ARCHERS STALK TARGETS IN THE SWAMP

Jimmy Allen of Alexander, Tenn. figured the score of the arrows on the target.

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Archers are stalking lions, bears, wolves, deer, wild turkeys, water buffalo, cobras and velociraptors this weekend in the Mermet Lake Conservation Area.

The soft thump of arrows meeting 3-D targets can be heard across the 2,500-acre cypress swamp.

More than 1,000 archers from around the Midwest are expected to compete for more than $60,000 in prize money in this weekend's Mathews Archery Illinois Pro-Am 3-D Archery Tournament. The event began Friday and will conclude today.

Competition in 3-D archery requires shooting arrows at life-like animal targets at distances of up to 45 yards. Hitting inside precise circles inset into the animal targets earns a graduated number of points. In some competitions, the archers don't know how far away from the target they are.

Competition is in 17 divisions, including some for ages 12-15.

Today's archery is very high-tech. The bows are made of graphite compounds and are fitted with scopes and stabilizer bars.

A virtual village of bow-makers, scope-makers, arrow-makers, target-makers and clothing-makers travels with the Archery Shooters Association circuit of events. The weekend competition is one of the seven that lead up to the ASA World Championship Classic next month in Atlanta.

The makers of Rinehart Targets in Wisconsin were there. The dinosaurs are the most popular of their targets, which are made of a foam material that "heals." The inserts archers aim for in the targets can take up to 1,000 arrows before they must be replaced.

Tim Gray of Conway, Ark., became a bowhunter five years ago after growing up hunting with guns. He and his fellow competitors in the Open B division were shooting at animal targets nearly hidden among trees 42 yards away.

First they viewed the target with binoculars. When sighting and shooting, they cannot see the actual circles on the animals they are hoping to hit but have a feel for where they are, he says.

He won a recent competition in Hot Springs, Ark. "It takes a lot of practice, a lot of technique," he says.

His wife shoots as does his 11-year-old son. His 13-year-old daughter used to shoot but quit. "She's gone on to girly things," he says.

Bowhunters had told Gray he wouldn't go back to hunting with guns once he tried bows. He says they were right.

"I would rather hunt with a bow," he says. It's a lot more challenging."

Mike Tyrell, managing partner of the championship series, says bowhunting is the only kind of hunting that is experiencing growth right now. Archery ranks 34th among participatory sports. Last year, 3.2 million bowhunting licenses were issued.

"There is a whole different mindset in this kind of hunting," he says. "You have to really know the animal to have success."

Bowhunting, Tyrell says, "has all the elements of why you hunt to begin with -- the traditions, the heritage and the personal connection."

Dave Watson, a former guitarist and backup singer for the Oak Ridge Boys, is at the event doing some filming for the TNN show he hosts called "Bushnell's Secrets of the Hunt."

Watson, the national spokesperson for the ASA, says relaxation is one of the benefits of archery. He attributes six hours per day of archery practice with keeping him away from the drugs and alcohol that trouble some touring musicians.

"There is a zen belief that when the archer releases the arrow he releases his frustrations," he said.