Arrows Fly In The Tucannon

POMEROY - It was like a scene from Sherwood Forest. Men, women and children tromped through the woods carrying bows and quivers filled with arrows.

But this wasn't Robin Hood and his band, nor was it Merry Auld England in the 12th century.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of modernday archers, with compound bows priced between $15- $1,200, wearing synthetic, camouflage fleece and hiking boots, swarmed the forested hills at Tucannon Campground.

"It's is a great way to get the family outdoors, get exercise and meet up with friends," said Grand View resident Art Varela, a regular participant in the Walla Walla-based Blue Mountain Archers' annual Tucannon 3-D Shoot.

"And it's a great stress reliever I'm finding," said his wife, Kami, who accompanied her husband to the shoot for the first time this year.

They brought their 6-year-old son, Hunter, for the first time this year too. Hunter, like many of the other children at the archery shoot, carried his own small bow and quiver of arrows.

The Varelas spent some time at the practice range before heading out to the three courses, set up at various places with 3-D Reinhart targets in and around the campground.

A 3-D archery shoot is similar to playing golf, except for the deadly weapons element. Archers shoot at 3-D, close-tolife sized animal targets like deer, elk, cougar and turkey and keep track of their own points on score cards. Winners from different categories, from kids to pros, win prizes like a 3-D target to take home.

A shoot will have many classes for different skill levels and equipment. In golf you generally need to know how far away the hole is to choose the right club. In 3-D archery, you have to guess the distance and shoot to get the highest score. Also in golf the lowest score wins, but in 3-D the highest score wins.

Each 3-D target will have a set of scoring rings on it. The scoring depends of how the club or association has set them up. Many archery clubs use the following scoring: the smallest circle scores 11 or 12 points, the next ring out is the heart at 10 points, the lung is eight points and the body is five points. A hoof or antlers shot on a deer scores a zero.

"A lot of work goes into this," said Blue Mountain Archers president James Freemantle. "Some of us are out here starting Tuesday, clearing the course, chopping wood for the fires (where participants gather to warm up, visit or enjoy refreshments)."

And with nearly all of the 500-plus guests armed and shooting at targets along a do-it-yourself course, making sure everyone stays safe is a big deal to the club members.

"Most of us have been doing this for years and years," Freemantle said. "The older guys know just how to set these things up. We do a lot of safety checks and have officers here to keep an eye on things."

Freemantle and club vice-president Dave Miller spent most of the weekend staffing another big draw at the event - the money shoot, where competitors would "ante" in and try to make the shot that would win them the cash pot.

Other guests gambled on the big club raffle, paying $5 per ticket for the chance to win a Dakota 24-gun gun safe. The winner of that coveted prize will be announced at the Blue Mountain Archers' 2012 awards banquet in February.

"This is one of our two big fundraisers/competitions we have each year," said club member Elizabeth Freemantle. "We sometimes get up to 800 people who register. People come from all over, from Walla Walla, Spokane, Lewiston and even as far as Montana."

The club's other big shoot takes place in May on Weston Mountain, Oregon.

The Blue Mountain Archers is a locally run, nonprofit organization headquartered in Walla Walla, dedicated to the promotion of archery and bow hunting. In addition to the 3-D shoots, the club operates two archery ranges for member use and sponsors a summer club picnic and two banquets each year.

The club is trying to raise money for a new 20-foot target trailer. The one they're using now is 20 years old, "stuffed to the max," and in bad shape, Beth Freemantle said.

"We put $400 into it last year, to get through our two shoots this year, but we're worried it won't make it through," she said.

Money raised during the annual 3-D shoots is usually just enough to put them on again the next year, she said. "We invest a lot of sweat into these things, but it's worth it. They are great fun for the whole family."

Participants sometimes camp out for the weekend, filling up the Umatilla National Forest's Tucannon Campground and spilling over to co-inhabit surrounding campsites and RV parks with the many fishermen who beat feet to the Tucannon River and its many small lakes around this time each year.

Other guests "rough it" at places like the Blue Mountain Motel, in Dayton, where Art, Kami and Hunter Varela spent Friday night before driving out to the archery ranges on Saturday.

And many, many archers are local. Bob Downing, of Dixie, is a member of the archery club and has competed in the 3-D shoot in Pomeroy for the last three years. He's also, like many participants over the weekend, an avid hunter. Not all of them hunt with their bows. Many are rifle hunters, but some use their equipment to catch game from elk to deer and turkey.

On Saturday, Downing traversed the course with friends Jeff Scott of Walla Walla and Ephrata residents Scott Granger and his 8-yearold son Colton.

"I like to come up here for the fun," Downing said. "You met lots of new people.

For more information about 3-D archery shoots or the Blue Mountain Archers, visit their website at www.bluemountainarchers.com.