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Where we've been

BowFest 2026, from the shooting line

July 23, 2026 – July 26, 2026

Mont du Lac Resort, Superior, Wisconsin, USA

BowSmith had been on the App Store for three weeks when I went to Wisconsin for BowFest. No booth this time: I went as an archer, scored the courses with the app on my phone, and showed the session summaries to anyone who asked.

— Michał

A compound bow standing on its kickstand in the grass at the top of a ski hill at sunset, with the chairlift and woods below.

The trip

  1. Mathews, Sparta, Wisconsin

    Before the festival, a stop at the Mathews factory.

  2. Archery Country, La Crosse, Wisconsin

    Then Archery Country, where Dan helped me order my Mathews ARC34 in custom colours, to pick it up for BowFest.

  3. BowFest, Mont du Lac Resort

    Four days of 3D courses, a practice range on the ski hill, night shoots and a lot of good company.

Scored in BowSmith

Three of the rounds I scored that week, as the app's session summaries.

The app's session summary for Triple Arrow 3D on 24 Jul 2026, with the score of every target, shared as an Instagram story that reads: Just scored 488 in Triple Arrow 3D, 24 Jul 2026! Accuracy: 85.7%.

Triple Arrow 3D

Jul 24, 2026

Score
488
Accuracy
85.7%
Targets
30
The app's session summary for the BowFest PSE course, an IBO 3D round on 25 Jul 2026, with the score of every target, shared as an Instagram story that reads: Just scored 164 in PSE course! Accuracy: 95.0%.

BowFest PSE course (IBO 3D)

Jul 25, 2026

Score
164
Accuracy
95.0%
Targets
20
The app's session summary for NFAA 3D on 25 Jul 2026, with the score of every target, shared as an Instagram story that reads: Just scored 133 in NFAA 3D, 25 Jul 2026! Accuracy: 85.0%.

NFAA 3D

Jul 25, 2026

Score
133
Accuracy
85.0%
Targets
20

What archers told me

  • The session summaries started more conversations than any feature list.
  • The most-asked-about missing piece was bowhunting.
  • Watching people use the app showed where navigation got in the way, mostly in tuning sessions.
Read the longer write-up on my blog(opens in a new tab)

Photos

  • The front of the Mathews Inc. building, with its name over the entrance and a flag beside it under a cloudy sky.
    Mathews, Sparta, Wisconsin
  • A man in a cap and shorts posing in front of a long warehouse wall lettered Mathews Archery.
    Outside the Mathews factory
  • Instagram story: two men in an archery shop under a mounted deer head and an Archery Country sign, one holding a compound bow. The text reads: Got my bow for @bow_fest 2026!! It carries a La Crosse (Wisconsin) location tag and @archeryctry.
    Archery Country, La Crosse: picking up the bow
  • Archers on a shooting line at the foot of a grassy ski slope, with 3D animal targets spread up the hill and a chairlift above.
    The practice range on the ski hill
  • Three men smiling together on a grassy field on a sunny evening, with other visitors behind them.
    On the festival grounds
  • A man in a cap and sunglasses holding a black compound bow and giving a thumbs-up in a wooden shooting shed, with a target face behind him.
    In the shooting shed
  • Instagram story: three men standing together, the one in the middle with a mohawk. The text reads: Mohawk @tyjjordan_, Mohawk @podiumarcher and European guy. Have fun at @bow_fest.
    Two mohawks and a European
  • Instagram story: a selfie of a man and a boy with arrows in his quiver on the festival grounds. The text reads: Me and the future BowBoy, @bowbeauoutdoors. Sorry @bowboy_77, we are boomers. It carries a Mont du Lac Resort location tag.
    With a young archer at Mont du Lac
  • Instagram story: a selfie of two smiling men with targets on the hillside behind them. The text reads: Discount code BMac at @bow_fest might save you a little money!! It carries a BowFest location tag.
    A selfie on the grounds
  • A 3D bear target at dusk, hung with small coloured lights, beside a sign with the number 14.
    Night shoot: bear target 14
  • A white 3D rabbit target glowing in the dark on a grassy slope.
    Night shoot: a glowing rabbit
  • Instagram story: three men smiling in front of a vendor tent, two of them giving a thumbs-up. The text reads: Great talks with the top people from @psebows. Thanks Jad and Tom, Sicario is on my list. You build great bows. It carries @bow_fest and BowFest tags.
    Talking bows with PSE
  • Instagram story: a selfie of a man and a young woman in front of a vendor tent. The text reads: Another future player for the archery industry, @jordannmannonn. Observe her, it was a pleasure to meet you at @bow_fest. It carries a Mont du Lac Resort location tag.
    Meeting people at Mont du Lac
  • A selfie of three smiling archers in chest packs at the edge of the woods, one giving a thumbs-up.
    On the course
  • A mown lane through a meadow edged by trees, with the long shadows of two archers and a small course sign.
    Long shadows on the course
  • A selfie of three archers giving a thumbs-up in an open meadow in evening light.
    Thumbs up in the evening light
  • A black 3D bear target among ferns and shrubs, beside a sign with the number 7.
    Bear target 7
  • A ski slope at dusk with 3D animal targets glowing yellow above a practice range banner, and the chairlift at the top.
    The practice range at dusk
  • A black 3D bear target sitting upright on a bare slope among green leaves.
    A sitting bear in the woods
  • A 3D whitetail deer target in the woods, beside a sign with the number 14.
    Deer target 14
  • A selfie of two bearded archers in caps and pack harnesses among birch trees.
    In the woods on the last morning
  • A small pond with a wooden dock at the end of a gravel path, surrounded by trees.
    A pond on the grounds
  • A man in a cap next to a BowFest sign with the slogan Live it and the word Welcome.
    At the BowFest welcome sign

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