Most traditional bowhunters practice the same way all summer long. Same distance. Same target. Same backyard. It feels productive — until you’re standing in the woods in October, looking at a whitetail at an angle you’ve never practiced, and your instincts let you down. That’s the gap that 3D archery courses were built to help close.

What Is the IBO Traditional Circuit?

The International Bowhunting Organization has been sanctioning 3D archery tournaments since 1989, giving archers a pathway from local club events all the way to the IBO World Championship. But the real game-changer for traditional shooters came in 2009, when the IBO became the first national organization to create a standalone traditional archery championship — built exclusively for recurve and longbow shooters.

Since then, the IBO Traditional circuit has grown into one of the most respected trails in the sport. Regional championship events are held across the country throughout the year, with top finishers advancing to the IBO Traditional World Championship. The Volunteer State Arrow Fling, hosted by the Buck Hollow Bow Hunters Club outside Dickson, Tennessee, is one of those regional stops — and it draws some of the best stickbow shooters in the Southeast.

Shooting the Course for the Right Reasons

I didn’t show up at the Volunteer State Arrow Fling to chase a trophy. I came out with my Deerseeker Mesa Dark Woodgrain Recurve, a quiver full of Pinals carbon arrows, and one goal — find out exactly where my instinctive shooting breaks down before it costs me in the field.

That’s the honest value of a 3D championship course for a hunting archer. You’re not shooting at a known distance on flat ground. You’re walking through real terrain, reading elevation changes, judging yardage on life-size 3D animals, and making decisions under a little bit of pressure. It exposes the gaps in your game fast — and that’s exactly the point.

What Buck Hollow Gets Right

Buck Hollow Bowhunters is one of the premier traditional archery clubs in Middle Tennessee, and the Volunteer State Arrow Fling is a well-run event that reflects that. The course layout uses the natural terrain to create realistic hunting scenarios — uphill shots, downhill shots, targets tucked into shadows, and distances that will humble you if you’ve been living on your backyard range all summer.

If you’ve never shot a formal 3D course before, this is the kind of event that will change how you think about off-season practice. It’s a great way to get ready for hunting game heading into the Fall season. Whether you shoot recurve, longbow, or are just getting started in traditional archery, there’s something in here for you.

If this is the kind of content you’re looking for, head over to the TradBow Nation YouTube channel and subscribe for more traditional bowhunting and archery content every week.

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Gear used in this video: (paid links)

• Deerseeker Mesa Dark Woodgrain Recurve
• Pinals Black Carbon Arrows
• Pinals Woodgrain Carbon Arrows
• Pinals Bright Green Carbon Arrows
• Deerseeker 3-Point Back Quiver
• Tony Forefare Bow Strings