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My homemade moose target

Started by dhaverstick, May 27, 2015, 02:49:00 PM

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dhaverstick

A friend of mine and I are going moose hunting for the first time this September. We are going to Alberta and are using Ryk Visscher as our outfitter. Besides all the logistical problems of getting our stuff there and getting moose meat back to Missouri, we knew another issue we faced was getting a feel for how big these animals really are. Even a big whitetail looks pretty small compared to a fully grown moose. To that end we decided to make life sized moose targets to practice shooting at. This post is the process I went through to make mine.

The first thing I did was go to the shot placement thread on this forum and download the moose pictures. I am an engineer/computer guy by trade and I have access to a slew of computer graphic and drawing programs. Using these, I was able to trace around one of the moose pictures showing the vitals and then scale it up to life size. For reference, I figured the top of the moose's hump would be 6' 6" from the ground and scaled everything accordingly. This is the profile I came up with.
 

So I had my moose target shape, now I needed to figure out what to make the target out of. After much research and pondering on the subject, I decided to cut the target out of a 4'x6'x3/4" rubber horse stall mat. These are relatively cheap ($40), fairly common and would definitely hold up against the barrage of arrows I would be throwing against it. One problem I saw with this, though, was that the arrows could be difficult to pull out so I bought a 2'x2'x2" piece of high density foam (6 lb) that I cut into the shape of the vitals area. I fastened this onto the rubber with some zip ties and my moose target was complete!

Now I needed to design and build a stand to hold the moose target or my bag target. Again with the help of some solid modeling software, I came up with the following design. This is a view with the moose target.
 

And this is a view with the bag target.
 

My wife always tells me that my computer models look a lot better than the actual product but this time I think I got pretty close. The top of the hump of the actual hanging moose target is 6' 8" from the ground instead of the 6' 6" I designed for. The one thing I really didn't count on was how heavy the rubber target is. It is definitely a chore to hang it up and take it down! But it does work very well.

Picture of the actual moose target.
 

Picture of my bag target and clay bird attachment.
 

It was a fun project and I sure hope it pays off with moose meat this fall.

Darren

Dogboy900

Nice!
That is very cool and well executed from the models! Good luck on your hunt  :)

SELFBOW19953

Darren,

You can use the lifting of your target into place as exercise for when you're lifting your moose's head for photos!!

Good job with the target, BTW.  Those stall matts are a real chore to move around-they're so big, heavy, and don't roll up.  I've got 50 or 60 of them in our barn for a floor.  Found out-after I was done, of course-the easiest way to handle them is with 2 sets of vice-grips clamped on the mat.
SELFBOW19953
USAF Retired (1971-1991)
"Somehow, I feel that arrows made of wood are more in keeping with the spirit of old-time archery and require more of the archer himself than a more modern arrow."  Howard Hill from "Hunting The Hard Way"

Whitetail Addict

You did a great job on that, cool.    :thumbsup:  

Thanks for the horse stall mat idea too, I may use that some day. If you'd keep us posted on how well it holds up over time, I'd really appreciate it.

I'd love to be able to hunt moose some day, and of all the wild game I've eaten, It's my favorite.

Good luck on your hunt, I hope you guys both kill a slammer.

Bob

ron w

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's there are few...So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind...This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.  Shunryu Suzuki

LITTLEBIGMAN

hey Darren

good choice on Alberta. I will be back there again this Sept for my 4th trip. It will be interesting to compare our experiences. What week will you be hunting? Do you know where?

I will be hunting 9/17 to 9/24.  Some where in the vicinity of Slave lake. I am a little concerned about all of the wild fires currently burning out of control in Alberta right now.

Hopefully the fires will be put out and are not in the areas of both of our intended targets.
Make a life, not a living

shreffler

Man that is too cool. The day I stand next to a mature Moose at full draw is the day I think I can die happy. Good luck!
"If you're not bowhunting, your spirit is on standby." - Uncle Ted

dhaverstick

Littlebigman, we will be hunting just north of Edmonton. Our dates are 9/26/15 - 10/4/15. Ryk asked us if we wanted to stay in his lodge and drive to the hunting area or have a wall tent camp in the hunting area. We, of course, chose the wall tent camp. Can't wait!


Darren

BigErn

Good Job!Might have to copy your stand!
Sure hope
you do a couple of (On Location)Post and a couple of pictures on your hunt!   :thumbsup:
                        Ernie
You can lead a human to knowledge, but you can't make him think!

LITTLEBIGMAN

Ok I have a good idea of where you will be . You picked a good week!

Here is the one I killed in that area in 2007.

 
Make a life, not a living

LITTLEBIGMAN

here is a teaser photo for you to think about over the next couple of months.

 

can't wait to trade stories!
Make a life, not a living

skychief

Darren, I fully expect some moose steaks to accompany your legendary buttermilk biscuits this Fall!   :pray:  

Love your target.

Best of luck, Skychief

elkken

A good buddy of mine has hunted moose with Ryk and is three for three with his longbow, he and another friend just got back from Ryk's bear hunt with 4 bears and two where real whoppers ...

best of luck to you      :campfire:
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good

TGMM Family of the Bow

eidsvolling

Good luck on your hunt. If I'm drawn for a NH tag in a month, I'll be plagiarizing your outline.

I've used one of the stall mats as a backdrop for several months now. FYI, in case you don't know – a broadhead will slice right through, the shaft will be tightly gripped, and it will be a tough and dangerous job to remove the arrow if the head is glued on ...

dhaverstick

Littlebigman and Elkken, you guys are getting me fired up!

Skychief, I don't know where you heard about my biscuits but if you ever get in my neck of the woods I'll make you a batch.

If anyone wants the plans and bill of material for the stand, just send me a PM.

Darren

elknut1

Very nice target setup, I really like the looks of it! Great job!

 ElkNut1

wapiti792

Wow Darren! Whole lot of cool right there. I am going goat hunting in BC as you know...now you got me thinking about how to build an all white goat target! Pretty awesome man    :thumbsup:
Mike Davenport

RecurveRookie

Good job, that's quite a project!
Maddog Mountaineer 57# and Prairie Predator 52# Wow!, Samick Sage 35 - 60#,  I'm learning.

Cavscout9753

Thats an impressive job you did; from computer to complete. Are you going to leave it all black? A great target idea! Good luck in your moose hunt!
ΙΧΘΥΣ

damascusdave

Feliciano, aka Cacciatore is going to be hunting moose and elk with me in the same general area about that same time...we should try to connect...we do not have a problem here with moose sized targets as most Archery Clubs have, or have had, a 3D moose target...to really appreciate the size of a moose you need to see one hanging from the meat pole...if you shoot a big one be ready to take back 400 pounds of deboned meat

DDave
I set out a while ago to reduce my herd of 40 bows...And I am finally down to 42


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