Type of Shoots
At Darling Downs Field Archers, there are different types of shoots you can participate. Some members prefer one type over another. Some enjoy all types. It’s up to you what you’d like to participate in.
It’s important to note that while some targets represent animals, those animals are not native to Australia. Where they do exist in Australia, they are considered feral and a pests. Shooting Australian native animals is illegal. Shooting at targets that represent Australian native animals is not allowed under club and ABA rules.
Below are summaries of the different types of shoots that are conducted at Darling Downs Field Archers.
ABA Grading Round
This is the type of shoot we do most often. It’s based on the Australian Bowhunter Association (ABA) shoot.
The purpose is to determine an archer’s skill level should they choose to participate in an ABA competition event. The reality is that these grading are no longer used by the ABA. The results are used to determine club awards.
The shoot is made up of two rounds. Each round being 20 targets. Targets are different sizes and shot at from varying distances. For instance, one target may be a rabbit shot at from xxx to xx meters. Another may be a camel shot at from xxx metres. The point at which the archer shoots from is known as a peg Pegs are set by the range captain based on ABA guidelines.
For the first round, each archer fires up to three arrows at a target. When an arrow lands in the scoring zone, no more arrows are shot. That score is recorded. If the first arrow does not hit the scoring zone, the archer shoots a 2nd arrow, If that arrow hits the scoring zone, that score is recorded. If the 2nd arrow misses, the archer shoots a third arrow.
For the second round, each archer shoots only one arrow. The score for that arrow is recorded.
Once both rounds have been completed, the score from each round are combined. That score would normally be used to determine the archer’s skill level for an ABA competitive shoot. At DDFA, those scores are used to determine winners of club awards at the end of the year.
3D
This is the most popular type of shoot we do at DDFA. As the name implies, archer shoot at three dimensional, life size targets. However, the likelihood of losing an arrow increases because there is not area around the ‘animal’ to catch the arrow. If you miss, the arrow could continue into the bush. Because of this, some archers bring cheap or old arrows to 3D shoots.
For an ABA competitive 3D shoot, a round is made up of 20 targets. Those 20 targets can be shooting at 10 targets twice or shooting at 20 separate targets. Targets are different sizes and shot at from varying distances. For instance, one target may be a rabbit shot at from xxx to xx meters. Another may be a camel shot at from xxx metres. The point at which the archer shoots from is known as a peg Pegs are set by the range captain based on ABA guidelines.
The number of rounds and the number of arrows shot in those rounds can vary. ABA rules allow for three competition rounds. A three arrow round, a two arrow round, and a one arrow round. The first arrow to score is recorded an no other arrows are shot at that target.
DDFA do 3D shoots a little differently, These shoots are move of a fun shoot and many archers chose not record their scores. Additional pegs can be placed at a distance further than what the ABA rules require. This increases the difficulty for archers who choose to shoot from those pegs.
IFAA
Also known as an Aussie Field Round, this type of shoot is based on the International Field Archery Association (IFAA) rules.
Each IFAA round is made up of 20 targets. Those target faces can be circular, animal, or 3D.
When shooting an IFAA style shoot, the maximum number of arrows that can be shot at a target varies as does the distance from the targe an archer shoots.
