When spring hits, it always seems like summer arrives instantly, and before you know it, we are all done shooting 3Ds for the year. After next weekend, half of my national schedule for the year will be done. It will be the fifth event of the 10 national 3Ds that are held. It tends to get away from me before I know it every year, and this year, I haven't been able to shoot hardly anywhere regionally. It really does help to see a lot of courses throughout the year. Every different target you see will be retained somewhere in your memory for future use, and that is whey I've always tried to participate in as many regional events as possible.
The four hour trip to northern New Hampshire passed quickly. The tires rolled over the pavement and my lack of sleep didn't seem to have any affect on me. Instead, I took in the beautiful scenery and enjoyed the ride. Although four hours is a long way to go to shoot 30 targets, it seemed like it took about an hour to get there.
After signing in and going to the practice range, I was impressed when every arrow I shot landed in the X on the Morrell practice bags. Considering the long drive and my caffeine intake, I was impressed with my hold and execution. I was ready to head onto the course.
With a backup on the first half, we decided to start on the second half, where a caribou greeted us as the first target we would shoot for the day. Shooting from a field into the woods at the target, which was down a dark tunnel, it made it difficult to find a solid aiming spot. The bow settled nicely, and I executed a perfect shot. The arrow landed directly under the 11.
Moving to the second target, a mountain lion, I felt confident with my number and locked my sight into position. Although the pin never sat down solidly, it floated in the 10-ring and allowed me to work through my shot until it fired. The arrow landed directly next to the 11. After shooting a few more 10s, I began getting a little annoyed that the arrows were oh so close, yet oh so far away from being in the 11s.
After finally nailing my first 11, I felt relieved. Although my shot wasn't firing quickly and my hold seemed a little long, I still felt confident. After all, I was shooting my PSE Mach 34, and I can hold the bow a long time without coming undone. Knowing I can over-hold the bow, I feel confident waiting for the shot to happen. As I made my way through the course, there were shadows that were wreaking havoc, and I concentrated extremely hard on picking the exact spots I wanted to aim at. Before I knew it, I had hit six 11s in a row.
As I neared the end of the first half, I encountered a handful of shots that were difficult to come up with a number, but I chose numbers that I thought would allow me to stay in the 10-ring. After executing a great shot on a long black bear that was on a bank and leaning forward, I felt good to survive it. Although it was hard to find an aiming spot, my arrow landed an inch to the left of the 11 and had perfect height.
Arriving at the second to last target of the first half, I studied it to come up with a number. I bounced back and forth between 46 and 44 on a large mule deer, but when I finally locked the sight in, I felt confident I would smoke it. I had a perfect shadow to aim at, and the arrow magically appeared in the spot ... 11.
Moving to the last target of the half, a large deer across the rifle range, it was tricky. There was a lot of open area from the bank I was standing on to where the deer was located between a few small, scraggly evergreen trees. However, the number stuck out to me, and I executed a perfect shot. The arrow appeared inside-out in the 10-ring.
Without wasting any time for refreshments, we moved right onto the second half. Since we were making good time and my blood sugar was stable, I wanted to get done as quickly as possible. Moving to Target 1, I saw an elk down a long tunnel. I knew it would be difficult to find a solid aiming spot since the stake was in a small field and the elk was at the end of a dark tunnel. However, there was a dark line that went from the bottom of the 10-ring and ended just to the left of the 11. I held the pin just to the right of the line, and shot one of my best shots of the day. The arrow landed inside-out in the 11.
Progressing through the course, we came upon some shots that can make you shrivel if you're not mentally prepared. Luckily, I felt confident with my numbers and my aim was good enough to execute solid shots along the way. After smoking a long antelope and a stone sheep, I gained even more confidence with my execution. The arrows seemed to appear exactly behind the pin after almost every shot I fired. Although I've only felt this five to 10 times in my career, I felt like I would be impossible to miss. When that feeling arises, most shooters know they're in the zone. The zone isn't something you can command. Instead, it comes out of nowhere, and everything appears to be effortless.
As I approached the last target of the day, I knew I hadn't shot an 8 during the round. Although that was in the back of my mind, I knew I had to focus on the shot, just as I had done the entire day. If I did my part, the arrow would find its mark.
I drew the bow and locked the shot in my back while staying solid on the front end. I maintained pressure on both ends until the shot broke free as if someone cut the loop loose from my release. The arrow instantly appeared inside-out in the 11. My day was done. I cleaned the course with 10s and happened to be lucky enough to shoot 18 11s in the process while barely missing about seven others.
Thoughts on the Day
Going into the day, I had a primary objective and that was to run my mental program on every single shot. I wanted to accomplish a 100% on amount of time I ran my mental program. I accomplished my goal.
With that in mind, I think it's only right to look at the final result. Although the shoot was a little on the soft side for what I'm used to, there were also some back-breakers along the way that easily could've derailed a good day. I got all the ones I should've gotten, and I survived the ones that are set to make a difference.
Although I can't say my shooting was effortless today, I can say that I was relaxed. I aimed well, and I executed well. I learned that you can shoot a really good score when you don't have your best stuff. It's all a matter of trusting your shot and being confident with your estimations and aiming. I found that my pin was a little busy today, but it wasn't busy as far as going too terribly far from the center. Instead, it would be similar to a quick, jittery hold that has a very small circle.
I focused on the process today and what I need to do to perform at a high level. I've been working hard on this recently, and I've seen results in my practice over the last month. I feel good about the results I've been seeing. I have gotten away from worrying about any results. Instead, I know if I master the process, especially the mental part of it, the results will be there after I shoot my last arrow of the round.
This was a very nice place to shoot. The walking was really easy and short. I appreciated the variety. The course was set up to grab you out of nowhere. It forced me to pay attention and not take anything for granted. It also tested every yardage estimation from 20 to 50. My yardage has been pretty good lately, and I'm looking forward to using all of the things I've improved on to keep marching up the mountain ... on to London. See y'all soon.
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