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  4. /IBO Archery

IBO Archery

IBO (International Bowhunting Organization) is one of the major 3D archery organizations in the United States, running national and regional tournaments on bowhunting-themed 3D courses. IBO faces use simple concentric rings — an 11-ring inner spot at the centre of the 10-ring, surrounded by an 8-ring vital area and the body silhouette — making them visually less busy than ASA faces.

Details

IBO national events run on standardized animal targets at color-coded stake distances. The Pink stake is 20 yards, Red is 30, and Blue is 50 — each colour corresponds to a class. Bowhunter classes shoot Pink/Red; Open and Pro classes shoot Red/Blue. A round typically covers 20 targets across two days, with arrow scoring on a per-target basis.

Scoring is straightforward: 11 (centre dot, 11 points), 10 (the kill ring, 10), 8 (the vital ring, 8), body (anywhere on the silhouette, 5 points), and miss (off the silhouette, 0). No calling mechanic, no asymmetric zones — the design is meant to mirror real bowhunting shot placement decisions. The 11-ring on McKenzie IBO targets is approximately 25% of the 10-ring diameter (so on a medium target where the 10 is 5 inches, the 11 is around 1.25 inches).

For training, scaled IBO faces reproduce the same ring geometry at a calibrated print scale. The 11/10/8/body cascade also serves as the geometric base for our WA-3D and IFAA practice prints, which reuse the same physical face geometry but apply different scoring rule overlays.

How BowSmith helps

IBO is one of the built-in 3D scoring formats in BowSmith — log per-target hits, track per-stake averages over time, and compare your scores across classes from the same round.

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Related on BowSmith

Glossary

  • ASA Archery
  • WA 3D Archery
  • IFAA Archery
  • Scoring Rings
  • Vital Area

Printables

  • Printable Target Faces

Common questions

What does the 11-ring mean in IBO scoring?
The 11-ring is the small inner spot at the dead centre of the 10-ring. Hitting it scores 11 points instead of 10, rewarding centre-mass precision. The 11 is roughly a quarter-inch to one-inch diameter depending on target size — small enough that it's a deliberate aim rather than a free upgrade on every 10.

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