Western NY Bowhunting Festival
2023 Western New York Bowhunting Festival
The 13th Annual Western New York Bowhunting Festival at Swain Resort. Activities for archers of all types; uniquely situated on 100+ wooded acres. The festival offers attendees a wide variety of educational & participatory experiences, including Compound Archery, Traditional Archery, Trapping, Tracking, and more.
Enter to win door prizes from Dead Center Archery, Wildlife Research Center, The Bohning Company, and more! Compete on the competition course for the grand prize sponsored by DWS Outdoors in Dansville, NY:
Pro: Bowtech SS 34
Hunter: Elite Envision
Traditional: DWS Outdoors Gift Certificate
Women’s: Bowtech Carbon Rose
Youth: Mission Switch
Plus, vendors, live music Saturday night, camping, and more!
Presented in part by
Hours:
- Friday, Aug. 25
- Saturday, Aug. 26
- Sunday, Aug. 27
Activities Include:
- Four 3D Archery Courses
- Two Shooting Ranges
- Kids Course
- Balloon Shoot
- Archery Competition
- Vendors & Dealers
- Live Demos
Shooting Rates:
- $40 – Three Day Pass
- $35 – Saturday & Sunday Pass
- $20 – Friday Only
- $30 – Saturday Only
- $25 – Sunday Only
Free:
- Kids under 12 enter and shoot for Free! (adult supervision required)
- Spectators for the event are also FREE again this year.
ALL NEW THIS YEAR – ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR ARCHERY FEST! CLICK BELOW TO REGISTER ONLINE AT EVENTBRITE! WE’LL SEE AT WNYBF AUG. 25-27!!!
Competition Course Rules
HOURS:
Saturday:
8am-4pm – Cards turned in by 4:30pm
Shootoff: 5:30pm
Sunday:
8am-11am – Cards turned in by 11:30am
Shootoff:12:00pm
RULES:
COST: $10.00
Pro class will shoot from the red stake. Hunter class will shoot from the orange stake. Traditional and Women’s/Junior class will shoot from the blue stake.
Pro Class – All shooters qualify for this class. Shooters may use range finders. This class is for the best of the best.
Hunter Class – Fixed pins must be used, crosshairs or circle style pins without lens or magnification. If circle style pins are used, all circles must be the same size. Sights may not be adjusted after entering the course. Stabilizers may not be more than 12 inches long. Shooters may use range finders.
Traditional Class – Longbows, recurves, flat-bows, self-bows, are allowed in this class. Take downs are allowed. Any arrow material may be used. No sights or pins may be used. No elevated rest. All arrows must be shot from the shelf.
Women’s/Youth Class – This class is for women and youth (12-16). Any bow of choice can be used.
Misc. Rules and scoring
Shooting Stakes – Pro class will shoot from the red stake. Hunter class will shoot from the orange stake. Traditional/Women’s-Youth class will shoot from the blue stake. Shooters must touch the stake with their front foot.
Scoring – Scoring will be 11 for the center circle, 10 for the next ring out, 8 for the outer ring. A miss is scored as a 0. Hits anywhere outside the kill zone are classified as wounding the animal, and are scored as a (-5).
Competition and awards – To make it to the finals a shooter must score in the top four of any given class. If a tie occurs we will use the total score of five targets which we feel are some of the more challenging targets. If a tie is still present we will count the number of elevens. Any ties after that will be settled by a sudden death shoot off.
Scorecards must be turned in at 4:30 on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30. The shootout is on 5:30 on Saturday and 12:00 on Sunday.
SHOOT OUT:
The shootout consists of three targets at different ranges. Meet at the T-Shirt booth for the shootouts. No range finders allowed during the shoot-out.
Arrow needs to be inside the line to count for a score. ie. If an arrow is touching the 10 ring but most of the arrow is in the 8 it counts as an 8.
Event Schedule
Check back for new seminars & events to be added!
Friday, Aug 25
12pm-6pm: Registration
1pm-Dusk: Lower Archery Course (Swamp Trail)/Range open (No chairlift)
4pm-8pm: Inside grill in the lodge
Saturday, Aug 26
7am-8pm: Food and Beverage available in the main lodge
7am-Dusk: Archery Courses Open
8am-5:00pm: Ski Lift Open
8am – 4pm: Competition Course – Card needs to be turned in by 4:30
8am – 4pm: Kids under 12 can shoot to be entered to win a Mission Hammr bow at the DWS tent. Winner will be announced on Sunday with door prizes.
9am- 5pm: Vendor Booths Open inside and outside main lodge
All Day: Kids without Bows & Arrows can borrow for free (a $50 fully refundable cash deposit is required)
12pm: Kids’ Balloon Shoot at Kids’ Range
1pm: Seminar: TBD
3pm-6pm: Live Music with Josh Wolf in the lodge
5:30: Competition Shootout – Between the top 4 scores in each class (pro, hunter, traditional, women’s/youth)
Sunday, Aug 27
7am-2pm: Food and Beverages available in main lodge
7am-4pm: Archery Courses Open, (8am—3pm: Ski Lift Open)
8am – 11am: Competition Course – Card needs to be turned in by 11:00
8am – 11am: Kids under 12 can shoot to be entered to win a Mission Hammr bow at the DWS tent. Winner will be announced on Sunday with door prizes.
10:00am: Kids’ Balloon Shoot (at Kids’ Range)
9am-2pm: Vendor Booths Open inside and outside main lodge
All Day: Kids without Bows & Arrows can borrow for free (a $50 fully refundable cash deposit is required)
12:00pm: Sunday Competition Shootout – Between the top 4 scores in each class (pro, hunter, traditional, women’s/youth)
Directly Following the Shoot-out: Door Prize Drawing (Must be present to win)
Vendors
Interested in becoming a Bowhunting Festival vendor? We’re accepting applications NOW! Fill out the vendor application below and a member of our staff will be in touch!
Camping
Primitive camping is available. Camping is $10 per person for the length of your stay. Register and pay for camping online or right at the gate.
For more information on lodging accommodations and pricing, please email [email protected].
Sponsors
Thank you to our many sponsors!
Please contact Suzy at 607-545-6511 or [email protected] if you are interested in sponsoring this event for 2023.