Something else to look forward to

This is the new trailer for the Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.

I've heard tell that Russell can hit a target at 45 metres with a longbow and say 'well done that man'. Not bad, but he ought to try a Clout shoot where the target is 180 yards (Just short of 165metres) away.

Have 'cleft the peg' (Hit within a six inch radius of the target marker) at this distance with a bare competition recurve and my fifty inch classic hunter. Harder with a Longbow and cedar shafts of course, but I've seen longbowmen get good results with traditional 'self-wood' bows.

Clout and field shooting were two of the reasons I always liked the British Longbow Society shoots. All good fun, and none of the "look at my compound" willy waving and unsolicited coaching nonsense you got at more mainstream competition GNAS and FITA rule shoots. I used to enjoy competition shooting, but some of the obsessive-compulsives it attracted tended to put me off.

Nonetheless, my bow will be with me by the end of January, and it'll take me a couple of months at least to get my shooting muscles anywhere near retuned. Archery is a vice that requires constant abuse practice. A year or so of field and target work may see me up to a reasonable standard of shooting once more.