Although the sport of archery is often linked to Robin Hood and his merry men gallivanting through Sherwood Forest, when it comes to the real thing, the serious work is done indoors.
"Our biggest season is the indoor season," said Silvertips Archers Club Junior Olympic Program (JOP) director Dawn Procter.
The non-profit club, established in 1953, is one of the most successful in the province, with members competing in B.C. Northern Winter Games, B.C. Summer Games, Western Canada Games and the Canadian National Archery Championships.
Archery is a four-season sport, and while the summer months are filled with target practice in the field, the winter is spent in the Austin Road elementary school gymnasium in a ramping up towards competitions.
Youth who are serious about competitive archery make their strides indoors. The club's Junior Olympic Program uses certified coaches to train young people between the ages of eight and 20 as they move through a series of merit certificates based on their individual skill.
"The coaching classes can be quite technical," said Procter, noting there is a lot of concentration on balance and focus, but that it's also fun.
"When you're dealing with kids, not matter what the activity [it has to be fun]," she said.
Last weekend, the club opened its doors (as they do for weekly Friday night drop-in sessions) for it's annual Turkey Shoot. The day was filled with archery games of chance with the winners taking home a turkey for supper.
Eight-year-old Seth Lakey didn't expect to nab a bird after having only been shooting since October, but he picked one up after the nailing the target in the Hidden Spot game.
"I wanted to be like a hunter with a bow," said Lakey about why he became involved in archery.
While that's a common reason for many to become involved in the sport, Oscar Soares said it's also a common misconception that's what it's all about.
"People think we're all just a bunch of hunters who go and kill furry animals," said the club's indoor facilities director. "The majority shoots for sport."
That's not to say club members don't get their practice on four-legged targets. During the summer, the club takes aim at three-dimensional animal targets as well as the flat field bulls-eyes.
"A lot of the outdoor shooting is the animal targets," explained Silvertip past president Ron Marwood. "I would say 60 to 70 per cent of our members prefer to shoot animal targets, but a lot of the animal target shooters have never shot at [real] animals in their life."
Plus, the fake 3D targets offer more variety, said Soares. These targets include snakes, dragons and dinosaurs, which can be a fun challenge for young people.
But it's not just young people who get a kick out of the sport.
Soares said he began shooting five years ago.
"My son go into archery, then I started volunteering [with the club] to help and then I slowly started shooting. It slowly grabs you to do more," he said.
Kirstin Rudolph of Far Fletched Archers in Fort. St. James brought a few club members to the Prince George event. Rudolph got involved in archery eight years ago after passing a bow in a sporting goods store and being inspired by Lord of the Rings.
"I bought myself a bow for Mother's Day and had to learn how to shoot it," she said. Soon, her whole family was involved in the local archery club. "It's no fun just watching other people."
The draw to the sport is the fact it can be done all-year round and that anyone can take part, Rudolph explained.
"We have a guy joining our club who has no wrist bones," she said. "There's another club with an archer with one arm and my dad started shooting when he was 74."
For those who are interested in trying out the sport, the club has a collection of equipment - and these aren't necessarily your typical Robin Hood bows.
"In the last 20 years, technology has changed archery immensely," Procter said. "Bows are shooting now at 345 feet per second and are accurate to the size of a dime." But it all comes down to personal preference with all equipment.
"It's very rare to have the same arrows [as someone else]. Archers are pretty particular - it's like a fashion thing," Procter said. "Some guys are really hardcore and have their wooden arrows, then you get some guys who are very technical."
To learn more about getting involved in archery, visit the Silvertip Archers Club online at www.silvertiparchers.net.
