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Archery question


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I'm the archery range master for our day camp and I have a question for the board. They visit my range multiple times during the week and for the last time I wanted to make it fun. I was going to pin pinatas on the targets for the boys to shoot at. I'm staying away from humanoid shapes, but is it ok to have a cow shaped pinata? I'm trying to make it fun and not have parents getting upset for much ado about nothing.

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Personally I don't think you need to do anything to spice up the archery and BB Guns. Most of the kids only get to do it once or 2x a year at the council events I think the normal targets are enough. They will be just as happy if they hit a bulls eye than a cow pinata.

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I'd steer clear of animal figures for cubs because someone's gonna make a fuss. Plus shooting a ton of arrows just for one target to bust is a recipe for chaos.

 

Can I suggest balloons stuffed with a few pieces of wrapped candy (tootsie rolls or taffy work best)? Slide them into the balloon, inflate, string or tape to the target.

 

The boys get the gratification of a "pop" and when they retrieve their arrows get their candy.

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When I was a range master for archery at day camp years ago I had them play a game that the scouts thought was great. I would give them 5 arrows and they had to hit one arrow in each color. Even gave out awards if the scout did it.

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I do believe that shooting at the forms of live animals is against the rules for Cubs. (I'm in the middle of PCS or I'd go get my Shooting Sports book.)
Nope. The G2SS says that you can't shoot at replicas of humans (Photos of the past president) or live animals (your neighbor's cat tied to a stake.)

It does NOT say that you can't shoot at replicas of live animals. Or tasty animals.

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I do believe that shooting at the forms of live animals is against the rules for Cubs. (I'm in the middle of PCS or I'd go get my Shooting Sports book.)
I don't believe it was in G2SS. I think it is in the Cub Scout Shooting sports manual or the camp standards. Like I said, this sticks in my mind because I wanted to shoot at dinosaurs and was shot down.
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How many rainbow-colored donkeys have you ever seen? It rather defies logic that you can't shoot arrows at a piñata but you can bash the snot out of it with a stick.

 

I searched "animals" in the Shooting Sports Manual and got two hits:

 

From the BSA Shooting Sports Manual, Section V, Cub Scout Shooting Sports:

 

Chapter 10, "Archery" Page 78,"Archery Games and Activities", Spin the Insect A picture of an insect is glued to a piece of plywood 12inches square. The plywood is fastened so it will pivot freely around a centered bar set from post to post when struck with an arrow.

 

Chapter 12, "Other Shooting Sports," Page 96, "Catapults and other Devices, "Targets may be made similar to those for archery and BB gun shooting. Creative targets may also be made that relate to the camp theme. Targets should not look like humans or animals."

 

So you can shoot insect animals in archery but no animals with a catapult. Seems perfectly logical to me.:p

 

We've discussed this in past years. This has nothing to do with safety, just political correctness. Do what you want. Sounds like fun to me.

 

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While making the archery and bb gun targets for our own summer camp (my husband is the range master this year), I ran into this same issue. A friend of mine drew 'mad science' themes on some used 'yard ads' (we were hanging mason jar tops from them for them to shoot at.) Not thinking about BSA rules, she drew a mad scientist on the top (not where they shoot but obviously a bb could hit up there.) When my CM saw that, she about crawled under my porch. It was stressed repeatedly at the next meeting, no people, no animals - whatsoever. On anything that involves 'aiming and shooting.' Another guy made a valid point that some of our scouts wouldn't even bother aiming at the jar lids but the scientist himself. So now those boards will be decoration and we made two more with abstract science images. So knowing this (and depending on how your group is), I'd steer clear any animals/humans. I realize humans are 'worse' to use but you really don't want to get it all set up to be told later on nope, re-do.

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While making the archery and bb gun targets for our own summer camp (my husband is the range master this year), I ran into this same issue. A friend of mine drew 'mad science' themes on some used 'yard ads' (we were hanging mason jar tops from them for them to shoot at.) Not thinking about BSA rules, she drew a mad scientist on the top (not where they shoot but obviously a bb could hit up there.) When my CM saw that, she about crawled under my porch. It was stressed repeatedly at the next meeting, no people, no animals - whatsoever. On anything that involves 'aiming and shooting.' Another guy made a valid point that some of our scouts wouldn't even bother aiming at the jar lids but the scientist himself. So now those boards will be decoration and we made two more with abstract science images. So knowing this (and depending on how your group is), I'd steer clear any animals/humans. I realize humans are 'worse' to use but you really don't want to get it all set up to be told later on nope, re-do.
I'm trying to get my mind around that euphemism of 'crawled under my porch'. I've never 'heard' that one before. What does it mean and what is its origin, if you know it?
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@ packsaddle, hahaha, I didn't even realize I worded it that way when I typed it. My mom is the queen of coming up with these off the wall phrases - no one knows where they came from or what they mean half the time. I made fun of her my whole life and now it seems I've adopted most of them as my own. I know I've heard of the phrase 'hid under a rock' when talking about someone being embarassed - this is our version. Apparently this somehow embarassed her (maybe she realized she never clarified or thought I'd be upset and refuse to continue or something) but her face turned a bright shade of red when she saw those particular ones and looked like she was struggling to get the words out that we couldn't use those. Of course I completely understood so all was well (and she joined us back on the top of the porch.) ;)

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I wouldn't put candy in the targets. I can just see some boys thoughtlessly running out there to get their candy before everyone is done shooting. Saw it happen once even when candy wasn't involved.

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Thanks for the feedback, I ran the idea past the camp leaders and they liked the idea even the district exec. The plan isn't to have one pinata but 5 pinata's attached to a target for 5 lanes and 5 lanes with Watermelons low and water ballons pinned to the target.

 

I'll let you know how it goes. I got most of these ideas from the scout day camp archery guide that I found on the net, and adjusted it slightly.

 

Has anyone ran a camp where you had boys test for the Pro archery levels? I don't know how I would logistically get the boys that have a shot at passing it take it. Some of these boys can barely nock an arrow.

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