Have a shot at archery: Eurobodalla Archery Club trial day

Mr Bugh spent his teenage years hunting game in the English countryside with a shotgun.

When he moved to New Zealand in his mid 20s, he applied his skills to a new, albeit historically antecedent, projectile weapon - the bow.

"It's just like golf," Mr Bugh said, "But I'm not good with a ball like those golfers."

It was only upon his retirement that Mr Bugh retook up the sport, joining the Eurobodalla Archery Club - of which he is now president.

Mr Bugh can now be found three or four times a week at the club range north of Moruya, lining up animal-shaped targets poking out from the bush.

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A round of archery consists of shooting at 20 targets. The club doesn't use Olympic-style round targets but canvas animal pictures with different rings for points. Targets range from six metres away with a top score zone just 40 millimetres wide, to 44 metres away with a top score zone 150 millimetres wide.

Each round is out of 400 points, which allows archers to compare their results and try hone their craft.

"It's about competing against yourself," Mr Bugh said.

"You're always trying to improve your form and keep persistent. It's quite a mental discipline."

The earliest recorded archery was by the Egyptians - using bows for hunting and warfare as long ago as 10,000 BC. However many cultures across around the world throughout history have developed their own form and equipment.

The first known official archery competition occurred in England in 1583.

Not much has changed in that time.

The Eurobodalla Archery Club still uses a mixture of traditional bows - what Mr Bugh calls the 'Robin Hood' style longbow - recurve bows made famous by the Mongols and now used in Olympic competition, and the recently developed compound bow.

The compound bow - which uses a series of pulleys to reduce the force the archer must use to hold the bow at full draw - was developed in the 1970s. It was the first major development in bow design in 300 years or more.

Eurobodalla Archery Club is holding a trial day on Sunday October 9 to encourage community members to give archery a shot. Mr Bugh said anyone aged eight to 80 could shoot; targets and distances can be changed to suit the archer's ability.

More information is available on the Eurobodalla Archery Club Facebook page: facebook.com/eurobodallaarcheryclub