Tiptoe through the Targets

Take a look at this picture. Idyllic isn’t it. But what do you see? A nice place for a picnic? Nature organizing a decent colour palette? Prime location for a Starbucks and a Burger King? We can pretty much guarantee that’s not what an experienced archer sees.

At Glasgow Archers we are a target club. We set up targets at set distances in a flat field and have at it. Field archery on the other hand is the closest we get to hunting (which is prohibited by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981).

Its all about following a path through rough terrain/woodland and shooting targets as you find them on that path. The distances may or may not be marked making it a stress filled trauma for compounders but its many instinctive traditional archers' first love.

Placement of target on a field course is important. Its all about taking an archer out their comfort zone. Shooting from light into dark, is annoying so a good call. Uneven footing, standing in a hole or on a rock .. irritating. Framing the target with trees makes the archer worry about hitting the tree .. tasty. Raised on higher ground, up a tree or placed at the foot of a hill messes with the sight mark .. chef's kiss. When designing a field course, a penchant for sadism is definitely encouraged.

Now its perfect ... if a little dodgy for those picnickers!

So what does an experienced archer see in this picture ... an imaginary boss of course**

** ... and three arrows in the gold obviously!

ps: The above location is just 150m from our shooting line at Norwood. JOHN, GET THE TROLLY!

pps: Club lore has it that we used to have several field targets in Pollock Park .. til they burned down!