3D IFAA Binocular Rule

[Eberbachl]

...HHmmmm why is it that in any other IFAA round you can use binoculars, but in the newly formulated IFAA 3D round (which I think is otherwise great by the way) you are not allowed to use binoculars at all???

Personally I think this is the most brainless knuckle-dragging rule that I have ever heard!...but that's just my opinion;)

After all, I have so far only heard two justifications for this rule...the first is that it is meant to be a hunting round, so no binoculars...HELLO! - The second thing I pack after my bow when I go hunting is my binoculars!!!

The second justification I have heard is so that sighted shooters don't take so long at the shooting peg?!?!?!?!?!!?!! - why not just introduce a time limit or let down rule?

I would love to hear everybody's opinion on using binoculars in 3D IFAA field archery (ABA field as well for that matter).

If the general concensus is that the archery community feels that binoculars should be allowed, I propose to look into what it will take to get this neanderthal rule changed.

If the bulk of people seem to agree with this rule I'll shut up and go back into my little hole:D

...well what are you waiting for...post your opinion :)

:eek

[Marcus]

You know the biggest thing that can hold a sport back is when they pull crap like this. I am an archer. I love shooting field. I am target first, but I really enjoy field. I am not interested in going down and "play hunting". Hunting diesn't interest me. If I want to pretend to kill small furry animals then I'll call some guys from my old high school and take em out for some paintball.
Animal rounds are fun because they offer a changing target type, not because you get 4 blokes going out into the bush stalking a paper target. If you bring that rule why not make it you must rub your body down with the **** of the animal first, crawl up to the peg make no noise and then jump up and fire the arrow.
As for time, field is too short anyway. I always liked IFAAA because you shoot lots of arrows. I have not gotten into ABA because the round is too short to shoot.
As a target shooter I believe that you are there to shoot the arrow in the centre. If I fire a shot I want to see where it goes. Firstly because I don't want to put 3 arrows into the dirt just because I thought it was hitting the middle. Second I shoot arrows that cost $50 a piece. I take archery SERIOUSLY. It's not a game. If I put three into a rock because some moron believes that it should be a 'hunting situation' I just wont shoot the round ever again.

Can we get info on the ruling and then maybe get a petition going to send to IFAA?

[Eberbachl]

I've got the info on the ruling, I downloaded the latest IFAA 3D rules from the www.archery-ifaa.com site . I'll be going to the next ABA branch meeting, and raising the question there. A petition would be good, but what I'd like to see in the first instance is some opinions here. As I write this, there has been 2 posts and 10 views on this thread...you must have an opinion,. please give it to me :)

I'll be askinh people at the shoots I go to in the new future also, and depending on what the ABA branch say is the best way to go about getting this rule changed...I'll be taking the appropriate course of action.

;););)

[Marcus]

http://forums.pse-archery.com//showthread.php?s=&threadid=2582[url2]http://forums.pse-archery.com//showthread.php?s=&threadid=2582

Has some replies to the issue I raised on the PSE forum.
Seems they think it's dumb too.
I'll get a petition going on the site in the next few weeks and we'll advertise it everywhere.

[Eberbachl]

Hey thanks for that it's a big help,...nice signature too:D

[Eberbachl]

Hey Marcus the link to the PSE forum thread doesn't seem to work...does this link to the PSE thread (http://forums.pse-archery.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2582) work better???

Cheers :eek

:eek...hey! My link don't work either??? what's going on PSE?:confused

...it seems that when I put my mouse over the link, the &threadid=2582 part of the link isn't recognised :confused...any ideas?

Hey! that's weird too...the & (and) symbol I put in the Italic bit has changed into a "???

aaarrrggghhh! it's happened again - it must be a weird reserved character UBB or HTML code thing or something is it?

It's a long shot but I wonder if this one will work???

PSE Bino Thread (http://forums.pse-archery.com/showthread.php?s=threadid=2582)

Nope that don't work either...it really needs the "and" symbol there...

Oops I'd better stop now, I've been talking to myself again:D I really must remember to get a life :rolleyes

[Marcus]

To get a life youneed to know what is living.

Yeah there is a prob with encoding. I will have a play around and see if I can get it to allow & symbols through.

I like the quote on the signature there. Sad isn't it how ABA has gone out of it's way to bread archers who don't care where they shoot. (not all, don't flame me)

[Eberbachl]

Anybody else got an opinion on this matter?

I've got the IFAA secretary's Email address, so I'll send him a message about how to go about getting this issue addressed etc...

[mike]

I'm a FITA shooter exclusively at the moment, but I agree that it is absolutley ridiculous to bring in rules like this.

Field archery is plagued by silly rules it seems, for an unmarked fita field round, you cant use a range-finding device (fair enough) but neither are you meant to pace the distance if you happen to find your self alongside a future target line.

Whilst I can see the argument (you are meant to guage your shot when you walk up to the peg, you're not meant to already know the distance)

A. I fail to see how you could possibly stop people from pacing because if you're good at it, noone can tell that you're doing it. B. The whole point of the sport is to shoot accurately, being unmarked simply adds a further challenge, if you confront that challeng by pacing or using known reference points, then that makes you good at the discipline.

Similarly, I fail to see how outlawing binoculars actually opens up the competition. After all, any rule change should have at its aim a lifting of the level of competition or an elimination of unfairness. There is simply nothing unfair about binoculars, they a cheap compared to the bows we use and any other field archer would consider you mad to attempt a top score without them.

All outlawing binoculars does is prevent people from competing seriously and could cost competitors considerable money ($100 pair of binoculars versus 3 lost ACEs - go figure)

At the end of the day it is always the good ARCHERS who win the tournaments, and most of them can do it without the fancy equipment and binoculars, but they exist, they won't propel an average archer to victory alone and they can potentially save an archer a lot of money out in the course.

I think I'll stick with FITA rules for a while longer, they are easier to understand and or get around ;)

[Eberbachl]

Thanks very much for your thoughts mike!

It's great to hear your opinions, and I agree with what your saying. It's a real shame that stupid rules like this keep many great archers away from field.

I shoot both target and field, I've been shooting field for about 3 years, and just started shooting target a couple of months ago when I switched from barebow to freestyle unlimited gear. I'm enjoying target very much, and I like shooting field just as much!

I love field, and it seems to me that if we can get those crazy rules out of there and make field archery a game with rules which encourage good archery and can be shot at an international level, then field archery, and the people who choose to participate in it will no doubt prosper.

Heck, we may even be able to encourage more AV/AA shooters to shoot field, and ABA shooters to shoot some target!...and get rid of this Target Vs Field mentality which is so prevalent here. After all, we all shoot bows and arrows :D

[Marcus]

Good to hear support there Mike.
This rule is for 3D animal targets I believe.
I shot 3D for the first time yesterday and admit that the thing that puts me of it is the fact that I may smash an arrow if I miss the target. Using binos was a big help and to say I wouldn't use them in a hunting situation is insane. The small pig I would have and same for that 50m rabbit.
Turns out I didn't miss any (cept for the Rabbit, but that's not a real shot) but a couple of targets I didn't want to fire another shot without knowing where the first went. I would not have shot the round if I couldn't use binos.

As for guaging the fact you can do it is a new thing in unmarked Fita. A few years ago that was illegal. Higher end shooters would just use other bits of their bows to guage and pacing was used then too. (watching other archers walk to the target).

Thing is IFAA is great, I prefer IFAA over Fita field, but this 3D rule is nuts. You'll have to come to DVA and shoot our IFAA course when we set it up Mike, it's a great round.

[mike]

Well, what I mean't by guaging is working out what you think is the distance. That progressive organisation known as FITA has eliminated any silly let down rules so that we can all get on with the business of shooting well.

As I said, I think that that is what it is all about. If the guy next to you has a more advanced system of working out the distance, then he will probably beat you. That's your fault for not being good enough, I reckon, not the fault of the rules!!

Personally, I have absolutely no idea how to guage distance well, and I reckon that I would make a complete fool of myself on a 3D round or an animal face round!!!! I am only just working out how to shoot {*i}marked{i*} field well, and I don't need to have my confidence completely shot by not knowing how far away the bloody target is!!!

But after the Silver Cup and the State Field and the various FITA tournaments and trials and the MAC Holdsworth trophy, I would love to have a go a shooting some pictures of introduced species at various unknown distances!!! It sounds like an absolute riot and I can't wait :rolleyes

I think that I would like to have a go at the tamer IFAA stuff shot on {*b}TARGETS!!!{b*} (you know the round things with circles on them) Just joking...

Perhaps I will take up the invitation this summer.

See you at a tournament soon I hope (a FITA tournament, that is,

{*i} a REAL tournament!!!{i*}) LOL

[mike]

Well, what I mean't by guaging is working out what you think is the distance. That progressive organisation known as FITA has eliminated any silly let down rules so that we can all get on with the business of shooting well.

As I said, I think that that is what it is all about. If the guy next to you has a more advanced system of working out the distance, then he will probably beat you. That's your fault for not being good enough, I reckon, not the fault of the rules!!

Personally, I have absolutely no idea how to guage distance well, and I reckon that I would make a complete fool of myself on a 3D round or an animal face round!!!! I am only just working out how to shoot {*i}marked{i*} field well, and I don't need to have my confidence completely shot by not knowing how far away the bloody target is!!!

But after the Silver Cup and the State Field and the various FITA tournaments and trials and the MAC Holdsworth trophy, I would love to have a go a shooting some pictures of introduced species at various unknown distances!!! It sounds like an absolute riot and I can't wait :rolleyes

I think that I would like to have a go at the tamer IFAA stuff shot on {*b}TARGETS!!!{b*} (you know the round things with circles on them) Just joking...

Perhaps I will take up the invitation this summer.

See you at a tournament soon I hope (a FITA tournament, that is,

{*i} a REAL tournament!!!{i*}) LOL

[Eberbachl]

We look forward to seeing you at DVA for some unmarked field Mike!

The thing is, you're absolutley right about guaging distance etc...there is definitely a number of ways to do it quite accurately. Unmarked field is just as much about distance judgement as it is about shooting the shot. You still have to make the shot, but also be good at judging distance. To me it just adds another dimension to the game.

BTW...I do hope you were joking about the real tournament bit!:D...I'd hate to think that you thought us unmarked field archers weren't just as serious as FITA guys???:rolleyes

...good I didn't think you did ;)

[Marcus]

Yeah those unmarked guys can outdrink most of us Fita guys, and I've never seen a Fita guy serious enough to keep a cigarette in the corner of their mouth while still shooting. ;) ;)

Fita unmarked dd get to the point where the one who cheated the best would win. If you wanted to win you guaged somehow. I do enjoy unmarked, marked can be dull, IFAA isn't. Looking forward to the State Field.

[Eberbachl]

OK, OK...so some of the unmarked field archers like a drink :rolleyes and I have seen one or two at full draw with a smoke hanging out of the corner of their mouth, but believe me...some of us are very serious about archery :D