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Woods Walks
- Thread starter ky_man
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Woods walks are all different depending on the whim of the individual who sets it up. Generally they lay out a trail, or use an existing trail with metal gong targets set up at intervals along the trail. Size of targets and distances can vary widely, one may represent a squirrel head at 15 yards and another may be a standing bear at 150 yards. You need to know where your rifle shoots at various distances. They may also require that you shoot from specified positions such as prone behind a log or crouching to shoot under a tree limb. Lots more fun than a formal paper target shoot but generally the same shooters win both types of shoot. :grin:
Having taken part in one just last Sunday I can still remember enough fill you in. On the walks I participate in the entrants are dispatched in small groups. There are firing stations set up at different points along the course from which you get to shoot at targets placed at varying distances. All shots are taken offhand. The clubs where I shoot mostly use steel targets of different sizes and place them uphill, downhill, behind a hole in a stump, or anywhere else to make the shot difficult. Usually there are twenty to twenty five targets. Efficient loading and cleaning are a help as you have more time and don't have to rush your shot because nobody gets to shoot the next station until all have shot the present one. Prelubed patches or use of a loading block are a help. Once you do it you will be ready for the next one. It's sort of like playing golf but involves useful skills.
you might be shooting 15 yd and anything beyond. pipe, rebar, steel plates, gongs, welding tanks, saw blades with holes in the center( dang, I always put it in the center!) uphill, down hill, thru limbs, ect. might be shooting toothpicks holding marshmellows.
You will have way to much fun for the cost of admission! this is the most addictive form of BP shooting you will have! dont be suprised if there is a pistol trail as well!
knowing where your gun shoots at any given distance is king!
we shot one last weekend, 15 to 75 yd, my pard milked down to 30 gr of 3F in his 50 and hit well!
You will have way to much fun for the cost of admission! this is the most addictive form of BP shooting you will have! dont be suprised if there is a pistol trail as well!
knowing where your gun shoots at any given distance is king!
we shot one last weekend, 15 to 75 yd, my pard milked down to 30 gr of 3F in his 50 and hit well!
paulvallandigham
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My club has been shooting woods walks for more than 15 years, and in addition to shooting stations, you can often expect a station where you have to throw and stick a knife, tomahawk, maybe shoot a bow and arrow, or throw a spear, even start a fire with flint and steel. One course had a station where you had to set an old styed, 2-leaf spring beaver trap. These latter station events are more often found in Seneca Runs.
The difference between a Woods Walk, and a Sececa Run is that you don't run from station to station and your score is not the shortest time, with extra time added for misses. You are scored on your hits, and skill completions, and you get to walk( safely ) from one station to the next.
The advantage for the club is much less chance that someone can be injured, and for those men and women who already have suffered injuries that keep them from running, they can still participate in these kinds of Woods Walks, where the Seneca Run would be impossible. We had one club member who shot the entire Woods walk course using his ROA revolver, loading just one chamber at a time. He did very well, except fot the longest targets, and then only because he had never shot at those distances, and had no idea how much front sight to hold up over his rear sight. On the targets that were closer, he put the fear of God in some of our better rifle shooters!
Paul
The difference between a Woods Walk, and a Sececa Run is that you don't run from station to station and your score is not the shortest time, with extra time added for misses. You are scored on your hits, and skill completions, and you get to walk( safely ) from one station to the next.
The advantage for the club is much less chance that someone can be injured, and for those men and women who already have suffered injuries that keep them from running, they can still participate in these kinds of Woods Walks, where the Seneca Run would be impossible. We had one club member who shot the entire Woods walk course using his ROA revolver, loading just one chamber at a time. He did very well, except fot the longest targets, and then only because he had never shot at those distances, and had no idea how much front sight to hold up over his rear sight. On the targets that were closer, he put the fear of God in some of our better rifle shooters!
Paul
Walks Alone
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As others have said, about as much fun as you can have with your reenactment clothes on. My local group always does both rifle and pistol Woods Walks along with the primitive matches (hawk, knife, lance, atlatal and long bow) at every outing, and they host weekend campouts every 2 weeks almost year-round. Cannon shoots are less often, but also pure fun. Makes for some great comradery and competition amoung friends, and is excellent hunting practice. We have some awesome shooters in our group, and a lot of them are ladies and kids.
A second type of woodswalk is a team event where each team is given a scenario depicting some historical event. For example; the scenario might read that your group of scouts had been scouting north of the KY River for NDN sign for several days. When crossing a flood swollen river, your food became wet and spoiled and you are four days from the nearest resupply point. All NDNs are to be considered hostile.
The team is taken on a trail with animal targets, NDN targets, and on occassion, white man targets.
Some of these targets can, and sometimes will, shoot back, with no danger to the participants, of course.
The problem is, does the team give away their position by shooting at game, or do they very quietly slip away to the resupply point four days away?
Some targets will be encountered that will require shooting, some are bettter passed up.
A test of woods skills is usually a part of the course. Some of the skills might include building a fire and cooking an egg or boiling water to wash a wound in a limited amount of time. Other tests might include building a trap using materials at hand, or knapping a gunflint to replace the one taken away by the guide/scorer.
Some of the designers of these woodswalks can be VERY devious, with all sorts of surprises along the route.
The best of this type of woodswalk are as realistic as possible, giving the participant an very brief hint of what our forefathers might have experienced.
On this type of woodswalk, one needs to be aware of what someone in a real situation would do to preserve their life and the lives of their teammates.
The more successfull woodswalk teams are students of history, and often hunters and trekkers with the ability to think on their feet and to adapt to a changing situation.
J.D.
The team is taken on a trail with animal targets, NDN targets, and on occassion, white man targets.
Some of these targets can, and sometimes will, shoot back, with no danger to the participants, of course.
The problem is, does the team give away their position by shooting at game, or do they very quietly slip away to the resupply point four days away?
Some targets will be encountered that will require shooting, some are bettter passed up.
A test of woods skills is usually a part of the course. Some of the skills might include building a fire and cooking an egg or boiling water to wash a wound in a limited amount of time. Other tests might include building a trap using materials at hand, or knapping a gunflint to replace the one taken away by the guide/scorer.
Some of the designers of these woodswalks can be VERY devious, with all sorts of surprises along the route.
The best of this type of woodswalk are as realistic as possible, giving the participant an very brief hint of what our forefathers might have experienced.
On this type of woodswalk, one needs to be aware of what someone in a real situation would do to preserve their life and the lives of their teammates.
The more successfull woodswalk teams are students of history, and often hunters and trekkers with the ability to think on their feet and to adapt to a changing situation.
J.D.
some of the targetsi have shot on woods walks. they had a squirrel cut out of steel and it was weighted and on a runner and when the guy left go it made the squirrel run along the log.
another one was you had to load and shoot as many times as you could in 1 min. and hit a gone.
another you had to shoot a pice of charcool of of a steel plate that looked like a jug.
another one you had to shoot through a pice of pipe and hit a gone behind it.
they are a lot of fun and test your shooting.
another one was you had to load and shoot as many times as you could in 1 min. and hit a gone.
another you had to shoot a pice of charcool of of a steel plate that looked like a jug.
another one you had to shoot through a pice of pipe and hit a gone behind it.
they are a lot of fun and test your shooting.
Russianblood
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I just started shooting the woods walk at the local club this year and it's been a blast. We have to cut the card, break the X of rubber bands and cut a straw along with the steel targets along the trail to include a diaginal chain and a 6 foot frying pan out at 186 yards.
KY Man,
Woods walks are the most fun you will ever have with a muzzleloader(Besides killing a nice buck).My Club has Been shooting Woodswalks for more than 16 years and if I had it my way I'd shoot one every day.There are differant crowds that shoot on woods walks and you'll soon find the "crowd" that you enjoy shooting with most.
Good luck and have Fun! :v
Woods walks are the most fun you will ever have with a muzzleloader(Besides killing a nice buck).My Club has Been shooting Woodswalks for more than 16 years and if I had it my way I'd shoot one every day.There are differant crowds that shoot on woods walks and you'll soon find the "crowd" that you enjoy shooting with most.
Good luck and have Fun! :v
CrackStock
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I have had a lot of fun at these events. The only one that I did not enjoy was put on by a 3D archery shooter who set up such outrageously difficult shots that those of us who had attended hunter safety classes felt like the shots were irresponsible. Scores were around 20% hits. I never went back to that group.
All of the others were great and I just wish that I lived close enough to do them again.
CS
All of the others were great and I just wish that I lived close enough to do them again.
CS
Times have changed. I attended an archery woods walk some time ago and the course was set up with the foam animal targets actually in the woods (not on the mowed shooting lanes) and the yardage stakes were removed so the shooter had to guess the distance. You had to keep one foot on the "pin", but every shot was possible; though you might need to kneel or shoot with the bow horizontal under a branch. The compound 3-D shooters howled and wailed "foul" and the traditional archers loved it.
Wood walks are the miniature golf of the shooting sports. They should be fun, have some surprises, and the shooters should not take it too seriously. It is probably the best hunting practice as far as the shots themselves. Though I don't often get shots at game with six guys behind me making fart noises and jabbing hemlock twigs in my ear just as I begin to squeeze the trigger. :haha:
"Is this the part where you shoot or do we get to stand here in the cold another five minutes?"
"Do you suppose he knows his breeches have that stain in the seat?"
"Somebody go put some corn and a salt block under the gong so he feels more at home."
Guest
Just out of curiosity - would this shoot you refered to happen to have been at the Boyertown Lene Lenape gun club? I heard that they have a realy good setup there for woodswalk but I never participated. If you are talking about Boyertown -do you hapen to have a schedule of woodswalks shoots for them?
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Ky Man, GO! no matter what you have or don't have..what you will have is fun and a great expierence! every one is different but all are fun,if ya keep yer sense of humor! if it's a situation woodswalk, my best advice to you is LISTEN AND LOOK listen to what they say,exactly how they say it...like throw the hawk and stick the knife....or throw to a stick...or the best..time starts when...... have a good time enjoy,report back, always lookin fer ideas.... :thumbsup: RC
blacksmithshoppe
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Do you shoot at the club up by Langsburg, If I spelled that right, They have a huge Frying pan at about 100? yards. Its fun.Russianblood said:
Jeff
Yes, that is the club he was referring to. He just joined a couple of months ago, I have been a member for a few years now. Our woodswalk is a lot of fun. And the 6 foot fry pan is at 186 yards.blacksmithshoppe said:
