On Target: Cliff Both Aims to be Razor Sharp for National Bowhunting Tournament

March 2, 2005

Climbing up a ladder atop his icy roof in February to fire arrows at targets 40 yards away is all part of the training for bowhunter Cliff Both.
“I know it’s an unsafe thing to do, but I have to keep my edge,” says the Cedar-area landscaper who’s honing up for one of the toughest archery contests in the country.
In early March, Cliff and his girlfriend Sherri Lautner plan to drive 1,000 miles to Columbia, South Carolina, where he’ll compete in the Buckmasters World Top Bow Regional Qualifier as one of 60 of the best archers in the country.
“It’s been a lifelong dream for me to do this tournament,” he says. “I had to prove my worth and fought tooth and nail to get in.”
Both luck and skill have been on his side so far -- Both won the last slot available in the tournament by scoring enough points to qualify in a shootout that involved firing arrows at video projections of deer on a target range.
At the tournament, he’ll face a much tougher challenge; a typical match might involve firing 10-11 arrows in 110 seconds at moving targets from a tree stand. “I’ll be going up against the best of the best in the world,” he notes. “These boys shoot 365 days a year.”
Is there much psychological pressure at the tournament?
“Totally,” he says. “As fast as you can load, they have these deer targets popping up all over. It takes me four seconds to load an arrow and then you only have a second to find the target and shoot while hundreds of people are out there watching you.”
Nor is it enough to simply hit the target. To win, a contestant must hit the deer in specific kill zones which vary depending on the angle of the target.
“They have electronic sensors on the targets that you have to hit in order to knock the deer down.”

CALL OF THE WILD
Both, 40, has been bowhunting since the age of 12. He estimates that he’s bagged 33 deer in that time, and that although he took up rifle hunting in 2000, his first love remains the bow.
“It’s just so much more exciting,” he says. “With a rifle, you see a deer at 200 yards across a field and -- bam -- it goes down and your heart gets beating. But with bowhunting, you hear the deer coming and there’s a lot of suspense -- you don’t know if it’s a doe or a buck or how big it is and your heart is beating with excitement the whole time over what’s going to happen.”
It’s not all just about hunting for Both, however. He’s also an ardent conservationalist with a deep love of wildlife. “I’m a bowhunting fanatic, but for me the best thing is being out in nature,” he says.
His home on 26 acres south of Cedar overlooks a vast swamp and woodlands teeming with animals. Both has spent many hours gazing through a spotter scope at his wildlife neighbors.
Last week, for instance, two cougars were spotted at the edge of the woods. And Both has seen a black bear in the vicinity, as well as a total of 15 bobcats. “Once I had a bobcat walk right under my tree blind just nine yards away and it never even knew I was there,” he says.
On another occasion, a great horned owl landed on a branch six feet away from his blind, blinking a time or two at him before dropping off in a noiseless stealth flight. Both has also been trailed by coyotes on hunting trips through the same swamp.
His level of woodcraft and knowledge of wildlife is such that he’s able to blend into the scenery. “I have 150 deer walk right under my blind every year and they don’t even know I’m there,” he says. “The feeling you get from experiencing nature that way is just so great.”

HANDS ON
Both is also involved in a Quality Deer Management campaign to strengthen the Leelanau County herd, which had suffered from too many does and few bucks. The plan allows young bucks to mature by requiring hunters to shoot only those which have at least three points to a side on their antlers.
He also plants crops on his property to benefit wildlife such as turkey and deer. “I don’t bait for deer,” he says. “It’s a controversial subject and I really wish they’d do away with it. Creating food plots for deer is a lot better idea and it provides food that makes them healthier.”
Both notes that a deer’s favorite food is the acorn, followed by corn. But corn is a quick energy food that provides little in the way of protein. Instead, Both plants chickory, clover and other grazing crops which provide up to 36% of the protein deer need, promoting maximum antler growth in the process.

STRAIGHT ARROW
Both uses a relatively small bow, but one that packs a lot of punch: a 78 lb. PSE Xcellerator compound bow. In the upcoming contest, he’ll fire arrows from 15 different stations at distances ranging from 15 to 60 yards.
“For bowhunting, 25 yards is about the average range,” he notes. “A good hunter can shoot 40 yards, but 60 is almost unheard of.”
Asked how he rates himself as an archer going up against a world-class tournment, Both makes an inward calculation.
“I’ve always been a whitetail hunter,” he responds thoughtfully. “So I would rate myself as an archer as being very experienced. Most guys can extend their range out to 25 yards, but I’m very confident out to 45 yards.”
That means 45 yards, hitting a target the size of an apple tucked in behind a moving deer’s front leg. If you can do that, then you too might have a shot at the tournament, whose winner goes on to national and world championships.
For Cliff Both, getting a shot at the $25,000 world championship begins with a hurdle: how to raise more than $1,400 he needs to make it to the tournament in South Carolina in a few weeks. If you’d like to give Cliff a hand representing the bowhunting pride of Northern Michigan, contributions can be sent in his name to his home at 9767 S. Cedar Road, Cedar,
MI 49621.