shooting hours per week

[ChumpMcgee]

#7107

Just curious how many hours everyone shoots on average a week?

Winter is a busy time for me and I have a hard time getting to the archery range and the times that I would like to get out and shoot there is a league going on. The outdoor range that I typically shoot at, the targets are frozen solid and call me a wimp if you like but I really do not want to go out and shoot my bow when its below 30 degrees :D. What are some options for me to be able to shoot in the winter when leagues are going on?

I am very hesitant when it comes to league shoots due to the fact that 99.2% of the archers are compound shooters. I have shot my longbow at a busy range before and I am constantly worried that I am getting in the way of the compound shooters due to the fact that I cant my longbow and squat quite a bit. I am a tall skinny guy but when I shoot I do need 2.5 – 3 lanes to shoot from.

I shot a quick round last week on my lunch break, other than that its been 3 months since I last knocked an arrow up. Once the weather warms up I plan on shooting everyday, fingers crossed. When I shoot I typically shoot for 1-2 hours and also depends on how many arrows I fling down and if my shoulder can hold up. I really want to get consistant on my shooting my old man told me once that when I shoot 10,000 arrows I need to let him know that what I have done, then I need to shoot 10,000 more before he will talk to me.

[Swamp Rat]

#58261

When you can’t get to a place to shoot or it is to cold… that is a good time to do some form practice inside if you have a safe place to do it and a big target.

Bale work will improve and ingrain your form and maintain your strength

[skifrk]

#58344

I grabbed a piece of bungee cord that is 1/4″ thick at the local military surplus and I use that as a practice draw and release tool. So I can get a little bit of practice each day on form and technique.

[David Petersen]

#58386

TK — When I was young, I belonged to an archery club that had a nice outdoor roving range and an indoor range in the large basement of an old building. We had weekly shoots and always there was friendly but informal competition. Everyone knew who the best shots were so there was no need to be overly formal about it. And back then the compound ALD (arrow launching device) was more than a decade from being invented, so we all shot recurves or longbows (in fact, at that time, recurves really dominated). There was no such thing as a league. Which is to say, IMHO, the sort of “competition” that puts you with folks you don’t know and some of whom are bound to be insecure jerks, has just never had a place in my idea of happy archery and bowhunting. Or life for that matter. With the internet, and sites such as this, it’s now an unimaginably more social thing than any of us back then could ever have imagined. We all, to one degree and another, were loners and liked it that way. So the internet today is great in that it gives us a way to reach out and find friends both coming and going; that is, folks who have questions can hook up with folks who have answers, which is a huge leg up. But to go out and shoot with strangers in a rigid competitive situation and most are wheely guys who know subconsciously that we are having a lot more fun than they are, too often will try to make US feel inadequate. I’d shoot 8 yards in my house if I were desperate for a winter place and had no other choice than mixed ALD and trad events. But I”m a grumpy old man and never a very good compromiser even when I was young. All I’m trying so sloppily to say is, you don’t need them if they’re not adding anything positive to your archery experience. And yes, the elastic cords are excellent exercise devices, just boring as hell. Dave

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#58396

I shoot at least 6-8 hours a week through the winter. Mostly in a buddy’s basement, which is 10 yards long, sometimes outside when it’s warm enough and the snow isn’t too deep.

Worrying about other shooters detracts from your focus, which tends to make you shoot poorly, which leads to worrying more about what others around you are thinking, and can just be a downward spiral of declining confidence. If you can, find a place – basement, garage, barn, whatever, where you can rid your mind of external concerns and just focus on shooting form, even if it means you’re only 5 yards away from your target.

I’d go crazy if I couldn’t shoot year ’round, one way or another.

[Brennan Herr]

#58409

I second the close form work. I am luck and can shoot 13 yards in my basement and 40 in my backyard. However, when I go to training or travel I often shoot at a few feet if need be. Just far enough back for the arrow to clear the bow. Hell I will try to shoot inside my couffin if I can get my wife to put my bow and some arrows in with me! Just shoot shoot shoot!

[wideangle]

#58448

I have the good fortune to shoot in my backyard. I have a large lot and have set up some bales. Right now I am shooting bales to train my muscle memory. The average temperature in the area I live in Oregon is usually moderate and contrary to wide spread opinion it does not rain here every day.

[Wexbow]

#58868

Living in Ireland I have similar weather to Wideangle in Oregon, but I probably get more rain 🙄 so I can shoot outdoors most of the time, which is good as I don’t have enough room indoors. Wind is more of an issue for me – I’m near the coast and it’s always blowing.

I live on a pretty big rural site of almost half an acre so I’ve a bale in the back garden for form practice. When that gets boring I hop over the back ditch and go roving in the fields. My neighbouring farmer has loads of abandoned bales in the field margins which are really handy. I’ll sort out some photos soon to give you guys a feel for the area.

I’m hoping to join a field archery club nearby once the spring arrives – they shoot indoors in the winter which just doesn’t appeal to me. Most of them are stick shooters so should suit me.

[ChumpMcgee]

#58993

I have talked with local law enforcment on the subject of shooting my bow in my backyard. I live in Minneapolis and they consider firing a bow and a fire arm which is the same as shooting a gun and that is illegal. I can drive 2 miles down the road and shoot at my outdoor range anytime though which is alot more busier than my backyard. I love going to that range when the weather is nice and the targets are thawed out. I never even thought about the basement of my house…I live in a duplex that share an unfinshed basement with 2 other families. I wonder if I could shoot down there and not upset them…looks like I need to talk to my neighbors :). Thank you all for the feedback it is great.

[ChumpMcgee]

#58994

Looks like I need to get me a target 🙂

[David Coulter]

#59564

I’m pretty lucky to have a couple hundred acres out the back door. It’s not mine, but I have access to it. I have a foam target for broadhead testing and field point use. I have a pile of wood chips for longer work, which I use jodos for. The field points disappear into the chips. Mostly, I just go stumping and do that almost every day at least once. I have a big lab that needs long walks and is getting good at finding my arrows for me. Yep, as many of you know, even judos can bury themselves. I don’t shoot as high volume as I’m sure many of you do on ranges. I normally carry one arrow while stumping. It’s easier to find your arrows if you shoot one at a time. Carbons hold up better than aluminum or wood, especially when the temps dip and the stumps turn to iron. That said, I’ve still busted a few, usually when they side slap into a tree after bouncing sideways off an icy rotten trunk.

I try to have fun with it, shooting through holes, balancing on fallen logs and stumps. I definitely try to keep an eye on form with every shot. Ain’t it just amazing when it all feels right and the arrows just happens to pin the point your fixed on? It’s a beautiful thing. dwcphoto

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#59570

dwcphoto wrote:

Ain’t it just amazing when it all feels right and the arrows just happens to pin the point your fixed on? It’s a beautiful thing.

Absolutely. It’s hard thing to describe to someone who’s never done it, but it never gets old.

[Author]

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