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Jun 19, 2019

Your Guide to the Outdoor Field Nationals 2019

During the month of June, the NFAA Bowhunting and Event Coordinator Rod White has been publishing photos on our Facebook Page of the Badlands Range in Yankton, at the NFAA Headquarters. The 74th annual NFAA Outdoor National Field Championships, July 26-28, 2019 is a 3-day tournament that features 1 field, 1 hunter, and 1 animal round. Participants are required to shoot one of each round.

Registration is now open for this tournament!

At Outdoor Field Nationals, competitors will be given target assignments and a shotgun start will signal the beginning of the tournament, with 4 archers on each target, in most cases. Your first target will be a practice target and the next target will be for score. For those that start on Target 1 of the Badlands Range during the "Field" format, this is what you'll see when you get to the target stake.

Target number 1 is what we call a "Walk Up" target. Archers will shot one arrow at 80 yards, one at 70, one at 60, and one at 50, as posted at the target stake. Each target stake has signage and a description of the yardage or yardages to shoot, as well as the size of the target. In this case, this is a 65cm target face. The exceptions to the walk up are for the youth and cub divisions.

 

Target #2 in the Badlands Range, is a 30 yard target featuring a 35cm target face. Cubs will shoot at a distance of 10 yards.

Target #3 of the Badlands Course is what we call a "Fan" target. Four stakes are in the ground from which each archer must shoot one arrow. And in this case, at 35 yards you will be shooting at the 50cm face. Cubs will shoot at 15 yards at the same face but from a single stake.

Target #4 on the Badlands Range is a 65cm face at 55 yards. All 4 arrows are shot at the same distance. Youth will shoot at 40 and 41 and cubs will shoot at 20 yards. You'll notice that the signs also have "Hunter" and "Animal" round distances listed. If you were shooting one of those two rounds, you would shoot the Walk-Up distances listed on the sign and your target faces would different than the target face pictured. The "Hunter" target is a different size (50cm as indicated on the sign) and features an all black target with a white center scoring ring. The animal target would be an animal pictured with scoring rings. Three arrows would be shot, one at each distance labeled.

Target #5 features a 60 yard shot at a 65cm target face. All 4 shots you will shoot will be taken at this distance from a single position. Youth will shoot this same target from a distance of 45 yards and cubs will shoot this target at a distance of 25 yards.

Target 6 of the Badlands course is a 50cm target set at 50 yards. Youth shooters will shoot at the adult stakes and cubs will walk up to 20 yards. All 4 arrows are to be shot from one position.

Target 7 is a Walk-Up target with a 50cm face. Archers will shoot one arrow at 45, one at 40, one at 35, and one at 30. Youth archers will do the same and Cub shooters will shoot all 4 arrows at 20 yards.

Target #8 on the Badlands course is a 65 yard shot at a 65cm target. Adults will shoot 4 arrows from a single shooting position. Youth archers will shoot this target at 50 yards and Cubs will shoot this target at 30 yards.

Target #9 of the Badlands course at the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center is a 50cm face at at distance of 40 yards for the Adults, 40 yards for the Youth, and 18 yards for the cubs. All 4 shots for all classes will be taken from a single shooting position.

Next up is Target #10 of the Badlands course. This is a 35cm face at 25 yards. All four arrows are shot from the same position in the same target. Youth will shoot at 25 yards as well while cubs will shoot at 10 yards.

Target #11 of the Badlands course is shot from an elevated position to a 50cm target face at 45 yards for both Adults and Youth shooters. Cubs will shoot from the ground at a distance of 20 yards. All four arrows at this distance will be shot from the same position.

Badlands #12 is a 15 yard target at a 35cm face. Youth will shoot this target at the same distance while Cubs will shoot at a distance of 10 yards. Archers are required to shoot all 4 arrows in the same target.

Target 13 is the closest target on the Badlands Range with 16 20cm faces and is another Walk-Up target. Starting on either the top or bottom target, an archer will shoot one arrow in each target in their designated column of targets, from 4 different distances. However, if you choose to shoot the top target first, you must shoot the targets in order from top to bottom. If you choose to shoot the bottom target first, you must shoot the targets in order from the bottom to the top. The 4 different distances you will shoot from are 35ft, 30ft, 25ft, and 20ft. All classes will shoot from the same stakes.

Badlands target #14 is a 35cm face at 20 yards for Adults and Youth, Cubs will shoot at a distance of 10 yards. All four shots you will take will be at the same target.

Target #15 of the Badlands course, if you started scoring in target one, marks the halfway point for you. This is important because after 14 targets, you'll switch position. Archers that shot on the left will now shoot on the right and archers that were shooting the targets on the right will now shoot the targets on the left. Also if you were shooting the bottom targets, you'll now be shooting the top targets and if you were shooting the top targets, you'll now be shooting the bottom targets. This target features a 35cm target face to be shot at 25yds by both Adults and Youth, Cubs will shoot the same target at 10yds. All 4 of your arrows should be in the same target face.

Target #16 on the Badlands course featured a 65cm target set at 65yds. Youth will shoot this target at 50yds and Cubs will shoot this target at 30yds.

Badlands #17 is a 35yd Fan target at a 50cm target face. On a Fan target, each shooter will shoot one arrow from each stake. Youth shoot from the Adult stakes and the Cubs will shoot at 15 yards, however they will shoot all four arrows at the same stake.

The 18th target on the Badlands course is the closest target on the course and also the smallest with a 20cm face. As in the first half, you'll shoot your first arrow at the longest distance of 35ft, then 30ft, 25ft, and 20ft. Youth will shoot at the same distances while cubs will shoot all 4 of their arrows at just 20ft.

Badlands target #19 is a 25yd shot at a 35cm face for Adult and Youth shooters. Cubs will shoot at a distance of 10 yards. All 4 of your arrows should be in the same target position and target face.

Now we're at Badlands target #20. A 40 yard shot for Adults and Youth, Cubs will shoot this target at 18yds. All arrows in the same target at the same distance.

Badlands target #21 is a 60 yard shot at a 65cm face. Youth will shoot this target at 45 and Cubs at 25. All arrows in the same target at the same distance.

Target #22 is our featured target of the day on the Badlands course. This is a Walk Up target starting at 45 yards. Shooters will shoot one arrow at 45, one at 40, one at 35, and one at 30yds. All at a single 50cm target face. Youth will shoot the same distances as Adults, while the Cubs will shoot all of their arrows at a single distance of 20 yards.

Badlands Number 23 is a 55yd shot at a 65cm target face. Youth shooters will shoot this target at 40yds and Cub division shooters will shoot from a distance of 20yds. All 4 arrows will be shot at this single target face by each archer, and all 4 arrows will be shot from the same stake.

Target #24 of the Badlands course features a 50 yard shot at a 50cm target for both Adult and Youth shooters. Cubs will shoot this same target face but at a distance of 20yds.

Badlands Target #25 is a 20 yard shot at a 35cm target face for Youth and Adult shooters and a 10yd shot for Cubs.

Target #26 consists of 4, 45 yard shots at a 50cm target for both Adults and Youth shooters. Cubs will shoot this target from a distance of 20 yards. You'll shoot all 4 arrows from the same stake.

Target #27 is one of the most challenging and interesting targets on the course. For Adults, this is a Walk-Up target is where you will shoot one arrow at 80, one at 70, one at 60, and one arrow at 50 yards. The target size is a 65cm face and is the largest target face in a field round. Youth shooters will shoot this target at 50 yards and Cub shooters will shoot this target at 30 yards, however, they will shoot all 4 arrows at those distances.

The 28th and final target on the Badlands course is a 30 yard target for both Adults and Youth with a 35cm target face. Cubs will shoot this same target at a distance of 10yds. All 4 arrows are shot from the same position.

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About the Author: Rod White is the NFAA Bowhunting and Event Coordinator. In addition to providing online content and articles for the NFAA quarterly magazine, he also competes as a professional target and 3D archer. His target archery background includes winning a gold and bronze medal in Olympic archery. He has medalled in multiple national and world competitions while holding a variety of Olympic, World, and National records. His extensive list of bowhunting credentials including two two-hundred inch whitetails, 9 Boone and Crockett class whitetails, over 50 Pope and Young class whitetails, and several Pope and Young class elk, bear, mountain lion, mule deer and antelope. He's also owned his own outfitting businesses and worked several years as a bowhunting guide in Montana, New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.

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