Thompson Archers and Bowhunters Club president Kevin Taylor was the top scorer at the group's annual 3D archery shoot held June 6 at the outdoor archery range north of Thompson, scoring 172 on his first shot and 176 on his second with six X's hit for a total of 348 points in the male bowhunter release division.

Rod Trapp finished second with 317 (146-171) points and two X's, while Terry Ferguson placed third with a score of 287 (138-149) and two X's.

John Hilchey (11-120=231, one X), Jules Lahaie (102-107=209, one X) and Bob Lagace of Opaskwayak Cree Nation (141-DNF, three X's) occupied the fourth through sixth spots.

Telena Neufeld was first in the female bowhunter release division, with a first-round score of 107 and a 110 in the second round for a total of 244.

Ginnie Lagace of OCN had a first-round score of 115 in the female bowhunter fingers division but did not finish the second round.

The bowhunter class is defined by shots to a maximum of 50 yards.

“Everyone who participated was very impressed and had a fantastic time,” said Taylor.

3D archery involves shooting at realisitic animal targets ranging in size from a raccoon to a moose. Competitors shoot one arrow per target at a set of 20 random animals, which are placed at varying distances.

A wrong estimation of distance could result in a shot being too high or too low.

Archers are judged according to how well their arrow strikes within the animal's designated target zone, which varies in size according to the size of the animal, but roughly marks out the area where the animal's heart and lungs would be, known as the kill zone. There are three rings within the target zone as well as the bullseye that marks a perfect shot. Arrows which hit outside the target zone are worth five points, while an arrow that misses the target entirely is scored a zero.