Home targets

[Trevorg]

what do people use to set up home targets? pics would be great. i know they sell targets but im not in an area where i can just run out and grab one and i dont want to wait a few weeks to try out the new crossbow.

[Stéphane]

Well, I dug in the little hill and put a retaining wall instead. Works great for short distance: 50 ft the longest distance.

I dug a hole and laid bricks for steps and drainage. I had those bricks lying around and never knew what to do with them.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2718.jpg

I had a helper too.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2720.jpg

I drove 2 ft rebars into the ground - over killed if you ask me.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2721.jpg

30" height
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_3002.jpg

I bought a Morrell for target. At $60, I was satisfied for the use.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_3003.jpg

I can go and practice whenever I feel like it and it is great to prepare for grouse hunt.

[nomad]

one of the best self made targets I've used is a bag full of light plastic, such as grocery bags, bubble wrap etc... didn't have to be real tightly packed, just full. the soft plastics absorbed the impact and never had a past thru. Was using a 70lb compound. Even tried broadheads with no problem. Another friend stacked cardboard strips with a 2x6 on top and bottom held together with threaded rod on either end vertically to hold the whole thing tightly together. Sorry no pics of either of these at the moment. Let us know what you come up with.

[Deadeye]

bag full of light plastic,A few years ago, I had some arrows made up at Kyanne and he had that set up in his carport. I did the same thing by making an 'easel' out of 3 pieces of 1X2 with a piece of plywood on it. I stapled burlap to it and stuffed it full of plastic grocery bags. The bags (about 12" deep) do a great job of stopping the arrow and you can still pull it out with two fingers.

Never tried it with broadheads but with field points it works great.

[BowSitter]

x2 on the bag full of plastic. I asked at our local grocery store for some and got enough shrink wrap and plastic to do 4 coffee sack targets two years ago and still use them. Just stuff the sacks as full as you can and tie the tops with fish line or whatever you have, they work great. Potato sacks or coffee sacks work real well.
3181

[sugar]

I have a buddy who runs a tree service. He is always looking to get rid of chips, so I have a few wood chip piles that work great for shooting judo points into. I am sure I could test broad heads into it also.

[Bow Walker]

Find your nearest coffee roaster. They are always trying to get rid of the sacks that the green coffee comes in. Those sacks make excellent target bags. Fill them with either plastic shopping bags or household rags and you're good to go for a few years.

[Stéphane]

I was told that plastic bags are great except for when its wet. Supposedly the arrows will go right through. Any truth to that?

[Bow Walker]

When the plastic bags (inside the sack) get wet from rain, or whatever, the friction value goes way down due to the water acting as a lubricant. The arrows will penetrate further, but (at least in my case) they don't just zip on through...(i hope i made myself understandable? :confused:)

On the other hand - arrow removal is easier...:wink:

[Joel]

I used cardboard stacked about 16" thing and duct tape wrapped together. I had a lot of cardboard on hand and it worked great for quite a while. No arrows went through. And it was free.

[warnniklz]

My buggy just has a burlap bag full of cut up milk jugs.

[Mountaintop]

Burlap bag filled with plastic sheeting(I use old lumber wraps I get free from the lumber yard). Be sure to pack it in real tight. Old clothes are also good but remove metal zippers and buttons. Also good to sight in broadheads is a couple bales of compressed peat moss. Whatever you use be sure to have a good, safe backstop.

[B.C.Boy(100%)]

I used a bigger piece of carpet (5'x10') folded it in half, stitched it up around the outside to create a bag, and filled it with any sort of plastic bags, tarps (minus grommets), poly, Styrofoam etc.. and hung it behind the woodshed, it weighs way too much is about 5'x5' and at least 16" thick, never had an arrow go clean through, poke out the back side a little bit sometimes.
I then use spray paint and put a couple of 3" or 6" circles on the cover as targets, then shoot/beat the heck out of it for the last 8years so far with no ill effects to it's performance, it still stops the arrows dead in their tracks every time.

The best part is all the materials were free and just some of my time.
I am about to build another one using carpet as the outside cover again, and just underlay for the filler.

[Bow Walker]

When I'm building homemade targets I stay away from "shrink wrap" as a filler. That stuff stops arrows dead, but the heat from the friction causes the plastic to shrink around the arrow shaft, gripping it tight, making removal very difficult if not impossible.

Just a word of caution.

[firstlight]

x3 on plastic bags like the ones from Thirfties; pack them into something like a burlap bag and your go to go for quite a while. Cheap and very effective.

if you have the space in a wooded area I used to put 2L plastic pop bottles on a string hanging from a tree. Lot's of fun to shoot at with a Judo / Flu Flu combo, especially when a slight breeze has the pop bottle moving.

If you need a backstop for anything find a nice section of carpet to put behind.

[Bow Walker]

I like the smaller plastic pop bottles for my broadhead practice sessions. Shooting into a sand pit, with the plastic bottles hung on a string, swinging free.

It's a hoot, plus it's great practice.

[nomad]

One more target I used for quite awhile was a basketball! Started full of air and just used field points. Never glanced off, always caught the arrow and came out easy. After a shot I just gave it a good kick and followed it around the field shooting all different angles and ranges with each shot. Keeps things more random and interesting. Took hundreds of shots without a problem. Once there was a large enough opening I stuffed it with the plastic bags and just kept going! Always shoot safe, know where your arrows could go if a shot goes bad!!! no taking chances whatever you use! A miss shot arrow can go a long ways at unexpected and surprising angles!! Keep it safe, respondsible and shoot lots!

cheers and good shooting, Nomad

[Bow Walker]

Now that's a great idea...and a hellova lot cheaper than Rinehart's 18-in-1 target.

[bcbrez]

I've tried the plastic bags before but I find 3-5mm poly works the best. I'm shooting 328 ft/s and it stops them easy. I double up the durlap bags and stuff in the poly till full then stitch the top shut. You can paint it white after and put some dots on if you want.

Another way is to by the Morrell's replacement bag ($18 I think) and stuff that.

[gibblewabble]

I have had both and the card board strips are nice as long as it can be covered so it doesnt get wet. They are hard to remove arrows from but you can back off the ready rods a bit so the tension on the card board is less (arrows go in further). I had a 4'x3' target in the garage and it was great and I always have at least one burlap sack stuffed with poly/lumber wrap, to throw in the truck. I had a buddy in Abby who's parents had 5 acres and we hung about 20 of these bags in the trees on the trail he used to play on as a kid. It was awesome to have your own 3d target shoot.

[gibblewabble]

I like the smaller plastic pop bottles for my broadhead practice sessions. Shooting into a sand pit, with the plastic bottles hung on a string, swinging free.

It's a hoot, plus it's great practice.
I take small bottles and drop a couple rocks in them so they toss easy and then use judo points, your right it is a hoot, and I usually walk through my hunting area pre season scout and shoot.

[Drillbit]

old atv tires worked good for my crossbow. Mark a spot with chalk or spray paint. Easy to pull the arrows out.

[Bow Walker]

Plenty of good ideas here. I hope the 'newbies' are reading and taking advantage of all this.

[bmx_slinger]

I've used card board boxes full of shrink wrap and they work great, but they start to fall apart after a while or as soon as they get wet. But they work. I lucked out and know one of the guys that does shipping/receiving at Sears, and he was able to get me 5 mannequin torsos. THOSE things are sweet! It's just a hard dense foam with a spandex type cover, and stops arrows really well. Havent tried broadheads, but fieldpoints are fine. Kind of crazy to practice shooting people though haha

[MikeH]

I used cardboard stacked about 16" thing and duct tape wrapped together. I had a lot of cardboard on hand and it worked great for quite a while. No arrows went through. And it was free.
Did the samething when I moved had a shit load of boxes i just flattened them I used a big ass clear poly bag shoved it full taped the bag so no water could get in propped it up against the 4 rectangle hay bales i put in the same bags good to go.

[boxhitch]

Good ideas, thanks
Guessing that a good source of shrink wrap would be the receiving dept of most any store ? Cdn. Tire ? Wal-mart ? wholesalers ?
Lumber wrap is obvious

[TheProvider]

Took a cardboard box once and crammed it full of old bedding. Didn't have a single pass through. You can make it as big as you like and if you don't have old bedding you can pick some up for cheap at a thrift store.

[r0adki1l]

All great ideas for this newbie... was just looking around the shop at work trying to figure out what i could use for a target.

[rocksteady]

For regular targets for rifle season, scoop one of those fo sale signs out of someones frontyard....Stick it in the ground (get rid of the realty agents name), scoop 4 of your neighbours clothes pins...Hang your targets with the clothespins...If you shoot wild and blow the stand apart...there is always more houses for sale on the next block :) :)

[sobirch]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?34445-Home-made-archery-target

[Downwind]

So what are the rules about shooting in your backyard? I just moved to Nanaimo and tried looking through the bylaws but couldn't find much. Anyone know off hand or do I need to call the city?