Bullseye

Paul Clock aimed for the fake mountain goat perched on a rocky hillside 35 yards away.

His camouflaged bow, frozen at full draw, was rigid and unmoving. His eyes found the sight pins and the target beyond. He released.

The bow swooshed and the arrow sailed.

Bullseye. The point was buried in the softest part of the goat, just above the innermost ring. Clock walked up the hill, pulled the arrow and moved on.

"We try to deceptively challenge people," he said, striding toward another shooting station.

President of the Coeur d'Alene Bowmen, Clock led an informal tour of the club's expansive 3-D shooting area on Sunday. Built on a 600-acre spread near Farragut State Park (leased from the Idaho Department of Lands), the course was filled with life-size moose, elk, deer and bear.

This weekend, archers of all ages skewered those targets during the Coeur d'Alene Bowmen Fall Warm-Up 3-D Shoot. Just a few weeks before archery season officially kicks off, the participants tested their range-finding and shooting skills.

"It is just a great warm-up for hunting here," Clock said. "We get shots set up anywhere from 15 to 50 yards."

Shooters carried their bows on rough trails, moving from station to station. The course was divided into three loops, each one leading to different targets and new challenges.

At one station, a bull moose hid in a thick stand of trees, nearly 50 yards from the shooting spot. Nearby, a black bear stood on its hind legs, and a bighorn ram balanced on a steep ledge.

A few of the targets were just plain wacky: a T-Rex dinosaur, a polar bear, an armadillo.

Keith Franklin and Jimmy Hinderman manned the moving elk target. Using a pulley system, they scooted the big bull into an open clearing, and screeched a few bugles from their mouth calls.

Mobile and vocal, the heavy-antlered elk was a very realistic critter.

"The challenging thing out here is establishing the yardage," Franklin said. "Trying to figure out how far away they are, and being able to make a shot."

Targets were placed in various positions, often obscured by trees or brush. Many were up on a hilltop, or down a steep slope.

The bull moose, for example, required a precise shot through a narrow opening.

"I think, also, (the course) shows what your limits are, and what you need to improve on," Franklin said.

Most of the 3-D creatures were finely detailed, and looked very much like the genuine article. In fact, a real black bear attacked one of the deer targets on Friday night, causing considerable damage.

The mangled target could still be used, though, so it stayed in the woods.

About 300 archers participated in the weekend shoot, Clock said. Their total scores were tallied to decide a winner.

"It's a big family thing," Clock said. "We've got lots of families out."

Tawny, Jeff and 12-year-old Julianne Nelson drove up from Troy to shoot the Fall Warm-Up. Julianne carried a pink camouflage compound bow that was right on target.

"I got a bow like four years ago, but I just got a new one," she said, adding that the polar bear and the moose were her favorite targets.

The little "jackalope" was probably the toughest shot out there, Tawny and Jeff said.

"Started out with six arrows, and now I'm down to two," Tawny said. "This is a blast. It's fun just shooting, and it's fun we get to bring the kids up here."

The Fall Warm-Up is a major fundraiser for the Coeur d'Alene Bowmen, which is in the market for a new clubhouse. The group has about 150 members and is open to all archers, male or female.

For info, call Paul Clock at 661-6792, or email paulymandoo@gmail.com. The club's website is cdabowmen.com.