So when I hopped into the car to head down the highway with my dad to pick up Jacob, I had no idea how the day would play out. I knew I had a bow in my case that had performed in the past, and it was shooting decent. Although it hasn't been overly forgiving, I know I have it close to where it has to go, but the high winds have made it all but impossible to group tune. I figured I'd let the day tell me what needed to be done if we ever get some good weather. I almost felt like I should've stayed home to work on my bows in good weather. However, I also knew I needed to look at targets. Getting as many different looks in your tool belt is important to succeeding at unknown yardage. If you can see targets in many different settings, it allows you to draw on your memory in other instances. This has always worked well for me.
Warming Up and First Half
My shoulders were extremely sore in the warmup, so I only took a few shots, as the pain was somewhat more than I wanted to deal with. I'm pretty sure the cold morning didn't help matters. I shot a few arrows at the 40-yard ram on the practice range, and I shot two arrows at the 30 yard butt. None of the shots felt all that great.
As I stood in line to shoot through the chronograph, I was curious to see what the chronograph would say as compared to mine. To check mine against others, I also shot through George's chronograph at his house and Aron's at Exit Archery. I got 288 through mine and Aron's, and I got 287 through George's. When my arrow went through the chronograph at the shoot, it was at 292. I'm thinking outdoor chronographs might not read as consistently as indoor graphs, as the three I shot through earlier in the week were all indoor units, and the one I shot through at the Kentucky ASA last year also read faster than mine did at home. This is something I need to be aware of and realize why the 3% margin of error is factored in. It's always a safer bet to stay on the slower side.
When I headed onto the range, we started on the second half. Jacob, Barry Gates and Rob LeLacheur were in my group, so I knew I would have some great arrows in the targets throughout the day. We were all shooting unmarked yardage, which brings a lot of strategy into the round. I went into the tournament trying to figure out how I want to play the game this year. I planned on holding at the bottom of the 11s on the right side, hoping some of them would drop into the 12. I also figured I would aim right at the ones with arrows in them or if a target had a shadow or glare that highlighted the bonus ring.
As I stood looking at the coyote to start my day off, I reached into my bag of tricks and realized the coyote was just another backstop to shoot at, and I've shot at many different backstops over the years. Heck, it has a 5-inch 10-ring, just like all of the other ASA targets. I really like that part when it comes to shooting ASA tournaments. Every target has the same sized 10-ring, whether it's a turkey or a brown bear. This makes it easier to come up with a plan on how to go about aiming at them.
After shooting a center 11 on the coyote, I moved to the next target and felt good about the start. The fuzzy feeling quickly dissipated as I followed up the 10 with back-to-back 8s, both hitting just under the 10 ring. When I walked to the stake of the next target and realized I had to lead if off, I felt good about my chances when I saw a javelina staring back at me. The javelina has a white mark in the 12-ring, and I felt confident with my number, so I put the pin on the white marker and pulled. When the arrow hit the bottom of the 12, I felt relieved to know I had gained a few points back.
After that shot, I went on a streak of 10s. Although I struggled with my shot, I kept finding the 10-ring, so I rode the wave as long as I could. I found myself just missing a few 12s and ricocheting out of one that Barry had stuck and arrow into. I wanted that one, as it was another javelina. My arrow glanced off his and ended up striking the foam just to the left of the 12. It was disappointing, but I knew I made a good shot.
Throughout the winter, I let down the least amount of times I've ever let down. I made good shots and worked on speeding my shot up. It worked incredibly well. Between the indoor season and going outside in this horrendous weather, I've taken five steps back from the one step I took forward. I need to address this and work on it as the weather gets nicer.
As we approached the last handful of targets on our first half, my shot felt slightly better, and I made perfect shots on the uphill black panther and the long deer down the alley that followed. I centered both of those targets and felt good about my numbers, as the arrows hit directly behind the pin. Unfortunately, I just missed the panther. The arrow hit the bottom of the 11, but it wasn't quite far enough to the right to catch the 12.
As we walked past the chronograph tent toward the last target of the first half, we exchanged pleasantries with the guys at the tent. Looking at the aoudad in the field, I felt confident with my number, and Jacob smoked the 12. With a perfect arrow to shoot at, I let the pin lock onto his arrow, and I began pulling. When the shot broke, I expected the arrow to appear in the 12. When it appeared under the 10, I was not happy. I knew I had the right number, and after checking with Jacob, we shot it for the same number. I've been having issues with my current setup with random low arrows, and that was one of them. I'm not sure what has been causing the issue, but I'll keep at it to figure it out before it drives me crazy. So when the dust settled after the first half, I found myself down 4, and I considered that a success.
Second Half
Starting the second half, we caught up to Pete and Tara Swanney and waited for them to shoot the first target. I think I met them almost 30 years ago, and I've always admired their talent behind a bow. I guess sometimes we don't realize how lucky we are ourselves, but I'll be the first to tell you that if I could model my shot after someone, I would start with those two. They both make shooting a bow look easy. I wish it was as easy as they make it look. I enjoy watching people with good form and execution shoot a bow. Sometimes, I wonder what people see when they watch me. If they were inside my head, they would see a train wreck. I guess in the end, I seem to find a way to get arrows to where they belong on targets, so I must be doing something right.
When I looked at the large deer to start off the second half, I felt confident. I could see the line going through the core, which is always the middle of the 11. I felt confident with my number, so I held just under it on a light spot (the 12), and the arrow appeared in it a few seconds later. I made a good shot and had a good number.
Moving to the second target, I was hesitant when setting my sight. There was a discoloration on the warthog, and it was in the middle of the 12. It made it almost impossible to avoid shooting at. Although I was unsure of my number, I was confident enough to think I wouldn't go low if I shot at it, so I put my pin on it and pulled. The arrow struck Jacob's, and we got to write 12s on our cards. I had finally got back to even. It was a grind, with some tricky shots, but I made it.
Two targets later, I saw a coyote across a creek. The target was leaning back and angled. I knew I would have to make a good shot, and it was long. I knew a 10 would be par. I struggled through my shot, and when it broke, my heart jumped into my throat. I knew it had potential to be a disaster. Luckily, I hit just under the 10-ring. I wrote it on the card and walked away. What could have been a casualty turned into a 2-point loss that didn't bring any disappointment with it.
When I found myself staring at the wolverine to end my day, I just wanted to do my best to make a good shot. I could see the area of the 12 well, so I decided to go after it. It was hero or zero time. When the shot broke, I cursed a little because I though I hit it below the core. The arrow appeared almost on the ground. Then, Barry and Jacob told me it was in the 12 but had kicked straight down. I was relieved, and I was happy to put my stuff away.
My Take on the Day
My confidence has been waning over the last month or so, and this shoot didn't do much to help it. Although I ended with a good score, my shooting did not match the card. This was a mental grind and required as much grit and determination as I've had to use in a long time. It made me realize I need to change a few things before next weekend. If anyone thinks good shooters never struggle, you are sadly mistaken. They face the same battles we all face. However, these people have enough experience to navigate rounds without getting bucked off the horse and thrown into the tall weeds in the pasture. They find a way to remain focused and not lose sight of the future. They don't get lost in bad performances, and they don't get overwhelmed in great performances. They just do their job.
Archery has never come easy for me. I've always worked harder than anyone out there can possibly imagine. Archery is my life, and it has given me things along the way that I never could've imagined. It has also brought some incredible people into my life, including the people I was able to shoot with over the years. I will forever be appreciative of the fact that I get to share so much shooting time with a world-class talent. Darton Archery has no idea what they have in Jacob Slusarz. This kid is kind, humble and helpful. Shooting with someone like this can do nothing but make other people better. Many people think the best shooters in the world are super serious and don't have fun while shooting. If you spend a few days on a range with Jacob, you'll realize nothing is further from the truth. He shoots because he loves to shoot, and he does it well. He has fun doing it and he strives to be the best he can be. If you think you work hard at archery, your brain would become numb if you lived a week in his life. I'm not sure many people know how fortunate they are to have someone like this in their geographical location, someone who excels at indoor target archery and 3D at the highest level. That is a rare find.
The turnout was great this weekend. It's always nice to see new faces and old faces alike. Archery is made up of a small community that is one big family. That's what makes it so nice to have events like this in our region. I challenge everyone to find a friend to introduce to competitive archery and get that person involved. We need to grow our numbers in our region, and there are plenty of opportunities to do this. There will be an IBO qualifier in southern Vermont the first weekend of June. It's in a perfect location for many New England and New York shooters. I would highly encourage people to support Catamount Bowhunters. While there are a handful of little targets, they have a nice piece of land, and they are good people. Let's all work together to help them rebuild what used to be a great little club.
Good luck to everyone with your next event. I hope to see you on the road.
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