I love talking about personal development and growing and expanding yourself. It’s a fun topic that I like to read and learn about on my own time. So every now and then, I’m going to force you to read about it. It’s just a fun hobby and I feel that it’s helped me out so I thought I’d take a bit and help you to learn about archery etiquette that you might like to be aware of and then practice it. It won’t do any good if you don’t practice it.
What on earth am I talking about. Simple really, how to deal with other people at the archery course or range when you’re there. Most of them are basic and make sense, but it always surprises me who doesn’t think before they start talking or acting.
Be polite
My number one rule is to be polite to others and be considerate of what’s going on. Most people are there to relax, have fun, and enjoy their shooting time. Don’t try to ruin their time and they won’t try to ruin your time.
Always ask first
Part of hanging out with other archers is going to involve talking about gear. It’s all good to share and enjoy, but be sure to ask someone before you ever touch their equipment. It’s special to them and you wouldn’t want people grabbing and messing with your gear unless they asked first, so be sure to ask before you touch.
Practice course safety
The worst thing is to be behind a target looking for an arrow that missed when someone decides to step up and start shooting at the target with you behind it. It’s not cool at all. Be sure to leave your bow or something so people know there’s someone around and do not shoot until you are absolutely certain that there isn’t anybody back there.
Clean up your trash
It’s not that difficult to clean up your own trash. There’s probably at least one or more trash cans out on the course that you can use. So use them. One piece of trash doesn’t sound bad, but when you get a hundred pieces of trash, then it really starts looking like a dump. Don’t be the guy everyone hates because he’s a lazy slob and won’t clean up his own mess.
Pets
You might love your pets, but most others think their vicious terrorizing psychos. I love my dogs, and I take them to the range with me when there’s nobody there. If someone shows up, I put them on leashes. Every now and then others bring their dogs and we’ll let them all hang out together. Don’t think your pet is the greatest in the world just because he’s yours. Eating arrows might sound cute to you, but it is horribly rude and downright evil to the other person. Back to rule one. Be polite and considerate of others.
I didn’t really mean to rant today, but there’s some times that people just seem to skip out on thinking and it really bugs me. I hope that you’ve never done this and that you’re the picture of archery etiquette perfection and politeness. Have fun shooting and enjoy meeting all the neat people out there who shoot too.