February 9, 1999 — Sam Banks eyes his prey quietly in the forest.
He is trying to determine how far away his unassuming target is. Thirty-three yards? Thirty-five? Being precise is important.
Sam sets the sight on his elaborate compound bow. He then studies his game through binoculars, trying to locate the perfect kill spot on its body. Methodically, Sam removes an arrow from the quiver hanging from his waist. He knocks the arrow on the bow’s string.
Calmly, Sam takes his release mechanism from his pocket and clips it to the bow’s string. In one fluid motion, he raises his bow, pulls back on the release and pinpoints his target through his sight lens.
Steady now. Steady.
Thwang! Sam gently squeezes the release, propelling the arrow toward the victim. The arrow’s sharp metal tip enters the body with a thud. Sam approaches his quarry and examines his accuracy. A 10-pointer. Not bad.
Sam removes his arrow from the body. No blood. No dead animal. Just plain fun.
“I want to tell you something,” said Banks, 36, of Cumming. “I love to hunt. But I like this just as much as I do hunting.”
This is 3-D archery — where parties of bowhunters, like golfers, shoot a wooded course of twenty life-size animal targets, recording their scores along the way. North Georgia is a hotbed for such archery activity and home to the North Georgia 3-D Circuit — a partnership between the archery clubs in Gainesville, Dawsonville, Clayton, Cumming and Dahlonega.
Nearly every Sunday from January to August a different club plays host to the weekly competition, with cash and trophy prizes for 12 different shooting divisions, based on age, talent level and equipment used.
“It’s broken down into a lot of classes so everybody can get involved,” said 30-year-old Missy McDaniel of Winder. “It’s a family thing.”
McDaniel’s not kidding. On hand for Sunday’s shoot at the Gainesville Archery Club’s beautiful Chicopee Woods course were four generations of McDaniel’s Winder-based family — her husband Terry, 31, grandfather R.C. Parten, 70, father Rickie Parten, 53, and nephew Corde Adams, 7.
The list of archers in the family doesn’t end there. McDaniel’s mother, Margie Parten, 50, and 11-year-old daughter, Mia, also participate regularly.
“I love the competition,” said McDaniel, shooting for three years. “I look forward to going pro eventually. That’s something I want to work on.”
If going pro is the goal, McDaniel is shooting with the right crowd. Included among the 125-some archers that frequent the events on the North Georgia 3-D Circuit are many state, national and world champions.
On the Archery Shooters Association Pro/Am Championship Series, with monthly competitions held nationwide, archers from North Georgia are widely considered to be among the world’s best. The ASA world championships, twice held in Gainesville, will be held this year at the Wolf Creek Olympic Shooting Sports Facility in Atlanta August 12-15.
“I think it’s because the rednecks up here are so darn competitive,” laughed Billy Ledford, president of the Gainesville club.
There are certainly some serious archers around. Many shooters on hand Sunday carried equipment valued at well over $1,000. But a beginner can find a quality used start-up set for less than $400, Ledford said.
“Watch out, it’s addictive,” warned Jim Flippen, 52, a pro shooter on the ASA circuit and former president of the Gainesville club, who estimates that he travels 15,000 miles a year going to archery competitions.
The majority of 3-D archers are hunters, but there are several, like Flippen, who are simply out for the sport of it.
“I don’t hunt,” said Flippen, retired from the Army’s special forces. “Bambi hasn’t done anything to me. I just enjoy the challenge.”
Hunter or not, all competitors share a common love of the outdoors.
“If you come out here in late April and May when the dogwoods are in bloom,” said Flippen, “it’s just an awesomely beautiful place.”