- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,003
Straight shooters
Archers take aim for fun, money, bragging rights
Thom Gabrukiewicz, Redding Record Searchlight
May 05, 2003
Elegance is the archer who can fire two arrows at a 3-D opossum from 18 yards with a recurve bow and stick both shots inside a silver-dollar-sized, hunter-orange spot.
For anyone who has played Cowboys and Indians as a child, the bow constructed out of a willow branch and piece of twine is the traditional, recurve style. People who shoot recurve and longbows (weapons that trace their roots to the Middle Ages), are fierce competitors in whose hands the bow and arrow become a deadly accurate appendage of speed and stealth.
"My biggest goal is to shoot a big, old Roosevelt elk with my recurve," said Chris Richards of McMinnville, Ore., one of 1,400 shooters taking part in the Redding Straight Arrow Bowhunters' 20th annual Western Trail Shoot and National Field Archery Association's Marked 3-D National Championship this weekend. "I like traditional, I like shooting traditional. And this shoot is the best test in the world, because of the distances."
The event, staged at the club's 65-acre range off Swasey Drive, is the second-largest shoot in the world and draws people from around the United States and the world.
"Most coming from overseas are professionals, but some are just crazy for the sport," said Rick King, a member of the Redding Straight Arrow Bowhunters. "We always get a 30-member team from Hawaii who bribe us for good parking spots with macadamia nuts."
Archers young and old will shoot at 70 3-D targets between Saturday and today for fun and family bragging rights, while professionals will be competing for an estimated $30,000 in prize money and still others will be aiming for the NFAA national championship.
"Everything from weasels to our 13-foot, 7-inch club mascot, Bigfoot," King said. "We've got it all."
Each target has a different yardage marker and archers start each day at a different target, then move from 3-D critter to critter across the range.
"It's set up like a golf course," King said.
Richards was the only traditionalist in a group of Oregon archers who approached the opossum target Saturday. Of course, all the compound bow archers had to give Richards a hard time.
"He always seems to shoot better when we razz him," one archer said.
Richards squared up, squinted (recurves have no sights) and let fly a 450 grain arrow. The whoosh of the bow string was followed by the thud of the arrow as it found its mark. In milliseconds.
"I have this tuned up to 198 feet per second," said Richards, who is so into bow hunting he married is wife, Tonya, last year on his home range. "I'm pulling 52 pounds."
That means when Richards pulls back on the bow string, he pulls 52 pounds of pressure and holds it to his cheek until he lets go. When the arrow leaves the bow, it's traveling at 134 miles per hour.
With a compound bow, the high-tech cousin of the recurve, weights and pulleys help the archer with the pull (a compound bow will generally take 60 pounds to pull halfway, then 20-30 pounds to hold before the shot). Sights that are just as good or better than the optical scopes on a sniper's rifle make a 63-yard shot at a buffalo seem like you're standing right next to it.
"Anyone can do this, that's what's so great about archery," King said.
With most people shooting compound bows — carbon-fiber, graphite and titanium works of art — the technology has evened out the field.
"With all the advances, women and children are shooting up there with the guys," King said. "We've had Cubs (archers 8- to 11-years-old) win competitions out here. You can get compound bows that shoot up to 300 feet per second."
That's 204 miles per hour.
Targets are scored 11 points for a hit in the orange "bulls-eye," 10 points for hitting just outside the target and eight points for hitting the target. Archers shoot two arrows per target and shot 45 targets Saturday and will shoot 25 targets starting at 9 a.m. today.
Spectators can watch pros like Redding's Pam Severtson, one of the top women archers in the world, shoot with retirees who travel the archery circuit in Winnebagos and families out for a little weekend fun.
"I like to shoot the big targets," 5-year-old Hannah Howard squeaked from behind the clutch of mom, Autumn's, leg. "It's fun. I like to shoot."
Decked out in all pink and gripping a tiny recurve bow, Hannah let a lime-green arrow go from a couple of yards and stuck a buck.
"She's been shooting for two years now," said Autumn Howard of Marysville, a member of the Chico Archers. "My oldest, 7-year-old Haley, is really into it. My husband, Wes, has been shooting for six years and I've been doing it for three years.
"This is something we all can do as a family."
Reporter Thom Gabrukiewicz can be reached at 225-8230 or at tgabrukiewicz@redding.com.
Archers take aim for fun, money, bragging rights
Thom Gabrukiewicz, Redding Record Searchlight
May 05, 2003
Elegance is the archer who can fire two arrows at a 3-D opossum from 18 yards with a recurve bow and stick both shots inside a silver-dollar-sized, hunter-orange spot.
For anyone who has played Cowboys and Indians as a child, the bow constructed out of a willow branch and piece of twine is the traditional, recurve style. People who shoot recurve and longbows (weapons that trace their roots to the Middle Ages), are fierce competitors in whose hands the bow and arrow become a deadly accurate appendage of speed and stealth.
"My biggest goal is to shoot a big, old Roosevelt elk with my recurve," said Chris Richards of McMinnville, Ore., one of 1,400 shooters taking part in the Redding Straight Arrow Bowhunters' 20th annual Western Trail Shoot and National Field Archery Association's Marked 3-D National Championship this weekend. "I like traditional, I like shooting traditional. And this shoot is the best test in the world, because of the distances."
The event, staged at the club's 65-acre range off Swasey Drive, is the second-largest shoot in the world and draws people from around the United States and the world.
"Most coming from overseas are professionals, but some are just crazy for the sport," said Rick King, a member of the Redding Straight Arrow Bowhunters. "We always get a 30-member team from Hawaii who bribe us for good parking spots with macadamia nuts."
Archers young and old will shoot at 70 3-D targets between Saturday and today for fun and family bragging rights, while professionals will be competing for an estimated $30,000 in prize money and still others will be aiming for the NFAA national championship.
"Everything from weasels to our 13-foot, 7-inch club mascot, Bigfoot," King said. "We've got it all."
Each target has a different yardage marker and archers start each day at a different target, then move from 3-D critter to critter across the range.
"It's set up like a golf course," King said.
Richards was the only traditionalist in a group of Oregon archers who approached the opossum target Saturday. Of course, all the compound bow archers had to give Richards a hard time.
"He always seems to shoot better when we razz him," one archer said.
Richards squared up, squinted (recurves have no sights) and let fly a 450 grain arrow. The whoosh of the bow string was followed by the thud of the arrow as it found its mark. In milliseconds.
"I have this tuned up to 198 feet per second," said Richards, who is so into bow hunting he married is wife, Tonya, last year on his home range. "I'm pulling 52 pounds."
That means when Richards pulls back on the bow string, he pulls 52 pounds of pressure and holds it to his cheek until he lets go. When the arrow leaves the bow, it's traveling at 134 miles per hour.
With a compound bow, the high-tech cousin of the recurve, weights and pulleys help the archer with the pull (a compound bow will generally take 60 pounds to pull halfway, then 20-30 pounds to hold before the shot). Sights that are just as good or better than the optical scopes on a sniper's rifle make a 63-yard shot at a buffalo seem like you're standing right next to it.
"Anyone can do this, that's what's so great about archery," King said.
With most people shooting compound bows — carbon-fiber, graphite and titanium works of art — the technology has evened out the field.
"With all the advances, women and children are shooting up there with the guys," King said. "We've had Cubs (archers 8- to 11-years-old) win competitions out here. You can get compound bows that shoot up to 300 feet per second."
That's 204 miles per hour.
Targets are scored 11 points for a hit in the orange "bulls-eye," 10 points for hitting just outside the target and eight points for hitting the target. Archers shoot two arrows per target and shot 45 targets Saturday and will shoot 25 targets starting at 9 a.m. today.
Spectators can watch pros like Redding's Pam Severtson, one of the top women archers in the world, shoot with retirees who travel the archery circuit in Winnebagos and families out for a little weekend fun.
"I like to shoot the big targets," 5-year-old Hannah Howard squeaked from behind the clutch of mom, Autumn's, leg. "It's fun. I like to shoot."
Decked out in all pink and gripping a tiny recurve bow, Hannah let a lime-green arrow go from a couple of yards and stuck a buck.
"She's been shooting for two years now," said Autumn Howard of Marysville, a member of the Chico Archers. "My oldest, 7-year-old Haley, is really into it. My husband, Wes, has been shooting for six years and I've been doing it for three years.
"This is something we all can do as a family."
Reporter Thom Gabrukiewicz can be reached at 225-8230 or at tgabrukiewicz@redding.com.
