How to Get into Your First Archery League?

A couple of years ago I decided to buy my first bow. I purchased a Matthews Mission bow from a small archery dealer in southern Illinois where my best friend J’ s son had purchased his bow. The owner took the time to set my sights and helped me shoot several shots before leaving. He told me to practice close to the target and work my way in distance as I improved.

A year later J. began working at a local gun and archery shop in north-central Illinois, where we both lived at the time. The bow guy at the shop spent more time helping to tweak my sites and stance for shooting. He also spent time helping to guide me in shooting and how to stand. He encouraged me to practice often and then invited me to join the archery league they were starting up.

I cannot express how important it is to get to know your local shop owners and spending time with them is to any hunting experience. I’ll likely spend some time in a future article sharing even more on this subject, but I can say his help and advice were invaluable.

Camaraderie, Fun, and Growth with the Bow

J. had purchased a new PSE bow, and in late January we both joined the archery league, which started in February. We would shoot on Tuesday evenings after the gun shop closed and we would shoot for ten weeks. I will admit, being new to archery I was a bit nervous about shooting with a group of other shooters. My nerves quickly subsided when I realized that the only person, I was truly competing against was myself. Sure, we kept score and compared our shots, but everyone in the league was at different levels of experience. We had a resident expert giving advice and direction to improve each week.

I was shooting alongside my friend J. who had a little experience shooting, a man in his thirties who was a novice, a young man who had been white tail hunting for several years, and a teenager just starting out. It was the first year the gun shop hosted a league, but it was fun. The greatest joy was not in seeing who was winning, but in seeing how I was improving.

Being a novice myself I was hoping to improve and see that I could use my bow the next year to hunt. I listened to the advice of the expert and others with whom I was shooting. I improved most weeks, and the few weeks I plateaued, which I discovered was just a part of the growth process.

Now I will say that this league was not a professional league, but we were using standard scoring, as the expert at the shop did compete regularly. The greatest part of league shooting, like with many league sports is the camaraderie. There was a lot of encouragement this first year. Learning also helped me to determine that at my age, ability, and fear of extreme heights I would be better off hunting with a crossbow. I didn’t want to worry that I wouldn’t hit quite as well from the ground and only injure an animal, because I’ve always been taught to take what you shoot.

What Kind of Archery League Should You Join?

There are a variety of leagues that you could join. At the end of this article under Find Local Archery Leagues is a list of places to find information on local leagues throughout the country. The real question you should consider is why are you joining a league? Like any sport it can be for fun or it can get pretty serious. It also may depend on the time of year you plan to get involved or the amount of time you want to dedicate to archery league shooting.

Common Times Archery Leagues Start Up

The time of year that can help you grow in your skill may seem unimportant, but there are often leagues that offer winter or fall archery leagues. Winter leagues usually fall sometime from January to April. Often this can help you coming out of archery hunting season to continue to stay focused on shooting for a couple more months. It may help you to see how well your sights, strings, and other equipment are doing as you prepare to step away from shooting for a few months. This was the type of league I joined a few years ago at the local gun shop.

There are also fall archery leagues, which usually start up in late August or September. This often allows you to sight in your bow, and make sure all of your equipment is in working order for the upcoming archery hunting season.

Consider Your Commitment Level to Archery League Shooting

You should also consider how serious you plan to get with shooting. Many local archery leagues offer the fun of coming together with others and sharing hunting and shooting stories. These make great leagues for family and friends to join together.

As with any sport you can get as serious as you want with archery league shooting. If you get into it you might even start competing to higher levels and go to competitions throughout the country. When you get to this level of archery leagues the costs will be higher and travel will be involved. The gentleman who was the expert in the local league I had been in, had traveled around the country to competitions over the years.

The real question you need to ask is how much time, money, and competitive focus you are looking for. Depending on your answer to these questions you can begin to look for archery leagues for you or your family to join in your local area.

Finding Local Archery Leagues

To find the best local archery leagues, you may have to do a little personal research in your area. However, you can find a lot of connections through online resources, such as some we will be listing below. Many of the national archery shooting leagues list local leagues, so you can try to locate one in your area. The following is a list of some places to begin your search for a local league.

Check with Local Archery Shops:

Many local shops are the greatest source of information on where to join leagues nearest you. Some may offer their own leagues or be a part of USA ARCHERY or NATIONAL FIELD ARCHERY ASSOCIATION. If they offer their own leagues for winter or fall shooting they will likely follow the rules established by one of these organizations.

The best local resource in any area is going to be found by connecting with local archery experts and shooters in your part of the country. This means going to the local shops that specialize in archery shooting, and talking with them about if they have or know of league shooting in your area.

USA Archery Clubs**: 

USA Archery offers clubs and age level leagues throughout the United States. If you go to their website you can find a list of local clubs in your area. They also list the common scoring for their leagues, which again may offer variations depending on how serious the local club you join may be. Many of the USA Archery Clubs will meet for indoor archery leagues. Indoor leagues are fun in the winter, but for some it may not offer the challenge that some are seeking to stay up on shooting in the off season.

National Field Archery Association

National Field Archery Association is another national organization that offers leagues. National Field Archery leagues offer indoor and outdoor shooting. They also have their own target shooting options, and in some place even offer 3-D shooting leagues. The outdoor shooting may appeal to some hunters who are looking to hone skills in wind and outdoor conditions.

Specific to Michigan:

I currently live in Michigan and know a couple of places that offer leagues or information on local leagues.

• West Michigan Archery Center**: Located in Rockford, Michigan just off 131 they offer a variety of archery leagues and helps with archery shooting.

• State of Michigan Archery Classes and Clinics**:**

The State of Michigan offers information on local archery leagues through the Department of Natural Resources website.

• Centershot Ministries Archery Leagues**: Centershot Ministries archery leagues are a Christian archery leagues ran in churches throughout the country. They are often focused on youth shooting, and some even offer youth bows at their facilities for those just starting out. They offer instruction for novices, devotional times, and time for shooting and competition. Some churches have expanded to offer shooting for adults and parents to get involved as well. I know of one church in Ashkum, Illinois that was starting in late January of 2025 with a Centershot league for youth and adults. This particular league was open to anyone in the area. To find out more contact the church at their website Trinity Church, Ashkum.

As you can see getting involved in archery league shooting is a fun way to connect to others and build family unity. It can also help you hone your archery skills. There are different leagues for different skill levels. They meet at various times of the year. Finally, you can find a league to fit what you desire if you take a little time to check out what offerings are in your area.