ITBS Rendezvous '08

A Few Vendors on Sunday Afternoon

The ITBS Rendezvous is an annual, weekend-long event that is held in Ames, Iowa at the Izaak Walton League. This was my first year attending the Rendezvous so I went in not knowing what to expect, but I left glad that I made the trip. Overall the ITBS Rendezvous has excellent activities, an excellent course, and excellent people. I managed to take a few pictures to help convey the experience, some of which were from my phone (so pardon the quality on those).

Since this is a Saturday/Sunday event (like many trad gatherings), I wanted to get there Friday night to help maximize my time there. As it turns, I was forced to leave in the wee hours of Saturday morning (4:30am) instead. The forecast was calling for rain both here and in Ames all weekend, and sure enough I had to pack my car in the rain and leave during a downpour. The radar for here (Hull) and Ames looked pretty messy, but fortunately things turned out much better than predicted - Sunday afternoon ended up sunny with temps in the 80's.

The Speed Shoot

So how much does the Rendezvous cost to attend? For $15, members get unlimited shooting and the ability to camp out for the weekend - that cost jumps to $20 for non-members (still a very reasonable expense for a weekend's entertainment). Registration officially takes place during the morning and early afternoon, but you can generally find an ITBS member around the shelter house if you drift in later. You needn't feel bad about spending your $15, though since registration automatically gets your name in the drawing for Saturday evening's prize blanket (picture a blanket piled with trad-related goodies of all sorts; my $15 came back in the form of a Fred Bear movie while others ended up with $25 Sportsman's Warehouse certificates, string jigs, a dozen fancy POC arrows, and more.

This year there was an additional drawing with Winter Bow Shoppe donating a custom longbow to the winner of a Sunday noon raffle. Raffle tickets were only $1/each, so it was easy to buy yourself several chances. The winner did not have to be present to win, which was a bonus for people who were unable to stay for the entire weekend.

Polar Bear on the 3D Range

As with most other traditional get-togethers, one of the main attractions is the 3D course. The Izaak Walton League makes a perfect backdrop for 3D's, with existing trails and archery backdrops that twist throughout their timber. The trails allow for long and short distance shots up hills, down hills and between trees. This year there were approximately 40 targets divided into trails on two halves of the camping area - they ranged from foxes to lions to polar bears. Daring souls could even attempt a shot at a deer floating on a platform in the pond - fortunate archers could reel the arrow-laden target to shore via a rope while less fortunate archers bid their arrows a watery farewell.

Shooting Across the Pond

Much of the Rendezvous is informal, with only a handful of organized activities - a Speed Shoot, the Seneca Run, Lighted Aerial targets, and the Lob Shoot. Each of these events costs $1 to participate (with aerials and lob shots allowing multiple tries). I would say the most anticipated event on Saturday was the lob shoot - the Izaak Walton features a large man-made pond with a dirt levy on one end and a hill jutting into the pond on the far side (100+ yards away). Archers pay $1 for the chance to shoot 3 arrows across the water at a Delta Bison target - an orange clay pigeon on the kill zone marks the winning spot. The archer closest to breaking the pigeon (or breaking the pigeon) wins a prize, which I believe was a custom knife this year. A similar lob shoot is held at a shorter distance on the edge of the pond allowing kids the chance to dunk some arrows as well. You can refer to the picture gallery for proof of the watery carnage that a strong headwind can wreak on the lob shoot... fortunately a team of faithful kayakers is kept on hand to fish arrows out of the drink.

Retrieving Lob Shoot Arrows

A good number of vendors attend this shoot, with a pair of full-line archery shops making an appearance as well as one leatherworker, four bowyers, and a handful of smaller shops. A nearby range is setup to accomodate the shops, giving customers the chance to try out bows before making a purchase.

What about food and lodging? If you can find a suitable patch of grass large enough for a tent, then your lodging is taken care of. There are no offical camping "spots" - they are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis (another reason to arrive Saturday morning or earlier). A school-bus-turned-cafe is on-site all weekend making sure that hungry folk can find a reasonably priced breakfast and lunch without having to leave the campground.

So to prep for next year...

• Plan to show up either Friday night or Saturday morning
• Bring money for registration, food, and the organized shooting activities
• Make sure to register in the morning
• Stay for the blanket drawing Saturday night (have to be present to win)
• Bring extra arrows so you don't have to feel guilty about losing some in the trees or pond.
• Bring money for vendor shopping
• And again, figure on meeting a good group of folks

                 

Here are a few more pictures - I'll have more on the way later