Unlike the ASA Classic the week prior, I had no time to practice for the IBO World. I got off the plane on Sunday and spent Monday and Tuesday at work. Tyler and Tom picked me up in the late afternoon to head to West Virginia for the 2026 IBO World Championship.
The ride down was uneventful, and we arrived around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. After sleeping until about 7:30, we got up and went out for some breakfast. We decided to go to a place next to the road, and it was a strange experience.
Although the place didn't appear to be open, a middle-aged man propped the door open and welcomed us in. Once inside, we were surrounded by teenage kids who appeared to be working for the man. Sitting down at the table and looking up at a balcony, I saw a bunch of rooms that appeared to be hotel rooms. I'd imagine that's where the teenagers must've been spending their summer. We had our food within seconds of ordering it, and there was an odd sensation permeating the room. For the duration, I felt like I was becoming part of a Stephen King novel, and I couldn't wait to exit the building and head toward the resort where the event was being held.
After getting into the truck and letting the sights and sounds dissipate behind us, I felt at ease again. As the tires hummed across the pavement and we drove across the valley, my mind brought me back to 2015 a few weeks after winning the IBO World Championship when I was walking across the bogs of Newfoundland while searching for a bull moose. Although I've been many places, I haven't found many that can compare to the interior of Newfoundland. However, Canaan Valley in West Virginia presented a strong challenge. I could visualize moose feeding on the bushes around the water. While traveling through the old memories stored in the depths of my mind, I caught a brief glimpse of the last arrow I fired at the 2015 IBO World Championship to win the title. Closing my eyes for a moment, I watched the arrow hit just below the 11 on a black bear after executing a perfect shot. Then, I slowly opened my eyes and silently said, "Why not? Why not again this year? I have the ability to repeat the process and get the same result."
With that last thought, we pulled into the parking lot and headed to get our cards. After visiting with many of our friend while walking to and from the truck, we decided to get a few practice arrows in and shoot targets on the practice range.
We broke up into two groups for practice. I shot with Tyler, Rob and Matt. After pounding four out of five 11s, I had to walk down the road to continue the course. In doing so, I saw a few people and began talking. The distractions made me lose my concentration, and multi-tasking isn't one of my specialities while shooting archery. I paid the price when I shot at the first target and blanked it. I guess I put a little too much number on it. Things didn't go well for the majority of that stretch of targets. In the end, I finished the day with four 11s in a row and felt ready for Day 1.
Day 1
Luckily, we found some practice bags down near the campsite and used those to warm up. We had the bags to ourselves, so we took our time and shared some laughs. It didn't seem like we were at the biggest IBO event of the year. Instead, it felt like we were at the annual Mead Spring Challenge. After winging a few arrows, we would split up and head onto my range to see who could survive murderer's row. Shooting directly into the sun, I had to laugh when I shot groups the size of a basketball. Eventually, I gave up and just focused on stretching out my muscles.
Finally, Tyler drove Wags and me to our course. I only had to wait a few minutes before being called to start. I would be shooting with Mike Sutter and Bill McCall. It was nice to see Billy the last two weekends after not seeing him all year. He had some eye issues that prevented him from shooting. I hope these two shoots showed him he's still in the mix and encouraged him to join us again next year. It's not the same without Bill. He's 60 now and has been on the tour since he was 18. He's been a staple in 3D archery, and I appreciate his friendship.
Making our way to the first target, I could see a standing grizzly that was tucked under a tree in the shadows. I knew it was going to be difficult to see, but I also figured Mike and Bill's arrows would give me something to aim at. Sure enough, they did. Bill's arrow landed just below the 11, and Mike's arrow was between the 8 and the 10 on the high side.
When I drew the bow, I picked up Bill's white vanes and settled my pin on them. Although the hold wasn't great due to target 1 jitters, it was good enough to hit pretty close to where the pin was when the shot broke. I expected a 10. It was a sinking feeling when we got to the target. That's when I realized I had been aiming at Mike's white vanes, not Bill's. I hit just about where I aimed, but my vision had failed me.
Moving to the second target, I could see I would have a great aiming reference. The Corsican ram always has a little ridge that runs into the 11, which presents a perfect place to settle the pin. When my pin found its mark, I began pulling. When the shot broke, I knew it should've hit before it did. Seeing my arrow below the 10-ring gave me a sinking feeling in my gut. It's never good to start off with two 8s, but I also knew it was highly unlikely to continue in the same direction.
Walking down the road, I was hoping to turn my day around. Getting to the stake and looking down the lane, I saw a bomb of a boar at the end of it. When I hit full draw, my hold was a little jittery and the shot broke with more movement than normal. From the stake, I was pretty sure I had shot a 5. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear for a few days.
A few minutes later, I learned I had gotten an 8 by the skin of my teeth. The arrow landed on the outside of the 8 looking in. With three 8s in a row, I didn't think the streak could continue ... and it didn't. I quickly erased one of the 8s by shooting two 11s in a row on an impala and a Dahl sheep.
Feeling better, I made my way to the next target. When I got to the big ram, I knew it was going to be almost impossible to see without any arrows in it since it was tucked in a dark hole while we were in a little open area in a grown-up field. After pulling back and letting down two times, I knew it wasn't going to get any better. That's when I decided to hold the pin where I thought the 10-ring might be and execute a blind-bale shot. My blind-bale shot was executed perfectly, but the arrow landed directly above the 10 ring. It probably hit where the pin was when the shot fired. I gave the other guys an arrow to help them on their journey, and they both took advantage.
I quickly got back on track on the next target, a bomb of a bedded buck. I executed a perfect shot and walked away with another 11. Instead of boring you with a play-by-play for the rest of the day, I'll tell you the next three targets were the ones that were set to determine the winners and losers. It was a gauntlet that started with a coyote, moved to a turkey and ended with a gator. I walked away with 23 points out of a possible 33, and that summed up my finish. If I had shot three 10s, I would've walked away with a chance to win the tournament. I struggled with the yardage on all three of them and hit the coyote about 1/4 of an inch over the 8 line and the turkey about an inch over the 10. I finally recovered on the alligator and got a 10. Many people missed the alligator, and from what I heard, that target caused a few arguments. It was probably the most difficult shot of the tournament in my opinion.
The rest of my day went well, and I shot great shots. I walked off the course at 10 down with seven 11s. I shot a strong round, but I never recovered from starting off with three 8s combined with three targets that were set to make a difference. I knew I would have a high hill to climb, and I wasn't surprised to see myself sitting in 17th place after Day 1.
Day 2
Unlike most years at the IBO World, we were peer grouped on Day 2. I felt fortunate to be able to shoot with Ray Young. Ray is one of my favorite people in Senior Pro class. He's always supportive, and I love to watch him work. He never gets too high or too low, and the guy can flat-out get it done. He's quiet and goes about his business like a job. I admire his style and try to model myself after him. He's a pro's pro and a lot of people could learn by watching him and how he goes about his business. Thank you, Ray, for setting a great example for others. It's admirable and inspiring. I can only hope people look at me like they look at you.
We got off to a good start, and I felt good walking away from the first few targets with 11s. When I shot an 11 on the elk, I looked into the future and saw bugling bulls in September. I imagined making a shot like the one I had just made to start my day. Only time will tell if it will happen in real life, but I'm trying to will it into reality. I will know in about 36 days when I hope to find myself creeping through the yellow aspens while stalking a herd of grazing elk that has a bugling bull amongst them.
Target 2, hogzilla, might have been one of my best shots of the tournament. I executed a picture-perfect shot and walked away with another 11. The 11s continued throughout the day. When we got to the mule deer, which was one of the best sets of the weekend, I dialed my sight and executed another perfect shot, scoring 11. We couldn't see the target's legs, as high ferns blocked our visibility from the stake all the way to the target. It was realistic and extremely cool.
After shooting that target, we went into a bottom that had a lot of shadows and bright sun peeking through the trees in certain spots. It made my pin almost impossible to see on four targets in a row. Without being able to see the pin, I couldn't tell where it was when I began pulling. When the shots fired, I believe they hit behind the pin, but I had to take 8s.
As we began heading down the homestretch, we came upon a long brown bear. When my pin settled on it, I felt strong. The pin sat down nicely, and I could feel the pressure building on my back end. When the shot cut loose, it felt like someone had cut the string from my release. Then, I heard Ray say, "Great shot." I had shot and inside-out 11, and it was my best shot of the weekend.
I made my way to the end of the course and did the best I could do. Unfortunately, I had dropped too many points to make my way into the finals. The first day held me back. I ended Day 2 with a 198, but my shooting was better than the score. I just missed a few due to lighting and a few due to yardage miscalculations. I can live with that. Like last week at the Classic, I had gained a lot of ground the second day and found myself at P10 for the tournament. Another top 10 is nothing to shake a stick at when you're competing agains the best of the best in a professional class. After they released the scores a few times, they made an error with Jackie Caudle's position on one of the last images released, having him in the 400s. However, Jackie struggled a little and was down near the bottom of the shooters for the tournament.
Final Thoughts
Looking back at the weekend, I definitely came up short of my goal, but it wasn't for lack of trying. From the beginning of the season until I fired my last arrow of the tournament, something inside me had been telling me I was going to win this event. I'm not sure where it was coming from or why it was there because I feel like I'm going to win every event I shoot in. However, the feeling that encompassed my body throughout the year was unlike the normal confidence that goes in the quiver when I step onto the range every other weekend all summer. While it's neither here nor there, I'd like to know why it kept appearing in front of me for the last six months. I'll never know, but I find it somewhat inspiring as I move forward. Maybe I saw something for somebody else, or maybe it's just something that hasn't happened yet. Either way, I'll keep plugging along and doing my own thing.
When you get off to a shaky start, it can be difficult to recover if you're not mentally strong. I could've packed it in after target 8 on the first day and turned on the "I don't care anymore meter." As stupid as it sounds, I never think I'm out of it until I shoot the last arrow. I fight until the very end. You could pummel me until I'm lying in the dirt as part of the earth's soil, and I will still try to rise. I will never give up.
Going into Day 2, I figured if I shot 6 up I would have a chance to make the cut. It's definitely a tall task, but I've done it in the past and know I can still do it. After getting off to a good start on Day 2, I quickly began closing the gap to the top. I felt unstoppable, but things can change quickly in this sport. It can quickly become impossible to keep climbing if the soles of your boots blow out, and that is what happened. My eyes let me down. I couldn't see the pin for a stretch of four targets, leading to three 8s and a 10. I lost the possibility of continuing my march to the top by shooting two 11s and a 10, which would've been an 8-point swing. Those are the things that "old" eyes can't control. I did the best I could, and that simply wasn't good enough.
I shot my bow incredibly well for the weekend. I'm satisfied with the outcome because I didn't give any points away by shooting bad shots. I just needed to have a little bit of luck along with slightly better yardage estimations. It's unknown 3D archery, and sometimes the lay of the land gets you more than the shooting. That's what happened last weekend. I can live with that.
I'd like to give a shoutout to all of the local people who attended the event. We had some stellar finishes, and all of you should be proud of yourselves. I'll touch more on this in another entry in a day or two. I was able to experience some things while I was supporting others that I'd like to share, but I'll give all of that its own space. Until next time ---------------> keeping shooting them in the middle.
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