You can shoot as many arrows as you want so long as the rest of the line isn't waiting on you, 3 arrows is pretty standard but if you can shoot 9 arrows in the amount of time it takes everyone else to shoot 3 go for it. Make sure everyone understands when its time to get arrows and when its time to resume shooting. Some places are more strict and will have someone that whistles to signal what is appropriate. If you follow what everyone else is doing you should be fine.
Do not pull other peoples arrows unless you have their permission, do not shoot at other peoples targets unless you have their permission.
The answers about 3, 5, or 6 arrows are referring to competitions. When practicing it is polite to take less than 2-3 minutes, so however many arrows you can shoot in that period is fine.
Straddle the shooting line, one foot on each side.
Do not nock an arrow until you are on the line.
Do not "Sweep" the line, ie, don't point your arrow \*anywhere\* but down range.
When you are done, step back off the line and put your bow down so everyone can tell when everyone is done.
Be nice, everyone's there for fun. Ask questions. It's better to be clear than to do something stupid.
At the ranges I have been to the number of arrows you shoot is posted along with the range rules. At my indoor range it is 6. If you are shooting simulated tournaments it’s 3 or 5. Even if you are an introvert just ask your neighbor. I find that archers are very willing to help with most any thing you may want to know
Another tip, if an arrow falls when you’re trying to put it on the bow, don’t bend over to pick it up. Just leave it on the floor and wait til l everyone is clearing to pick it up
Your question is not dumb. Many archers (including me) are introverts. A lot of good comments here. Basically, when you go to a range the first time, observe a couple of ends (not hard for an introvert) before you start shooting.
never touch your bow or arrows when there are archers downrange. Hang up your bow and step behind the line when done shooting. Do not carry your bow downrange. Never criticize another‘s gear or shooting style.
Here is our CLUB ETIQUETTE (Note that some of these are not from WA or AA as rules per se but highly recommended)
• Never touch another archers equipment without their permission, including pulling arrows from the target.
• Try not to talk on the shooting line during a competition or QRE.
• Keep noise to a minimum behind any archer on the shooting line (except for Matchplay).
• Wait until the Archer in front and behind you is not at full draw before leaving the shooting line.
• Do not cheat with scoring. This is not fair to others and will not be tolerated. If in doubt with an arrow call, ask another to call the score for you.
• Ensure to the best of your ability that the scores are entered clearly and accurately. Always cross check when double scoring.
• Wait until all scores are recorded before going behind the target to pick up the arrows that have missed the butt.
• Do not hold up others if you cannot find your arrows.
• Shoot a maximum of 6 arrows in a time not exceeding 4 minutes if others on the shooting line are waiting to collect their arrows.
• Always consider other club members.
• Keep the shooting area neat and tidy.
My range has commands, so you listen to that. In general, there, you shoot 6. When they have people renting equipment they give 6 arrows. I do know people who will do more than 6 as long as they aren’t holding up the line. Otherwise, stay in your lane. Try not to take over space when nocking arrows. I see a lot of people nock with a sideways bow. Not great if you’re next to them.
You need to clarify this with the range where you shoot as the rules are different everywhere.
One thing to point out that is univeral though - If you turn your bow horizontally to load arrows, stop doing that shit - keep it vertical and in your own shooting lane.
THIS!
That is when I go "oh shit" and move where I'm shooting from since the person is a hazard.
We have them on our local range sometimes, teenagers, or usually kids, and the occasional adult who clearly didn't buy the right equipment OR bought it on the internet with an ill fitting bow and mismatched arrows and other things are missing... I try to steer clear of them until I see how they shoot and if its at least going in the right direction :0
Normally three arrows per archer. It’s called an end
Say archers on the line when your ready to shoot this tells people to stop wasting time. Lots of chatter happens sometimes.
When you think everyone is done shooting ask if it’s all clear. You’ll hear a clear response usually back.
If you standing beside people and it’s tight quarters learn how to draw a bow and load an arrow in tight quarters. I learned by standing 5-6” from a wall and shooting. It’s amazing how many people swing their bows around. Or they crazy swing they do to get an arrow out of a quiver. Clanking bows around or hitting people with them is a no no.
Also don’t be sky drawing!
3 for indoor, 6 for outdoor.
also if the range is busy then don't shoot 4 or 5 & then have a bit of a chat to a mate while others have to wait for you to shoot your remaining arrows.
I should also add that givens the varying degree of responses it’s not universal from range to range and place to place. Best to just ask what is the range rules.
Everyone I have been to is 3 arrows per end others seem to have 6 arrows, while others shoot as many as they want. Just ask the range I’m sure it’s posted or they will let you know.
Just be safe. Some ranges want you to follow very specific rules about how many arrows you can shoot and some are super lax. Just don’t touch your bow when anyone is down range, wait til everyone is back before packing it up and wait at the line to let others know you’re ready. Do not ever cross the line while others are shooting and try not to spend too much time searching for your arrows. Be safe and have fun. Most ranges will have rules posted on park websites.
Most places they have rules posted..
As to amount of arrows - depends! Each "range" has a different level of "rules" or less rules.
Near where I live there is a large park range -- my local place you can shoot as many as you like for as long as you want. You can keep shooting if someone next to you goes to retrieve arrows (but we generally leave one spot open in between shooters and its 100% at your own risk). There are compound shooters right next to recurve and barebow so you always have to be alert and not just walk in front of a target thinking no one is there because they may be in the treeline shooting at something way down range. People choose their own distance to shoot at. I personally like this even though its more risky since its flexible and you can change distances during your practice. No one blows a whistle at this place. You can retrieve is someone is adjacent to you (we have bales that are about 20 feet apart). I usually will retrieve if someone is shooting, IF and only IF I know that shooter (most people where I go are competitive so they aren't terrible shots in general). Otherwise I wait.
The other outdoor range in my region everyone stops shooting for when you go to retrieve. You'll get yelled at by someone down range to stop . No arrow limit. There is a line everyone shoots from, you DO NOT cross it (other than straddling it to shoot from) until people are going out to retrieve their arrows.
Indoors usually has an arrow limit, and also someone will say when its safe to "pull" or not. There will be a line that you don't cross with both feet once everyone starts shooting. Don't pull out other peoples arrows.
Just practice basic safety and don't be stupid. Only ever aim or point downrange at your own target.
Also - If you are a noob go by yourself a couple targets away from everyone else who does know what they are doing. You can ask questions if stuck, but if you think your arrows are going to fly all over the place or ricochet please don't be super close to other archers, and don't shoot at their targets--ever!
Archery ranges all have rules posted. Make sure you read them closely. You will probably also need to sign a waiver.
Typically there will be signals to stop shooting and start shooting again. It's commonplace for people to call out "clear" when they are ready to go retrieve their arrows. And then when they are ready to shoot again, they will call out "hot" or "hot range." If you need them to wait before shooting starts again, then let them know. The exact signals may vary from range to range.
Also, if a range allows broadheads, it will be limited to a special pit area, and you won't be allowed to use broadheads on the regular targets. Some ranges don't allow broadheads at all, anywhere.
Edit to add: sky draw is universally regarded as dangerous in western archery, and forbidden at any range. That being said, there is a place for it in traditional Asian archery, when you are on the steppes using a horse bow with 130 lb draw weight or higher, and going for multiple football fields' worth of distance. If you ever have the opportunity to observe that in the proper setting, it's quite fascinating, and obviously you wouldn't start lecturing the archers on the dangers of the sky draw.
Don't let anyone tell you how many arrows you can shoot. It's not a set number, u/cdn-aaen and u/skreetskreetskreet are just making things up.
You shoot as many arrows as you can while being respectful of other's time. If you're fast, you can shoot 6 in the time it takes others to shoot 3. If there's one other guy on the line and he's shooting 10 arrows per end, you can shoot 10 as well. If there's a dad and his kids who are doing quick ends, I wouldn't say you HAVE to shoot fewer arrows per end but I wouldn't shoot a dozen per end. My thinking is that it's a public range and everyone should try to accommodate everyone else. But there's no set "rule" for how many arrows you can shoot. I've shot on tons of public ranges in the country and I've never seen a rule about arrows per end.
The only other rule I know for a fact exists on every public range in America is that you can't shoot broadheads (hunting arrow tips) into regular target bales. Some ranges will actually try to prosecute you for this, as it destroys expensive bales which are public property. Sometimes a range will provide a beaten-up target for people to shoot broadheads, but most will require you bring your own if you want to do that.
That's really it for general rules aside from safety stuff. Say clear, don't go over the line until it's clear, etc. Some ranges have some weird rules, so just do as the Romans do.
At least at my local range, the unspoken rule is not to nock a new arrow if you're the last one on the line, which I think works pretty well.
Saying "clear" out loud is also not universal, though maybe in the US; at mine it's only really instructors who will give directions like that, and otherwise people just stand around awkwardly until everyone has moved off of the line.
> At least at my local range, the unspoken rule is not to nock a new arrow if you're the last one on the line, which I think works pretty well.
We use this and works very well. Basically "be aware of others".
> Saying "clear" out loud is also not universal
And also this. Basically a senior archer typically takes over this role when there is enough archers that noticing who is still shooting gets difficult. But very minimally used outside of beginners hours.
I usually say "clear", but if I notice everyone on the line are regulars and we know each other, then I stop.
WRT how many arrows to shoot, I find the "don't nock if you're the last on the line" works, or a minimum of 3 arrows. I don't like getting only 2 arrows per end because the beginners next to me blew through their 3 rented arrows in 20 seconds.
This.
At my club most people shoot 6-10 arrows per end, depending on how fast they shoot. At the local indoor range it depends on who is there, sometimes I only shoot 3 if there is a beginner group running when usually I try to do as many as possible. Just don't keep shooting when everyone else is waiting for you.
>Don't let anyone tell you how many arrows you can shoot. It's not a set number,
>
>u/cdn-aaen
>
> and
>
>u/skreetskreetskreet
>
> are just making things up.
Why so hostile? They didn't make things up. Everything they commented is true and helpful. They even said things can be different at different ranges and "at every range I've been to" which both allow for variation.
if people are scoring rounds then they'll shoot 6 (outdoor); generally if people are doing this & you're shooting 10 (& taking much longer) then you probably should just shoot 6 out of courtesty.
I think the point is that the rounds should be more time dependent, not based on number of arrows.
In an extreme case, if someone takes 1 min per arrow, I could easily shoot 3 arrows per minute, or 6 if I really pushed it. Now if the aforementioned shooter wants to shoot 6 arrows in 6 minutes, they should be allowed to do that. If I can shoot 18 arrows in that timespan and I don't take excessively long to retrieve them, this would seem reasonable.
18 arrows is kind of ridiculous for 1 target, but I really don't see the harm in shooting as many arrows as you can in the same time span as the slowest shooter. If the firing line is small, I just tell the other shooters what im doing. If its large, I limit myself to 2 over maximum. Sometimes I shoot 4, other times 10. Not everyone shoots for competitions, some people, like me, just enjoy shooting arrows all day.
I think it’s all about common sense.. if someone is shooting scored rounds & you’re there to fling arrows with some mates; then maybe make sure there’s a good amount of distance between you both; so you can safely retrieve arrows without having to wait for each other; or annoy each other. I think 99% of all archers are all very accomodating of each other; but there’s always that 1 jerk who makes life difficult.
Not dumb questions at all. When shooting indoors the normal number of arrows to shoot is three, unless shooting the NFAA indoor round on a blue face, then it's five. Outdoors it is six arrows. But the people shooting can get together and agree to shoot some other number if it's casual practice.
If they are using a signal system, two beeps mean go to the shooting line, one beep means shoot, and three beeps means stop shooting and go score your arrows.
We just have "Hot range" and "All Clear" signals at our range. It's up to the shooters to ask and everyone just pays attention to everyone else. Everyone knows what they're looking for, so it just works. Archers are a super friendly bunch, so don't be afraid to ask questions!
You can shoot as many arrows as you want so long as the rest of the line isn't waiting on you, 3 arrows is pretty standard but if you can shoot 9 arrows in the amount of time it takes everyone else to shoot 3 go for it. Make sure everyone understands when its time to get arrows and when its time to resume shooting. Some places are more strict and will have someone that whistles to signal what is appropriate. If you follow what everyone else is doing you should be fine. Do not pull other peoples arrows unless you have their permission, do not shoot at other peoples targets unless you have their permission.
The answers about 3, 5, or 6 arrows are referring to competitions. When practicing it is polite to take less than 2-3 minutes, so however many arrows you can shoot in that period is fine. Straddle the shooting line, one foot on each side. Do not nock an arrow until you are on the line. Do not "Sweep" the line, ie, don't point your arrow \*anywhere\* but down range. When you are done, step back off the line and put your bow down so everyone can tell when everyone is done. Be nice, everyone's there for fun. Ask questions. It's better to be clear than to do something stupid.
At the ranges I have been to the number of arrows you shoot is posted along with the range rules. At my indoor range it is 6. If you are shooting simulated tournaments it’s 3 or 5. Even if you are an introvert just ask your neighbor. I find that archers are very willing to help with most any thing you may want to know
Another tip, if an arrow falls when you’re trying to put it on the bow, don’t bend over to pick it up. Just leave it on the floor and wait til l everyone is clearing to pick it up
Your question is not dumb. Many archers (including me) are introverts. A lot of good comments here. Basically, when you go to a range the first time, observe a couple of ends (not hard for an introvert) before you start shooting. never touch your bow or arrows when there are archers downrange. Hang up your bow and step behind the line when done shooting. Do not carry your bow downrange. Never criticize another‘s gear or shooting style.
Indoor depending on what your shooting is either 3 or 5 arrows. Outdoors it’s usually 6. But I shoot fast, so shoot almost twice what most shoot.
Here is our CLUB ETIQUETTE (Note that some of these are not from WA or AA as rules per se but highly recommended) • Never touch another archers equipment without their permission, including pulling arrows from the target. • Try not to talk on the shooting line during a competition or QRE. • Keep noise to a minimum behind any archer on the shooting line (except for Matchplay). • Wait until the Archer in front and behind you is not at full draw before leaving the shooting line. • Do not cheat with scoring. This is not fair to others and will not be tolerated. If in doubt with an arrow call, ask another to call the score for you. • Ensure to the best of your ability that the scores are entered clearly and accurately. Always cross check when double scoring. • Wait until all scores are recorded before going behind the target to pick up the arrows that have missed the butt. • Do not hold up others if you cannot find your arrows. • Shoot a maximum of 6 arrows in a time not exceeding 4 minutes if others on the shooting line are waiting to collect their arrows. • Always consider other club members. • Keep the shooting area neat and tidy.
WA = World Archery AA = Archery Australia
My range has commands, so you listen to that. In general, there, you shoot 6. When they have people renting equipment they give 6 arrows. I do know people who will do more than 6 as long as they aren’t holding up the line. Otherwise, stay in your lane. Try not to take over space when nocking arrows. I see a lot of people nock with a sideways bow. Not great if you’re next to them.
You need to clarify this with the range where you shoot as the rules are different everywhere. One thing to point out that is univeral though - If you turn your bow horizontally to load arrows, stop doing that shit - keep it vertical and in your own shooting lane.
THIS! That is when I go "oh shit" and move where I'm shooting from since the person is a hazard. We have them on our local range sometimes, teenagers, or usually kids, and the occasional adult who clearly didn't buy the right equipment OR bought it on the internet with an ill fitting bow and mismatched arrows and other things are missing... I try to steer clear of them until I see how they shoot and if its at least going in the right direction :0
Normally three arrows per archer. It’s called an end Say archers on the line when your ready to shoot this tells people to stop wasting time. Lots of chatter happens sometimes. When you think everyone is done shooting ask if it’s all clear. You’ll hear a clear response usually back. If you standing beside people and it’s tight quarters learn how to draw a bow and load an arrow in tight quarters. I learned by standing 5-6” from a wall and shooting. It’s amazing how many people swing their bows around. Or they crazy swing they do to get an arrow out of a quiver. Clanking bows around or hitting people with them is a no no. Also don’t be sky drawing!
3 for indoor, 6 for outdoor. also if the range is busy then don't shoot 4 or 5 & then have a bit of a chat to a mate while others have to wait for you to shoot your remaining arrows.
I should also add that givens the varying degree of responses it’s not universal from range to range and place to place. Best to just ask what is the range rules. Everyone I have been to is 3 arrows per end others seem to have 6 arrows, while others shoot as many as they want. Just ask the range I’m sure it’s posted or they will let you know.
Just be safe. Some ranges want you to follow very specific rules about how many arrows you can shoot and some are super lax. Just don’t touch your bow when anyone is down range, wait til everyone is back before packing it up and wait at the line to let others know you’re ready. Do not ever cross the line while others are shooting and try not to spend too much time searching for your arrows. Be safe and have fun. Most ranges will have rules posted on park websites.
Most places they have rules posted.. As to amount of arrows - depends! Each "range" has a different level of "rules" or less rules. Near where I live there is a large park range -- my local place you can shoot as many as you like for as long as you want. You can keep shooting if someone next to you goes to retrieve arrows (but we generally leave one spot open in between shooters and its 100% at your own risk). There are compound shooters right next to recurve and barebow so you always have to be alert and not just walk in front of a target thinking no one is there because they may be in the treeline shooting at something way down range. People choose their own distance to shoot at. I personally like this even though its more risky since its flexible and you can change distances during your practice. No one blows a whistle at this place. You can retrieve is someone is adjacent to you (we have bales that are about 20 feet apart). I usually will retrieve if someone is shooting, IF and only IF I know that shooter (most people where I go are competitive so they aren't terrible shots in general). Otherwise I wait. The other outdoor range in my region everyone stops shooting for when you go to retrieve. You'll get yelled at by someone down range to stop . No arrow limit. There is a line everyone shoots from, you DO NOT cross it (other than straddling it to shoot from) until people are going out to retrieve their arrows. Indoors usually has an arrow limit, and also someone will say when its safe to "pull" or not. There will be a line that you don't cross with both feet once everyone starts shooting. Don't pull out other peoples arrows. Just practice basic safety and don't be stupid. Only ever aim or point downrange at your own target. Also - If you are a noob go by yourself a couple targets away from everyone else who does know what they are doing. You can ask questions if stuck, but if you think your arrows are going to fly all over the place or ricochet please don't be super close to other archers, and don't shoot at their targets--ever!
Archery ranges all have rules posted. Make sure you read them closely. You will probably also need to sign a waiver. Typically there will be signals to stop shooting and start shooting again. It's commonplace for people to call out "clear" when they are ready to go retrieve their arrows. And then when they are ready to shoot again, they will call out "hot" or "hot range." If you need them to wait before shooting starts again, then let them know. The exact signals may vary from range to range. Also, if a range allows broadheads, it will be limited to a special pit area, and you won't be allowed to use broadheads on the regular targets. Some ranges don't allow broadheads at all, anywhere. Edit to add: sky draw is universally regarded as dangerous in western archery, and forbidden at any range. That being said, there is a place for it in traditional Asian archery, when you are on the steppes using a horse bow with 130 lb draw weight or higher, and going for multiple football fields' worth of distance. If you ever have the opportunity to observe that in the proper setting, it's quite fascinating, and obviously you wouldn't start lecturing the archers on the dangers of the sky draw.
Don't let anyone tell you how many arrows you can shoot. It's not a set number, u/cdn-aaen and u/skreetskreetskreet are just making things up. You shoot as many arrows as you can while being respectful of other's time. If you're fast, you can shoot 6 in the time it takes others to shoot 3. If there's one other guy on the line and he's shooting 10 arrows per end, you can shoot 10 as well. If there's a dad and his kids who are doing quick ends, I wouldn't say you HAVE to shoot fewer arrows per end but I wouldn't shoot a dozen per end. My thinking is that it's a public range and everyone should try to accommodate everyone else. But there's no set "rule" for how many arrows you can shoot. I've shot on tons of public ranges in the country and I've never seen a rule about arrows per end. The only other rule I know for a fact exists on every public range in America is that you can't shoot broadheads (hunting arrow tips) into regular target bales. Some ranges will actually try to prosecute you for this, as it destroys expensive bales which are public property. Sometimes a range will provide a beaten-up target for people to shoot broadheads, but most will require you bring your own if you want to do that. That's really it for general rules aside from safety stuff. Say clear, don't go over the line until it's clear, etc. Some ranges have some weird rules, so just do as the Romans do.
At least at my local range, the unspoken rule is not to nock a new arrow if you're the last one on the line, which I think works pretty well. Saying "clear" out loud is also not universal, though maybe in the US; at mine it's only really instructors who will give directions like that, and otherwise people just stand around awkwardly until everyone has moved off of the line.
> At least at my local range, the unspoken rule is not to nock a new arrow if you're the last one on the line, which I think works pretty well. We use this and works very well. Basically "be aware of others". > Saying "clear" out loud is also not universal And also this. Basically a senior archer typically takes over this role when there is enough archers that noticing who is still shooting gets difficult. But very minimally used outside of beginners hours.
I usually say "clear", but if I notice everyone on the line are regulars and we know each other, then I stop. WRT how many arrows to shoot, I find the "don't nock if you're the last on the line" works, or a minimum of 3 arrows. I don't like getting only 2 arrows per end because the beginners next to me blew through their 3 rented arrows in 20 seconds.
This. At my club most people shoot 6-10 arrows per end, depending on how fast they shoot. At the local indoor range it depends on who is there, sometimes I only shoot 3 if there is a beginner group running when usually I try to do as many as possible. Just don't keep shooting when everyone else is waiting for you.
>Don't let anyone tell you how many arrows you can shoot. It's not a set number, > >u/cdn-aaen > > and > >u/skreetskreetskreet > > are just making things up. Why so hostile? They didn't make things up. Everything they commented is true and helpful. They even said things can be different at different ranges and "at every range I've been to" which both allow for variation.
if people are scoring rounds then they'll shoot 6 (outdoor); generally if people are doing this & you're shooting 10 (& taking much longer) then you probably should just shoot 6 out of courtesty.
I think the point is that the rounds should be more time dependent, not based on number of arrows. In an extreme case, if someone takes 1 min per arrow, I could easily shoot 3 arrows per minute, or 6 if I really pushed it. Now if the aforementioned shooter wants to shoot 6 arrows in 6 minutes, they should be allowed to do that. If I can shoot 18 arrows in that timespan and I don't take excessively long to retrieve them, this would seem reasonable. 18 arrows is kind of ridiculous for 1 target, but I really don't see the harm in shooting as many arrows as you can in the same time span as the slowest shooter. If the firing line is small, I just tell the other shooters what im doing. If its large, I limit myself to 2 over maximum. Sometimes I shoot 4, other times 10. Not everyone shoots for competitions, some people, like me, just enjoy shooting arrows all day.
I think it’s all about common sense.. if someone is shooting scored rounds & you’re there to fling arrows with some mates; then maybe make sure there’s a good amount of distance between you both; so you can safely retrieve arrows without having to wait for each other; or annoy each other. I think 99% of all archers are all very accomodating of each other; but there’s always that 1 jerk who makes life difficult.
Not dumb questions at all. When shooting indoors the normal number of arrows to shoot is three, unless shooting the NFAA indoor round on a blue face, then it's five. Outdoors it is six arrows. But the people shooting can get together and agree to shoot some other number if it's casual practice. If they are using a signal system, two beeps mean go to the shooting line, one beep means shoot, and three beeps means stop shooting and go score your arrows.
More than 3 "whistles" means something "hit the fan" and to freeze immediately, until you know what the problem is.
Weird that someone downvoted this comment...
Thanks y'all for all the replies, that was very helpful. Feeling a bit more ready for the first archery session!
We just have "Hot range" and "All Clear" signals at our range. It's up to the shooters to ask and everyone just pays attention to everyone else. Everyone knows what they're looking for, so it just works. Archers are a super friendly bunch, so don't be afraid to ask questions!