With little or no breeze and temperatures stretching into the mid-90s — not to mention a heat index of more than 100 degrees — 88 archers took to the wooded trails of Pigeon Hill Conservation Area for the St. Joe Bowhunters 3D Shoot of the Season.

“We were excited to see so many people show up today,” said Mary Ritzer, secretary of the St. Joe Bowhunters.

With the excessive heat and the fact that two other major 3D Shoots were going on in Missouri at the same time, she was happy with the number of local shooters who didn’t let the heat put a damper on the fun.

3D shooting, for those who have never tried it, is a lot like playing golf. Participants must walk from one station to the next — often in fields or forests — while shooting targets of various types at unknown distances.

Like golf, where you need to be able to judge how far the hole is to choose the right club, a 3D shooter must guess the distance to the target and do everything right to place their arrow in the correct spot and receive a high score.

3D shooters must learn to estimate yardage in their heads, as rangefinders and discussing distance to the targets with other shooters is not permitted until after the shot.

Unlike golf, where you’re trying to keep the score low, 3D shooters are aiming for as many points as they can get. A well-placed arrow earns a shooter anywhere from 5 to 12 points, while an incorrect judgment in distance will often result in an arrow missing its intended target, resulting in no points at all.

While many use 3D Shoots as a fun and competitive way to refine their bowhunting skills, many shooters just participate because they enjoy shooting or possibly the chance to compete in larger state and national competitions.

The shoots offered by the St. Joe Bowhunters Club and others throughout the state offer a little something for people of all ages and skill ranges. There are Pee Wee, Cub and Youth categories for younger shooters like St. Joseph’s Dylan Burns, who was participating in his first shoot ever and had a good time.

For adults, there are men’s and women’s categories for those who shoot with fingers or releases, a bowhunter class for those prepping for the hunting season, a sportsman class, and an open class for those who enjoy more competitive shooting and advanced equipment at more distant targets.

Those who prefer using less sophisticated bows will enjoy shooting in the traditional class. There’s even a “fun” class for people who don’t want to compete but just enjoy shooting. This is a non-competitive class, which allows archers to shoot from any distance they choose.

For those who’ve grown tired of shooting at store-bought square targets, 3D archery offers a great alternative in some fairly realistic hunting situations. 3D shoots offer targets that resemble life-sized animals. The types vary depending on each shoot, but you’ll often see everything from deer, sheep, turkeys, bobcats, cougars and even some unusual targets such as a baboon or even a dinosaur.

Outdoors reporter Jeff Leonard can be reached at outdoors@npgco.com