Brad Wood, of Nelsonville, Ohio, takes a shot Saturday, April 14 at a three-dimensional foam target painted to look like a wildcat, hidden among trees at the J.L. Lester Wildlife Management Area near Cedartown. (Lowell Vickers/thepolkfishwrap.com).
Lynn Kaiser, of Ft.Wayne, Ind., takes stock of the distance and position of a target during the International Bowhunters Organization event held Saturday near Cedartown. (Lowell Vickers/The Cedartown Standard).
Friends Becky Pecjak, center, of Dilliner, Pa., and Chuck Hunnell, left, and Rick Coffman, both from West Virginia, pose before packing up after finishing their shots Saturday at the J.L. Lester Wildlife Management Area near Cedartown. (Lowell Vickers/thepolkfishwrap.com).
For three days, archers fired arrows at 3D targets hidden among the trees and underbrush at the J.L. Lester Wildlife Management Area, off Morgan Valley Road about four miles east of Cedartown.
Seven Hills Archery, a Rome-based club, was the host organization. This was the second year that the local WMA was utilized.
“A full day of shooting began Friday,” said Tom Watson, president of Seven Hills Archery. “They began shooting 9 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and for half a day Sunday.”
The event wrapped up with an award presentation around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Archers came from as far away as Ohio and Pennsylvania to compete in Cedartown. Watson explained that as part of the Southern Triple Crown – other events were held earlier this year in Alabama and the Florida panhandle – the local event was a qualifier for the Shooter of the Year competition.
The event drew competitors in four professional divisions and multiple amateur divisions.
There are separate male and female divisions. Other divisions denoted differences among the power of the bows, and the manner in which they are utilized. For example, Donald Frysinger Jr., of Carlisle, Pa., said he was competing in a “fingers” division. Unlike other archers that shoot with the use of a release aid, archers in Frysinger’s division pull their bow strings back with their fingers.
Saturday’s windy conditions created some trouble.
“I shot decent, 384 out of 400,” Frysinger said. “A lot of shooters said the wind was a problem.”
Lynn Kaiser, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., said the wind wasn’t causing much trouble Saturday afternoon, as most of his shots were being shielded by trees. He was on a course that had targets positioned deep in the woods, up a cleared path.
“We shot the back side of this hill in the morning, and it was very windy then,” Kaiser said.
Watson said most archers tried to shoot in the mornings, when it was cooler. However, a small group was busy Saturday afternoon finishing up their final round of targets. They found it a bit hot, but the wind gusts had died down some.
Kaiser fired a shot at a target made to look like a squatting cougar. He was very satisfied with the shot, saying it was “at least a 10.”
Becky Pecjak, of Dilliner, Pa., also was happy with her record. She wrapped up Saturday afternoon with a total of 384 out of 440 possible points in her division.
“This was the toughest course I’ve ever shot,” Pecjak said.
Watson said there’s room in the event for archers of all skill levels. He said they’d love to see more local people come out and sign up and try their skills at a future IBO event.
To contact Watson about this event, call 706-252-6544.
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