The big whitetail casually rubbed his eight points on a tree limb at the edge of a small clearing in the dense autumn woods. Twenty yards away, an archer drew his compound bow and released, solidly striking the sweet spot behind the right shoulder.
With a quiet tap, the arrow fell to the floor.
Welcome to TechnoHunt, a high-tech digital archery simulator at The Archer’s Edge bow pro shop in Oakdale. The indoor system gives archers an interactive hunting experience and offseason practice shooting at hundreds of real-life video and still scenarios in a competitive league with about 70 participants.
“The main reason the technology is important is that it keeps bow hunters active when there are no hunting seasons open,” said owner Steve MacBride. “They like the variety and, I think, the camaraderie of the league. It makes my business less seasonal.”
An Archery Interactive TechnoHunt unit was part of the shop when Mr. MacBride opened in 2006. New scenes were added each year, and the league grew. A higher-end TechnoHunt model was installed with fresh Microsoft Windows software before the league shoots began Feb. 1.
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“It’s good practice,” said John Mueller of Castle Shannon, a devoted bow hunter who joined this year. “It’s not the same as a real hunting experience, but it’s close.”
League members pay for 12 sessions. Most use their own equipment, replacing broadheads and target points with blunt tips that harmlessly strike the Kevlar screen. Video scenes of actual wildlife — some purchased from hunters — rotate randomly. The computer marks the point of impact and calculates the score based on shot selection and accuracy. A shot that would likely kill the deer quickly and cleanly gets a high score. A bad shot scores worse than a miss.
“It’s trying to teach you to take ethical shots,” said Mr. MacBride. “Maybe the deer is facing you or behind some brush or angled the wrong way. Every 12 or 18 seconds another scene comes up, but you don’t have to shoot right away. You want to let the deer walk a little bit, turn broadside and stop before you take the shot.”
Mr. Mueller said, “It’s not like shooting at bull’s-eyes. You’re rewarded for shot placement, but it really teaches you patience, waiting for the proper angle and the right shot but not waiting so long that you lose the shot.”
A longtime archery deer hunter, Mr. Mueller prefers the virtual deer hunts. But TechnoHunt big game scenes also include elk, moose, bison and black bears. For variety, scenes can include wild turkeys, small birds, rabbits, coyotes and African safaris. Newer models present oddball shots at snakes, fish, a praying mantis and a couple of daddy longlegs.
“The difficulty varies, and it’s set up to challenge the shooter,” said Mr. MacBride. “You’re at 20 yards, but the animals can seem closer or farther on the screen. It makes it more difficult.”
Winter competitors get 25 shots per session for 12 weeks, and league action ends shortly before spring gobbler season. Mr. MacBride said he’s planning a four- or five-week fall league that will start in August to prime Allegheny County bow hunters for the special early antlered and antlerless season starting Sept. 19.
Non-league archers can rent TechnoHunt time on Saturdays, if space is available, at $18 per hour for a single shooter, $12 an hour for each of four shooters or more.
Mr. MacBride said he’s considering ways to encourage more participation. Some women and children belong to the league. Mr. Muller’s 9-year-old son had a special reason to join.
“Well, my name’s Archer, so .… I started shooting a bow when I was 3 and I go hunting with my dad, but I haven’t killed anything yet,” he said. “The league is fun. It’s good practice and it’s challenging. And I like spending time with my dad.”
The Archer’s Edge is at 7261 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, 15071. 412-489-5670 or steve@thearchersedge.com.
John Hayes: 412-263-1991, jhayes@post-gazette.com.
First Published: February 20, 2016, 5:06 a.m.
