First Archery Shoot for 2017

Our first archery shoot of the year was on April 22-23. Unfortunately Kyle had to work and missed most of it, but he came out and did 1 round. Saturday we did a round with friends then I ran Kyle back to town so he could get ready for work and went back with the kids to keep shooting. Unfortunately I didnt realize that they had changed the required number of rounds you had to do. It used to be 5 rounds over the 2 days, now it is 3 rounds over the 2 days. So the kids and I did 3 rounds the first day and 2 rounds the second day. The first day we shot pretty decent, with the exception of the last round- that was a nightmare and it didnt help we were both tired. Pheonix and I were shooting for scores. The last course we did was labeled A course and it was tough. The shots were shots you would never take while hunting, they were all very far distances for the kids with tricky shots for them as well. By the end of A loop, Pheonix was in tears and beaten down. She had no confidence left and I kept telling her to keep her chin up and try not to worry about it. It was a relief when we were done and able to head home. We were all exhausted mentally and physically. But tomorrow was a new day and we would be refreshed and ready to go.

The next day we both shot really well, much better then the day before....but to our dismay the scores didnt count. It was still good practice either way. At the end of the weekend Pheonix and I both placed 2nd in our divisions. Pheonix will only have this year left as a mini cub. Right now she shoots a Diamond Prism with fingers and no sights (we put a sight on it and tried to teach her to use it but shes having some troubles adjusting and just shoots how she always has- by instinct).

First 3D Archery Shoot of the Year

April 5 & 6

Our first local competition was this weekend! The kids and I ventured out Saturday morning to start our weekend. Three rounds of 15 targets each on the Saturday and 2 rounds of 15 targets each on Sunday. Unfortunately Kyle ended up having to work and missed out.

Saturday:
It was a warm day with intermittent clouds in the sky. We arrived out at the range at 11:00, a little later then I was hoping but we still had plenty of time to get our rounds done. We did a couple practice rounds at the bags before heading off on our rounds. We started with C loop because it tends to be a little easier walking and I figured it would get the kids warmed up for the other two loops. They both did good and had fun. The weather was a little bi-polar, it was nice and sunny then we got rained on, then it hailed, then back to rain, then sun and it just kept doing that on and off the whole day. I scored a 110/150 and Pheonix scored a 41/150. After we were done C loop we stopped to have some lunch then we made our way to A loop.

Eating lunch- Easton was apparently a pirate
 

mommies 10x

It was a little better, we both scored better even though having to climb a few more hills and is a slightly more demanding hike for them then C. I scored a 125/150 and Pheonix got 46/150. We made our way to B loop as soon as we were done A. This loop has always been notorious for being difficult. It is a more demanding hike and usually the shots are much harder. I found that the shots were not as difficult for me as they were in previous years but course was more difficult to walk for the kids than in previous years. One area in particular had me grinding my teeth and swearing under my breath. They had a stone sheep set up on the side of a steep hill that had a pond at the bottom. For me it was nothing, but for the kids, dangerous. Easton froze up and I had to carry him across the hill then have him sit down so I could help Pheonix get across to her peg. After, I just had them sit while i crossed over to get our arrows then had to help one at a time get to the top of the hill. After that Easton was done, he was scared of any hill we came to and was tired; and this was only #4 on the course. It wasn't a fun loop this last one so I decided that this was the loop we would cut out even though it was our best scoring loop, 126/150 for me and 48/150 for Pheonix.

Sunday:
We got out at 9:30 and was walking our first loop by 10 so we made it out in decent time. They shut down the courses at 2:30 on the last day. The weather was much nicer! Sunshine and blue skies but windy. We started with A loop. The kids were not as well behaved as yesterday but they did alright on this loop. It went quick and I scored 126/150 and Pheonix scored 51/150. We stopped and had lunch after that loop and Pheonix wanted to try out her new release we had bought her. Currently she shoots her bow bare with fingers. We had some time so I said OK and we went over to the bags so she could practice. It took her a little bit to get the hang of it but she after a few shoots she did. She was just a little out of control with it so I told her she wasn't going to use it on the course  because she needed more practice and we were needing to get going on our last round. She pouted but listened. We made our way to C loop and apparently so was everyone else. The loop took us twice as long as it did yesterday and both kids were starting to get tired and whiny. By the end of C loop my nerves were frazzled haha. But I did score a 131/150 and Pheonix scored 48/150 so Sunday was our best shooting days even though we were all tired. I was able to hand in our score cards at 2:00. I ended up placing 2nd in the Women's Bowhunter Release class and Pheonix placed 4th in the Mini Cubs (8 yrs and under).

It was a successful weekend and our next shoot is April 19 & 20. But we will only be going to that one if Kyle has it off because it is a 2.5 hr drive!

She was very happy when she
got an 8 and mommy got a 0

Nikita


 

Nikita's 2013 Spring Bear & Archery Shoot

May 28, 2013

We had no intentions of hunting over the weekend, we had a busy weekend helping out with the local 3D archery shoot and shooting in it as well. It made for long days and the kids were bagged by the time we would get home. Saturday was the first day of the shoot. We did 2 rounds where Kyle, Pheonix and I shot and Easton trucked along. This was Pheonixs first full weekend shooting and she did really well. Saturday was her best day. She hardly missed a target and only lost one arrow. Kyle of course had a good day and I did not lol. I busted up 2 arrows...just wasn't my day. We were proud of Easton too. It was his first shoot walking the entire thing. He never complained once and had a lot of fun. Sunday was a good day for me shooting. Kyle decided not to shoot and just walk with Easton so the girls could shoot. After our round Pheonix spent the rest of the day shooting in the Kiddies Corner. Pheonix was a little more tired and was having a harder time on Sunday, but she still did very good and had a lot of fun.

After shooting all day on Saturday we went home to have a late lunch/early dinner and Kyle threw out the idea to go for an evening bear hunt. Just somewhere close to home. So we packed up the kids and rifles into the jeep after our meal and took off. Once we got up to the area we decided on we just slowly trucked along. No one had been up the road in the last few days which made it nice to know we were the first up there. As we came around a corner Kyle slammed on the breaks and there was a massive bear. At first Kyle thought it was a color phase black bear, but when he stopped and turned you couldn't miss that he was a grizzly bear. He jumped off the road only 20 yrds off the road and stopped to watch us. We sat and watched him as he slowly made his way up the hill away from us. He was a very healthy bear. Nice color, glossy coat and good weight. Once he was out of sight we continued on. Only about a km away we seen a big health cow moose. She didn't give us a chance to get a look at her, she ran and didn't stop. We continued on. After seeing the grizzly I wasn't feeling very optimistic in seeing a black bear.We went for about another hour and we seen a young bull moose. Then around the next bend in the next clearing Kyle stops and tells me to get out. Confused i grab my rifle and jump out. He points down the hill in the clearing and leaves with to park the jeep. I look down and at the bottom of the clearing is a black bear.  Lounging in the green grass, munching away. While I was trying to decide how to rest my gun, Kyle already had his rifle down with the bipod. So I asked to use his since it was already set up. I laid down with his 7mag and got lined up. Squeezed the trigger and it rolled down the hill. I was so excited and so was Pheonix and Easton. Kyle went down to make sure it was ok to take the kids to see it. It was a very steep climb. I had to carry Easton down and help Pheonix. After we started to skin it we remembered there was a grizzly in the area. So Kyle told me to take Easton back up to the jeep and keep and eye out for any more bears and Pheonix wanted to stay and help. I packed Easton back up the hill because it was too steep for him to climb. Once Kyle and Pheonix started making their way up I buckled Easton up in the jeep with the heat on (he was cold) I walked over to help Pheonix. She did really good climbing the steep hill all on hands and feet. As I was walking over to them I heard a loud crashing in the bush above us. We all stopped and watched. I didn't see anything but Kyle seen two figures take off, wolves. So we quickly got Pheonix and my bear loaded in the jeep and speed off towards home.

It was a fun filled, busy day and I was so happy the kids got to enjoy every bit of it with us. Pheonix was so excited she got to be there for this bear because last year she and Easton stayed with Oma and Papa. She was vibrating. My bear turned out to be 5 feet, the same size as my bear last year. I am very happy with it!

Nikita 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bowtech Heartbreaker (50# limbs) Review

February 13/13

If you are looking at a new bow, look no further! After starting out 6 years ago in archery with The Edge by Diamond I decided to upgrade my bow last year (Jan 2012). Now, I didn't just walk into a shop and buy the first one I tried (was tempting...but I kept myself under control). I tried multiple different bows from Mathews, to APA, to PSE and it took me about a year to actually find the perfect one for me.

I found with my Diamond that my shoulder was constantly sore and that I could not hold it for long. It was also quite slow, Chronographed at 202fps. So while choosing a new bow I was looking for something that was comfortable, smooth, fit me and was FAST. Now I am tiny. 5'1'' 100lbs, pull 50lbs and I have a 24in draw length...not easy to find that draw in bows that are not labelled youth. I didn't want a youth bow, I wanted a women's bow! So finally I heard Bowtech had released the new Heartbreaker. So I decided to give it a try (and the APA that I liked from before) and the Heartbreaker was the one for me. It was smooth to draw and I could hold it. It fit me good, was light and fast. This past summer I sent it through the chronograph. I was getting speeds between 239fps - 242fps. I was doing my happy dance! I noticed my accuracy went way up as well. I competed in 3D with it after I got it, before hunting season and placed in all of the events and even taking first in my first one of the year. Hunting season I was able to take my first archery deer with it, a big mature doe at 40yrds. My arrow passed right through without any issues and she only went 20 yrds.

The arrows I use are the Radial X Weave STL Hunters 100, cut to 24.5" and a 100gr tip.

I will recommend this bow over and over again to any women wanting to shoot. I am in love with my bow!

Bowtech Specs (http://www.bowtecharchery.com/#/productBreakdown?r=products_products&i=15):
*From day one, we engineered the HeartBreaker specifically for the female archer. This bow is sure to catch your eye, but our primary focus was on undeniable performance, with the Binary® Cam System, rotating modules, and Octane Factory Strings. We have armed women with a bow that flat out dominates any other bow in its class. This bow is built to be as strong as the archers who shoot it. The HeartBreaker comes R.A.K.™ equipped*, so it is Ready Aim Kill right out of the box. This bow is out to prove that She’s A HeartBreaker in a class all her own.
*Draw Weight: 40, 50, 60
*Mass Weight: 3.7lbs
*MSRP: $699
*Effective let-off: 65%-80%
*Draw Length: 22.5''-27''
*Kinetic Energy: 61.98 ft-lbs
*Axle to Axle: 30 1/4"
*IBO Speed: 305 fps
*Brace Height: 7"

Comes in Mossy Oak Treestand, Black ops, Razzberry (Pink)

Nikita

Family Archery

As a family we do a lot of archery. Our daughter, Pheonix, has been shooting for over a year now. We bought her a new bow for her 4th birthday back in May and she loves it. We got her the Pink Nuclear Ice by Diamond. We took it to our friend (who is a paralympic shooter) that owns Kootenay Archery and he was able to turn it down to 7lbs and get the draw length to fit her. She shoots almost as much as we do, and we shoot just about every day.


Eastons first time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



She competed in her first 3D competition at the end of May this year and she loved shooting the animal targets rather then the block targets. We had a release for her but she prefers to shoot fingers and although she has a sight on her bow she doesn't use it. She is getting better and better and hardly ever misses the target now. The picture to the right is of our son, Easton. This was his very first time. He also loves to go out shooting. He understands he needs to stand beside us while we shoot and when we give the go ahead he runs to the target and attempts to pull the arrows. He can pull Pheonix's but not ours haha.

We enjoy our archery and go to all the local shows (providing work schedule works out) . Kyle is the VP of the local club here and we both help do set up and take down of the shoots. Pheonix also loves setting up and taking down as well.

We believe in doing as much as we can as a family and
in getting the kids as active in the outdoors as possible.