Shooting Venues
Whissendine Sports Club
On Tuesday evenings, 7.15pm – 9.30pm, we shoot at Whissendine Sports Club in the village of Whissendine, between Melton Mowbray and Oakham. During the spring and summer, we shoot outdoors on a large playing field which has room for clout shooting (aiming for a wooden post up to 180 yards away) as well as target shooting at different ranges and the always popular "lion on a pole" shoot. During the autumn and winter, we shoot indoors where we have a 20 yard range for target shooting.
Once a month we hold a friendly competition between club members. The winner of each competition receives the club trophy for a month and organises the next competition. Competitions often involve some form of novelty shoot or seasonal theme and an element of handicapping is sometimes included to give less experienced archers the chance to win.
Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre
On Sunday mornings, 10.15am – 12.30pm, we shoot at the Rutland Falconry and Owl Centre near Oakham, unless we have a club event scheduled. At the centre we have an area of woodland where we practice field archery. This involves shooting 3D plastic animal targets at unknown distances in a natural setting. We have around 20 targets including a wolf, a bear and even a dinosaur. Although field archery was originally designed to simulate hunting, the hunting of live animals with a bow is illegal in the UK and is not supported by the club. This style of shooting can be more difficult than target shooting so we recommend that beginners come to a few sessions at Whissendine Sports Club on Tuesdays before joining us in the woods.