Straight into it this time.
30/09 - I was bedding in a new string I made, 66 arrows @ home. Freshly mown lane was too attractive for the chooks to resist so I had to wait at times.
01/10 - Outdoor range - 53 arrows. Three third arrows, three second arrows and nine overall washes, still need to lift the game. I have to really start hitting 500+ for the day to be competitive with the best of them.
02/10 - Home Range - 31 arrows. Had another go with the new 450 spines, they need a dob of glue to stop the points rattling and the first one I shot busted the fletch as it went over the rest and cut my hand. It was getting dark so I pulled the pin.04/10 - Home Range - 24 arrows.
Thought it would be a good idea to try the new glove this time. It's so stiff I can't really bend my fingers that well and I'll need to work on the anchor as well until I get used to how it feels.
It was going ok walking back until I got to about 40 and just missed the butt low left and lost my arrow. I'll admit, I'm getting really sick of looking for arrows, really bloody sick of it.
The buggers skip and can end up anywhere and even though I mowed behind the butt, gave it a shave almost, it is that short. But no it went through the fence into the grass abyss. I had a quick look and lost all will to continue this day. Threw a mini tanty and went home. I found it eventually after some serious landscaping.
The Abyss
The Landscaping
The Arrow
05/10 - Indoor Range - 40 arrows with one casualty.
Shot the FL14 woods tonight, I had 5 left, until the second last round and I heard a distinct snap as I was pulling arrows from the butt, now I have 4.
08/10 - Outdoor Range - 49 arrows. Finally hit the 500 mark so I was happy with that. Only one third arrow and one wash for the three arrow round. Seven washes after lunch but I managed to hit 7 twenties for the day. It was a good day out all round group of five with some lively banter and decent weather too.
I went down the YouTube rabbit hole again, this time it was regarding shooting up and down and angle/distance range finding. This info will be rattling around the back of my brain at Bacchus, whether or not it helps remains to be seen.
10/10 - Home Range - 55 arrows, walk back training no markers. While it's good to have the markers every ten metres, it's also good to not have them for reference as the main thing with comps is picking the distances, oh and form, that's up there too.
12/10 - Indoor Range - 30 arrows and best I've shot indoors all year I reckon.
14/10 - Three arrow hit out only @ outdoors - 34 arrows. A relaxing and stress free round, around average scores for me so neither here nor there other than it was nice to get out and throw some down. Didn't go to indoors this week, wasn't feeling it.
Bacchus Marsh ABA State titles - 110 ArrowsJust wow. I had a great weekend, I had an awesome shoot group and by the grace of (insert name of deity here) I was gifted a target 1 start which has never happened, also if that was ever going to happen, this shoot is the one you want. Very happy.
Camp was great, facilities awesome, Catering was top notch and I had some excellent D & M conversations around the fire Saturday evening, solving the problems of the world and all that.
I have shot the BMB range only once before, pre-Covid so I knew that my old buggered up knees would suffer so I picked up a hiking pole which proved to be the saving grace for the legs. I felt like a decrepit old man using it but my legs were singing in the end so who cares.
I knew that I was out of my league so I set out to simply enjoy the weekend shooting and that I did.
I was rapt with my scores overall, could have done better of course but with 21 washes and only 3 third arrows which is pretty good for me, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Not to mention 14 second arrows, of which there were some good recovery shots and a number of near misses which I take some comfort in as well, but a near miss does nothing for the score sheet.
Wayne smashed it and was deservedly crowned State champ, Congrats.
Tyler with his $120?ish Chinese internet bow proved that it's not the gear but the person holding it that matters, again great shooting.
Well done guys, much respect.
I did enough on day two to elevate myself from bottom place but couldn't quite get there for a placing, I'm ok with that given the company I was keeping.
My competition dispatching several bottles of mead via bulls horns into the early hours of Sunday probably helped my cause.
26/10 - 32 Arrows, A lazy hit out with nothing to rave about.
05/11 - Outdoor Range - 51 Arrows.
It was a nice day out, relaxing and shooting in the Otway bush with the sun shining.
07/11 - New Bow day take 1. Pre-Covid I was shooting a Striker RK1 modern Longbow.
Shot at the last Mildura Nationals and a few comps either side and did ok. After that though it sat in the shed for twelve months stored properly or so I thought.
One of the limbs de-laminated and it sat in the walk in robe for another 2 years until I decided to get replacement limbs.
Because they are US made custom limbs that only fit their own riser, they are overpriced but also the also expensive (and useless otherwise) riser would have been sitting in the cupboard forever.
The limbs came with another bow sock, string and silencers. That was a nice bonus. So with two bows and one on the way from Norseman, I needed a rack so I knocked one together out of some scrap pine.
It'll do the trick. The BIG question will be which bow will I use next year?
A week or so out from the last two day hit out for 2023 @ Geelong Trophy Bowhunters.
I'm winding down into the long break, as we all are, and I look forward to this shoot each year and this time is no different.
There is always a relaxed feel about the weekend, I like that about it and the courses are just the right amount of tough to shoot.
It was this shoot last year that motivated me to pull my finger out, throw myself into my archery for a year and, as a by product, document it here in this Blog.
I'll ruminate over the coming weeks, reflect on the year, gaze intently at my navel and hopefully find something remotely profound to say as I close out the twelve months.
Don't hold your breath.
FL14 Tally:
This period - 227 arrows @ home
- 62 arrows @ indoor range
- 117 arrows @ outdoor range
- 110 arrows @ competition
2023 Total Arrows - 4837
FL14 Casualties - 10 - (7 broken, 3 lost) = 4 left
Carbon Casualties - 6 - (2 Broken, 4 Lost)
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