DRAWN BACK TO ARCHERY

There is a certain draw to archery, beyond the bullseyes and the shooting for score.

Archery may not be for everyone, but it is a sport that tends to end up drawing in a lot of folks, and being a constructive hobby, especially for those who like to take their game into the hunting season for added bonus points. What's more, it can become a bonding experience between like-minded individuals from all walks of life.

Taking advantage of dry albeit slightly windy weather at times, the Montana State Target championships were again shot off at Previs Field in Thompson Falls Saturday and Sunday.

The second of three annual shoots sponsored state-wide by the Montana Archery Association (the third is State Field Shoot in Townsend June 27-28, the first was the Montana Indoor Target already held virtually), last weekend's event was attended by 55 archers from all corners of the Big Sky Country.

MAA state tournament director Tony Bierwagen said that although attendance was down slightly for the Montana Target shoot based on past years' numbers (perhaps based on post-COVID trauma), the archery enthusiasts who come to town every year for the event are never disappointed, and the ones that attended last week were typically impressed.

"It was a little windy at times but other than that it went off great," Bierwagen said. "As always, everyone greatly enjoyed the hospitality and all the amenities of Thompson Falls, it was a very good weekend of competitive archery."

Several of last weekend's shooters talked about what keeps drawing them back into the sport.

Steve Mellinger of Choteau had been hunting with his bow for 20 years when he decided to get into tournament shooting. This was his first attempt at competing in the State Target shoot.

"I started shooting in tournaments about three years ago and really enjoy it," he said in between shooting rounds, called ends in archery. "The thing I like most about it is the respect between shooters and the camaraderie you have the chance to develop with other folks."

Bob Byers of Polson also enjoys the social aspect. A self-confessed snowbird who spends his winters in Arizona, Byers said there are a lot of opportunities for shooting there and more in Montana when he comes back for the summer.

"I took it up about five years ago and have been at it pretty much ever since," Byers said. "There is a Senior Olympic program in Arizona and I shoot in that. But tournaments like this are the best part of it all, they give you a chance to mingle and have a good time, and explore towns like Thompson Falls."

Shooting a recurve bow instead of the compound bows virtually everyone else was using, Byers said he only gets about 34 pounds of draw-strength, as opposed to the 80 pounds or so that come off a compound model, making his arrows much more susceptible to windy conditions.

In spite of emceeing the event as he has in the past, Bierwagen was unable to shoot this year due to recent shoulder surgery. Compounding his difficulties, he cut up his left knee pretty badly with a chainsaw at work last week, and was sporting a stitched-up wound for his troubles.

Still, there Bierwagen was all weekend, acting like his knee wasn't bothering him, keeping the shoot going, calling out the shooting rounds, breaks and such throughout the two days of competitive archery. And that left plenty of time for good-natured banter between the archers, many who have become good friends solely based on their interactions in competitive shooting.

Midway through Saturday's shooting during a break in the action, MAA officials presented annual awards to many of the contestants present.

Although scores were dutifully recorded and championships awarded based on those results, and they can be found on the MAA Facebook page, the real winners were everyone who participated and enjoyed the show.

"These people love Thompson Falls, it is one of their favorite places to shoot," Bierwagen said. "The football field is a great venue for archery, everyone says it is one of the nicest, most luxurious places we compete at during any season."