RED LODGE — After years of taking aim in Big Sky, the Total Archery Challenge (TAC) has found a new home in Red Lodge.
The event brought together archers from across the region, including a group of longtime friends from Spokane, Wash., who made the trip to test their aim—and share some laughs.
Watch how archers of all ages take aim, remember loved ones, and redefine the challenge:
For some, the draw of the event lies in its technical sophistication. For others, it is about stripping the sport down to its roots.
“These particular arrows are Doug Fir arrows. Total weight is right around just shy of 500 grain, 125 grain field point tip, and then turkey feather,” said Scott Wilsey, who has been shooting a traditional recurve bow for years.
While most participants at the Red Lodge event relied on high-tech compound bows equipped with modern sights and release triggers, Wilsey opted for a setup that looks more like something out of a history book.
“Just like tying my own flies, I enjoy building my own arrows. So, I like that. I like the fact that I don’t need to deal with adding weight to my carbon arrows,” said Wilsey.
For Wilsey, the challenge is not a hurdle but the point of the whole exercise.
“For lack of a better way of describing it, some folks like to do it the hard way,” said Wilsey.
That approach comes with a cost. Not in dollars, but in time.
“This is the one that hit the rock. The tip popped off, and it actually broke the—just lost the tip on the one in the tree,” said Wilsey, showing damaged arrows.
Each repair takes about 30 minutes. Making a dozen from scratch can take up to six hours.
At the other end of the technological spectrum, archers such as Doug Wieber lean into modern innovations.
Wieber has been shooting bows since the 1980s, but stepped away from the sport for some time.
“I quit shooting because my hunting partner got a brain tumor and died. So, because of the camaraderie, that’s what we did it for,” said Wieber.
Now, he is finding a new kind of camaraderie on the course. This weekend, Wieber returned to the mountain with his 16-year-old grandson, Beckham Stearns—one of 10 grandchildren now learning the sport.
“Right now, we’re just having fun,” said Stearns.
