What is a 3D Bow Shoot?

Great sized bow kill buck, this is what archery is all about!
Bill Kinney Photography

Have you ever heard of a 3D target shoot or heard it called a bowshoot perhaps? Maybe you've seen those life size animal targets at Cabela's and wondered..what would I use that for? Well besides pulling fun pranks on neighbors and putting an elk on their porch, they have a lot of uses!

When you think of archery you imagine the hunter with his recurve and quiver pointing his arrows at a red and white striped round target, right? One day, some genius thought, lets make this more fun, and add a new vantage point and came up with a new goal... hitting the life sized 3D target. And it is fun! Practice is everything in archery, especially if you are completely traditional. No sights, no wheels, just good aim is all you need. Practicing often is essential so why not spice it up with one of those 3D targets?

To start off with, you can get 3D targets in about any size, shape, color, material, form or whatever! They are also made very conveniently as practice and competition targets. By putting different sized rings around the different killl zones you can not only practice correct shooting techniques on different animals, but they can also be good for scoring in a competition! This is where 3D Bowshoots come in.

Someone, usually a group of someones, like a local archery club, will set up a course with 3D targets. These shoots can range anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of targets. The small ones we've gone too are usually set up through the woods, you pay a small fee (some are free), and they have score cards for you to drop in the drop box at the end if you want to get a little bit of acknowledgement. The large shoots can be huge, involve thousands of archers, and prizes! We used to frequent the Coon Rapids Shoot every year and that had trail shoots, night shoots, aerials, indoor, and even a large pink elephant target. How can that not be fun?!

What is really great about archery shoots is their age friendliness. You can choose to either be extremely competitive and try and win prizes or just take the family and meander along the trails. They also have different age scoring groups and competitions, even cooler, every target has a stake set up so the little ones don't have to shoot from the same distance as the adults!

Another unique part of large bow shoots is that they also have vendors as well. Archery shoots aren't just something you go and do, they are an event! Many are hosted on holiday weekends and people come to camp, shoot, and meet up with friends. Vendors with everything from bows and guns, homemade archery quivers and supplies, and tipis can be found at different venues. There is something for everyone! It is great for the whole family because if you aren't an actual shooter you can hang out back at camp, meet new people, and wander the shops. And the kids are bound to find something of interest to them with all the new things to discover! (Can't complain if they don't!)

We've been to many different types of archery shoots and each one has something new and fun to offer. Archery is great fun for the whole family and a wonderful way to get out and have a good time in the outdoors. If your interested in finding an archery shoot in your area check out this site http://www.3dshoots.com/ for more information!