It's true, Pennsylvania's archery deer season is more than half a year away.

But shooting your bow in the woods never goes out of season.

Next weekend, April 14-15, is the Super Bowl of 3-D archery shoots in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The 19th annual Pennsylvania Spring 3-D Bowhunters Festival is scheduled for both days at the J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation — aka Camp Mack — on Route 501 in Brickerville, just north of Route 322.

How big is it?

Well, the main attraction is 100 targets set up on five courses open from dawn to dusk Saturday and dawn to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

You can shoot them all, or pick and choose whichever courses suit you.

Whatever your skill level, there's a course for you.

Also during those times, there's a fleet of novelty shoots, including the spinning cobra, flying turkey and long-distance moose.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, a coon shoot begins.

Archers walk a course with 14 3-D raccoon targets, each of which is fitted with reflective eyes.

One person shines a flashlight at the target so the eyes glow, while the shooter takes aim.

At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the targets used during the weekend will be sold in an auction.

Some of them will be pretty rough, but there will be more than a few that will have a lot of life left in them — particularly the bigger, more expensive targets.

Some years the bidding is intense, but there are times when you can get good deals.

Archery equipment vendors will be set up in the open pavilion throughout the daytime shooting hours, and there's plenty of food available.

If you want to make a full weekend getaway of it, there is limited on-site camping allowed. Call Gary Guare at 626-5674 for details.

Tickets, which provide access to the five shooting courses, are $17 for Saturday only, $14 for Sunday only, and $25 for both days.

The coon shoot costs $3.

Kids age 12 and under shoot for free, as long as they're accompanied by an adult.

There's even a free, 10-animal kids' course, where equipment will be provided to those who don't have their own bows and arrows.

The weekend event is hosted by the Big Buck Archers and Big Chiques Bowmen archery clubs, but proceeds from the festival go to the Boy Scouts of America.

P.J. Reilly is the Sunday News' outdoors writer. Email him at preilly@lnpnews.com.