I was going to start a hunt with a friend the next day. We were at his house packing stuff into my truck. Decided to shoot our bows a little before packing them. He had a burlap bag target hanging from a pvc frame. He was shooting a compound and I was shooting my recurve. He let me go first. When the arrow hit it there wasn't the usual sound of an arrow hitting a shrink wrap stuffed bag. Then he shot his skinny fast little carbon. Same results as far as arrow penetration. When we walked up to pull the arrows I prepared for having to tug on the arrows. They pulled out "like butter". He had stuffed the bag with wool! It not only stopped the arrows beautifully, but it lasts forever AND it polished the sealer on my arrow shafts!  Pretty slick.    

Wow that's a neat idea.

Raw wool?

Sounds expensive....

Been using a cotton filled target butt for years. I don't know if wool would be better, but the cotton works really slick.

Yep, raw wool. He lives in sheep country. I figured he knew a rancher that filled it for him if he shot a few coyotes off the ranch. Sure worked better than any target I've shot before.
I bet raw cotton would work good too.

OK girls.  Get busy!

   

Sometimes you have to shear them just to get ready for the next coat.  If they lamb before the spring shearing the wool has weak-points ("rise") and a good shepherd wouldn't let that out as a spinable product.  

 

That's a cool tidbit. Now if I can get my hands on enough wool to fill a sack.....

Three bags full and one would be all set.

Nice info...thank you.

I know there are a couple vendors at my local farmers market that raise sheep... will find out if they have any of the un-spinable wool they'd like to sell.

Thanks for the idea.

Glad to help. Let us know how it goes NittanyRider.

Took me a sec to figure out who you were associating with that shoots a compound.. I think I figured it out if he's coming to Utah soon. I like my burlap with plastic but every good thing can be improved I suppose.

Good idea, but I bet it's a heavy buggar when wet?

Yeah, you wouldn't want to leave it out in the rain!

What do you think the sheep do when it rains?  Come in and sit on the couch?

Raw wool is loaded with lanolin and very waterproof.  You want the wool fresh off the sheep and not scoured (it will be cheaper as well).

Our Shetlands are pretty rugged critters.

 

I am been using the same target for 4 years now replacing just the external bag. My wool comes out of an old matress,
I can use broadheads as well just need to stay with the 2 blade design.

After reading your post and giving thought to it I decided it might be about as good as one could get.

Since the wool doesn't wear out it seems like re-bagging it as the burlap breaks down would allow me to have a really good target for an eternity.

The old original eternity targets I bought years ago I still use today. (I have stuffed it into a new burlap or two...lol)

I just located a local source for raw wool. By this weekend I'll have one of my own.

Thanks for sharing!!

God bless,Mudd  

QuoteOriginally posted by Stumpkiller:
What do you think the sheep do when it rains?  Come in and sit on the couch?

Raw wool is loaded with lanolin and very waterproof.  You want the wool fresh off the sheep and not scoured (it will be cheaper as well).

Our Shetlands are pretty rugged critters.

 

I think i'd be nervous around a guy that had sheep sitting on his couch....  

Why shear em ???  

Leave the wool on the critter and fire away !!

Great "lifelike" target  


OK, just kidding, don't get you're shorts in a knot.....lol

Pat, that would solve the wet wool issue    lol! All in fun....