Now the funny thing is you know whenever you shoot at Fleet Ibex you ARE going to get wet. It has never fails to rain when you shoot there but this Sunday was going to be a novel experience for all. With the Sun blazing through the trees throwing shadows all over the place we were praying for a bit of rain by the end of the day just to cool us down. But as always with British weather it does what it wants and we must have had the hottest day of the year, so far, so it was a case of factor 30 Sun Cream and plenty of bug spray. With hot sunny weather like this their was a chance of seeing Adders but alas, for John, this was not to be the case. Quite fortunate in one way because he would have had me catching them to take home Hmmmm. John also decided he was going to be shooting the Junior pegs today, rather than the cub pegs, and this provided him with an extra challenge but given his new bow the distances were no problem.
Although their were a number of Westcott archer there we would not be shooting with any of our fellows and instead met two new / old faces for what was going to be an exceptionally good days shooting.
With the traditional Bacon Baps scoffed and the administration out of the way we were off to our first target, number 37 again, and find out who we would be shooting with for the day. Having reached the peg we exchanged hellos and cards with Sid and Ken and after usual hellos and where have we shot together before conversation the horn was blown and it was time to shoot.
The first target of the day was going to be a Javelina through the trees and up a light incline not a bad first shot of the day especially as I wounded it with the first. A good start but unfortunately it was not going to last. Having shot the pig it was of the 38 and a Standing Deer over some fairly open ground but with the tricky trees at the end. Three arrow later, as the say "You paid for them", a 4 was all I had and John was beating me. Oh well the next was a tricky Mini-Bear through the branches and undergrowth and another 4 but surely that wasn't going to last.
Moving on it was time for a longish downhill Wolf shot from the shaded Red into the Sunlight and a 16, The contrast of light and shade was going to be par for the course making the photography difficult and the shooting entertaining. Having completed the Wolf it was back to the tea hut and straight through to number 1 a tricky Bobcat and another 4. A uphill Prong Horn Antelope was the next target that was further than it looked with a lot of our arrows dropping short but a low leg shot gave me a 10 and then it was off the the next a Bedded Deer and another 4.
With a course as well laid as this one target 4 a master piece of building. The course layers had built a platform up a tree from which we were to shoot all three arrows at a Standing Deer. Given that John was shooting the Junior pags that meant he could take his first from the platform which he thought was great.
Having only scored an 8 on the deer the next Baboon was to give me a 16 and start a trend for the rest of the day. The Wolf that followed was entertaining to say the least and the picture, right, does not do it justice because if I stood up straight all I could see was the branch in front of me so squat it was. Having wounded the wolf it was off to the only 2D of the day a long Rhino and a wound on the first so my second was not required. Target 8 was a Turkey of a shot followed by lovely short Raccoon shot through the trunks of the trees and another 16.
A long Mountain Goat and tricky Bear through a V in the trunks of the trees followed and two more 10s before we reached a Beaver and the turn around of my fortunes starting a run of 16s with only one minor hiccup.
A bright Orange Frog was all that stood between us and a well deserved lunch break. It was hot in the trees and we all needed to re-hydrate.
With lunch over and all refreshed it was off to target 14 and a very well position Black Lump that turned out to be a Pig. Target 15 was Grazing Deer and my first blank closely followed by a Standing Deer and then a Doe and Fawn. One arrow at each and a double kill,the first of the day, so my second 20 started well.
Our next target was a Cheetah partially hidden behind the trees and then onto a long Mountain Goat shot through the trees. This was an excellent shot and did not allow for any errors but a first arrow wound was good enough for me. Next it was time for another Turkey through the trees. Target 21 was another long shot, longer than it seemed, at a partially hidden Bison or to more precise half a Bison because its bum was behind a tree. Entertaining but as I mentioned longer than it looked which meant only a 4. Oh well I could redeem myself on the next Standing Deer.
Next we had a single arrow Fox behind the stump of a tree that only Ken managed to hit and hence provided me with my second blank of the day.
Oh well, again, the next was a tricky little Turkey hidden behind a fallen tree and I managed to just go over the tree and hit the breast of the turkey only just but it counted.
With the turkey goose cooked it was off to a partially hidden Standing Deer over the undergrowth and if you had of been too short this one would have been fun but fortunately for me I'm not. With John shooting from the blue we were provided with a very picturesque scene. 
With the Deer out of the way it was time for a Skunk hidden, as you may guess, behind a tree stump and on past Clive's memorial to our last our last shot before a desperately needed tea break. A nice open Standing Deer provided us the shot we needed before the break.
Having fully re-hydrated it was off to target 27 and another Cheetah in the open and back into the Sun. Fortunately the next Standing Deer was back under the trees and some rest-bite from the heat and then on to another Standing Deer but this time ever so slightly uphill and over a bank making the shot more interesting than it first looked.
With only 6 targets to go it was on to a fairly open easy Turkey and then a long downhill shot at Fleets Giant Elk.
This was a wonderful shot and provided me with another 20 before we moved onto a small Skunk that was to bring me back to earth with a 10 well at least it make the maths easy. With Skunk out of the was it was off to shoot a Walking Bear from a Red Peg that had the Sun Light shining in just the wrong place. So although you could you could see the target when at full draw it disappeared and the image to the right gives you an idea of what the light was like. A Bobcat was our penultimate target and by this time a 14 was good for me because I was looking forward to an air conditioned car and something to drink. Our last target was a Standing Brown Bear down the hill and through quite a few trees. I was determined to finish the day as I started and was rewarded with a 16.
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