So... after being a bit miffed about having to miss out on some fun on Wednesday, I found out on Friday morning that there's another shoot I can go to and really have some fun. This shoot was in Ocala National Forest, which is a bit of a drive, but it was worth all the time, money, lost arrows, and insect bites.
Friday: Coon Shoot
This was a real fun event if I didn't score at all. It was a nice 10-shot shoot in the dark with a flashlight inside a jug to highlight the critter being shot at, which was almost always some small nocturnal mammal. This was the first fully dark shoot I had ever been to and let's just say I kept aiming at the jug with the light! I came pretty darned close to hitting this one darned albino squirrel, but I overestimated the height and managed to break a nearby tree limb instead. All in all, it was a real blast even if I lost 1 arrow... next time I get arrows, I'm putting on those reflective crests and/or glowing nocks!
Saturday: Fred Bear and Howard Hill
This was a series of 2 20-target ranges. The first one was Fred Bear, which involved lots of going through dense vegetation (thank goodness for Off! bug repellent). I had major target anxiety and only scored 55/200 on the Fred Bear, which someone later told me was "pretty damned good for a first-time foreigner" and that it was normal for people to lose about 2-3 arrows at this course. I lost 3 arrows, although one of them did come back to me. The Howard Hill course was also a very challenging range and was a lot more nerve-wracking because several of the targets are right against the lake, so if I miss, that arrow goes swimming with the fishies. Let's just say just about everyone loses at least 2-3 arrows at this range too the first time they shoot at it. I did a lot better on it, mostly because I had some really lucky shots, giving me 85/200 on the Howard Hill. The most amusing shot by far that day was this one large turkey that had its back on the archer. Let's just say this one was also very anatomically correct and I got it somewhere that caused lots of laughter. All in all, 140/400, although if breaking tree limbs and getting them embedded really hard with a light-draw bow were worth points, I would've gotten close to 300 points for all the damage I did to the trees. The Howard Hill took 3 of my arrows, including one that went into the water as a sacrifice to the water spirits. Not too bad for the combination of target anxiety, trying to adjust to the sauna, and not having much experience in real forest surroundings.
Sunday: Final Round @ Howard Hill
I didn't do too well, but it was still a blast. I got placed with other women who shot either recurves or longbows with non-wooden arrows who apparently also felt a bit self-conscious about their scores. I think my fear of the water and losing yet more arrows really hurt me on this one, but every time I remembered to focus on a tiny spot on the target, I had a pretty solid shot. There were a few arrows that I really drove in good, including this one where I shot pretty far into a cypress stump. We couldn't quite pull it out until I decided to put all my weight into the effort and I literally fell flat onto my butt like in the cartoons when someone tries to pull something out. My arrow survived! I also earned the nickname "Pooper Shooter" because I hit several targets either in or very close to the business end, especially that one turkey and this one raccoon where I thought I missed, but turned out that I hit it right under the tail. All in all, I scored 55/200 on this one, which wasn't all that bad for an early morning shoot! Overall I came out with 195/600, which looked pretty embarassing compared to all these people who were getting much higher scores, although the top scores were still in the 400s except for one or two insanely good people, but I still had way too much fun and now I've got a nice base-line to work on :) I also learned a few more tricks of the trade that'll (hopefully) turn me into an archer deadly enough to hunt safely!
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