2nd Leg of IBO Northeast Triple Crown

   I spent most of the week trying to get a bow set up for the ASA in Kentucky next week. Although the bow I shot last weekend in Naragansett seemed to work OK, I wasn't satisfied with my shot and the way the bow held. I've become more comfortable with my PSE Supra Focus than the Evoke 35, even though I've had a lot of success with the Evoke 35 over the last few years. I tried four different arrow combinations out of the two bows, and I'm still no further ahead now than when I started. I'm not sure what I will be shooting in Kentucky this week and probably won't decide until I leave after I get out of work on Wednesday. At this point, I wish I had two Supra Focus bows. I think I'd feel more comfortable having one for IBO and one for ASA. So if anyone knows of anyone who wants to trade an extremely clean Evoke 35 for a Supra Focus 37, I'm all ears. 

                                                                          The Shoot

  Dad came to my house to get me at 5:15 on Saturday morning. When he arrived, he told me he just didn't feel well enough to go to the shoot. He was in rough shape and didn't think it would be a wise idea to be out in the pouring rain all day, especially with the temperature expected to stay in the mid 40s all day. He wanted to try to get some rest and get feeling better for the trip to Kentucky. Although I'm sure he would like to shoot in the Massachusetts Senior Games on Sunday, pulling the bow back 90 times and walking back and forth between each end of six arrows would probably be too much to handle right now. That's why he chose to go to the ASA in Kentucky. Hopefully, the trip down and back won't be too bad. 

  After Dad pulled out of the driveway, I headed to Saratoga to pick up Wade and Jeff. Jeff has been overwhelmed with work so hasn't had much time to spend on archery activities. It's always nice when we get to travel someplace on the weekend and hang out and shoot arrows. Wade has been working on his numbers and couldn't wait to shoot. He also decided to shoot his PSE PerformX this weekend to see how it would work. 

  We made quick work of the exchange in Saratoga and headed to Clifton Park to pick up Jacob. I'm not sure why, but I love traveling around our region with these guys. I've done it for a long time, and it never gets old. There are never two trips that are the same, and we make memories every time we head somewhere to shoot. We've seen some crazy stuff along the way, too. 

  Although I thought we made good time getting to Connecticut, it appeared that we were one of the last groups of people to arrive at the shoot. Most people had already gone out onto the course. As expected, the rain was steady and the wind howled around in the trees. We spent a bit of time on the target butts warming up. After shooting my normal groups of arrows at the 20-yard butt, I moved to the 50-yard bale and shot some groups at a 5-spot. While the groups weren't great, most of the arrows found their way into the white circle. 

                                                                                     First Half

  Walking up the road to the first target, I knew it was going to be a rough day. The steady rain combined with the heavy canopy made for an extremely dark setting. It was going to be tough getting numbers and seeing targets. 

  Having to wait for the group in front of us at Target 1, I listened to Jeff's arrow when the bow went off. I thought I had a number that would get me in the ballpark. Then, when it was my turn to shoot, I dialed the sight and drew my bow. I couldn't get the pin to settle, which made me a little anxious. The pin was zig-zagging all over the 10-ring. Although it made the sight picture look like it looks when my draw is too short, I knew the opposite was the case in this instance. I had grabbed the wrong release, and the strap on it was stretched out too much, causing it to slightly change my anchor point. Although I got the shot off, it felt incredibly sloppy, and I hit the target halfway between the 10-line and 8-line, above the 10-ring. Instantly, I knew I had misjudged the target. The impala tends to trick me at times, but it's more of an aiming thing than anything. I seem to have a difficult time getting my pin to settle on the impala as compared to most other targets. I'm not sure if it's the color of the target or if something else causes the issue. I probably need to spend time shooting at the target like it's a bullseye. 

  The next target was a slightly downhill, tan cheetah that was located across a small dip in the land. Not having that target, it made it difficult to size it up. I used a ground guess and an initial look guess to come up with a number. Although I thought I had a little too much on it, I aimed a little lower than normal. My arrow landed on the uppers side of the 10... two targets down... both sloppy shots. 

  Walking to the next target, the man upstairs decided to fix the dripping faucet by grabbing hold of the sprayer on the other side of the sink and letting it rip. The heavens opened up and the rain pounded on us from above. Looking at a really cool set, which had the brown bear on the other side of some fallen trees, I felt confident with my number and stroked it... 11. 

  Looking at the next target, a bedded stone sheep, I knew it was going to be a tough shot. It was across a small ravine and sitting against some rocks. The wind howled, blowing water from the trees, and the rain continued pounding. My pin sat steady, and seconds later, the arrow appeared in the 10 ring, just above the 11. Now that I had changed releases, I had made two perfect shots in a row. 

  During the first few targets, I had an awful time trying to get organized. I had my bow umbrella, an umbrella, my seat, and the cards in a mess. Finally, I gave in to my umbrella and decided to pack it in. I would just deal with the soaking rain and get wet. 

  After getting reorganized, I went on a streak and shot five 10s in a row and some of the shots were really tough to get the numbers. We had to shoot over humps and bumps in the land, and we encountered a side hill and shooting through some cut- out holes in blowdowns. In most cases, the heads were not visible at all. We could only see from the neck back, which made it difficult to trust the judgment. Most of the 10s I shot during the streak barely missed the 11... so close yet so far away. I could've gone on a roll during that stretch but couldn't gather any luck. I just needed a break, but it couldn't be found on this day.

  When we came across a black panther at about 27 yards, I knew I would smoke it. Leading it off, I held good and executed. I made a good shot, but the arrow landed at 9 o'clock in the 10-ring. I was miffed as to why the arrow landed where it did. I figured I must've aimed in the wrong spot. When you rarely see targets that close, it's trying on your nerves when you don't capitalize on the "easy" sets.

  When I got to the long bedded buck next to a huge tree, the number popped out at me. It looked similar to a few bedded bucks I've shot in the last month. Unfortunately, I did something that I don't normally do. I actually looked at a stake in front of me and let a distracting thought enter my mind. I changed my sight setting and made my shot. Like the previous two targets, the arrow struck well to the left... and low, really low. I thought I had earned a 5. When we got to the target to score it, I saw that I had gotten lucky and escaped with a liner 8. If I had gone with my initial guess, I would've had perfect height on it, but the arrow would've still been to the left of the 10. 

  I got an 11 on the 40-yard black bear through the tunnel. This target stuck out to me because I look at it often and have a good idea what it looks like at certain distances. Moving from there to the last target of the first half, a javelina, I felt good about getting off the first 15 at one down. It was a tough course to get numbers, and it had some brutal shots on it. Dealing with the rain, wind and dark woods made it even tougher. Then, I executed an OK shot. It wasn't great, but it wasn't all that bad either. It landed to the left of the 10-ring for an 8. Four of my last five shots of the half had gone dead left, and I couldn't figure out why. All of my arrows before those were good on a left-to-right basis. 

  I took the time to shoot a couple of arrows as we walked past the targets on the way to the second half. Two hit in the X at 20 yards and one hit on the edge of the white at 9 o'clock to the left. I wasn't sure how I could shoot an arrow that far left, but I looked at the two inside-out Xs and moved on. 

                                                                                          Second Half

 When I got to the first target of the second half and saw a bedded Dahl across a valley and nestled into the side of a hill, the number stuck out to me... long. I dialed my sight and figured if I made a good shot, I would get it. The shot broke good, and the arrow appeared in the 11... off to a good start. 

  Moving to the next target, a downhill boar, it was horrible footing at the stake. I felt awesome about my shot. I executed one of my best shots of the day and knew I had drilled the 11. Stepping off the stake and looking at it, I learned it was a 10. The arrow had hit directly behind the pin, and it looked identical to the arrow Jacob shot in West Virginia that kept him out of the shootoff. You can't ask for anything more than the arrow to hit where your pin was sitting when the shot broke. 

  When I got to the next target, I saw a bomb of a mountain lion across a low ravine. I knew it was in the 50-yard neighborhood and felt confident I would get it. When she shot broke, the pin had drifted to the left, and I looked through my binoculars at my 8 at 9 o'clock off the 10-ring. I was not happy. I had just dropped another two points without missing the yardage. 

  A few targets later, I found myself standing on the edge of a ledge. About 37-38 yards in from of me, I could see a wolverine. Once again, I held well and made a good shot. The arrow struck to the left again, just outside of the 10-ring. Losing four points in a three-target stretch, I was irritated. 

  Putting that behind me, I mashed the gas pedal and put my foot to the floor. I was going to get off this course the best I could and try to make a comeback. We shot some tough shots along the way, Including an uphill Corsican ram, a long standing bear on which nothing below the mid-section could be seen, a tricky bedded doe, a 45 yard downhill wolf next to a huge boulder and blowdown, and the huge white goat down a 48-yard tunnel. I got all of them and made good shots in the process, even with the rain still pouring off heaven's ledge. 

  Nearing the end, I saw a stone sheep and felt like I would probably 11 it. After the arrow hit barely above the 10-ring, I was agitated. How could I have missed an opportunity like the one that had just presented itself to me? Irritated, I walked to the next target. Jacob centered it and I followed his lead. I love shooting coyotes because they give me the nice black dots to aim at in the 11-ring. I put the pin on them and drilled it... the 46-yard coyote had our two arrows centered in it. 

  Moving to the last target, I felt confident I would end my day on a good note. I drew on the gator and settled in before having to let down. Drawing again, I felt confident. When the release cut loose from my string, I heard a foreign foam noise. I knew it wasn't good. The arrow struck the gator just above the 8 in the core. I had shot it for the correct yardage, too. I'm still not sure how I shot a 5 on it and it's still eating at my craw. I shot it for 42 yards and that yardage matched the number on the official course-setter's paper. I ended the day at 10-down and lost seven in the last three shots. 

  

                                                                 

                                                                                Final Thoughts

    Confidence can be fleeting. You can have an abundance of it one day, and it can all go blowing away with the wind in an instant. This weekend's shoot could do that to people if they aren't mentally strong. Although we all expect more of ourselves, we have to look at the big picture across all competitors. When there is only one score above a 300 in all classes combined, that should be enough to tell you that the weather definitely affected everyone. We run into equipment issues in the weather that we have never encountered. We encounter visual problems that can't be practiced. We have issues feeling our releases or keeping our pins or scopes clear. We have a hard time holding our shot in our backs with all of the extra clothing we must wear. We have issues seeing the targets clearly. It's difficult to practice for these conditions unless you do it mentally. I've always loved shooting in bad weather because I tend to excel in these conditions. I learn to enjoy the day outside and do the best I can do. 

  During the round, I beat myself up pretty good. I was not happy and the shots that went left and high on me that I couldn't explain wore on my nerves. Although it didn't take complete hold of me, I did let the devil sit on my shoulder and tug at my confidence. He wrapped his skinny, bloody, red fingers around my collar and pulled it tight. I felt him trying to slowly peel it from my skin, and my skin ripped like it used to when I skidded along the pavement when being thrown from my bike as a child. Then, he whispered in my ear and tore a large piece from my mind as my arrow sailed into the gator. Raspy and through heavy breath he said, "Come with me. It's OK. You can hang out with me for a bit." Looking at him, I considered following his advice and hanging out with him. Quickly coming back to my own conscious mind, I stared him down and told him I no longer have room for his presence. I would be walking with my friends today, the friends who also walked through the fire and rain with me. We would walk out of the rain and into the sun, maybe not today, but we were leaving him behind to prey on the weaker minded individuals who were teetering in his presence.

   I also need to consider where my points were lost, and I'm not sure if this is coincidence or if I actually lost my concentration due to letting outside things interfere with my focus. I shot three 8s on the first half. On each one of them, the host of the shoot was talking to our group. Then, I shot a five on the gator to end the shoot. Moments before shooting the 5, I was looking in the clubhouse window next to the stake and trying to be a comedian with Jeff and Rob, who were both inside and feet away from eh stake but inside the building. I'm not sure if these things made me lose focus for a few seconds each time and caused me to drop 11 points. If I look at the rest of my day, I'm almost thinking that's what happened. I just know I will work harder to remain focused 100% throughout the round. 

  This morning, I decided to head to a local shoot where the setups are all similar to difficult IBO shoots. I wanted to test my skills on a better day. The weather was dark and gloomy, but there was no rain. In an attempt to figure out which bow I want to shoot at the ASA this week, I decided I would shoot my Supra Focus on the first half and my Evoke 35 on the second half. After shooting 11s on my first three targets and staying on the straight and narrow through the first half, shooting two 8s, one of which was on a misjudged boar and the other on a long turkey, I flicked the red, little, horned man off my shoulder and put him to rest. My confidence was back to where it had been before I started the round yesterday. 

  Although the second half of the course was a little shorter, the Evoke 35 did its job. I shot two 8s on the second half too, one being on a hen turkey that I hit barely under the 10-ring, and the big white goat, which I misjudged by a few yards. I ended up at 7 up for the day and my confidence was back to where it belonged. 

Moral of the story: Don't let severe conditions feed the devil when you look into the mirror and ask yourself about your performance this weekend. Instead, realize that many great shooters in your region also struggled. Sometimes, the conditions can lead to things happening that we can't understand or accept. Do your best to put it behind you and move on. I shot my bow well, but I didn't score like I believed I should have scored. Good luck to everyone who attends the Massachusetts IBO State Championship next weekend. I will be headed to Kentucky to shoot in my first national ASA Pro-Am in about 15 years. 

  On our way out of the parking lot, Jeff and Wade snapped a picture of this barn. Although I couldn't see it, they said there was a big ol'  Black Eagle Magnum in the side of the barn. They said they think the devil flicked a guy in the ear, then the gator snarled at him and lunged at his fingers, and the guy's fingers got lost in the shuffle. In the chaos, his arrow ripped out through the bushes and the gator wandered out through the bushes and thrashed its tail around at the arrow. When its tail hit the arrow, it thrashed it around and sent it into the barn. Damn gator!! Looks like it won this battle with a few of its pursuers, but we will be sure to get it next time. You win some and you lose some.