HOW-TO: FIELD ROUND
The Field Round is the most common form of field archery. This is the sport for which the Lower Arroyo range was originally created, and it remains the centerpiece of our tournament schedule.
Target faces are set up on 28 separate targets, each with their own shooting lane. Sometimes, faces are only set up on 14 targets (called a unit), and you walk two “laps” through the unit to make the total 28 targets.
Shooting Rules: Each archer shoots four arrows at each of the 14 target layouts in the unit.
Scoring: There is a maximum score of 5 points for each arrow, so 20 points for each target. The center black rings are 5 points, the white rings are 4 points, and the outer black rings are 3 points.
Archers shoot their arrows at the shooting lines indicated by the colored markers placed in the ground. The distances are written on the marker in yards. At each target the archers may shoot their four arrows from a single location, or from multiple locations.
Distance Markers:
ADULT (over 18): White Markers indicate the yardage and shooting position
YOUNG ADULT (15 through 17) Shoot from the adult White Markers
YOUTH (12 through 14) Shoot the adult stakes up to 50 yards. Any adult yardage over 50 yards will have a Blue Marker which indicates the youth shooting position.
CUB (under 12) Shoot from the Black Markers
A Walk Up target has markers located at progressive distances from the target. A walk up target is shot from the most distant marker first. After all the archers in a group have shot their first arrow, the group walks up to the next marker and shoots. Most walk up targets have four markers shot with one arrow per marker.
A Fan target is laid out with four markers at equal distance from the target and spread horizontally across the shooting lane. Archers shoot one arrow at each of the four positions.
A Birdie target is set up a close range. Distances can vary from 35 feet to 20 feet. Each archer has four small targets arranged vertically. One arrow is shot at each target. On walk up birdie targets, it is customary to shoot the bottom target first and work your way up the vertical stack. Remember, at close range, your sight settings will drop as you move close to the target.
At targets under 30 yards, the target butts are set up with four targets arranged in a square pattern. Each archer shoots at their own target. Archers declare their target preference on the first target and shoot the same target position for the remainder of the first 14 targets. At the second group of fourteen targets, the target positions are reversed. For example, if an archer was shooting top-left in the first 14 targets, they will shoot bottom-right on the second. If archers shoot in groups of two, it is customary for archers shooting on the bottom targets to shoot first.
For more information on the Fundamentals of a Field Round, CLICK HERE.
NFAA Field Round @ the PRA
On the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month, PRA hosts either an NFAA Field Round or a Hunter Round. The volunteers setting up the tournament decide which type of tournament they will set up on any given Sunday, but it will normally be two Field Rounds and one or two Hunter Rounds per month. Set-Up and Practice begins at 7:30A and the tournament officially starts at 8:00A.
The PRA-hosted NFAA Field Round consists of either 28 paper targets of varying sizes placed on Target Bales #1-28 or 14 paper targets arranged in a circuit at marked distances. The 14 target circuit is shot twice through to complete a total of 28 targets. Each archer shoots four arrows at every target, totaling 112 arrows at 28 targets. Field targets have three scoring rings: the center black circle scores 5 points, the middle white ring scores 4 points, and the outer black ring scores 3 points. An arrow only need touch the edge of any ring to be awarded the corresponding point value. The maximum score possible is 560 points (112 x 5).
Shooting positions vary depending on the target and are designated by the WHITE painted markers with numbers representing the distance to the target in yards. The sole exception is the shortest distance “birdie” target, located at Target Bale #6, where the distances are marked in feet. Junior archers shoot at reduced distances set according to their age group.
At some targets, all four arrows are shot from the same WHITE marker; a few targets are “walkup” with one arrow shot being shot at the furthest WHITE marker and each remaining arrow being shot at a slightly closer WHITE distance marker as the archers advance towards the target; and some are “fans”, where each arrow is shot from different WHITE markers arranged left to right in a line at a set distance from the target. The distances for the Field Round range from 7 yards to 80 yards.
For beginners, a Rookie Round can be shot from the nearest BLACKmarkers at each target in order to become familiar with the tournament and scoring. During a Rookie Round, an archer will shoot all four arrows from the closest BLACK distance marker to the target as there are no “walkups” or “fans”.
HOW-TO: HUNTER ROUND
A Hunter Round is shot slightly differently from a Field Round. There is a different target face (all black with a white dot in the center). Scoring is the same as the Field Round, with the center rings being 5 points, and the outer rings being worth 4 and 3 points each.
Shooting Rules: Each archer shoots four arrows at each of the 28 targets on the full range or 14 targets twice in the circuit.
Archers shoot their arrows at the shooting lines indicated by the RED colored markers placed in the ground. The distances are written on the marker in yards. At each target the archers may shoot their four arrows from a single location, or from multiple locations.
Distance Markers
ADULT (over 18): Red Markers indicate the yardage and shooting position
YOUNG ADULT (15 through 17) Shoot from the adult Red Markers
YOUTH (12 through 14) Shoot the adult stakes up to 50 yards. Any adult yardage over 50 yards will have a Blue Marker which indicates the youth shooting position.
CUB (under 12) Shoot from the Black Markers
A Walk Up target has markers located at progressive distances from the target. A walk up target is shot from the most distant marker first. After all the archers in a group have shot their first arrow, the group walks up to the next marker and shoots. Most walk up targets have four markers shot with one arrow per marker. Some targets have two markers and are shot two arrows at each marker.
A “Fan” target is laid out with four markers at equal distance from the target and spread horizontally across the shooting lane. Archers shoot one arrow at each of the four positions.
A “Birdie” target is set up a close range. Distances can vary from 35 feet to 20 feet. Each archer has four small target arranged vertically. One arrow is shot at each target. On walk up birdie targets, it is customary to shoot the bottom target first and work your way up the vertical stack. Remember, at close range, your sight settings will drop as you move close to the target.
At targets under 30 yards, the target butts are set up with four targets arrange in a square pattern. Each archer shoots at their own target. Archers declare their target preference on the first target and shoot the same target position for the remainder of the first 14 targets. At the second group of fourteen targets, the target positions are reversed. For example, if an archer was shooting top-left in the first 14 targets, they will shoot bottom-right on the second. If archers shoot in groups of two, it is customary for archers shooting on the bottom targets to shoot first.
In Hunter Rounds, if four targets are posted on a fan lane, archers will select if they will shoot top or bottom. Two arrows are then shot from the two left markers into the left target, and two arrows are shot from the right two markers into the right target.
For more information on the Fundamentals an NFAA Hunter Round, CLICK HERE.
NFAA Hunter Round @ the PRA
On the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month, PRA hosts either an NFAA Field Round or a Hunter Round. The volunteers setting up the tournament decide which type of tournament they will set up on any given Sunday, but it will normally be two Field Rounds & one or two Hunter Rounds per month. Set-Up begins at 7:30A and the tournaments officially start at 8:00A.
The PRA-hosted NFAA Hunter Round is slightly different from the Field Round. It consists of a different set of 14 paper targets of varying sizes arranged in a circuit at marked distances. The 14 target circuit is shot twice through to complete a total of 28 targets. Each archer shoots four arrows at every target, totaling 112 arrows at 28 targets.
Similar to the Field targets, Hunter targets also have three scoring rings, although the colors are slightly different: the center is a white circle that scores 5 points, the middle black ring scores 4 points, and the outer ring, which is also black, scores 3 points. An arrow only need touch the edge of any ring to be awarded the corresponding point value. The maximum score possible is 560 points (112 x 5).
Shooting positions vary depending on the target, and are designated by the RED painted markers with numbers representing the distance to the target in yards. The sole exception is the shortest distance “birdie” target, which is located at Target Bale #6, where the distance is marked in feet. Junior archers shoot at reduced distances set according to their age group.
As mentioned above, shooting positions for a Hunter Round also vary from target to target. At some targets all four arrows are shot from the same position; a few targets are “walkup” with one arrow shot being shot at the furthest red marker and each remaining arrow being shot at a slightly closer distance as the archers advance towards the target; and some are “fans”, where each arrow is shot from different red markers arranged left to right in a line at a set distance from the target. The distances for the Hunter Round range from 7 yards to 70 yards.
For beginners, a Rookie Round can be shot from the nearest BLACK markers at each target in order to become familiar with the tournament and scoring. During a Rookie Round, an archer will shoot all four arrows from the closest BLACK distance marker to the target as there are no “walkups” or “fans”.
We highly recommend that first time shooters at our Field Archery tournaments seek out a veteran competitor to shoot with to “learn the ropes.” PRA regular competitors are a friendly group of people who are always happy to show newcomers how the tournaments work. Please refer to the latest NFAA Constitution and Bylaws for the most up to date and detailed rules.
