Guys, I have the space on mine and my son's adjacent property (wooded hillside and creek bottom) for a 48 minute (yep, I timed it) walk, level and up and down -- great exercise for this 56-year old! However, the walking bores me to death (strange pun I know). I love to shoot, every day in my basement or yard range. I can't simply stump shoot on this property because rocks are so prolofic and hard cedar stumps and logs will destroy my arrows. I'd like to put out about 30-40 targets along this trail that I can leave out and shoot as I walk. Has anyone figured out an economical way to make some targets for such a purpose? I'm thinking about targets 12"x12" - 24"x24" in size. There are ample trees and brush along the walk to hang a target close to the ground. I'm thinking that some of you have skinned this cat! I cna't stand the thought of paying $50 each or even $20 for 30-40 targets - heck I can put that cash towards my next recurve! :archer2:
We used to have a trail set up like that with burlap sacks full of shrink wrap. Got the sacks from Costco's coffee bean dept and the shrink wrap from K mart dumpster I think.
Worked good, just make sure you bring em in and recondion now and then so they don't end up coming apart and making a mess.
Mike
Wingnut is on the right path,anything you can reuse is good. Heck, the Muzzy shoot here in New York is one of the best and all they use is different size foam blocks. Even a bail of hay is good,just pick a spot in the center to shoot at,and it's biodegradeable. Keep your shots like hunting set ups and you'll have a ball. Don't save the money for a new recurve....get a longbow.....lol!
YOu know, I might be able to buy 30-40 bales of straw for a couple bucks apiece? I could scatter these out along the walk. I suppose they will fall apart in a couple of years. This is what I shot in the old days in the backyard before compounds starting shooting through them. The bale is real easy to simulate the body of a deer and shoot for the imaginary spot where the kill would be. I like the sack idea too if I can find enough quantity of the filler material.
I've done both the burlap and the bales.
Burlap stuffed with shrinkwrap or walmart bags has worked much better for me. Rainy weather is bad news on the bales.
One modification I have made is I stuff the shrinkwrap/walmart bags into a large garbage bag before stuffing the whole thing in the burlap. It greatly delays the mess wingnut mentioned.
I suspend mine from t-posts.
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Coffee bags have some nice designs for "vitals".
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I have used hay bales wraped with pallet wrapping plastic.(one roll will last a lifetime) I wrap each bale separately and then wrap 2 the together, and then stand them up. last a long time that way. just wrap the top around the end,bottom direction. I like the t-post idea..
I don't know how weather-proof it is but I use a feed sack stuffed with plastic wrap. You may be able to set these up in shady places to avoid sun damage? Mine are lasting well but I don't leave them outside either.
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I'd go for straw bales, when one wares out just bust it up, spread it around and replace it with another.
I get the 4x4 foot square soy bean seed bags from a local seed salesman. They are much tougher and longer lasting than the plastic weave targets that targets are made from. I stuff them with used silage plastic I also get free from farmers. If you have something that can drive around and carry a load, and like to use blunts, you could also build sand bunkers.
Really cheap: 1) Use actual hay bales. As they get soft I shoot judos. When they rot- spread them out and they decompose. 2) hang plastic milk jugs. Judos work well. 3) Old carpet. Cut it in 3-4' rolls. Same size as many big game animal bodies- also no marking so you have to pick a spot. Hang it from limbs. Blunts or judos works well.
The plastic woven feed bags stuffed with plastic works well and will last a long time. I think that shrink wrap is probably the best but and plastic sheeting works well. Some of it is harder to pull the arrows out of than others.
I have a dozen plastic feed sacks stuffed with plastic bags, etc. They are tied to saplings along a looped trail in the woods behind the house. I just twist the open end and wire it to the tree. They are out year 'round. If one gets a bit ragged I stuff the whole thing into a new bag. I rarely get a pass through with field points.
Bowwild,
I've been doing "aerobic archery" for a little more than a year now. Lost fifty pounds! You're right, lots more fun than just walking, and a lot easier on arrows!
I use 50 lb feed sacks stuffed with plastic. I have 12 of them scattered across about 20 steep acres of woods. So far, I've only had a few of them wear out. When they start to wear out, I just carry a new feed sack along and stuff the contents of the old bag into into the new one. I use zip ties to close the ends of the bags.
The feed sacks are 40 cents each at the local feed store. You can draw any target you want on the plastic feed sacks with a permanent marker.
I use 40 lb dog food bags stuffed with plastic grocery bags. Very good ideas on here though. got me thinking...
Straw bales... $2 or $3 per bale...
This was what I was hoping for -- lots of economical ideas that are easy to implement. I might in fact use 3-4 of these ideas and see what works best for me. I'm definitely going to check out the local feed store to see what kinds of bags are available near me. I'll also price some straw. I'm a little concerned about coming up with enough volume of plastic to stuff as many target bags as I want. I'm now wondering how straw packed in these bags would hold up?
I don't think loose straw in the feed sacks will stop arrows for very long at all.
You might try going to Wal-Mart and I would bet they have a separate "trash" can that the employees put plastic stuff into only. As the can fills, they take it to the plastic baler to be compacted and sold for recycling. I'd bet that you could find a nice employee who would be willing to let you have a good supply of scrap plastic wrap. They only get paid pennies for a large amount of the stuff. Heck, you might even offer them a couple of bucks for their trouble and to cover the cost of a few feed sacks full of the scrap plastic.
Good luck to you. :) :archer2:
cool targets
1) Get some 2 liter bottles or milk jugs or whatever size you want
2)Fill with spray foam
3) Hang from trees or just sit it on the ground...suspended fromn trees will prevent pass throughs though so you wont have to search for arrows.
or you can use hay bales and shoot blunts into them.
I use woven plastic feed bags free from the dairy farm up the road and shrink wrap free from beside the dumpster at the liquor store. Just wish I had a sewing machine to close the top. Needle and thread works though. Some of the shrink wrap bags have a poly twine from something that I use on two corners for hanging the bags. As above when the bag gets weak just cover with a new bag. I remove them for the winter only.
To obtain plenty of plastic Walmart-type bags:
I've told everyone at my office to save their plastic bags and in two weeks I had a bunch. Once folks know you want them you will get covered up with them. It seems people feel "green" by saving them for you rather than trashing them.
You can get "lumber wrap" free from about any lumber yard. The stuff the lumber arrives at the yard with. It's great for stuffing bag targets just watch out for the staples.
Just a hint to all! using the nylon feed sacks.
At the same place you buy them, also buy a burlap feed bag for about $1. Stuff the nylon sack, then slip the burlap sack over the nylon one. They last and last! and it is brown like an animal. I leave mine out all year and just spend about $2 replacing the outer burlap and nylon if needed. Usually I don't replace unless too many broadheads have torn them up. I am not suggesting broadhead use with them!
Straw bails for the win.
I shoot 'em in my back yard all the time and as long as you keep them covered (tarp / shrink wrap) they last a long time. If you don't cover - not that big a deal - they're cheap.
Excellent tips, especially on the sources of filler!
Well, here a more unconventional way ....
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My property has been partially logged recently and the loggers left quite some wood behind. So with my chainsaw I cut some woodplates and put them up as targets. The wood is softwood (pine or spruce) and I am shooting these with Judo points.
I have now a course of around 25 targets that I shoot from time to time. We even had a little stump shoot a couple of weeks ago.
Cost? I used 6 nails (6 - 8 inches) per target, that's it ....
Now you will probably ask aren't the arrows going to break?
I am shooting a 55 pound longbow with wood arrows and a friend of mine shoots a 70 pound Howard Hill longbow also with wood arrows. None of our arrows broke because of hitting the target.
However, you really have to use Judos as a point. They will stick but not penetrate ... and can be remove easily. I have tried field points once and of course broke my arrows when I tried to pull them out ... ;-(
I am wondering if somebody has done something similar? I have never seen this sort of setup before .... The idea came to me while small game hunting up north ... and when I took practice shots with my Judo and I realized that the Judo sticks nicely in softwood ....
Feed sacks stuffed with plastic are the trick.
If you use heavier plastic than wally world bags or shrink wrap you will find your arrows are a lot easier to pull. I get mine from the local furniture store. Everything they sell comes wrapped in heavy gauge plastic and they have to pay to get rid of the stuff.
Fill em a little over half full, double the remainder over a piece of rope and secure with a few wire ties. Use the rope to hand them from a tree branch and let 'em fly!
My favorite home-made target is a kids size basketball. You can shoot it right out of the box/bag until it flatens out then I stuff plastic bags into it and start shooting it again. I like kicking it and then shoot where it stops or try to shoot it while its still rolling. My son used to kick it for me and I would try to hit as its rolling and bouncing along. Lots of fun.
Grind down your field point tips or use blunts, and over-penetration is not a factor. Your targets will last longer too.
I love the burlap bags stuffed with plastic bags, bubble wrap or shrink wrap. Easy to pull your arrows out, once it gets beat up just toss another burlap bag around it and your good for another year or two!
I spray painted and outline of a deer on my bag, works perfect and didn't cost me a dime!
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Bales of straw/hay...and use blunts.
Walmart sells 6-packs of 2 1/2" foam kids balls. They come in colors and also a baseball look alike. The white one is the toughest.
Use a large nail or heavy wire, heated very hot and melt a hole thru each ball. Run a heavy 4-5' cord thru each, tying several bulky knots at the bottom end. Hang them from branches just off the ground. Kinda make sure there is at least some little bit of backstop. Use only blunts, to include hex heads. Judos will rip them.
The six pack of balls costs around 5 dollars.
For more fun yet, they also sell smaller green balls for some kids gun ammo. These are maybe 1.25" diameter. We call them bunnies and shoot from much closer.
They also have foam baseball bats, which, when suspended vertically make a fun long distance shot.
Another option is to use wadded up old blue jeans, tied and suspended.
ChuckC
I never imagined there would be so many possibilities. A lot of ingenuity on display here. Thanks!
Great post, I am going to make some new targets on Wednesday from some of these ideas. Thank you gentlemen.