Was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for out door field targets?
It seems I read a forum a while back where someone was talking about shooting empty bleach bottles hanging from a string on a tree and the person set up a walking field archery course with these targets at various distances.
Does anyone else have any other ideas for inexpensive homemade targets? Im considering making my own walking field archery course in the woods behind my house. Any ideas?
Burlap sack stuffed full of plastic bags, old clothes, rags etc.
i've taken buddies out using milk jugs filled with plastic bags. as your walking around just throw one. shoot as it's flying, rolling, or once it has stopped. built in handle, light weight, you can use a lanyard and have a few strapped to your belt. tennis balls, waffle balls, water bottles are great small targets. i wear BDU pants when i'm out with them. you can pack 4 bottles in your pockets and throw any distance and have fun.
Walmart often has somewhat soft foam balls for kids, about baseball size, Some are white and painted like baseballs, others are red or blue.
I buy them on sale, but they are not that expensive.
Take a large spike (nail), heat it real hot and push it thru each one. Then, using a long nose pliers or better, a forceps, push a strong 1/8" cord thru it and tie several knots to make a big knot. The other end is kept long, as much as 6'.
Then I go thru my woods and hang them from branches just off the trails (hang em so they are just off the ground). Use blunts and when you hit them they fly up and around, but generally fall right back to their spot.
I shoot at these from close on out to "where the heck is it" distance, and between trees etc.
There are also smaller green balls, for some little ball shooting gun, that are more ping pong ball sized. I do the same and call these bunnies, for closer shots.
I have seen the same done using bottles, but you tend to puncture them and they are a bit harder to remove the arrows.
ChuckC
QuoteOriginally posted by dhermon85:
Burlap sack stuffed full of plastic bags, old clothes, rags etc.
these are the best, I use seed bags filled with grocery bags or plastic sheeting from furniture stores, people are to happy to get rid of both.
I have even sewed mine into animal shapes, goat, deer, etc. by using a couple bags and sewing out the neck and head outline on the second bag and sewing them together.
I use bricks of peat moss. They are around $10 at most local stores selling garden stuff. They catch the arrows well and hold up pretty well. Once you've shot one to the point of destruction you can just dump it out and rake it into the grass.
My favorite: 5x5 round hay bales still in the hay field
Try using old three-D target cores and paint them orange, then have a pumpkin shoot!
I use fluorescent orange/green tennis balls with ace blunts... they hold up remarkable well...
Good luck and lots of great ideas on here!
Rodd
My buddy and I blow up several balloons of various sizes/colors and scatter them throughout the course. Make sure of a good backstop.
We take turns and makeup our own scoring system, usually with a certain color getting a bonus.
I and a buddy "Possum head"made up our own 3D range using old carpet to make bodies and Masonite to cut out heads and tails. Came out looking pretty good, here a couple of pic's of the target and the full link below.
(http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy235/jalmay5th/IMG_0008.jpg)
(http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy235/jalmay5th/IMG_0057.jpg)
(http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy235/jalmay5th/IMG_0088.jpg)
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=105031#000000
I made a feed sack course in my back woodlot. The bags are plastic, stuffed with plastic, tied off and wired to saplings along a path. Totally weather proof and last for many years. When one gets ragged I stuff it inside a new bag and hang it back up.
If you can find it old, fiberglass screening makes great outdoor targets. I used to work by an awning company and they let me pull a bunch out of their dumpster. But they typically don't keep a lot of waste on hand at any one time.
U-Stuff-It Targets in Delevan, WI (owned by Trendsetters) sells bag targets in animal shapes that make great 3-D style targets. I have three of these.
No website but here's a link to info.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/U-Stuff-It-Targets/117686161589814
https://www.facebook.com/TrendsettersWI
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54318230@N07/5187526510/
(http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j435/Tloran/targets/2012-01-06180925.jpg) (http://s1085.photobucket.com/user/Tloran/media/targets/2012-01-06180925.jpg.html)
(http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j435/Tloran/targets/2012-01-06180837.jpg) (http://s1085.photobucket.com/user/Tloran/media/targets/2012-01-06180837.jpg.html)
A couple I made of of builders styroform,
I have rinehearts rift ball and have tons of fun with it rolling throwing and easy to travel with I take mine to my tree stand during mid day and take a shot or 2 at it...just to prepare for a big one :)
Try some old fire hose about 6 inch id. Fit the hose over a short block of wood with a wooden base to keep it upright. Make the hose about 2 feet long. use judo points to avoid damage. This is not my idea but it does work well.
Burlap bags stuffed with old tarps or any plastic... Can't beat them! Almost free too!
Or you can build :knothead: some of these, stuffed with shrink wrap /plastic shopping bags (weather proof ) or old clothing(remove zippers and buttons)and line with the Plastic bag new mattresses come in for shipping(found in dumpsters behind any store selling mattresses) http://archeryreport.com/2011/04/diy-lifetime-archery-target/ :archer2: If you plan to move the target add wheels.
funny, I was just thinking about making a throwable burlap target this this morning. Yesterday I went out into my backyard to shoot a few arrows at my Rinehart ball target. This is a nice target, but it is small so sometimes you miss - usually a little high or a little low. Anyway, my last shot was a tad high and the arrow grazed the top of the ball. This deflected it up (at a high rate of speed) into my...
(http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s522/NittanyRider/BE9663A9-AF64-400B-AA44-142778C6FE47-28185-000037E5498DF8EF_zps93787fdf.jpg)
Whooops!!! :scared:
With the angle that I was shooting from it's probably not physically possible for a high deflection out of my yard, but I don't think I'll be testing that theory anytime soon. Burlap bag it is!
Here's my basement target made from an old tv cabinet :thumbsup: (http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/bloodtrailer7/DSC02220_zps59de8f54.jpg) (http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/bloodtrailer7/e2dcca07-bdc0-4e74-8064-e305badb8855_zps8c3db147.jpg)
and my garage :archer: monster (http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/bloodtrailer7/15677fd8-835c-4fda-98dd-a1cdebb6f867_zps957fa091.jpg) (http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq136/bloodtrailer7/DSC02223_zps304acd19.jpg) best part is the 2 finger arrow pull :archer2:
QuoteOriginally posted by Bldtrailer:
Here's my basement target made from an old tv cabinet :thumbsup:
That's awesome. What are they filled with?
Clothing, LOTS of clothing! Just remember to remove any zippers and buttons (advoid jeans), sheets, tee shirts, and towels are great.(church sales bulk lot last hour of sale) For out doors shrink wrap and plastic can be used for stuffing. Or use mattress bags(new ones are shipped in thick large bags and are throne out after, can be found in dumpster behind mattress stores)doubled up and stuffed/ roofed very weather proof
http://archeryreport.com/2011/04/diy-lifetime-archery-target/
Continuing with the gallon plastic milk jug ideas, I put them on broken off arrow shafts stuck throughout the woods. They make great reactive targets!