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Colorado Archery Practice

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Colorado Archery Practice

Postby js80138 » 06 30, 2020 •  [Post 1]

I am not associated with this non-profit organization in any way however it seems like a very unique, fun and realistic opportunity to practice. Best of all, its free to the public to enjoy. Mods, if I have broken any rules feel free to move.

Grand County Archery

Our range is located on the Mary Jane side of Winter Park Ski Area in the Arapaho National Forest. The 3D range starts at the Utah Junction parking Lot and traverses its way up the mountain. The course is made up of 28 - 3D targets starting at 9,800 FT. The range is designed so that there is something for all level of archers and ages. Unlike many other archery ranges, being on the Mary Jane Mountain, our hike through course will provide you with plenty of challenging shot opportunities that will surely test your archery skills.

Sounds like a great opportunity for practice and fitness.
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Re: Colorado Archery Practice

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 30, 2020 •  [Post 2]

No problem at all JS; looks like a great place to practice/visit if one is in that area. RJ
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Re: Colorado Archery Practice

Postby js80138 » 07 19, 2020 •  [Post 3]

Saturday morning I traveled to the Grand County archery course at Winter Park. The experience far exceeded my expectation and I highly recommend the free to the public opportunity to practice.

As you descend Berthoud Pass toward Winter Park the road straightens considerably. Approximately one mile afterward the tall Mary Jane sign will appear to your left. Follow the dirt road approximately 1.2 miles and take another left into the clearly marked Utah Junction parking lot. On your left is your standard archery range from 20-50 yards. This range is posted as Grand County Archery members only, but they do have a sign up sheet available, should you choose to join. On the right side of the parking lot all the way to the back, is a small sign that indicates Target 1 of the 28 target course. The course has an orange string on the ground that will help lead you to all of your targets and indicators on the ground offer shooting stations. There are a few areas the string has broken but a quick look around will allow you to follow the course.

I have not been a bow hunter my entire life so the incredible experience may have been magnified by the fact that all of my practice is performed at ground level with shots at set ranges. You won't find any level shots on this course. Even the targets that look level are either slightly above or below. The targets vary in range from approximately 20-60 yards. There were many "best reasons" I enjoyed the course so much but one that really stood out was the fact that I did not have to take a shot that was outside my comfort zone. I only ended up taking one shot at 40 yards and that was at a Velociraptor quartering away at the edge of the timber, across a meadow. Nearly all of the targets are tucked into the trees and the suns light plays a major factor in how easily you can focus on the vital areas. The targets are also varying in angle difficulty. Five feet above and 25 feet below. 20 feet above and 10 feet below. Every shot is different. At 9600 feet the course was a fantastic opportunity to mix in fitness and follow a method I will use in the field. At every target I would range my distance. control my breathing and release when sighted at my target. This course gave me the opportunity to adjust where I was shooting dependent on the above or below degree of the target. It was fantastic opportunity to educate myself on how I needed to adjust my shots. I was able to take 2 shots at every target and one bear, at station 19, if I recall correctly, that seemed simple took 3 shots. I missed all three to the vitals but I realized at that point that I was becoming fatigued a bit. By far the greatest learning experience was the bobcat 25 feet below a ridge and 32 yards away. It was target 20 something at this point and holding my bow considerably below horizontal was very difficult do to muscle fatigue. I couldn't think of a better opportunity to practice in a more realistic setting.

The course covered 2.12 miles, 9600 ft elevation, + or - depending on the target, two hours of fun work. I have attached pictures of the the first target, most difficult and last target. You will have to zoom to see the targets because I took the pictures from my shooting station as I wanted to give a first person perspective.
Attachments
Archery Station 1.jpg
Archery Station 1.jpg (254.63 KiB) Viewed 1856 times
Archery 25 Feet above.jpg
Archery 25 Feet above.jpg (234.39 KiB) Viewed 1856 times
Archery last target.jpg
Archery last target.jpg (310.08 KiB) Viewed 1856 times
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Re: Colorado Archery Practice

Postby Swede » 07 19, 2020 •  [Post 4]

Good write-up. I suppose if you are not accustomed to being at 9,600 feet elevation that could be a problem over time too.
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Re: Colorado Archery Practice

Postby js80138 » 07 21, 2020 •  [Post 5]

Swede its funny you mention the elevation. I am in pretty good shape and my residence is at 6000 ft elevation. It's always amazing to me that at 8500-8700 ft elevation and above I notice a significant difference despite my fitness level. Usually it relates to how quickly I can control my breathing and recover a calm heart rate. That has been true for the past 24 years living here. One of the targets on the course was a mountain goat across the width of a ski run. It was 60+ yards and I don't shoot that far. I decided to shorten the distance so I began to jog up the hill. By the time I reached for the range finder and found my distance I decided that there was no way I could hold my bow steady without first calming down. :lol: It was a good lesson to learn and remember should I be in a similar situation during the season.
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Re: Colorado Archery Practice

Postby Swede » 07 21, 2020 •  [Post 6]

I live at 250 feet elevation. When I go hunting at 6,000 feet I have no significant problem, but when I get up to 8,000 feet-9,000 feet elevation I have to struggle to get enough oxygen.
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