Walking out to the 3D range this morning, Brenda was watching me go from our front porch. She said, “You are really weighted down.” As usual, she was right.
Going out to the range means carrying a lot of gear. Aside from the standard stuff – bow, arrows, binoculars, release, quiver – this time of year, living in a swampy area, there the need for a Thermacell and a pistol.
Sure, you may be an expert archer and consider any poisonous reptile a target, not me. In my experience when crossing paths with a water moccasin my quiver has been empty and my bow was not in hand.
There’s a more practical side, if a snake can kill me I want to be able to kill it first and a firearm, even a small 380, beats an arrow. Even so, I’m hiking around the 3D range with 17-inch snake boots.
Aside from the snakes and mosquitoes, for which precautions can be taken, the range is beautiful. Spending 2 to 6 hours a day there practicing is very relaxing. Granted, it is a lot of work to manage this range, but it is worth it.
I may have to gear up and load up to spend time in the woods but it’s a worthwhile effort and time enjoyed.