Home of Suffolk Archers and Bow Hunters - How to Get Started in Archery

We often get enquiries about how to get started in archery, or how to get a child or a friend started in archery. The answer is not as simple as “join Suffolk Archers,” as this really is the second step. When such requests come in via the Club’s Hot Line Telephone number -- 516 873-8898 -- the answer is discussed and then sent in a letter or email.

The typical text of such an email is presented below. It is information for all who want to know how to get started in archery.

Dear Archery Candidate:

You've come to the right place with your question about how best to get your children and yourself started in archery. I am chairman of the membership committee at Suffolk Archers, but my goal is to promote archery first and encourage membership in Suffolk Archers second, and only when appropriate for an individual or family. The truth is that once someone in this area becomes and archer -- by any means -- they soon discover that the 20-acre Suffolk Archers Archery Park is such an amazing place to shoot, that they seek membership.

First things first:

We do not rent bows at Suffolk Archers, so you must have your own equipment to shoot on our range. Don’t spend money to buy equipment until you understand what you need to be successful in the form of archery you prefer.

Since you are a beginner, it is important for you to know that it is not a good idea to buy a bow via mail order or from a mass merchandiser. Do that, and chances are it will be the wrong bow for you. Bows are very personal items that have to be fitted to you and your needs. Length, mass weight, draw weight, and the intended purpose of your bow need to be considered, as well as your own size, strength and preferences.

The place to start is at a professional archery shop. There are many in our region, and we urge you to do the research needed to find the one that “feels right” to you.

Contact one of these archery shops, tell them you are a beginner who wants to experience what it is like to shoot a bow before buying one. Ask if they will rent you a bow to shoot on their indoor range, and whether or not they provide beginner lessons. Ask if you can try several different compound and traditional bows, so you can decide which you prefer.

If you like what you hear, make an appointment to visit that shop for your first archery experience.

One such professional archery shop is C&B Archery in Hicksville. They have established a “learn to shoot a bow and arrow” program that caters to and provides discounts for persons who have contacted Suffolk Archers to learn how to get started in archery.

For your convenience we have invited all archery shops in the region to provide their contact information and facts about their own “learn to shoot a bow and arrow” program. Click here for information provided by archery shops.

Once you have tried several bows and have shot enough arrows at the shop range to realize how wonderful archery is, you will have learned enough to help you decide if you want to commit to being an archer. If the answer is yes, then its time to buy the appropriate equipment.

The Second Step:

Once you own the proper equipment and have shot it numerous times on indoor archery ranges, you are ready for an amazing outdoor shooting experience.

Consider these two choices:

1) Join Suffolk Archers immediately, or

2) Be our guest for a few hours at Suffolk Archers, where you will shoot with a member and tour the facility, thereby providing you with the information you need to decide if Suffolk Archers membership is right for you.

Now the commercial
Suffolk Archers owns 20-acres of prime forest on Pidgeon Hill Road in Huntington Station, about 1/4 mile south of Jericho Turnpike. It is devoted exclusively to archery. We are a family club, and this is a family facility. When you join Suffolk Archers, your spouse and all minor children under 21 are members for free. We have many families shooting with youngsters between 6 and 12 and many teenagers. Family membership can be as low as $200 a year (yes, that's the total per year for your whole family). As a member you have 24/7/365 access to the range, can participate in numerous events and shooting tournaments for free, and have ownership share points in the Club and its 20-acres of prime real estate. We have targets at distances from 20 feet to 80 yards, plus 28 shooting points along trails through the woods, each with 3D animal targets, paper targets and Knock-a-Block targets. Shooting trails and target locations are designed first and foremost for safety. Safety is taught, stressed, and enforced at Suffolk Archers.

For more information about our point of view on safety, click here to read the Safety Rules page of our membership application.

To become a member of Suffolk Archers you must understand these safety rules and sign your agreement to abide by them. Then a member of our Board of Directors will interview you to be certain you understand the safety rules and their importance, and to answer any questions you have, before you are approved for membership.

Our emphasis on safe behavior is one of the reasons we have not experienced an archery related accident in over 40 years.

The information from archery shops that have provided this web site with details of their “learn to shoot a bow and arrow” program is presented here as a public service. Suffolk Archers does not endorse any particular archery shop and does not charge for inclusion on this page. All archery shops in the region are invited to participate for free and all shops are listed alphabetically. Participating Archery Shops Listing Page.

Archery shop owners should click here for the form needed to submit their information.

Archery Equipment and Basic Techniques
There is much to learn about archery equipment, and much that has already been written about this subject. Instead of reinventing the wheel here, we urge you to search the World Wide Web and speak openly with the people at your favorite archery shop. Also visit our Archery Links page often, as we will be adding links as they come to our attention.

Club Brochure
Download our brochure

Membership Application
Click here to open, read and print the complete new Membership Application. Click here for a printable renewal application.

SAFETY RULES
Excerpted here from our Membership Application:

It is the responsibility of the “primary” member to ensure that all family members and guests entering upon the Suffolk Archers facility are familiar with these Safety Rules and that they agree to abide by them. Members of Suffolk Archers and their guests, whenever on the facility including when attending scheduled shoots, shall observe the following range and safety rules to insure the safety of all participants.

1. Absolutely No Broad heads to be shot on the range or practice butts.
(Except at the Broad head Pit at the top of the range)

2. No crossbows or firearms will be shot anywhere on the range at any time.

3. Members and Guests, while using the practice butts or out on the range, will not cross or move forward of the shooting line, to retrieve arrows or for any other reason, until all shooting has ceased, and all shooters on the shooting line know and acknowledge that there is a cease fire.

4. Members and Guests while shooting at the range, either on a practice day or tournament, will walk from target to target using the prescribed marked trails, in an ascending order. (Example: Target #7 to Target #8) No shortcuts or back-tracking allowed.

5. When looking for lost arrows, YOU MUST “PROTECT” THE TARGET. If you are alone take the paper target off the face of the butt and place your bow in front of the butt to let the next person know you are behind the butt. If you are in a group, one person must always stay visible, in front of the butt, knock-a-block or 3D target, “protecting” the target. If alone and looking for lost arrows at a knock-a-block or 3D target, place your bow conspicuously in front of the target to let the next person know you are there.

6. Members and Guests will only shoot at prescribed target butts, 3 D targets, Knock-a-Blocks, etc. (no aiming at trees or animals).

7. Never shoot up into the air, Suffolk's Range is not a flight range. Point arrows only at targets during the drawing process. If your bow draw-weight is so high that you must point your arrow skyward to pull the string, reduce poundage.

8. Never put an arrow on the bow string until it is safe to shoot.

9. It is the responsibility of every archer to insist upon strict standards of safety and courtesy.

10. A person acting unruly or in an unsafe manner will be asked to leave.

11. The entrance gate shall be closed and locked upon entering and upon leaving to discourage trespassing and the combination of the lock shall be moved so that trespassers cannot learn the combination. Local emergency response teams have been provided with the lock combination, so they can enter in an emergency.

Make Suffolk Archers a SAFE place to shoot. Archery Safety is a matter of common sense, every precaution must be taken to insure the highest possible Safety standards.

CLUB POLICIES
Excerpted here from our Membership Application:

Senior Membership
After 5 years of membership, members who are age 65 or older have the option of paying $100. However, assisting with club duties two days each year is required if physically able, and members paying the senior rate receive only half of the annual ownership-share points they would have received by paying full dues.

Junior Membership
Available for primary membership by individuals between the ages of 13 and 18. Members under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian when using club facilities. Junior Membership Dues is $100. Assisting with club duties two days each year is required, and members paying the junior rate receive only half of the annual ownership-share points they would have received by paying full dues.

Military Membership
Full-time active duty military personnel, and those applying for membership in Suffolk Archers within one year of returning from active duty or being discharged from active duty, shall be entitled to one year free membership in Suffolk Archers, with all rights of full membership except they will receive no ownership-share points for the free membership period.

Dues Payment
Suffolk Archers collects dues based on a fiscal year running from April 1 to March 31. Members joining after the month of April will pay a prorated membership with this application based on 1/12th of the total dues for each month remaining before the next April 1st. For example, the first “annual” full dues for a new member joining anytime in the month of June is only $250 for membership. In this example, the first ”annual” dues for new members who opt to assist with club duties two days each year will be $150. All members must renew their annual dues by April 1st, or lose access to the 20-acre facility and Suffolk Archers programs, as well as participation in share ownership points.

April 1: Renewal Dues deadline. Payment by this date is required. Members who have not renewed by April 1 will not have the new annual gate lock combination and will be unable to enter the facility. April 30: Unpaid members shall be temporarily suspended and an additional $25.00 reinstatement fee shall be added to the annual dues of those who wish to renew at a later date. Unpaid members cannot prorate renewal fees and must pay full annual dues (minus discounts for optionally assisting with club duties one or two days each year).

Credits for assisting with club duties
Members can earn a discount of $50 a day for one or two days assisting with official club duties such as range maintenance and committee participation. Typically, these are completed by September 1. By opting for one of the discounted membership fees, members are signing a contract with Suffolk Archers. Members who break their contract will be assessed a dues adjustment as of September 1, unless prior special arrangements have been made for assisting with official club duties later in the year. The dues adjustment shall be the amount required to make the member’s dues equal to the full dues paid by members who opted not to assist with official club duties. Members who break their contract, and who do not pay the adjustment within 30 days of being billed will be suspended from club membership until such payment is received.

Liability Release Forms
All members must sign a liability waiver form. Guests entering the club facility are also required to sign a liability waiver form. Forms are available at the range and can also be downloaded here.

On the range, both blank and completed liability waiver forms are stored in the box at the top of the steps leading to the 10-30 yard practice butts. (If locked, the combination number is the same as the entry gate combination).

A First Aid kit is also available in this box.

Special Needs
The Suffolk Archers Board of Directors will evaluate special needs, and financial plans are available for hardship cases. Please call 516 873-8898, if you want more information.

Event Schedules, Updates and Club News
Suffolk Archers published a newsletter that will be emailed to your address and can also be accessed along with a great deal of additional information on this site.