2026 Zombie Apocalypse

2026 Zombie Apocalypse Rules

October 31, 2026

Tournament Format-

·         Custom 40CM target face is used

·         20 ends of 3 arrows

·         More than one arrow can be in any one body part

·         20 yards

·         2 minute ends

·         Hybrid Tournament/NFAA/World archer rules followed

·         Divisions by Modified NFAA Age Divisions

Registration is open until Oct 26, 2026 Midnight.  Registration stays open until range is full or the Oct 26th date.  No Refunds after Oct 27, 2026.

Shooting Rules

1. Each end (time period to shoot three arrows) shall be 90 Seconds.

2. AB/CD Shooting Positions. Alternating Shooting

3. An archer shooting before the whistle signaling a 120 Second end or after the time has lapsed will lose their highest scoring arrow or arrows equaling the number of errant arrows shot.

4. If more than 3 arrows are shot during an end, only the lowest 3 arrows will be scored. A penalty of one point and one x (if applicable) will be assessed for each additional arrow shot. Misses will be counted as lowest arrows.

5. If an archer shoots less than three arrows in one end and retires from the line, they may shoot the remaining arrows if the omission is discovered before the end is officially completed and the line has not been cleared; otherwise they shall be scored as misses.

6. An archer who purposely disfigures a target face to improve aiming or for any other reason may be disqualified. Arrow holes may be repaired, provided there is no delay to the round.

7. Archers may request a new target at any time. Judge does have right of refusal if the target face is barely used. Judge can require a target face change if the target is damaged enough to make arrow calls difficult.

8. Any archer conducting themselves in an unsportsmanlike manner will be immediately disqualified and removed from the site.

9. Peak compound bow draw weight shall not exceed 60 lbs.

10. Maximum arrow shaft diameter allowed will be 0.422 inches, with a point diameter not to exceed 0.425 inches. The shaft diameter will include any wrap placed on the arrow and will include the size of the nock and the nock insert.

11. If the arrow wrap, nock, or nock adapter exceed 0.422 inches and are embedded in the scoring area, the arrow shall NOT be scored and will be reshot.

12. Any equipment that impairs the hearing of the competitor, such as electronic voice communication devices, headsets or noise reduction devices will not be allowed on the shooting line.

13. Any archer that is hearing impaired must notify officials prior to shooting.

14. Arrow twirling will be permitted as long as it is not disruptive or dangerous to other archers or the event. A warning may be given by a tournament official if the twirling or handling of an arrow is deemed as disruptive or dangerous. Repeated violations may result in the removal of the archer from the competition at the tournament official's discretion.

15. Target pins cannot be larger than 1.5” in any dimension from the surface of the target face. DSA will have target pins available.

16. No archer shall draw a bow in any manner that if accidentally released could fly beyond a safety zone or a safety backstop. A warning will be given on the first instance. The second instance will require the removal of the archer from the event.

17. The maximum total width of the archer and their equipment may not extend into the adjacent shooting lanes.

 

Protests:

Any incident requiring immediate decision must be brought to the attention of a judge. All protests must be submitted in writing to the Tournament Director within one hour of the conclusion of the round where the incident occurred, accompanied by $50 cash USD. The Tournament Rules Committee will convene approximately 1 hour after the last scoring end of each day to decide the outcome of each protest. All decisions of the Tournament Rules Committee will be final. The $50 cash protest fee will be returned if the Tournament Rules Committee rules in favor of the protest. No protests are allowed during shoot offs, judges decisions are final. A judges arrow call can not be protested.  In the protest, the protestor must supply the tournament or NFAA/World Archery rule in question.

 

 

 

 

Equipment Failure:

In the event of equipment failure, step back from the shooting line and raise your bow above your head. A judge will come to your assistance. The archer will have 15 minutes of repair time without holding up the tournament. No practice end will be allowed. The archer shall be allowed to shoot any arrows missed during the 15 minutes.

 

 

Special Zombie Apocalypse Rules

1. Custom target face used.

 

Scoring Rules

BetweenEnds.com is the official electronic system for scoring. Archers will be assigned their shooting position. It is not first come first serve. Archers will be responsible for understanding the scoring procedures and verifying their scores.

1. A judge will make all decisions on scoring questionable arrows; their decisions are final.

2. All arrows must remain in the target, untouched, until scoring is completed.

3. Any archer intentionally touching any questionable arrow or any part of the target assembly (including other arrows, faces, pins, mat or stand) will result in the questionable arrow being scored in the lower scoring area. If it happens more than once, then the archer will be disqualified. More than 1 arrow can be in any one body part.

4. The Zombie target face is scored in the following manner:  Eyes (not eyelids) are 6 points, Brain is 5 Points, Shirt including  shirted arms is 4 points, Face is 3 points, Arms and Pants are 2 points, Legs are 1 Point.

5. Arrows must touch the line to be in the next highest scoring area.

6. Any arrow that passes beyond the shooting line a distance greater than 3 Meter Line marked on the floor, is a shot arrow.

7. If an arrow is embedded in the target beyond the nock, a judge must be called and the arrow should not be touched. If the arrow is touched before the judge arrives, then the arrow is not scored. If a judge cannot determine the value of that arrow, it will be considered a pass through and will be re-shot. No arrows will be pushed back.

8. Bounce outs will be shot again at the end of regulation shooting.

9. Each competitor must complete and sign their own scorecard. Both scorers must also sign it. When there is a difference on the two cards, the lowest score must be taken. Scoring tablets and paper scorecards must be turned in at the scoring table, in your assigned arena or hall, immediately following shooting. To be considered valid, scorecards must be turned in within one hour of the final end.

10. All scoring on the official scorecard must be completed in ink. Any changes on the official scorecard must be agreed upon and initialed by all archers in the scoring group. Any archery turning in an incorrect scorecard will be subject to disqualification.

DSA Dress Code Policy

Pay attention to rule concerning shoes

1. Must present a professional, athletic appearance (torn, ripped, or heavily soiled clothing articles are not allowed).

2. Shorts, skorts, and skirts must be professional in appearance and length.

3. Camouflage clothing is only disallowed for broadcast/live streamed medal matches at national events and after the first cut at U.S. Team Trials Events.

4. Denim is allowed, but must not be torn, ripped or have holes.

5. Leggings (tight fitting/yoga-type stretch pants) are allowed but must not be transparent/translucent above the knee.

 6. Upper garments must cover the front and back of the body, and the midriff when at full draw. They must also have sleeves.

7. Shoes must cover the entire foot unless pre-approved by USAA due to an injury or disability. Sports/athletic shoes are recommended.

8. At no time will any article that bears wording, insignias, innuendo or images determined to be offensive or inappropriate be allowed. All hate symbols and hate speech on clothing, personal effects and your person is strictly prohibited, whether worn on the person or not.

The Event Organizer is responsible for the enforcement of this policy in conjunction with the Chair of Judges (COJ) or their designee. Policy Enforcement

• DSA officials have final discretion on the implementation of the Dress Code Policy.

• Should there be an actual or suspected violation of this policy on the field of play, during an event, report to the Event Organizer and the Chair of Judges (COJ) or their designee immediately.

• Any violation of the Dress Code policy is subject to removal from tournament.

 

Divisions will be divided by gender, bow type, and age.

Bow Types

·         Barebow Recurve

·         Freestyle Bowhunter-Modern Bowhunter Combined

·         Freestyle Limited Recurve

·         Freestyle

 

Age Divisions

·         Cub, 11 and younger

·         Youth, 12 to 14

·         Young Adult, 15-17

·         Adult 18-59

·         Senior 60+

 

Saturday October 31st, 2026

Session 1

7:15AM Check In

7:45AM Two Ends of Official Practice-Straight into scoring

Session 2

11:30AM Check In

12:00PM Two Ends of Official Practice-Straight into scoring

Awards Immediately following

Tournament insurance Waiver

By shooting in the tournament, you agree to this document.  You do not need to bring a copy.

 

Desert Sky Archers Wifi access.

Desert Sky has excellent Wifi.  But it is very expensive.  Many have asked if you can have the password to log onto our system.  We will be offering this for a modest fee per family, $5.  If needs to be purchased at time of registration so we can set up passwords and partitions.  Sharing this password with others outside of immediate family, well you can guess what happens.  Removal and loss of fee.

Ben Avery does have public Wifi to surf the internet and check your email but it can not handle heavy loads.

Desert Sky Archers takes photographs during the tournment put on social media.  The tournament is considered a public activity.  Being at the tournament gives DSA permission to take your picture, use on social media and put on our Smug Mug photo hosting site.  You are intitiled, for free, any watermarked photo you wish.  Tell us the photo you want and it will be emailed to you.

Reminder

Use Quantity Selector to match the number of sessions you registered for.  If they do not match, we will use the number you pay for and select a session for you.