Roving is fun!

DavidH

New member
After an hour or so of target shooting today, three of us went roving, just shooting at leaves or mounds. I've never tried this before, but its as real as archery can get. We shot at distances from around 15 yards to 60 yards, with obviously no sight marks, (impossible with my Mongolian bow anyway). This could be a great way to improve "instinctive" shooting when transferred back to the target. I'd love to know if others have tried this. I'll certainly be trying it again
 
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Deleted member 7654

Guest
Yup, great fun if you have suitable ground with nice earth banks and such like so the long grass doesn't swallow the arrows.
Some call this 'stump shooting' to avoid confusing it with 'Roving Marks' which is shooting at flags or such like at longer distances (more like clout).
As a kid I'd wander round the woods and countryside with a Hazel stick bow roving (maybe as many as two arrows if I was lucky!)... can't get away with it these days :( the elf and safety boys and the police would be jumping out of the bushes with their body armour and tazers.
Del
 

DavidH

New member
Can just imagine walking through the woods and seeing a guy with a bow might put the wind up a few people Del;) I'll soon have access to a couple of acres of private land where I'll be able to shoot as I want. I've heard of stump shooting, its very popular in America isnt it? But how the heck do you dig your arrows out of wood? (I have enough trouble with that on bosses)
 
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Deleted member 7654

Guest
It's doesn't actually have to be stumps, the usual method for choosing a target (chosen by closest to previous chosen mark) is as follows...
See that stalk of dock that looks a bit like a rabbit.
No where?
Just left of that patch of dry grass.
No where?
The dock is dark rusty red, you must be able to see it
No where?
About 15 yards..
No where?
See that scrap of paper?
No...
Look I'll shoot it.... twang...thud
About a foot beyond that.
Oh! So that's dock is it? Anyhow it looks like hare not a rabbit...
(sound of quiet sobbing...)
Del ;)
 

Stash

New member
Loads of fun and my favourite archery game. Most enjoyable with a group of 3-5 or so. I have one good friend who lives about 100 miles away who also enjoys this, sadly we can only get together a couple times a year. Nobody else seems to be interested - all they want to do is go round the 3D course and shoot rubber animals.

A selection of different screw-in points and bright coloured fletching makes it more fun. Rubber blunts for rocks and hard stumps, "Judo" heads for deep grass, regular field points, and a couple of Flu Flus in my quiver for tree shots and I'm ready for almost anything I come across.
 

DavidH

New member
Told my wife about roving and she said its just like boys throwing a stick - exactly right, but with a better toy:)
 

Riceburner

Active member
Sounds like something I'd love to do (both stump and Roving mark).

I think you can only do roving mark with a longbow at the moment? (well - at an organised club level anyway).
 
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