LAS VEGAS – Luke Bryan took time off from practicing his hosting duties for Sunday’s 48th annual ACM Awards on Saturday morning to host a different kind of event — ACM & Cabela’s Great Outdoors Archery Event for his tour sponsor Cabela.

Bryan’s friends and fellow country singers including Jason Aldean, Kix Brooks, Justin Moore, Thomas Rhett, Easton Corbin, Jon Pardi and Chris Jansen came out, bows in hand, to the Orleans to test their archery skills by shooting at faux wild animal targets made to look like turkeys, deer and bears.

Bryan told Nashville’s Tennessean before the tournament began that he wanted to host the event because “Cabela is my tour sponsor and my support and love for the company and them wanting to partner up and do this. Secondly, (I wanted to do this for the fans), and it’s just a chance to have some artist buddies come out and shoot and have a little fun.”

Bryan is also an avid hunter and said “99 percent of the hunting I do is archery hunting.”

“Anytime you can promote the outdoors through archery, it’s certainly my passion,” he said.

Pardi was so excited about the event, he showed up almost an hour early to practice his technique before festivities got under way. It’s probably a good thing he did – a few of the targets were set up near a pen holding livestock. An accident could have been disastrous.

Corbin is also a hunter, but he prefers larger game – elk being his favorite.

“Elk is a lot of fun,” he says. “We went out to New Mexico two years ago, and I go to Texas and hunt out there, too.”

Bryan says he’s likely a little more relaxed at his archery event than he will be sharing co-hosting duties of the 48th annual ACM Awards on Sunday with Blake Shelton.

“I’m a little nervous, but excited and ready to do it,” says Bryan, who will participate in the opening number as well as perform his new single “Crash My Party” on the show. “ I think it’s going to be an amazing, awesome show … Life is good and we’re excited to be out here and I’m excited about everything that’s going on.”

The 48th annual ACM Awards air 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS.