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All about nature archery

Nature archery

For those who are new to this new world, know that there are a thousand and one ways to practice it. To find your way, all you have to do is ask yourself what interests you and what you want to accomplish in this sport. In this article, we're going to learn about nature archery.

What we mean by nature archery

In simple terms, archery is a discipline that is practiced outdoors, in nature, and aims to shoot at animal targets made of paper. The course can, for example, take place on uneven, open or wooded terrain. With nature shooting, archers can enjoy a hunting atmosphere without killing animals. That's why it was once known as game shooting.

The basics of nature archery

In nature archery, the archer practices in squads on a course of 42 targets (2 x 21 targets). The targets are made up of animal crests, photos or drawings of various sizes (between 30 and 80 cm).

The counting of the points

The score obtained varies according to the zone of point touched. There is what we call the "killed" zone and a "wounded" zone. Depending on these zones, the archer will be able to have points ranging from 20, 15, to 10. To be clearer:

  • The first arrow is worth 20 points if it hits the vital zone and 15 points for the rest of the target.
  • The second arrow is worth 15 points at the vital zone and 10 points for the rest of the target.

The type of target face

In nature shooting, there are 4 types of target faces: 

  • Small animals: Shooting distances between 5 m and 15 m.
  • Small game : Shooting distances between 15 m to 25 m.
  • Medium game. Shooting distances between 20 m to 35 m.
  • Large game. Shooting distances between 30 m to 40 m.

The number of targets in nature archery

Course of 21 targets to be shot twice

Course of 42 targets to be shot once

Distance between targets and its size

4 big games

8 big games

Between 30 and 40 meters. The "vital" or "killed" zone measures 300 mm in diameter. 

7 medium game

14 medium game

Between 20 and 35 meters. The "killed" zone measures 225 mm in diameter. 

6 small game

12 small game

Between 15 and 25 m. The "killed" vital zone measures 150 mm in diameter.

4 small animals

8 small animals

Between 5 and 15 m. The "killed" area measures 75 mm in diameter.

The different shooting steps in nature archery

In nature archery, the shooting steps are materialized in the form of yellow, red, blue or white stakes. Depending on your category, you have different shooting ranges.

The starting and timing line of each shooting lane is represented by a yellow stake.

For archers in the veteran, senior and junior categories:

  • 1st arrow at the red stake.

  • 2nd arrow at the blue stake.

 For cadet archers:

  • 1st arrow to the blue stake.

  • 2nd arrow to the white stake.

For Minime and Youth archers, both arrows are represented at the white stake.

Note: Please be aware that the decreasing shooting order must be respected: red, blue and white

The course of a competition of shooting nature

In a competition in this discipline, archers shoot two arrows each. The shooting distances vary from 5 to 40 m in 30 or 45 seconds depending on the category and the type of bow (see paragraph: the number of targets in nature archery). Each arrow is shot from a different shooting point. In addition, a special shooting range is reserved for youngsters (benjamins, minimes), as well as for novices in the discipline.

If you want to compete in a natural shooting competition, you will need a bow: barebow, hunting, longbow, compound bow without sight and free shooting. For the classification, there are individual archers and teams of three archers from the same club.