More than 100 archers signed up for a Langley Rod and Gun Club 3D archery event that sent hunters into the woods after Styrofoam animals on Sunday, Aug. 29.
It was more than Andy Plumridge, chair of the club archery committee, had been hoping for.
“Fifty people would have been good,” a “very pleased” Plumridge told the Langley Advance Times, after calculating there had been 111.
It was almost double the amount the club at 3854 208 St. drew when it held its first 3D archery event, a flat-field competition on the shooting range that drew just over 60 archers back in April of 2019.
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“Some people went through twice [this time],” Plumridge shared, “once in the morning and again in the afternoon.”
He believes the higher-than-expected turnout may have been the result of pent-up demand by archers idled by the pandemic that forced a shutdown of indoor archery ranges.
Some people showed up well ahead of time, arriving at 7:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m. start.
“Very early, [but] they were helping to set up, though,” Plumridge clarified.
“That was nice of them.”
Archers followed a path through the woods surrounding the Brookswood shooting range, lining up to test their skill against various Styrofoam animals.
All ages, types of bow, and abilities were accommodated, with pegs setting out different shooting distances.
There was even a visit by a live black-tailed deer, according to some participants, Plumridge said, “which you don’t shoot – we just shoot the foam animals.”
Plumridge gave a shout-out to the Rod and Gun Club for shutting down the shooting range on the day of the archery event.
“That was nice of them to give up their Sunday – and a nice Sunday, too.”
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A 3D event was being planned just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation, Plumridge explained.
He said the club would like hold another 3D archery shoot before the end of the year, but with COVID case counts rising and the possibility of restrictions being tightened again, Plumridge wasn’t sure if it will be possible.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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