Top 10 Total Archery Challenge Tips | TAC Survival Guide (Beginner to Advanced)

Your legs are burning, the target is steep downhill, and a line of shooters is waiting while you try to range, dial, and execute a clean shot on uneven rock. Total Archery Challenge doesn’t just test how well you shoot a bow, it tests whether your process holds up when terrain, fatigue, and pressure all hit at once.

We walk through the biggest TAC pain points we see every season and the fixes that actually move the needle. That starts with angle shooting fundamentals (draw and anchor first, then bend at the waist) and the often-missed detail that can wreck steep shots: third axis leveling on your bow sight. From there we get practical about rangefinding with angle compensation, bringing spare batteries, and using the same rangefinder you used to sight in so your sight tape matches reality.

Next we go deep on gear and performance: why you must true your sight tape at longer distances, how to build a repeatable shot process when crowds and congestion make you rush, and how to find stable footing on off-camber ground. We also cover TAC arrow strategy (durable carbon, sensible arrow weight, small diameter options for mountain wind), stabilizer choices that balance holding steady with carrying your bow for hours, and the endurance side most people underestimate: hydration, electrolytes, snacks, and broken-in boots that won’t destroy your feet in heat, rain, and slick climbs.

If you want TAC to feel like smart bowhunting practice instead of an expensive arrow hunt, hit play and take notes. Subscribe, share this with your shooting group, and leave a review, then tell us in the comments what tip helped you most.

🏹 Shop Extreme Outfitters for all of your archery & bowhunting needs: https://extremeoutfitters.com

Use code ARCHERYPROJECT to save 10%

Quick reads, pro tips, and the latest episodes—delivered straight to your inbox every week.
👉 Sign up here: https://thearcheryproject.com/

✅ Watch the video podcast here!       
https://www.youtube.com/@thearcheryproject

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY:

► Facebook: http://bit.ly/44UD7Vo
► Instagram: http://bit.ly/40Q2jLf

Transcript

The Mountain Shot Problem

Zakk Plocica 0:00

All right, let me paint a picture for you guys. So you're standing on the side of a mountain, right? The target is a we'll call it a full-size mule deer. It's 70, maybe 80 yards away. But here's the thing it's a steep downhill shot. Your legs are already smoked and burning from the last quarter mile of climbing/slash hiking that you've done across this mountain. Now, you got a group of guys behind you watching you, waiting for their turn to shoot. And now it's your time to shine. Right? You got to range this target, you've got to dial your sight, you've got to set your feet, build your foundation on this super uneven, rocky terrain, and then you've got to execute a perfect shot. Right? That's exactly what Total Archery Challenge is. And if you have not prepared for these types of scenarios, it can be a rough time, man. It's a steep learning curve. So I've shot Total Archery Challenge for the last few years now. I've made all of these mistakes, and I continue to watch archers make these same mistakes when they go to their first event. So today I'm going to give you guys my top 10 tips. I wish somebody would have told me prior to going to my first event. So you don't have to learn the hard way. Welcome back to the Archery Project, guys. I'm Zach Placea. I have a company called Extreme Outfitters, one of the fastest growing archery shops and suppliers in the country. We serve archers across the nation. Archery equipment, arrows, doesn't matter. Whatever you need, we've got it. We offer free cut and glue. We sell arrows individually. And if you use the code Archery Project, you will save on all of your archery needs. So check it out, extremeoutfitters.com. But that's what we're talking to, or talking to, that's what we're talking about today, right? Total Archery Challenge. We've done some podcasts on these in the past, but I'm going to give you some of my tips that I've learned, collected, and learned from firsthand experience and from other people shooting these courses. So whether you're signing up for your first Total Archery event or you've shot one already and you just have not, it just didn't go as well as you had hoped. We've all had that. Then this episode is going to be for you, man. We're going to talk about the physical uh side and how to mentally prepare, physically prepare, and what gear actually makes the most sense, what matters and how to approach your shots differently than from just shooting on the flat range. And then also some of the mistakes that'll absolutely crush your performance at Total Archery Challenge. So if you're a bow hunter who uses 3D archery to prep for the season, pay attention, man, because this is going to be an episode that applies directly to real hunting scenarios. So what makes tack so difficult, right? It's it's so many different variables, so many different factors that come into play. It's not just the archery side of things. Right? It's not just shooting the bow. It's the terrain, it's the pressure, right? When we talk about pressure, a lot of guys come to these things and don't realize the amount of pressure that you actually end up having because the courses are so congested. There's so many people. So it's not like you're just shooting in the woods with your buddies. You got groups behind you, you've got groups in front of you. The groups behind you are waiting on you and your group to shoot. So everybody's watching you, all eyes are on you. And that creates a lot of pressure for some people if you've never shot like that. And you know, and what happens from that? You start rushing your shot process, you get nervous, you start pulling shots, now you're losing arrows. It's frustrating, right? Then you factor in the extreme distances, the technical shots and the steep angles. That's what total archery is known for. Completely, you know, complete challenging scenarios. Every single one of them. If the shot's only 40 yards, it's a super technical shot tech typically. Jesus, choking on my words here. And then you've got your massive distances, right? 80, 100, 120 plus yards, depending on the course that you show you you shot. And then the other side of it is the fatigue that comes along with shooting these courses. Because we've talked about it in the past, these courses are long, right? Look at Sitka. There was dudes that are out there for five or six hours for to get through that entire course. You're covering miles every day. So then you factor in the fatigue that comes along with that, which impacts your shooting on the course, right? Your legs are tired, you're not fueled correctly, you're at target 12, and there's 25 targets, and then you got another course potentially that you're shooting that day, fatigue, all these things come into factor and play whenever you're on total, you're shooting these courses at total archery, uh, the course. So once you understand all that, these tips are going to make a little bit more sense for you guys. So let's go ahead and get right into it, right? Tip number one. And this is difficult for us here on the East Coast. It's it's practicing angles. If you've never shot angles before, any kind of angles up or downhill, it's a real eye-opener if you don't understand how to approach them and shoot them correctly. Um, and like I said, here on the East Coast, we don't have mountainous terrain, man. It's we're at sea level, it's flat. But there are things you can do in order to prepare yourself for shooting those angles and those types of scenarios. Right? The first thing that people get wrong is they don't shoot them correctly. And I talk and I'm talking about form and technique. What happens is guys will take, they'll draw their bow back and they'll just bend their arms, right? And then what happens is your anchor point shifts. When your anchor point shifts, you fall out of your peep sight. You can't be accurate because you've got a variable that you introduced. It's not how the bow has been set up. Therefore, you're not going to be consistent. It's not repeatable. And when you it's not repeatable, you start making mistakes and then you become inaccurate, especially as the distance is opened up. So what you have to make sure you do is make sure you draw that bow back and then you bend at the waist, right? We're not just moving our arms, shifting our anchor. We're actually drawing the bow back, we're coming to anchor, and then we are bending at the waist to take those shots. Right? There's ways you can prepare for this. Like I said, if you don't have anywhere where you can shoot those steep angles, one thing that you can do is climb up in a tree stand and practice shooting those steep angles. The shots don't have to be far, but it teaches you how to bend at the waist, right? How to shoot an angle correctly. It's a great training tool. You don't got to do it a lot, but it gets you in the habit of understanding the fundamentals and making those shots correctly. And what else comes along with this is when we talk about shooting steep terrain and angles, is your third axis on your site. This is probably the more critical thing, even if you don't climb up into tree stand and practice, making sure your um your site is leveled, your third axis in particular, that thing needs to be accurate and leveled correctly to your bow. Because if it's not, when you start shooting those angles up or downhill, and you don't have a leveled third axis, or you can't level, you have a site that doesn't have a third axis on it, you will start missing left and right because your bow has not been leveled when you're at full draw. So it's another thing you really need to consider whenever you're on buying your site, if you plan on doing total archery challenge. And two, if you are going, making sure that you've confirmed that that third axis is level on your site. It's critical for having a good time at Total Archery Challenge because it seems like every single shot you shoot is uphill or it's downhill. Every single one. Or on the side of your, or it's shooting like a off-camber uh type um target. So you need to make sure that that axis is level on your site and you need to practice if you can the fundamentals of shooting angles, and that's making sure that you are coming to full draw, you're coming to anchor, you're anchoring correctly, and then you are bending at the ways. That's tip number one. Do whatever you can to make sure you understand the fundamentals to shooting angles. Tip number two, trust your range finder, right? That we see a lot of people, um, oh man, my board's hung up. What happens is either they forget their own range finder, which is the range finder that they use to site their bow in, their range finder runs out of batteries, or somebody in the group, everyone just counts on that person to range it. I would encourage you to use your own range finder and trust your range finder. Um, make sure your range finder has the angle compensation because, like I just said, is you're shooting all these crazy angles, and the angles are going to change the actual readout if you don't have a true angle compensation built into your range finder. So you need to use the range finder that you sighted your bow in because all range finders they can be a little bit different, a couple yards, depending on the range finder that you get. So your buddy's rangefinder may not be exact to what your range, your rangefinder is. Therefore, if your bow is sighted in with your range finder and you use his, your sight tape is going to be off. So make sure that you are using the range finder that you sighted your bow in. Make sure you bring extra batteries and trust the range finder, man, because these shots can be deceiving. You're like, there's no way it's that. And oh, it's actually, you know, 92 yards, even though it doesn't look like it because of the size of the target, the angle of the target, the way the sun's hitting the target, a lot of different factors. So trust in your equipment. So make sure you're proficient with your range finder. Um, and you trust it. Use it, use it religiously. Make sure uh you use yours and you don't just trust your buddies. You can always reconfirm with buddies to make sure you guys are all getting within the same distances because you know these targets are tough. Some of them are hard to range because there's so much brush and stuff you've got to shoot over or shoot through, and it's a small window to get your arrow in there. So it's never bad to check your range finder against some of the other guys in the group, but trust in your rangefinder because if not, it can throw things off. And like I said, make sure you're bringing extra batteries and make sure you've got, I would say, a decent range finder, man, because some of these targets, like I just said, are difficult to range, especially your dark targets. Some rangefinders have a hard time picking them up. These, these, depending on the side of the mountain you're on, some of these targets are in extreme shade, right? Where it's really hard, it's really dark, it's hard to even see them. You need a rangefinder that's good and reliable, that has a good laser, that does a good job of picking up these targets and giving you a true accurate readout. So make sure your rangefinder is up to speed, up and running. You've got extra batteries for it and you've got one that's good. Make sure you trust in your equipment, man. Uh, a rangefinder is a non-negotiable when you go to total archery challenge. You have to have a range finder. Make sure it's one that's worth it. Uh, just so you're not, you know, miss ranging targets and, you know, either shooting too far or not far enough. And then, you know, it's a bad time. You're searching for arrows. Not good. Trust in your range finder. Tip number three, this should be a no-brainer, man, but uh in accurate sight tape. What we see happen a lot of times with guys is they just trust their sight tape that they put on their bow, right? Maybe they confirmed their 20 and they did their 60 and they just slapped it on there and they said they're good. And they didn't actually true the data. They didn't walk back and actually confirm that 80 is hitting at 80 at, you know, 93 is hitting at 93. Um you need to confirm it. I'm big on this. I'm big on trueing data. I know there's a lot of great software out there that you can utilize and you can just assume it's right. But no matter what company you go through, whether you do it yourself and you you write your own sight tapes out, uh, you need to true it, confirm it, make sure it's good. Um you just you leave too much on the table if you just assume it's it's correct because the data's good. Maybe you input a number wrong if you're using uh one of the the uh companies out there that do these sight tapes for you, you know, precision cut archery. If you put the data in wrong, you're gonna get a bad sight tape. So you need to confirm it. Maybe you didn't realize you put a number in wrong. Confirm what you you uh the sight tape that you've got because once you start getting out to those extreme distances, because like a lot of these courses, they go out super far. Um, and that's the fun of total archery challenge, right? Stretching your bow out bow out, see what how far you can shoot it accurately. And if your sight tape is off, you're you're you're gonna have a bad time. So make sure you confirm your sight tape out to distance, man. I'm big on trueing your data and getting true feedback from your actual equipment versus just trusting in it and believing and hoping that it's correct. I just don't think that's a good move, especially if you're gonna spend all this money to go out on a weekend with your buddies, stay all week all weekend at this awesome place, and now you have a sight tape that's off and you've got to redo your sight tape while you're there. That's very, very difficult to do. So confirm your sight tape. Make sure it is it's accurate, man. You need to, you need to make sure you're shooting groups at the distance and confirming it. You don't got to shoot every distance, but I would shoot some of those further distances to make sure that you're on target and your groups are halfway decent at those distances, um, just so you're not chasing down your arrows. And you know, make sure you are proficient with your site, you know, understand how your site works. I personally, um, whenever I go to shoot a target, after I dial my site, I always reset it to zero because what I do is I have a routine that I go through so I don't forget to dial.

unknown 12:58

Right?

Pressure Proof Shot Process

Build A Stable Shooting Stance

Arrow Build For TAC Distances

Keep Your Bow Mobile

Fitness Hydration Boots And Fuel

Wind Practice And Gear Checklist

Shoot Within Range Build Confidence

Rain Gear Layers And Wrap Up

Zakk Plocica 12:58

Because it happens. We see guys forget to dial. So after I shoot my shot, I dial my site back to zero or my 20-yard pin, which is my zero stop. And then when I get to the next target, I range it and then I re-dial. I have that built into uh it's my system that I go through just so I don't forget to dial my site potentially, because we see dudes all the time that are like, oh, I forgot to dial. If you have it built into a system that you go through every single time when you step up to shoot, you won't forget to do it. And that's a big mistake we see guys make all the time is they, I forgot to dial. So don't do that. That's a lost arrow. You'll never find it. Sight tapes, man, they're critical, especially with these extreme distances. Make sure, make sure that your sight tape is on. Check it when you get to the event itself, the event itself, recheck it just to confirm that you don't need to make any changes based off I don't know, any things that could potentially happen. Different environmental factors, um, altitude, humidity. We're really splitting hairs at this point, but just just confirm it whenever you get there to make sure it's on before you hit the course. Because I made the mistake before, too, of we got to the event, we had we, you know, we got out of our booth, we're like, oh, we gotta go shoot a course. I didn't confirm mine. I had to pull my site off and put it back on for travel. I didn't reconfirm my site and it was off. It took me seven targets to get it back to where it needed to be. So don't be that guy, man. Hit the practice range, which is super cool, anyways. The practice ranges are awesome. Reconfirm everything, make sure your site's good so that when it's time to get on the course, you're confident in your equipment and you're not like, what is happening? Because I've been there and I have done that. And it's, you know, seven targets in, you're like, dang, dude, what is going on? Yeah, I'm making adjustments left to right. And I've seen dudes who are really good shooters make the same mistakes too. So when it comes to travel, taking your site off, putting it back on, just confirm it and make sure it's good. Tip number four this is a big one, I think that a lot of people overlook, and they just because it comes to pressure and getting nervous, it's focusing on your shot process. This event is not about shooting for score, right? People, people are like, oh man, why you know how do you score this? You don't score it. You can if you want, but this is an event for fun. This is a great event to build and work on your process and improve on your process in challenging scenarios that you can't do in your backyard, right? Nobody cares what you actually shoot, what your score is. Doesn't matter. That's irrelevant for this event. You need to make sure that you're focusing on your shot process. Like I said, it's nerve-wracking when there's a lot of people around. You're gonna have to wipe that out of your head and just go through your shot process. That's why it's so important that you build a repeatable shot process prior to this. So it's ingrained in you and you're not left floundering, like, what's next? What do I do? Okay, grip, front shoulder, you know, and you're rusting rushing through it. If you've built this repeatable shot process in you, into your shooting habits, it should be second nature. It should almost be subconscious, but you've got to stay in it. Don't worry about what people have got going on around you. There's gonna be people talking, laughing, carrying on, having a good time. You've got to be able to shut that out and focus on what you're doing right now. And that is shooting this target that's 87 yards straight uphill with footing that is not perfect. That's why you need to be able to go through that shot process. It should be second nature. You shouldn't even question it. You get up, you put your bow in hand, boom, we build our, we we start a shot process, right? We've got our front shoulder, we've got our grip, we draw the bow back, we anchor correctly, we acquire our peep, we aim, and then we execute by pulling through our shot. Build it in based off whatever your your you use as references, but you need to make sure you stay in that shot process. And it needs to be a repeatable shot process so that you have good consistent um consistency while you're on the course. Because as soon as you start, there's broken sequences within that shot process, things will start opening up. You'll get frustrated, you'll start missing targets, having bad shots. You've got to be able to go into and focus on that shot process, man. There's a lot going on around you at these events. Like I said, some of the courses, like on a Saturday, it is congested. I don't care what course you're on. There's a ton of people, especially if you're at the big ones like Pennsylvania. You're it's stop and go, stop and go, stop and go. So there's eyes on you. You need to be able to put that pressure aside and shoot. There's ways you can practice that too, man. Put your camera on you and do it. You know, that adds just a little bit more to what you're doing. Have your wife or your kids or whoever come out and watch you shoot the bow. Different things you can do to build to kind of set yourself up for success with this. Um, because like I said, there's just a lot of things going on. And if you've never shot around people, man, even if it's not, even if it's just for fun, it's still nerve-wracking. So make sure you've trained for this thing. Make sure you've ingrained your shot process into your subconscious so that you are just it's natural when you step up to there and you can focus on what it the task at hand and that one task and tune everything else out. Um it's important. The other thing, too, is you like I said, you need to be able to do that, but you don't make sure you're not rushing. Don't feel rushed. But at the same time, you need to be courteous of those that are behind you because the courses are congested. Once you shoot your shot, step out of the way, let the next guy go, and then go down and get your arrows, right? Be courteous to the groups behind you. I know we see a lot of guys uh kind of hanging out and just taking their time. I mean, there's a lot of people, man. Yes, focus on what you're doing, but also once your time is up, get out of the way and let the next shooter go so that you guys can go down, retrieve your arrows, and move on to the next target. Uh so very, very important, man. Focus on the shot process when it's your turn. Get up there, focus on it. Do not deviate from it. Take your time with it, pay attention to 100% what you're doing. You're gonna have a lot better time whenever you're accurate and going through what you know. So that leads us into tip number five, your shooting position, right? You have got to build a stable shooting position. This is the foundation of everything. If you are all over the place, uneven, slipping and sliding, you're never gonna be able to shoot accurately. So that's why we talk about the shot process starting with your feet, building a stable shooting position. You're gonna have to figure out how to do that on the course. There's ways you can train for that too, right? If you're somebody that shoots on flat ground like we do, you can set yourself up. Um, some, you know, what I do is I have in my backyard on my 3D course, um, I have or my 3D range that I have out back. I have a bunch of these big roots that are growing up in the grass and I stand on them and it's kind of uneven. And it helps me get in um the habit of building a good foundation prior to drawing that bow back because you need to make sure your feet are stable prior to trying to go through and rip that bow back and shoot your shot at you know, 103 yards on the side of a mountain, um, and you just don't have a good foundation built. So you need to make sure that you work on being strategic with how you place your feet within, you know, look at the terrain, look at the cone, figure out where it's gonna be most stable, where your shot window is, and how you can build a good base. Your base is everything when it comes to shooting your bow. Because, like I said, if you're slipping, sliding, uneven, rocking back and forth, you haven't you're gonna be punching the trigger because you're trying to, you're gonna try to get that shot to go off right when that pin lands on the target and you're just gonna have a bad time. It's not gonna be repeatable and your accuracy is going to suffer dramatically. So make sure you focus on as soon as you, before you even get to it, and let's say you're not the first shooter, take a look at the ground. Take a look at the shot window, where you have a shot window, and start planning on how you're gonna build a stable shooting position, right? Your shooting position is critical to be accurate. You it starts from the ground up. So make sure you take, you assess where your the the cone is from you to shoot from, and you can start planning in your head how you're gonna place your feet and build that stable shooting position. Because sometimes, you know, on the side of a mountain, one leg is up higher than the other. You know, there's uneven terrain, there's rocky terrain. So you got to navigate, you know, that all these different things you need to take in consideration. You need to start by focusing on how you're gonna build that shooting um position prior to going up to the target. It's important, man. Um, and you like I said, you can practice these things at home, make it challenging on yourself. Don't pick the perfect spot in your yard where you can stand perfectly and shoot. Figure out areas, you know, maybe you set up some boards and you have one foot higher than the other. Get creative. I'm not saying you need to stand, you know, shoot off a uh unicycle, but do things that challenge you, that you know, kind of take you outside of your comfort zone when it comes to um the base. So you can see how you need to work on your core. Maybe. Maybe you have a weak core and you struggle because your foundation isn't good. A lot of things you can do in order to prepare for this. And like I said, all these things just make it more fun. Whenever you're good or you're doing well and you're shooting accurately, consistently, at least hitting foam, it makes it a lot more fun. So building a stable shooting position is uh very important. I would say don't overlook that uh and start practicing that now. Tip number six, we're gonna we'll talk about arrows, right? I personally think it's worth building an arrow set up for total archery challenge. Um, it doesn't have to be a crazy expensive arrow, but I think it's worth building something particular to the event, especially if you're somebody that runs a heavier arrow during hunting season, so you just don't get the distance out of your site, it's worth building an arrow, in my opinion. But I understand not everybody can do that. So some people just need to run what they've what they shoot for hunting season. Nothing wrong with that. That's a great thing about TAC. You can do that. Just know that there may be some limiting factors to where you can't get the distance out of your site that you need because your arrow setup is maybe a little too heavy. So you can't dial that 100 plus yards. So just keep that in mind. But if you are going to build an arrow setup specific for total archery challenge, there are a couple things that I would consider. First, is I would run a carbon arrow. Like I wouldn't use an FMJ, I wouldn't use any kind of aluminum arrows. Um, carbon arrow is just gonna be more durable. If you happen to miss, you're more likely to recover it and use it again. Uh an aluminum arrow, if you miss, typically it's gonna bend, especially with the rocky terrain. You're not gonna be able to use it. I did shoot FMJ Maxes out there uh in where were we at? Indiana, Kentucky. Luckily I didn't miss any targets, so I was able to recover all my arrows. But it's just an expensive arrow that if you potentially miss, you the likelihood of recovering it if you do find it is and use using it again is is very low just because the potential for it to bend. So I personally would shoot a carbon arrow. It's just gonna be a little bit more durable, and when you recover it, you can shoot it again. Talking about weight, we get guys that want to shoot extremely light arrows for these, which I don't think is necessarily the best move. Right? We you don't need to get 200 yards out of a sight tape. That doesn't matter. So you don't need a bow that's shooting, you know, 357 feet per second. You don't. I think you need a happy medium. And typically what we see depending on draw length and draw weight is an arrow weight between 380 and 440 grains, right? Lighter than that, yeah, it's faster, it's a flatter trajectory, but also you've got to consider wind. On a lot of these courses, the wind come is a major factor in this. And when the arrow is really, really light, it's pushed easier by the wind. So you've got to take that into consideration. When you have a little bit more front weight, nothing crazy. You don't want an extreme FOC arrow because it's harder to tune, right? You want uh that happy medium, it's going to perform better in those conditions. That's why I would consider like a smaller diameter versus a standard diameter, maybe a four mil, maybe a five mil. I'm a five mil guy. Personally, I think it's good for everything. Um, and you know, when you go down to that four mil, you get less drag. It's like 10% less or something like that, and you get less wind drift. So if you're building something to prioritize for tack, a four mil is a really great option. Um, but we don't, when we talk about overall weight, you just don't want it to be so light that it can potentially be pushed around by the wind. It does happen, especially those long shots where you have a straight up 90 degree crosswind, you know, and you're shooting 80 plus yards, the wind is more likely to push those super light arrows. So I would take that into consideration. Think about it. You don't need a sight tape, like I said, that goes out to that massive distance. That's not that doesn't matter. You need realistically a sight tape if you can get it out to 120 to 140 yards and an arrow that is gonna allow you to do that. And that's typically what we see 380 to 440 grains, depending on the draw length and draw weight. So take those into consideration when you're building your arrows. Um, but don't go too light, man. And the same thing, don't go too heavy because obviously when it's super heavy, you don't get the distance out of the site. So you need to kind of figure out what that middle ground is. If you're interested in, you know, checking FOC of your arrow, kinetic energy on your arrow, we've got those calculators on our on our website, extremoutfetters.com. You can start calculating FOC, kinetic energy, all of those different things. It's just a it's a great resource. If you if you're curious on what those things are, uh you can have over there at extremoutfetters.com and calculate those things, but just approach this thing realistically, right? Those numbers seem to work out for most people. You get the distance out of your site, and um it's not overly light to where it's easily pushed by the wind. So things to consider. Um, like I said, four mil and five mil seems to be the more popular options that we see out there just because that's smaller diameter, there is less surface area, less wind drift. Not a necessity by any means, but if I was going to build arrows specifically for this, those are the things that I would take into consideration, right? The other thing, too, if you you build an overly brittle arrow, right? Maybe you run something that's got a super low GPI and you stack a ton of weight up front, that arrow becomes even more brittle. That's why we see a lot of these low GPI arrows breaking. Guys are overstacking weight. The FOC is too great. And when that arrow impacts that target, it flexes and it snaps the shaft. We see it all the time. So be mindful of that too. Don't overstack weight in the front of some of these slower GPI arrows because they become even more brittle than they already are. So another thing just to keep in mind when building arrows specifically for this. Uh, and when it comes to arrow quantity, quantity, I would say take at least a dozen. Um, we've seen guys lose over a dozen. Hopefully that's not you. If you're losing more than a dozen arrows, something's going on. You need to reassess your setup and your bow and maybe potentially your shooting capability, or be realistic with yourself and walk a little bit closer. No shame in that. Um, but I think a dozen is a good number to start with for arrows. Um, you shouldn't need more than a dozen, I don't think. If you shoot two courses a day, you shoot what, three to four courses in a weekend. I think a dozen arrows should get you through. From there, tip number seven, keep your bow set up mobile. Think about this the scenario that you're gonna be in on these courses. You're covering extreme distances, right? Shooting far distances, but also walking far distances. You need to make sure the bow is not too heavy. This is not a target bow setup friendly course. You can run target bows, we've seen them, but you don't see a lot. So be mindful of the stabilizers that you run on there. Um, because you are we had to walk navigate these ravines. You have to crawl up some of these hills. Some of them you have to use ropes to get up. You're you're literally navigating the side of a mountain. And whenever your equipment becomes, you know, stabilizer, there's too many stabilizers out, too many stabilizers on it. The bow is becomes overly heavy. Uh, there's a lot of things on the bow. It's a lot more difficult to navigate the terrain. So I would be mindful of how I set my bow up, right? I would consider setting it up potentially like I would go out on a western hunt, right? You're not going to run a 30-inch bar out on a western hunt. Maybe a 12 to 15-inch bar, though. Maybe you take your whitetail setup where you run a six to 10-inch bar and you go to a 15-inch bar. That's realistic. Maybe you throw a back bar on there or you throw it, throw a um um what is it called? SOS. Bye accuarchery. I run them on my bows. The mask tune dampener, you run that on there versus a uh a rear bar. Um I would just be mindful of how I build out the bow, right? Because the terrain is typically a lot more uh difficult to navigate than what people give it credit for. And then they find out the hard way and then they're dragging this bow up there, and you know, it becomes heavy quick after you, if you've covered, if you're on a course for six hours, your bow is gonna get heavy. So just be mindful of that. Set it up for a more hunting scenario based with maybe a little bit, maybe a little bit longer stabilizers, maybe you run a rear bar on it. You want to optimize it for distance, but you've got to kind of float that line, right? You could add a ton of weight to this thing and make it hold rock solid, but you got to carry it. So you need to keep that in mind. Don't add too much to your bow. Um just because it becomes very heavy, very quick, especially, like I said, some of these like TAC Indiana, Kentucky was uh a ball buster for a lot of people. Um, because some of the courses like the Lancaster course, the knock-on course, it had rained, and also the the terrain was so steep and so slick. It was hard to get up and down it, and it was rocky, and your footing was not good. So you're climbing up and down the sides of these mountains and hills, and um it's just tough. So keep that in mind when it comes to setting your bow up. Make sure you're not putting too much extra on the bow to make it hold that well. You need to float that line. Like I said, optimize it for shooting extreme distances and consider the terrain you're gonna be navigating. So another tip, another thing I've learned the hard way myself. Um, the tip number eight is we move right into it. Like I was talking about, underestimating the physical side of this. Consider the time of year you're gonna be shooting. Total archery challenge, Indiana and Kentucky was typically in August. If you're shooting in August, the last few years they had heat cases on the mountains. That is guys overheating, girls overheating because they were not hydrated properly and they did not have any kind of snack or anything to keep them fueled for these long courses. Do not underestimate the physical side of this. You need to physically prepare for this. You're hiking and you're shooting for all hours of the day. You are on your feet nonstop. Fatigue is going to crush your form if you are overfatigued, you're huffing and puffing, and you're just not used to doing anything physical like this. These courses are more demanding than what people realize. And then they get out there and they're like, oh no, maybe I should have brought a bottle of water. Maybe I should have brought a snack. Maybe I should have had some electrolytes. You need to constantly be fueling during the courses and then after. And then you need to prep going into total archery event. I would encourage everyone to work on the physical side. Just do something. Walk with a, you know, just do some rucking. Put a pack on, put some weight in it, go for a walk with your wife, your kids. Walk a mile or two, lift some weights, do something to build some kind of cardio capacity and strengthen yourself so that whenever you get to these courses, you're not just so taxed. Because we see that a lot. Going back to it, consider the time of year you're going. If you are going in the summer, you need electrolytes on you. You need plenty of water, you need snacks to stay fueled because it gets so hot. And then you're exerting yourself. You need to prep for that. You need to be prepared for those scenarios. Don't be a heat case on the side of the mountain. That's the last thing you want. That there goes your weekend, right? You don't want to stroke out on the side of a mountain. It's hard for people to get to you. So you need to be cautious of that and conscious of that. Um, don't be a liability for your group. You know, you don't want to ruin the fun for your group. Take it serious, get in shape and prep for it. Make sure you've got the things you need in order to be out on a course for half a day. That's a bottle or two of water, that's electrolytes, and that's some small snacks to keep you fueled. Because the other thing, too, is if you don't fuel along the way and then you get done, and then you overstuff yourself and you shot a course early and you're planning on shooting another one, you're not gonna want to shoot a course, right? Your gut's all messed up because you just gorged on a ton of food and a bunch of black rifle coffee energy drinks, and now you got to shoot another one and you just feel terrible. So be mindful of this. Set yourself up for success with these things, right? This is like a marathon. It's a, it's an endurance event. Think about it that way. Prep for it that way. Electrolytes, water, snacks, how you set your bow up. These things all come into play when you're on a course for the entire day and you're navigating this extremely difficult terrain. Think about the endurance side that comes along with it. Yes, it is a lot of fun, but there is a physical side that comes along with total archery challenge. Make sure you are prepared for that. And I'll throw this in with the underestimating physical side. I'm gonna, we'll talk about boots. Make sure you have good footwear. Somebody else posted about this. I did um uh some posts on Facebook about uh, you know, some things about total archery challenge. And the amount of people that come unprepared with poor footwear is insane to me. You don't need to wear flip-flops, you don't need to wear crocs, you need to wear something that's supportive and that's got good tread on it because and and that doesn't give you hot spots and blisters. Your boots or shoes need to be worn in, broke in so that you're not breaking them in for the first time at Total Archery Challenge. Because if you go to Total Archery Challenge, it's gonna rain, it seems like it always does for us. And then the train becomes very trick or trick, slick. Also, you're on rocky terrain usually. You need good train and good ankle support so you don't roll an ankle and get hurt because again, then you're a liability for your group and everyone out there. Don't be that guy, man. Be the one that's prepared for these scenarios. Take care of your feet, take care of your um your hydration and fueling process. Those are critical, man, for you to have a good time the entire time. So keep those in mind. Prep for these things, make sure you are physically prepared going into a total archery event and consider the courses that you're gonna shoot. If you're gonna shoot Sitka, knock on any of those courses, they're challenging courses, they're technical courses, and sitka is long. Keep that in mind. Do your research on your courses prior to go to signing up for them, if you can, so that you don't end up on a course that is outside of your physical capability. Maybe not your shooting capability, but the physical side. Keep those things in mind. All right, tip number uh nine, we touched on a little bit, but it's the wind. Playing the wind. Mountain wind is tricky. It is difficult. Tennessee, it was very, very challenging. On the side of some of those mountains, you had a 90-degree crosswind floating around that, the side of that mountain that was extremely strong. Big gusts, consistent gusts. You need to consider the wind whenever you're taking your shots, especially as those distances open up, because you'd start to get drift on those. So we all like to go out and shoot on a perfect day, but sometimes it's good to go shoot out on a day that's not so great. So we understand what our arrow is doing downrange in different scenarios. Shooting in the rain, not a bad idea. Shooting in the wind, not a bad idea. It gives you a better understanding of your equipment and how your equipment responds to those scenarios. Because if there's anything I can guarantee at Total Archery Challenges, you're going to be shooting in the wind and probably shooting in the rain. So keep those things in mind. Make sure you understand how the wind impacts your arrow at those greater distances and how it impacts your bow, right? If you're standing there and you got wind constant and you can't keep your bow doing this because you've got, you know, maybe too many stabilizers. Maybe you're just not used to holding the bow in the wind and you've got that wind constantly pushing on it. Something consider. That goes back to your stabilizers. Maybe you have those a little bit thinner bars, right? So there's not so much surface area for it to push your bow. Maybe you have a little bit shorter bars. You're not running a 30-inch bar that you got to tote around where there's more surface area where that wind can push that um bar, you know, left and right. So all things to consider. The wind can be very, very tricky and make shooting a bow after those extreme difference, those extreme distances very difficult. So keep it in mind. There are ways you can you can practice for this. Set your gear up accordingly, right? Make sure you're realistic with your stabilizer setups. You don't have too much junk on your bow. Consider your arrow build, right? Those smaller diameters perform better in the wind. There's no question. Smaller diameter, less surface area, less drag. It's going to get to the target a little bit better and be less influenced by the wind. And then you need to understand maybe how to hold into the wind a little bit, right? You don't need to do not a crazy amount of compensation for a majority of these, but you do need to understand if you have, you know, a 12 mile an hour crosswind, have an idea of how that pushes your arrow out, you know, 70 or 80 yards, if there is much impact on it. And the only way to learn that is to by going out and trying. So go shoot your bow in less than ideal conditions. You'll learn a lot more about yourself and your equipment and how it performs. And then it just puts your equipment to the test, right? You'd rather test your equipment prior to these events than testing it on a course and comes to find out, oh man, it's raining today. My sight tape is picture or my sight tape is paper and it's melting off. And now on my sight tape, I can't read it because it's bleeding. Right? All little things to consider. And there's a lot you can do to prep for this. So take notes of these things prior and then check them off if you've as you've gone through them. Create a checklist, a gear checklist, a shot process checklist, you know, things you need to work on and set goals. Like I said, this is a fun event. It's all for fun to challenge yourself and push you outside of your comfort zone. But at the same time, you don't want to be so far out of your comfort zone that it's just a bummer, right? Your gear didn't perform, sights falling off, your arrow's too heavy, you can only shoot 70, 60 yards, um, and you didn't go through your shot process and you pulled every single shot and you lost 10 to 12 arrows. To me, that ain't a good time. And that gets expensive quick. But if you need arrows, you can go to extremeoutfitters.com. We'll build them out for you. But I mean, just prep yourself mentally and physically for this is basically what I'm saying. Consider the wind, it is a major factor at these. The mountain wind, like I said, can be very, very challenging. Set yourself up for success, go through, put yourself in challenging scenarios prior, and then you'll be in a better position whenever you're there. And then all your friends are gonna be like, dang, how are you so good? How does this not impact you? And you're like, bro, I've been training for this. Not a bad idea, guys. Be prepared for it. Tip number 10, the final one is shooting beyond your range. Right? We all want to challenge ourselves and we all want to shoot those extreme different distances, but this is a big one because you want to be just outside of your comfort zone on some of these. And sometimes that means walking up a little bit. There's no shame in that, man. I'd rather walk up a little bit closer because it's just out of my wheelhouse or capability. You know, maybe it's 120 and I walk up and I shoot it at 100. There's no shame in that. That's what I would do because there's there's a point of being outside of your comfort zone and then completely outside of your capability, right? That's not good. You want to push beyond your comfort zone a little bit, but not completely outside of your capability, because then that just leads to lost arrows and a bad time. So I would encourage you to be realistic and push on the edge of comfort, right? If you've only ever shot, you know, maybe 80 yards, and this is your first one, and you got a target that comes up that's like 115, maybe you just go up and you shoot it at 100. You know, and then you're like, oh, I can do that. And then the next one that comes up, you you give it a shot. That's how I would approach it. And don't let your buddies be um give you too much crap because you're gonna have a better time versus you know, shooting some of these shots that are just outside of your capability and you're just missing, and then you're frustrated. And once you become frustrated, it's very difficult to for a lot of people to shake that. And then target after target after target after target is just um worse and worse because you can't get your head right. So the big thing is building confidence. Start off slow, build confidence, and then continue to challenge yourself. Like I said, don't overdo it right away, don't step completely out of your capability and um just start off with, you know, a bad time. So ego will kill your performance. You're gonna get crap from it from buddies, I'm sure, but it's worth, in my opinion, you know, slowly doing this versus just completely starting off and just crushing all confidence and being like, this was not for me. I should have not come. You don't never want to say that because total archery is for everybody, right? The whole goal of Total Archery Challenge is to just put you outside of your comfort zone, challenge your shooting capability and your equipment setup. That's what Total Archery does. It gives you these realistic hunting scenarios, maybe a little bit more difficult than your typical hunting scenarios, and makes you a better archer. That's the whole thing about it, man. You go to these events to become better, not to win. I don't know. That's my thought on it, right? I want to go to these things. I want to improve on my capability, my understanding of my equipment and my shooting capability, not just completely crush my uh my confidence and not have fun with it. That's not what it's about. It's about challenging yourself, challenging your equipment and your capability. And that's what Total Archery does. It does it very, very well. So those are the top 10 tips that I have for you guys. I would encourage you to do your research on the courses that you're gonna shoot and prep for these things fully. From the equipment that you're gonna take, how your bows set up, the arrows you're gonna shoot, how you physically prepare, and how you mentally prepare, all worth considering. Also, little extra tip. Tip number 11. Bring rain gear. Always bring rain gear. No matter what the weather says, always bring rain gear because um it's gonna rain. Bring rain gear, and I would bring a layering system depending on the time of year that you go. So you can strip layers and remove layers. So tip number 11, clothing, bring rain gear always. Bring an extra pair of boots and plenty of socks, and then build your clothing system based off a layering system. So as the day progresses, you can strip layers and you don't get too hot, and you can apply it, put them back on as it starts to cool down, depending on the time of year that you're shooting. So that's it. Those are my tips for you guys. Um, take them for what they're worth. We've had a lot of experience at these. We go every year, we go multiple times a year, we interact with a lot of different people and we get feedback from people. And these are from you know, experiences that we've seen with other people, and then my own personal experiences and the guys from my shop that whenever we go. So it is what it is. Key takeaways again practice shooting your angles. It's a non negotiable, understand how to bend at the waist and shoot a bow. Trust your gear, especially your range finder. It's critical. Use your range finder. Compare it to others, but rely on yours. Focus on your shot process, your execution, the entire process, the foundation all the way through. Not impressing people. Don't feel rushed. Push outside just outside of your comfort zone. And then big thing, manage fatigue. It will affect your shooting. Make sure you are constantly fueled throughout the day and on these courses. That's it, guys. So if you found this useful, subscribe to the channel, man. Follow along with us. I'm putting out this stuff all the time. Um, we got new episodes going out pretty much weekly. So we're on Spotify anywhere and then YouTube. YouTube's got short clips on as well. If you want to take in some of these shorter pieces of the actual podcast, they are on there. And of course, it's video podcasts. So you can watch video, you can listen to audio, whatever you want to do. You know, give us some support. We appreciate the support. We appreciate all you guys and um you know, appreciate you guys following along. Like I said, if you ever need anything archery related, head over to the website extremoutfiters.com. Use the code ArcheryProject. It's going to save you on every one of your orders indefinitely. So you can always use that code. And if you've got questions, we're real people. If you've got questions on these things, call my shop. I've got texts on staff at all time. I've got a web department. They can all help you out with questions. We'll they'll get you to the right person. Real, we are real people answering the phones. Our goal is to provide a good service to all of our archers, bow hunters out there, right? That's what we do. We like talking to you guys. If you've got questions, call. Our guys walk you through arrow builds, tuning questions, whatever it is, we'll help you out. We'll be happy to help you out. And like I said, if you need anything, hit the website at StreamOutFitters.com. Use the code ArcheryProject. And good luck to everybody this tax season. I know we've already kicked it off. A lot of people having a good time. Enjoy it. Um, and drop your best tip in the comments for others, right? We want to hear it. Everyone wants to hear from you. Everyone's looking on how they can improve their total archery experience. So drop some comments, give us some feedback. As always, I appreciate you guys following along and listening. We'll see you guys in the next episode of the Archie Project.