The event will be held at the scenic game farm Tarentaalrand Safari Lodge on August 26 and 27 and promises to be a real treat for competing archers, with a great venue well suited for the sport.
FOLLOWING on the success of the last 3Di archery event held at the Big Hole driving range in April, another sanctioned national 3Di archery event has been granted by the African Bowhunting Organization (ABO).
The event will be held at the scenic game farm Tarentaalrand Safari Lodge on August 26 and 27 and promises to be a real treat for competing archers, with a great venue well suited for the sport.
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Tarentaalrand Safari Lodge is situated just 20 kilometres from Kimberley on the Boshof Road. A wonderful venue with a petting zoo for children and a lion feeding tour, as well as all the amenities such as a pool, a restaurant with a pub, and accommodation for those wishing to spend a night or two in the silence of nature.
During the 3Di archery event, competitors walk a pre-set course of up to three kilometres in the bush, shooting at full-size, lifelike, three-dimensional foam animal targets at varying distances.
Each archer gets a single shot at each target, aiming for the marked areas where a hunter would normally aim to hit vital organs. There are 20 targets set on a course, and it can take up to five hours to complete the course.
Large outdoor courses, like Tarentaalrand, take full advantage of the natural terrain to increase the difficulty of the competition. The archers may be asked to shoot a target that has partial cover or is at a different elevation, battling variable wind and weather conditions. Shooting positions are determined by the category for which each shooter has registered.
Adventure Archery coordinator for the African BowHunting Organisation John Filmalter, said that they are very excited to be able to host this event as they are trying to develop the sport in the Northern Cape with more events to follow. To this end, they would like to develop ABO 3Di as a priority in the Northern Cape, as they are the only province that does not have a provincial championship at the moment.
“It is a long, hard road we will be travelling as we need to buy 20 official targets so that we can offer more sanctioned events in the future. 3Di South Africa has granted us a further three events for 2024. Should we overcome these obstacles with a partner in so far as securing finance for the purchase of 3D targets, then an opportunity exists to fulfil the primary vision of 3Di South Africa,”Filmalter said .
“We want to develop 3D archery in the province and present world-class events for South African archers in the Northern Cape,” he added.
Filmalter also told the DFA that by acquiring the targets, they can generate funds to use for the development of not only 3Di archers but also enable them to purchase compound bows so as to create a programme where they can identify and train prospective Northern Cape archers and provide them with the skills to compete nationally and internationally.
Without their own targets, they will have to hire targets, as they did with their first event.
“This meant we had expenses and no income as the company that provided the services basically took all the income generated by competitor entry fees,” he said.
“We have opportunities for companies or businesses to partner with us in various areas, such as printing, branding, and event sponsorship. So if anybody or any business would like to partner with us to grow 3DI bow hunting in the province, they can contact me at 084 600 2084,” concluded Filmalter.
