Getting to the finals of the International Bowhunting Organization World Championships isn't easy. Jeff Bennett will attest to that.

But once the Harrisville resident finally got there, he proved he belonged there.

Bennett, 41, shot a 95 in the finals of the Men's Bowhunting Open class to top the field of 16 finalists in that division and to claim a world championship last month in Snowshoe Mountain, W.Va.

He has been bowhunting since 1991 and has competed at the IBOWorld Championships in each of the past six years.

"There were 238 guys in my class this year," he said. "It's a three-day event with everyone's scores from the first two days combined to determine the 16 guys who advance to the finals.

"I was never among those top 16 before this year."

Bennett's combined score was 398 over the first two days this year. That score was not only among the top 16 — it led the top 16.

He followed that up with his title-winning score of 95 in the final round, one point better than Charlie Monger of Big Run, Pa.

"During the finals, you compete in groups of four shooters, so you know how the other three are doing,"Bennett said. "You have no idea how the other 12 competitors overall are doing.

"My foursome was the first one out, so I had to wait until the other three groups got back in to see if my score would hold up."

The targets the shooters aim for consist of rings worth 11, 10, 8 and 5 points. The 11-point ring is extremely small and rarely hit.

Bennett hit the 11-point ring three times during the finals. Among the other finalists, only Jerry Whittington of Morganton, N.C., hit it more often.

During the first two rounds, Bennett shot with a competitor from Spain. He saw bowhunters from Hungary and Mexico as well.

"A lot of guys come down from Canada to do this,"he said. "It really is an international event. There were well over 1,000 bowhunters there, and they all had to qualify."

To qualify for the world championships, bowhunters must rank in the top 20 percent after at least one of three IBOTriple Crown tournaments, which are held in Bedford, Ind., Erie and Nelsonville, Ohio.

Bennett was among the top 20 percent after the first Triple Crown event. He also qualified by placing among the top 20 percent at the IBOIndoor World Championships in Cleveland in March.

His younger brother, 33-year-old Jason Bennett, also of Harrisville, finished second at that indoor competition. The younger Bennett also has qualified for the outdoor world championships on an annual basis.

"He's never made the cut yet, but Jason is the one who talked me into trying these tournaments,"Bennett said.

Bennett does not belong to any bowhunting club, but he often practices at the Shooter's Showcase in Slippery Rock and the Golden Grain in Sharpsville.

He also competes in numerous 3-Darchery shoots throughout the area.

"There are shoots available pretty much year round,"Bennett said. "They take a break for hunting season — October through December — then they pick right back up again."

Bennett has hunted deer with a bow for years and made the Pennsylvania record book by bagging a 10-point in 1992. He has trophies mounted on the wall at home.

Now that he's won a world title, what's next?

"Try to do it again next year," he said. "I may move up to the next class, which is semi-pro. The entry fee is a lot more, but so are the winnings."

The amateur entry fee for the world championships is $60. Bennett won $1,100. Semi-pro entry fee is $175 with the first-place money more than doubling what Bennett received.

"You always want to challenge yourself,"he said.