This guide explains
the archery courses, the various targets, styles and equipment used, the rounds,
and how the shoots are conducted.
Archery is a sport
that is conducted the same way by all the member clubs wherever you go.
The VBA establishes the rules and coordinates the schedule "shoots and State
tournaments” held by member clubs. Every year, VBA publishes a tournament
schedule listing all the club schedule shoots.
An archery
course consists of twenty-eight (28) targets. Four (4) arrows are shot at
each target. The maximum score for each arrow is five (5) points.
Five points x four arrows = twenty points per target. Twenty points per
target x twenty-eight targets = 560 points. The twenty-eight targets are
laid out so that they form a safe, one-way path from one target to the next.
The twenty-eight targets vary in distance from 10 and 80 yards for the
Field and 10 to 70 yards for the Hunter round.
There are
four different size targets. The smallest targets are shot at the
shortest distance and the largest are on the longest shots. Each target
has either the two or three scoring rings. The three rings is called the
“Championship” target with the central dot having a value of five points, the
middle ring with a value of four, and the outer ring with a value of
three. The two ring target, called the “Standard” target, with a central
ring dot has a value of five points and the outer ring has a value of three
points. In addition to the two different targets, there are two different
types of faces. The Field face has a black dot on a white background and
the Hunter face has a white dot on a black background.
Each target
has assigned shooting positions which are marked by stakes in the ground.
White stakes mark the shooting position for Field distances and red stakes mark
the Hunter distances. Each person is required to stand between or ‘toe’
the stakes when they shoot.
In some cases
all four arrows are shot from a single stake. However, there are walkup
targets and fans (in line with each other.) Walkups have four
shooting positions at different distances. The first arrow that is shot
is at the longest distance. Fan targets have four shooting positions, all
equal distances to the target. One arrow is shot from each stake.
"Bunnies" are basically 10 yard walkup targets. The bunny is
shot from bottom to top.
Generally
four people shoot together. Two shoot at the same time. At targets
#1 through #14, archers #1 and #2 will shoot first. At targets #15
through #28, archers #3 and #4 goes first. When you get to a target which
has four faces, archers #1 and #2 will shoot the bottom left and right
respectively for the first fourteen targets. At target #15, archers #1
and #2 will switch. This way, each archer gets to shoot at every target
position.
When you go
to a club shoot, you present your VBA card to the Club's registrar. A
registration fee is $8.00 for an individual or for the first family member,
$5.00 for the second family member and $4.00 for each remaining family
member. After the shoot, your score is
officially posted and your card is returned to you. Your average will be
based on the highest three (3) of your last seven (7) scores. When you
shoot, you compete against archers who shoot in the same style and equipment as
you. In other words, someone who shoots "fingers" and pin sights
will not compete with someone who shoots with a release, scope or long
stabilizer. Now, what about the different types of shooting styles and
equipment? There are Barebow, Traditional, Competitive Bowhunter, Bowhunter Freestyle/Release,
Bowhunter Freestyle/Limited, Freestyle/Release, and
Freestyle/Limited as describe as follows:
|
Styles |
Equipment |
|
Barebow (BB) |
No sights or mechanical devices allowed |
|
Traditional (Trad) |
Recurve or Longbow |
|
Competitive Bowhunter (BH) |
No Sights, kisser button, or clicker allowed |
|
Bowhunter Freestyle (BHFS/R) |
Sight with maximum five fixed pins |
|
Bowhunter Freestyle Limited
(BHFS/L) |
Sight with maximum five fixed pins |
|
Freestyle (FS/R) |
Any type of sight and stabilizer |
|
Freestyle Limited (FS/L) |
Any type of sight and stabilizer |
Divisions are
recognized as Adults; Young Adults (15 to 17), Youth (12 to 14), Cubs (under
12), Seniors (55 & over) or Pros.
The Field
Round consists of 28 targets of four arrows per target. A maximum of 20 points per
target or 560 points per round. A
14 target unit will have a maximum score of 280 points. Targets used for Field and Hunter Rounds
shall be those sold by Maple Leaf Printers.
The scoring shall be 5 points, 4 for the white rings and 3 for the outer
black rings. The shaft only has to touch
the line to be counted in the higher scoring area. The X ring is for tiebreakers as needed. Any arrow shot from the wrong distance will
be counted as a miss. Any arrow shot
into the wrong target will be counted as a miss.
When you
shoot the Field targets, Adults & Young Adult will use the White stakes, Youths
& Traditional will use the Blue stakes and Cubs will use the Black stakes.
The
equivalent distances are as follows:
20 cm = 35, 30, 25 and 20 feet. This is a walkup and one arrow per distance.
35 cm = 15, 20, 25 and 30 yards. Four arrows per each
distance.
50 cm = 35, 40, 45 and 50 yards. Fan at 35 yards. Four arrows at each distance from 40, 45 and
50 yards. Walkup at
45, 40, 35 and 30 yards and one arrow at each distance.
65 cm = 55, 60, 65, 70 and 80 yards. Four arrows from 55, 60 and
65 yards. Walkup
with one arrow from 80, 70, 60 and 50 yards.
The Hunter Round
is the same as the Field Round, except the scoring shall be 5 points, 4 for the
next 2 rings and 3 for the outer 2 rings.
When you
shoot the Hunter targets, Adults & Young Adult will use the Red stakes, Youths
& Traditional will use the Blue stakes and Cubs will use the Black stakes.
The
equivalent distances are as follows:
20 cm = 11
yards. Four arrows
from one stake.
35 cm = 15 – 14 yards. Walkup, 2 arrows at each distance.
19 – 17 yards. Walkup, 2 arrows at each distance.
23 – 20 yards. Walkup,
2 arrows at each distance
28 yards. Fan, walk across with one arrow from each stake.
32 yards. Fan, walk across with one arrow from each stake.
50 cm = 36 yards. Fan, walk across with one arrow from each stake.
40, 44 and 48 yards. Four arrows from each distance.
53, 48, 44 and 41 yards.
Walkup, one arrow at each distance.
65 cm = 58, 53, 48 and 45 yards. Walkup, one arrow at each
distance.
64, 59, 55, and 52 yards.
Walkup, one arrow at each distance.
70, 65, 61, and 58 yards.
Walkup, one arrow at each distance.
These targets are pictures of animals varying in sizes depending
upon the distance. They are sold by
Maple Leaf Printers. They shall be
posted on the regular target butts. Three
arrows shall be marked and shot in numerical order. Only the highest scoring arrow will
count. The longest distance on walkups
will be shot first. If needed, the
second arrow from the middle distance, followed by the third arrow, if needed, to
be shot from the nearest distance. If an
archer advances to the target, then their arrows shall be considered shot and
said archer may not return to re-shoot any arrow, unless the target butt leaks
arrows and there are pass through. The
scoring area is the kill and wound, and a one point bonus area in the center of
the kill area. The arrow only needs to
touch the lines.
The
scoring is as follows:
Kill Wound
First Arrow 20 18
Second Arrow 16 14
Third Arrow 12 10
For example: If your first arrow hits the wound area of the
animal target, your score would be 18. You need not shoot arrows #2 or
#3. If your first arrow missed the Animal target, you would then shoot
your #2 arrow. A kill hit on your second arrow scores a 16. Maximum
score for each target is 20.
There are four groups of targets according to size and distance
shot from marked Yellow stakes. Youths
& Traditional archers will shoot from the closest adult walkup stake if
over 50 yards. Target distances may be laid
out anywhere between the maximum and minimum distances.
Group 1 – Maximum yards
is 50 and minimum yards is 40. There are
three walkup distances with 5 yards between the maximum and minimum yards. Animals consist of the black bear, grizzly,
deer, moose, elk and caribou.
Group 2 – Maximum yards
is 45 and minimum yards is 30. There are three walkup distances with 3 yards
between the maximum and minimum yards.
Animals consist of the black bear, antelope, small deer, work and
mountain lion.
Group 3 – Maximum yards
is 35 and minimum yards is 20. There is only one distance where all three
arrows may be shot. Animals consist of
the coyote, raccoon, javalina, turkey, fox, goose,
wildcat and pheasant.
Group 4 – Maximum yards
is 20 and minimum yards is 10. There is only one distance where all three
arrows may be shot. Animals consist of
the turtle, duck, grouse, crow, skunk, woodchuck, jack rabbit and rock chuck.
This contains the
combined shooting rules for the VBA 3-D Spring and
Fall Classic Tournaments.
All archers are welcome
to shoot. Pros of other organizations
will not be recognized but may shoot in the First Flight.
Targets are to be at marked distances for the Spring Classic
and unmarked for the Fall Classic.
Equipment rules will be
the same as for VBA Field and Hunter Rounds.
All Divisions will be
broken down into male and female. Styles will consist of: Freestyle-Release
(FS/R), Freestyle-Fingers (FS/F), BHFS-Release (BHFS/R), BHFS-Fingers (BHFS/F),
Bowhunter/Barebow (BB/BH), & Traditional (Trad).
Age groups consist of: PeeWee – under 8; Cubs:
8-11; Youth: 12-14; Young Adult: 15 – 17 and Adult: 18 and over.
Shooting time
is restricted to two (2) minutes for the first shooter in each group. Time will
begin when the previous group clears the target. Each following shooter in the group will have
one (1) minute to shoot his arrow. Time
begins as soon as the previous shooter releases his arrow. Individuals taking more than the allotted
time may have five (5) points taken from their score.
Dogs are prohibited
on any range and must be on a leash on the club’s premises.
Binoculars and pictures are
permitted.
Range finders are at the
discretion of the Tournament Committee.
(Spring only)
No range finders or other
devices that can estimate distances are allowed on the range. (Fall only)
No recording of distances
or referring to recorded distances. (Fall only).
Penalty for the guilty
archer is disqualification.
No equipment may be held
in line with the target for use as a range finder. After archers set their sights, they may not
let down to re-set those sights. There
will be a verbal warning from the group for the first offense and 5 points for
each offense after that.
There will be a minimum
of 25 targets. There shall only be one
arrow shot per target.
Scoring shall be 12, 10,
8, & 5 points. The 12 ring will be located in the center of the 10 ring.
Horns and Antlers shall
receive no score.
Any arrow that is deflected
by any foreign object or any miss-fired arrow must be counted as a shot
arrow. Skip-ins off the ground will not
be scored. Witnessed bounce outs may be
re-shot. Any arrow that “Robin Hoods” another arrow will be counted the same as
the one it hits, even if it falls to the ground.
If there is a target that
is leaking arrows, then one archer that has an arrow showing in the target will
advance to the target to verify that the other archer’ arrow has passed through
the target so it may be re-shot.
If an arrow falls to the
ground while in preparation of a shot, it may be recovered and shot if it is
within reach of the archer while standing at the stake.
For any ‘
If an archer declares
equipment failure, he will have 45 minutes to replace or make repairs on equipment
and shoot practice arrows. If there is
equipment failure during the shot, the arrow will be scored where it lands and
may not be re-shot. Archers are limited
to one equipment failure per tournament.
If there is a second equipment failure, then the archer will remain with
the group and act as a scorer or scorekeeper.
Score cards shall be
standard, simple cards requiring only the score of each target and a total
score. Archer and scorekeeper must sign the cards. All cards must be turned in as a group as
soon as possible after finishing the last target.
3-D Classification will
be based on the Flight System for each style and division and will consist of
15 shooters per Flight.
Maximum distance allowed
for 3-D targets must be followed as shown.
(Spring only).
Fall Classic distances
may be estimated from the chart below.
Stakes White
Stakes Red Stakes Blue Stakes Green Stakes
(Sights shooters) (Sight
shooters)
Men & YA-male Women, Traditional & Pee Wee
YA-female, Cub
Youth, &
BB/BH
Target Animals &
Distances: (McKenzie Type animals)
Elk 50 Yards 40 Yards 35 Yards 15 Yards
Standing Bear 50 Yards 35 Yards 30 Yards 15
Yards
Large Deer, Antelope
45 Yards 30 Yards 25 Yards 10
Yards
Medium Deer, Bear, Boar 40
Yards 25 Yards 15 Yards 10
Yards
CLASSES
The VBA
Classification System shall be used at all State Tournaments to place archers
in "Classes" for purposes of awards.
An individual's class is determined by their average, their Shooting
style, and the Division in which they are competing. Classification applies to Field Rounds,
Hunter Rounds, and to a 14/14 target combination of the two.
CUBS AND YOUTH
Cubs and
Youth may shoot in the BH, BHFS/R and BHFS/F divisions at the State Indoor,
State Open and State Closed Championship Tournaments. This is optional below
the State level. There are no rules concerning the Cubs and Youth shooting BH,
BHFS/R and BHFS/F divisions. Cubs and
Youth may shoot any arrow and point they choose regardless of point size and
weight.
FS/R - FREESTYLE/Release BH - BOWHUNTER
FS/F - FREESTYLE/Fingers BHFS/R - BowhunterFreestyle/Release
BB - BAREBOW BHFS/F
- BowhunterFreestyle/Fingers
TRAD - TRADITIONAL
FS/R FS/F BB TRAD & BH BHFS/R BHFS/F
ADULT MEN (Over 18)
AA 525-560 495-560 450-560 435-560 515-560 490-560
A 490-524 420-494 400-449 350-434 475-514 415-489
B 425-489 295-419 300-399 275-349 290-474 290-414
C 000-424 000-294 000-299 000-274 000-289 000-289
ADULT WOMEN (Over 18)
AA 500-560 440-560 400-560 300-560 450-560 425-560
A 440-499 370-439 300-399 200-299 375-449 350-424
B 360-439 300-369 200-299 100-199 250-374 225-349
C 000-359 000-299 000-199 000-099 000-249 000-224
YOUNG ADULT - CLASSES ARE THE SAME AS
ADULT (15 through 17 years)
YOUTH - ALL STYLES WITH THE SAME
BREAKDOWN (12 through 14 years)
AA 490-560
A 430-489
B 350-429
C 000-349
CUBS - ALL STYLES WITH THE SAME
BREAKDOWN (Under 12 years)
A 400-560
B 200-399
C 000-199
SENIOR (55+) – THERE IS NO
CLASS BREAKDOWN IN THIS DIVISION.
SENIORS MUST DECLARE SENIOR OR ADULT BUT NOT BOTH
GUEST – ARE NON-VBA MEMBER OR WITHOUT
A VBA CARD (Closed only).
FS/R FS/F BB TRAD & BH BHFS/R BHFS/F
ADULT MEN (Over 18)
A 290-300 290-300 280-300 260-300 290-300 290-300
B 270-289 270-289 240-279 210-259 270-289 270-289
C 000-269 000-269 000-239 000-209 000-269 000-269
ADULT WOMEN (Over 18)
A 290-300 290-300 270-300 235-300 290-300 290-300
B 270-289 270-289 225-269 185-234 270-289 270-289
C 000-269 000-269 000-224 000-184 000-269 000-269
YOUNG ADULT - CLASSES ARE THE SAME AS
ADULT (15 through 17 years)
A 290-300 290-300 270-300 270-300 270-300 270-300
B 250-289 250-289 230-269 230-269 230-269 230-269
C 000-249 000-249 000-229 000-229 000-229 000-229
YOUTH - ALL STYLES WITH THE SAME
BREAKDOWN (12 through 14 years)
A 260-300 260-300 245-300 245-300 245-300 245-300
B 200-259 200-259 180-244 180-244 180-244 180-244
C 000-199 000-199 000-179 000-179 000-179 000-179
CUBS- ALL STYLES WITH THE SAME
BREAKDOWN (Under 12 years). NO CLASS
BREAKDOWN. Awards are made in order of
completion.
SENIOR (55+) – THERE IS NO
CLASS BREAKDOWN IN THIS DIVISION.
SENIORS MUST DECLARE SENIOR OR ADULT BUT NOT BOTH
GUEST – ARE NON-VBA MEMBER OR WITHOUT
A VBA CARD (Closed only).
Keep your feathers flying!
“VBA is
Always on Target!!”