A Rocky Start—Literally

The adventure didn’t begin smoothly. I arrived at what I thought was the right location, only to be met by a massive locked metal gate. Confused, I drove further down to a lay-by, double-checked the date, maps, and location—everything seemed correct. Just as I was questioning my sanity, I spotted a small queue forming at the gate. Phew! No senior moment today.

Once inside, it was time to get serious. Bows were prepped, teams assigned, safety briefing completed, and then—off we went to the first peg and target. My mental checklist grew longer: stance, grip, anchor point… and now, estimating the range, avoiding tree collisions, and, most importantly, not tumbling down a slope mid-draw.

 

The Challenge and the Thrill

For those who haven’t tried field archery yet (and you absolutely should!), here’s how it works: If you miss your first shot, you move to a closer peg for your next attempt. Sounds easier, right? Well… sometimes. A new position means a fresh guess at the range. At least your first arrow gives you a clue—if you can spot where it lands!

The targets? They’re a fantastic mix—some small and close, others large and deceptively far. Some narrow, some wide, and many placed on slopes that test your balance as much as your aim. And just when you think you’re getting the hang of it, the second half of the course throws in… dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs! As if field archery wasn’t exciting enough.

Beyond the targets, the setting itself is incredible. The woodland course is stunning—a place you’d happily walk through even without a bow in hand (though you’d have to watch out for flying arrows). I had worried about losing arrows, but the well-thought-out back-stop boards and nets kept them safe. Two rounds in, and I still haven’t lost a single one!

Victory Tastes Sweet

And the best part? Our team won the morning’s competition! Naturally, I’d like to think Jennie and I carried the team with our impressive scores, rather than Carl and Jez’s small contributions of skill and experience.

 

Field archery isn’t just shooting—it’s an adventure, a challenge, and an absolute blast. If you haven’t tried it yet, trust me, you’re missing out!

One of our members, Carl McLaughlin, has become closely affiliated with Purbeck Archers and helps out organizing their major annual tournament and volunteering at country shows with them.

Through his enthusiasm for Purbeck and field archery many of us have joined Purbeck Archers and been signed off by Andrew or Kenn of Perbeck Archers to safely follow field protocols and shoot 3-D.

Every couple of months Carl organises an informal competition on a Sunday morning followed by a post-match analysis in a pub with lunch. This time eight of us drew lots and competed as four pairs, whilst two of our newer members were taken around by Andrew to be trained and signed off as safe and competent.

We set off into the woods as two groups of two pairs in direct competition for eighteen kills, the winning pairs from each group then go head to head for the next eighteen kills to settle first and second place, the other two pairs settle third and fourth. This is a great system, as it gives people a chance for a catch up, a bit of banter and some friendly rivalry.

The course is fun, with challenges as small as a stoat and as large as a bear, with dinosaurs, big cats and other kills ranging from five or so yards to fifty or more. The trees and ferns add to the challenges, it really focuses the mind, and the course is changed regularly to keep things fresh.

A range of bows were used on the day, no classes or handicaps, a simple scoring system of 3 points a win, 1 point each a draw, zero for a lose based on the total score for each pair on any given kill.

After a bit of a ding dong the day was settled on a tie break and Jez and Ryan came first overall after a majestic pair of double pro kills on the python took it to a decider on the dodo and they beat Alan and Jason into second place. Alan proffered numerous excuses as to why it was a draw, but Ryan offered only an impression of Alan’s loser shuffle, head down, shoulders slumped, emanating a high-pitched grizzle. It was uncanny, he’d clearly seen this a lot. Handshakes to close and Jez and Ryan became the current Best Archers in The Woods