Campbells 3d Archery

This morning I went on my first 3d Archery adventure. I had heard many good things about Campbells 3d Archery out in North Plains. It is very easy to get to from Hwy 26. Take the Derhsam Road exit (exit 55) and head north on Mountain Dale Road, take a right onto Dairy Creek Road and Campbells is up on the right a couple miles. There is a nice sign outside and a small pay booth by the parking lot. There is a nice range with 3d targets and regular paper targets on straw bales. I opted for the 3d trail and paid my fee at the self service booth. As I was walking up to the trail I met one of the owners who gave me run down of what I was to expect. I was told the trail is very steep and that the trail would be well marked, and should take about an hour and a half or so to complete.

After a couple more minutes chatting I headed up the trail. The trail is hand cut and starts off on a very steep incline. There are 24 targets and the first one is not even 50 feet from the start of the trail. This was my first experience shooting on a 3d course and I have never shot uphill or down before. I promptly put my yardage estimates to the test and missed the first target losing my arrow into the first berm behind it. I hoped this would not be a sign of things to come. I hit the second target and broke an arrow in the third one as it hit a stump. At this point I decided I to slow down my shooting and take more time. The first four or five targets are on a steep climb up a hill and will make you work to get up to them. At the top of the hill is target 8 and there is a water cooler with cups. Unfortunately the cooler was empty, but I had brought a water bottle with me. I lost one more arrow on the seventh target but hit the rest of my targets from then on.

After target eight you stop climbing up the hill and have just a few up and down shots. The last few are all down hill and on the last one you have the opportunity to sit in a tree stand. My favorite shot was number 22 and its a long downhill shot on a bear across a stream. I didn't get a good shot but it was fun. I would definitley recommend Campbells and will be back.

Things I learned about 3d Archery:
1. Bring extra arrows. I lost two arrows in the brush and one to a stump.
2. Bring water. I brought one small water bottle and should have brought two.
3. Learn to estimate ranges better. A few of my shots I did at the womens/kids stake because I didn't want to lose anymore arrows.
4. Bring a friend. I had a blast, but sharing the experience with a friend would have been better.