In many years past the Izaak Walton parks had field courses. I discovered one in the 70s when i spotted the yardage pills. the remnants of the the targets were still evident. Prior to that, late 60s and early 70s, i tried a number of field tournaments, these were shot in my class with single pin bow sights and target bows. It was fun and challenging. The stagnant crap that goes at clubs around here these days is designed for fat boys wearing flip flops and baggy shorts that don't want to walk more than 20 yards at anyone time on level ground.

 

Nfaa has seperate Longbow, traditional, and barebow recurve classes. We shoot the full course from adult stakes.

Ifaa shoots nfaa distances, but equipment classes are different and require split finger hook. Longbow, and traditional classes are offered.

Under World archery rules, it is different. Longbow division is wood arrow, 40 meter max. Traditional is wooden recurve, stick on rest and modern arrows, 50 meter max. Barebow recurve allows stringwalking and is also 50 meter max.

 

The folks who invented Field archery were all shooting "trad" bows. That's all there was. They have dumbed down the game to try and attract shooters by allowing "trad" shooters to only go to the 50 yard stakes. Please, at least give the real course a chance before you give in to that, I understand that some are unable due to bow poundage or infirmities. It is a great archery game.

 

The bow weight is not an excuse anymore. With lightweight arrows, most any draw weight can reach the long targets.

 

When I shot field, which was probably over 55 years ago, we shot 80 yards on the long target = no sights. Don't think I ever saw any one shoot 3 U back then. Now days everyone wants it easy and never miss a target. If you don't shoot past 20, you'll never be as good as you can be at 20.

Bowmania

 

Need to find out if it's World Archery or IFAA. Either way Field is an amazing form of archery.

 

Still my favorite game as it is so challenging with the longer shots and close shots all mixed in and beside you get to shoot four arrows compared to one in 3D and I just love shooting arrows. I hate to see the reduced distance rounds they sometimes call field archery and our state, Virginia has now gone to the international round so you have less arrows to shoot and call it field archery.

 

Yes there are classes for us.
At no point in the rules is a clicker allowed during a shoot or competition for score.

Longbow, I don’t know much about this class, but off the shelf, can shoot wood aluminum and carbon arrows, no stabilizer. cm shooter knows the rules of this class very well.

Traditional, finger must touch the nock ether split or 3 under, no string walking. Up to 12” stabilizer allowed. Elevated rest and plungers allowed.

Barebow recurve, elevated rest and plunger allowed, string walking permitted, no stabilizer allowed, weights ok as long as bow/weight fits the 12cm ring.

If your club (mostly compound shooters) is putting in a field course that is the best for single string shooters. Your targets are going to be spot on for distance and up to regulations, if they are under nfaa or ifaa and want it to be an official range.
Why is this good for us? Because it’s going to prepare you for competition (if you choose) as well make you a better shot.
From my perspective if your going to shoot field shoot it as it was designed from 20 feet out to 80 yards.
Why, it is up to the club/state to decide if they will permit max yards of 50 yards. This will handicap every single traditional archer and single string shooter in the state. If any of the archers decide to shoot at a higher level above local and state level they will be in for a rude awakening when the will have to shoot 55-60-65-70 and 80 yards, not to mention hunter rounds and animal rounds that are in between those yardages (odd yardages).
So you might want to voice your opinion with your club/state officers.
I love field, it’s the best style of shoot to improve an archer.

Chad

 

NFAA is a hoot. As much as I love 3d, I like events where you get to shoot multiple arrows more. Here in the UK, the term field archery is used for both 3d courses and the IFAA/NFAA style, and there are way more 3d field courses. However, the average distance-to-target is farther than the US tends to be (at least on the East Coast areas I'm used to), and are scored the same way an Animal round is in NFAA. So, we get a little more of a blend of styles.

 

I shoot barebow in the field league at our club, barebow shoots a max of 55 yards depending on what is chosen: field or up hunter round. I have the choice to shoot the 80 yard walk-up if I so choose, I choose not to. At 55 yards, my riser shelf is in the middle of the 5 ring. I just shot barebow in our state NFAA field shoot, I only had to shoot out to 50 yards.

 

I think they went to the shorter distances because they thought it would draw more shooters. It does not seem to have worked out for them all that well. We have all but done away with field archery and gone to the international round with the assumption less arrows and closer distances will draw more shooters here in Virginia and it appears to have had the opposite effect. Everything seems to be about easier and faster. I shoot with a small group of other traditional style archers just for fun and we continue to shoot the full distances and score like they did before they changed that in the late seventies and enjoy it a lot.