One of the best ways I’ve found to keep practicing when it’s cold or I’m bored is to shoot Vegas rounds. Here are some things to consider.

The Basics: Vegas round

If you haven’t experienced the level of procrastination that causes one to watch youtube videos of Vegas tournaments, here is a quick outline of what Vegas rounds are made of. Basically you shoot at a three spot target from twenty yards. The innermost circle is a ten X, the next is a ten, and the next a nine, the scores decrease by one until the outermost circle, which scores a six. The maximum score you can shoot is a 300 after thirty shots.

Why shoot a Vegas round?

The Vegas face offers a way to change your shooting routine that may keep you practicing through the next few months. You can keep track of  your overall score, number of tens, tens in a row, or how long you can go without shooting an eight. There are a million ways to gauge improvement and the Vegas face will keep you shooting longer than you would at a plain target.

Limited range and low temperatures

Currently I live in a town that offers little space to shoot my bow. The space I do have is between the house and my neighbors fence and offers me twenty yards to shoot. Many people with limited room to shoot their bow can stay entertained if the implement a Vegas round into there shooting. Also, because it is so cold in Iowa right now, I have limited time to shoot. So I run out of my house fire off fifteen shots and then run back inside before my hands go numb.

Turkey hunting

Turkey hunting is all about shooting close range shots very accurately. In order to get to the level of hyperaccuracy often required for dropping a turkey the Vegas face can be a great help.

Competition

Competition with yourself is a good way to practice more, but if you can get a few friends to compete against you the pressure will increase exponentially. My brothers are racing to see who can shoot a 300 round first. I have shot a 18-10 287 a few times now. You can buy three spot vegas targets for 55 cents a piece on lancaster.com.

Don’t get too caught up in scoring

Scoring can be fun, and it can be tempting to run out and try to break your personal best every time. But as Tiger woods has taught us all, sometimes you need to take a few rounds to practice up and divorce your wife before you start shooting well again. I have had friends get carried away and stop improving because they get caught up in scores. For the most part you should still be trying to improve your form.

Good luck,

Harrison