After going to Foley, I figured I would be able to prepare more easily for Ft. Benning. Unfortunately, the snowstorm that hammered the Adirondacks in northern New York didn’t care much for my thoughts on that. When the snow settled, the digging out began, and I realized I would not be getting outside at all. Therefore, I sucked it up and put in a lot of work behind the bow inside. I hoped that judging targets would be like riding a bike and come back to me once I got on the range. However, maybe I would also just get lucky and have two wrongs make a right throughout the entire round. After all, according to a few high-profile pros, 98% of the archers in unknown classes could never compete in known classes because they don’t shoot that well. It makes me laugh. I’m not sure how you can win any pro class, known or unknown, if you don’t have great shooting skills, but that conversation is for another day. Here's a photo of the snow the week before we headed to Ft. Benning.
Practice Day
Practice day went OK for all of us. However, I never felt like my shot was smooth or fluid. Instead, it felt choppy, and I couldn’t hold the bow well. I battled through it and did alright. Although we shot every range, there wasn’t too terribly much yardage on them. It didn’t build my confidence, but it didn’t put a dent in it either.
It was a great day, and we never could’ve asked for better weather. There was a bluebird sky and planes from the nearby base were overhead the entire day, as they were doing training exercises. Later, I found out that my Uncle Claude, Dad’s brother, was stationed at Fort Benning before being shipped off to the Vietnam War. After he passed away, I got his military trench coat from my grandmother and still own it today. It will always be a part of our family. Life passes quickly and being on this base where my uncle once served reminded me that we should treasure every moment of our lives. I was 6 years old when my aunt, uncle and three cousins tragically passed in a house fire that never could’ve been predicted when we all laid our heads on our pillows that night. I often wonder what would’ve become of those family members if they had the opportunity to live longer lives.
Some of the planes dropped parachuters out of them, and it reminded me that freedom isn’t free. With the things going on in the world today, I’m glad people are willing to go into the military to defend our country. Without these people, things would be much different in the world as we all know it.
Day 1
When we drove into the parking lot, it was pitch black. There were lights shining on the practice bags, and the range was open for anyone who wanted to shoot. The sky didn’t begin turning bright until about 7, so we wandered over and took some shots before heading to our ranges.
Jeff and Dad both shot at the far end of the parking lot, and once again, the ASA had the Masters Class, which comprises the oldest shooters in the event, walking the farthest of any class to get to their range. I’ll never understand why this type of thing happens. Everyone in the class is over 70 years old and many of them are approaching 80. C’mon guys! Look at what you’re doing when setting up ranges. There’s no reason these shooters couldn’t be put on the closest ranges to the practice butts or somewhere they could drive directly to the course.
Jacob and I walked down the road to our range and got there a few minutes before they allowed us to go onto the range. Starting on target 12, I basically walked from start to finish to get to my first target. Glancing at the targets along the way, the range looked like most normal ranges. There were some shots that would be tough and others that would be there for the taking. I usually don’t give it much time to make a gameplan, as that usually happens from target to target for me.
When we began, I was drawn as the last shooter. I felt good about it because I was starting on a wolf, and it was set between some trees. I wanted to be able to hear some arrows, so I could get a better idea about the distance. Although I was pretty sure with my number, I knew the sound of arrows could confirm my guess. There wasn’t much guessing, as the wolf looked as small as a coyote.
Ray Young put a shot right near the 12, so I did my best to use his arrow and try to put mine in the area it needed to be. When I drew my bow, I felt loose and sloppy, but the bow held OK. I held longer than normal, but when the shot broke it hit barely above the 12… I was off to a good start.
After our practice round, Jacob, Jeff and I talked about different things. I realized that during practice, I shoot at every 12 and usually do OK with that strategy. I really don’t shoot many 8s, and my arrows find their way into the 12-ring regularly. I figured I would go with that strategy instead of picking and choosing like I usually do.
After four targets, I was up 4 and barely missed the two I shot 10s on. Although I wasn’t holding well or executing great shots, I was still getting the arrows near the 12 rings. After five targets, I found myself on the leaderboard. As the round progressed, I got back to +4 before barely missing targets 19 and 20 out the bottom. I’m pretty sure it was due to weak shots. If I had made better shots, I’m sure I would’ve centered them. Unfortunately, I leaked a little bit of pressure and barely missed them out the bottom.
When we turned the corner and stared down a bomb of a wolverine, there wasn’t much guessing involved. I knew I just had to make a good shot. Going last, I knew I would have good aiming points. After drawing, the bow only sat still for about two seconds. Then, the sight started to bobble and I watched it dip and start coming back up, but it fired before it got back up. Once again, I had lost some pressure and paid the price. Unfortunately, I knew the yardage of the targets and got a five on it. That is unacceptable if you want to be at the top of any class.
After doing that, I went on a streak of seven 10s before I felt comfortable shooting at 12s again. Then I called an upper on a close boar and smoked it, putting me at 3 down with a few targets left. That’s when the wheels fell off the bus. I drew on a black buck, and the pin settled nicely, but the shot didn’t fire. I had to let down and start over. On my second draw, I got impatient, and the pin started dancing. Instead of letting down and starting over, I made a bad shot and paid the price. I collected another 5 for my card.
Getting to the next stake, I saw a hyena between two trees. It wasn’t that difficult of a shot, and I knew I had a chance at it. I decided I would shoot at the 12 and hold my pin next to the black dot where the 12 was hidden. Although my hold was a little long, I executed a good shot but heard the arrow clank of something while in flight. Then, I saw the arrow had struck the target in the ass. Nobody in the group could figure out what the arrow had hit. Then, Shawn Greathouse shot after me. His arrow did the same thing as mine. Unlike my arrow, his ricocheted off the same tree that we had determined mine had hit and landed near the 10/12 connector.
Looking at it afterward, neither of us saw the tree in our sight picture, but we both skimmed it. It appeared that our vanes caught some bark and sent the arrows sideways. Shawn joked that if I had fletched my arrows with four vanes instead of three, we probably would have gotten the same result.
I simply beat myself on this first day. My shots never felt good from the beginning. Although I avoided a lot of damage for the vast majority of the round and still gave myself a chance to be in the hunt on Day 2, everything got away from me at the end of the day. I felt good about grinding through the round and almost finishing it off with a much better score than my shooting should’ve earned. However, that all fell apart in the end. I know I’ve gotten out of jams in the past, but it just wasn’t meant to happen this time.
Day 2
The start of the second day made me laugh out loud when I thought back to all the comments on social media about the IBO after certain things were encountered in the past. I’ve noticed that people love to harp on the IBO for all sorts of “bad” decisions made by the organization during tournaments. Well, I’m not sure what to say about what I experienced on Saturday morning, other than it was different than anything I’ve experienced in the past. My start time was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and the practice range was lit up by lights being run by big generators. It reminded me of my days of playing baseball under the lights in high school.
After firing about a dozen arrows, Jacob and I made our way to our ranges, which were located a considerable distance down the road. When we arrived, it was still pitch black when we headed to the table to find our range assignments. Having left my phone in the truck because of the predicted heavy rain, Jacob shined his flashlight on the paper to find where I would be starting. Then, we split up went our separate ways.
Making my way to target 9, I couldn’t see many of the targets during the beginning of my walk. It was simply too dark to make out any targets. However, when I arrived at my starting point, I saw that I would be shooting a brown bear. It stuck out because of its tan color, and it was in an open area.
My card was drawn first, so when the round began, I fired the first arrow of the day. I settled well and made a good shot. The arrow landed slightly above the 12. It’s always nice to start the day with a good shot, and I felt confident I could bounce back from the previous day.
As we picked our way through the course, I went back and forth with 12s an 8s, but I kept shooting at them. Once again, I barely missed a lot of them, and the 8s I shot were barely out the bottom. When the round finished, I was lucky enough to be the guy to hand the cards in. I finished with four 12s and four 8s while staying out of the 5 column. That allowed me to be the high finisher in my group and the high finisher is responsible for handing the cards in before leaving the range. Although I didn’t gain any ground, I also didn’t lose any with my 200. While there were a handful of guys ahead of me for the day, my score for the day landed in one of the top five spots. Unfortunately, I didn’t gain any ground from the previous day. I ended up finishing in 30th place, a few spots below the middle of the class, which is my lowest finish in the Senior Pro division. I finished with a 387 for the weekend. I must now work to improve my weak areas as the season progresses.
Looking Back on the Weekend
My weekend came down to three shots that I didn’t make. If I had made those three shots, I would’ve been in the shootdown round. However, it’s tough to climb out of a hole created by shooting three fives in the first round. I need to do better about limiting the mistakes and staying out of the 5 column. Every ASA event I’ve shot in, I’ve been near the top on one of the two days. I’m beginning to feel like I’m inching closer to everything falling into place in one of these events. Although I’ve been in multiple IBO shoot-offs, I’m still searching for my first ASA shootdown appearance.
What caused the issues at this event? Well, I could give you a host of answers, but it really came down to me failing in part of my process a few times. I’m not sure if it’s because this was only the second time since last August that I shot a 3D target, with Foley last month being the other time. It’s difficult to compete at the highest level in unknown 3D archery when you’re not able to be outside regularly – at least it is for me. The weather up here in northern New York has made it all but impossible to be fully prepared when heading south. Hopefully, the weather will gradually get better and allow us to get outside and get in some good practice by early May.
I’m still transitioning into the new bows and haven’t found the perfect setup quite yet. Although I keep getting closer, I’m still not there yet. I’m still learning what happens when I’m under a little pressure, and I’m learning what to expect. Amazingly, the bow I’ve been shooting, the Tempest E3D hits right down the middle when I’m nervous. I haven’t shot many arrows to the left or right in the first two ASA events. Most of my misses have gone out the bottom, and that’s because of the location of the lower 12. I’m happy with they way my equipment has performed, as it has performed better than the guy shooting it.
I’ve been doing a lot of practice with buttons lately, and I might end up going back in that direction before the end of the season. Things feel good with them right now. I just need to continue practicing and see how things play out. It has been five years since I’ve shot a button in a tournament. I honestly can’t believe it’s been that long, especially since I shot one in tournaments for 25 years prior to switching to a caliper.
I’ve been following a little bit of the back and forth on social media between a well-known Known Pro shooter and some of the Unknown Pro shooters. It has been comical at times. I’ve judged yardage forever, and I enjoy that part of the game. That’s why I stay there. It has nothing to do with my ability to shoot a bow. I think I do alright in that arena. Whether you win in known or unknown at the highest level, you’re shooting skills must be on point. You will never win if you’re not a great shooter, not at that level.
Before beginning my round on Friday morning, I spotted this on Ryan Jeffries’ stabilizer and got a good chuckle out of it. I like Ryan, and we won a team event back in the mid ‘90s when we won the Midwest Classic IBO Championship. Ryan is a good guy to follow on social media if you want to be inspired. I believe his page his Ryan Jeffries Archery. He’s a genuine good family guy and a guy who is easy to support. Give him a like and follow his adventures.
It also wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention Benny Barger and Joe Snowden of B3. They both went out of their way to let me try a few things that I wanted to try. Although I’m not affiliated with B3 in any way, I would highly recommend supporting the company due to the people associated with it. They are good people and would do anything to see others succeed. I’m glad they chose Jacob to represent their company. They are a good match for each other. Unfortunately, Jacob missed the shootdown last weekend by one point. Many of us know what it feels like to be the first guy on the outside. It really does suck, even though it’s still a great finish. I’m sure that will motivate him to keep it from happening again in the future. He had three close ones near the end that had to have a double look to call. If any of those had pulled a line, we would’ve all been able to cheer him on again. It’s proof that sometimes the breaks just don’t go our way.
Hopefully, this snow begins to disappear, and I’ll be more prepared the next time I hit the road to shoot in a national event. Until then, shoot them in the middle.
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