a few years. I was nervous about shooting such a large arrow at long distances, but I could argue with the groups the arrows appeared in when shooting them at 70 and 80 yards.
When I got to my target assignment Saturday morning at the Trail Shoot, I was glad to see that I was shooting with Barry Gates, Ethan Merrill and my dad. It's always a good feeling when you're in a group that makes it easier to relax, and I had that with that group.
I started off well and continued rolling along through the first half. In the first half I didn't make a bad shot, but I did make a few shots that I wasn't overly satisfied with. Those shots cost me four points, but I rolled off the first half with a 325. I considered it a solid start, but really felt like I should have been down just two points.
As we started the second half, my shots felt good. When I got to the caribou, I knew I was in good shape, so I played safe and aimed on the far right of the orange dot. Since the target was set at 78 yards (I think that's what it was set at), I figured I would play safe. The angle was steep enough that a shooter could barely miss on the left side and shoot a zero. When I had finished scoring the target, I wasn't happy about writing down a 20, but I guess it was better to write that than to miss the target on the left. I would have been a little disturbed if I had to do that. If a target is at that distance, I think the distance alone separates the people. I'd probably avoid the big angles in the future and let the distance settle things rather than the severe angle. I still enjoyed it because it involved strategy, and in the end, by strategy probably wasn't the best. I knew I was shooting well, and I probably should have just held in the center of the orange dot and execute my shot. I guess the gambler didn't come out in my for those two shots.
When we came upon a long cheetah after that, I couldn't see the orange dot on it due to the lighting at that time of day and the shadows. I held where I thought I needed to be and pulled. The first arrow hit the dot, but the next one hit a hair to the right. It was disappointing because I couldn't see the dot well enough to know if I was holding on the right spot.
Shortly after that, I walked up on a bedded doe and made one of my best shots of the day. On the second shot, but pin drifted a smidgeon to the right and the release fired before my subconscious mind brought the pin back to the center. Unfortunately, the arrow hit just outside the line at 3 o'clock. I was disappointed because it wasn't a bad shot, which made the end result a little easier to take. It was just a little bit of bad luck related to when the release fired. It happens..........even to the best of them. I can accept that, even if I don't like it.
That's when the bus started wandering between the lines on the highway. I knew I had to get it back in line before the tires loosened too much and fell off. I knew there was a strong possibility the wheels could come off, but my newfound confidence wouldn't allow that to happen. I just needed to trust the progress I've made since January and let the bow shoot itself.
When I glanced up the road a few minutes later and saw a large deer at about 67 yards (if my memory serves me right), I was really nervous when I noticed the deer was leaning back so far that I figured I could glance off the orange dot and shoot a zero. The issues worsened when I drew the bow and tried to find the pin. I had a lot of problems on light brown targets throughout the day. My fiber optic pin was washing out, and I couldn't see the pin on the target at all. The pin totally disappeared. If the angle wasn't bad enough, not being able to see the pin made it nearly impossible. It's really hard for me to commit when I feel uncomfortable about any part of the aiming process. After the two shots fired and the arrows stuck in the target, I felt good about walking away with a 20. I'm sure it would have been much easier to shoot that particular target before people had pushed it over while pulling arrows. I guess that was just one of the ones that you can't control based on when you had to shoot it.
I made the most of the last few targets and missed the long standing bear up the hills barely low on my second shot. My hold wasn't the best and the arrow hit behind the pin. There wasn't much I could do about it.
When the dust had settled, I walked off 12 down. Although I was satisfied, I knew I should have scored a little better. I identified a problem that needs to be addressed. I need to find a way to keep the pin from being washed out on those lighter colored targets. I hate change, but I know I need to change that. When I looked at the results of the shoot, the results followed what Rick and I had talked about while we were working on our setups. There were about 15 guys who had a legitimate chance to win, and the winner would just have to be on point that day. Well, Rick was on point that day, and he got the win. He earned it. He shot awesome. While I thought I shot well, I knew I left some points out there. I'm still really satisfied considering everything I've been through this year with all of the form changes. It was a pleasure to finally be able to shoot with Ethan. I've watched him from afar at many of the indoor shoots across New England over the last few years, and I've always admired the smoothness of his shot. Ethan is a great guy. You can tell he comes from a good family. I hope is college career goes well and is filled with success in archery and behind the books.
Here's my card for the day. Oh, everyone can be assured that the arrow that was stuck in the tree with my name on it wasn't mine. Instead, it was my funny buddies writing my name on it so everyone thought I missed that target. The prank worked!! Four people returned the arrow to me. I got had, and it was pretty funny. Just remember boys, payback is a bitch.
I went into Sunday expecting nothing. I thought about taking a mental break day and shooting pins again but after talking to Sean Roberts, he told me to shoot the slider, and I knew he probably had the best insight to make that choice for me. So that's what I did..........I shot a moveable.
After getting into the shoot for a handful of targets that were fairly soft, I shot an 8 on the first long target we saw -- a big 10 buck. Since the course was fairly soft, I over judged it and hit it just above the 10. When I saw a bedded ram a few targets later, I did the same thing. I tried making myself think the target was a lot longer distance than what it was, and I hit it high for a 5. Then, I had the same thing happen on the last target of the first half that happened on the long bedded doe the day before. The pin drifted right, and the shot fired before it came back into the 10-ring.
That was the end of any shots that would find their way into any column on the right of the 10-ring. I cleaned the rest of the course and added some 11s in to crawl out of the hole I created for myself by not paying attention.
When the day came to a close, I finished the day up at 301, and I felt like executed good shots all day. While it could have been better, it could have been much worse, too. I think I made two bad shots today. So, I made three bad shots out of 60 on Saturday and two bad ones out of 30 on Sunday. I definitely feel like I can compete again at the highest level again. I need to practice judging yardage again. I've let that slide for far too long while working on other things. Jacob saved me today by telling me he hit a feeding doe badly. Having shot with him a lot this year, when I saw the target, I figured what he probably guessed it for and recalculated my estimation. It allowed me to stay in the 10-ring. It's little things like that which allow the good shooters to succeed. They learn from the great shooters and apply the knowledge. It's key to may attention to absorb as much as possible. My conversation with Jacob lasted about three minutes, but I gained knowledge from it and use it to my own benefit.
Summing up the week, I would say that I learned a lot from a lot of people. I talked with Rick early in the week, Sean all week, Jacob for a few minutes, and George for a few hours on Wednesday night, and all of these people allowed me to think about things differently for a few minutes. I used all of the information and went with the good things. That's what happens sometimes just from what might seem to be insignificant conversations.
I also shot a different bow for the third time this year. The results tell the story: 304, 648, 301. I will continue shooting that bow for a while. I also spoke to Adam Carlise after the trail shot was over. We talked about my draw length change, and he said that he realized the the had shortened his draw too much while shooting 3Ds and dealing with the uphill shots. In the process, it had deteriorated his aim, but he didn't notice it right away. While I was deciding which bow to shoot at the trail shoot, I noticed that the aim was much better with one bow than the other. I believe I have shortened my go-to bow's draw length too much while trying to deal wit the uphill shots. I'm going to lengthen it back out and see what gives. That simple conversation while waiting for lunch after the shoot made me realize I'm not the only one who notices that sometimes our positive changes we make actually hurt us in the long run. I feel like I've found a happy spot. Time will tell if that's true. Here's my card from today's 3d shoot. Old Todd has now found his way out of the depths of the dark archery dungeon for the third time in a week. Old Todd is way more confident than the Todd that has been around the last few months.
Today's Archer Profile goes to Jason VanHillo.
As long as I've known Jason, we've never had the opportunity to shoot together until today, and it was a pleasure. Jason laid it down on me for the first half of the shoot. Anyone who has shot with me for any length of time knows that sometimes it takes me a while to get going, and if I do find my game, it's usually near the end. Jason pushed me right to the end today and shooting with him made me better.
Jason has won the NFAA Massachusetts Indoor State Championship and the New England NFAA Indoor Sectionals in the last few years. He is always a force to reckon with while shooting the indoor shoots across the region and even at the big dances. When he attended Vegas a few years ago, he got a lot of garb from PSE for shooting the elusive 300 at Vegas, which is an accomplishment that all indoor archers strive to achieve but so few ever accomplish.
Do you see a pattern here? Yup, Jason excels at the indoor game. Although he has struggled a little with his 3D game, he's making steady progress, and I was really impressed today when he gave me a run for my money. But has he really struggled at 3D? Not really!! At the OPA a few years ago, he found himself sitting near the top after the first day and right smack dab in the middle of a group that consisted of the top archers in the world.............he found out that he could run with the big dogs. Mike Schloesser (Mr. Perfect) was in his group, and Jason shot just like he was one of the guys, hanging with the big dogs. Then, this past winter, Jason laid it down at the Winter Cam Classic when he sent two of the best archers in the world packing by beating Dave Cousins and Keith Trail to win the tournament. Who can say they beat two Vegas champions and NFAA Champions in a head-to-head shootoff? Well, not many guys can say that, but Mr. VanHillo can say that he did.
Not only does Jason shoot well, he strives to support all kinds of archery, and he wants people to get better at the craft they love. He encourages his fellow archers and he shows his appreciation for his coach and recommends his coach, Gary Neal, to every shooter looking for help. It's always good to see guys give credit to the people who have helped them along the way. Far too often, people forget to give credit to the ones who have been directly responsible for their success. Jason is not one of those people.
Jason has created the New England Trail Shoot. In all of my years of shooting, I've never seen so much excitement for an individual event. I hear people talk about it all year, and they post all positive feedback. I've shot it the last two years, and I feel that it is a must-do event. This is something that everyone should try. It's a laid-back event and is a lot of fun to participate in. I could go on and on about it, but I have to admit that it's my favorite event to attend. I've been to events all over the country, and this shoot is by far the best one I've attended for a number for reasons. One cannot truly appreciate it until he shoots it. Give it a try next year and spread the word. Archery is great in New England. We are having fun and growing. Jason also runs an annual New Year's Day shoot, which is a great time. He knows how to listen to the people and do things the right way, although he should probably cut down a little on the steepness of the angles. ;-)
Whether you're going to any of the great IBO shoots, marked yardage events, field archery shoots, team shoots or indoor shoots, being a part of the shooting in New England is absolutely incredible. I'm glad I'm part of that family. It's great to be a part of that while helping grow archery in New England.
I'll end with one more comment: Rick Baker and I both got a burnt orange Archer Uncensored hat. I'm thinking the luck for both of us this weekend came with the hat. Shawn and Braden, there's no need to make ANY MORE of those thats in that color............hint hint hint. Baker and I want the only two. Give scrawny Seany another neon one. He looks good in that color.
Until next week -------------------------> it feels good to know that I can be a contender again. Keep throwing arrows down range and fixing the things that need fixing. I'm living proof that you can get there if you put the work in. I'm not fixing any typos tonight so please excuse the mess. It's been a long weekend. Give Archery Uncensored a like on Facebook and listen to the podcast. These guys are good friends and do a great job.
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