Temporary Target

[Dedge]

Hey everyone, I need some advice on target shooting. I just picked up a used bow and really want to start shooting. I will go and pick up real target in a couple of weeks, but I really need to shoot in the mean time. Any suggestions on what I could use? I was wondering about the bail of hay idea, but was wondering if that would damage or be bad for carbon arrows? (I honestly can't see any way that hay would be bad for arrows, but I am very new at this and don't want to wreck equipment.) Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Any other ideas that others have used.

Thanks,
Dan

[Michihunter]

Burlap bag stuffed with rags. Works quite well!!

[wecker20]

You'll shoot right through the bail of hay. I've used cardboard in layers. Get a bunch of boxes and winch them tight. Can shoot broadheads into it and they pull out pretty easy.

[Alpha Male]

-baled cardboard boxes from the local grocery store.

- potato / onion/ feed sack filled with shrink wrap

- piece of heavy carpeting hung from a line

[Kevin]

Stacked pieces of rigid pink insulation
You can run duct tape around the top and bottom to hold them together.

[fulldraw]

I use the pink foam insulation about 4 layers work great.

fulldraw

[john warren]

ok the best thing you can do to improve your archery is one of the oldest pracice methods. its called stump shooting.

get some inexpensive arrows, even used if you can. put field tips on them and go for a walk in the woods.
shoot at clumps of grass, half rotted stumps,(hence the name), clusters of leaves. what ever looks like a good target. this gives you real world practice at all sorts of distances and angles. its great fun with a friend, you can make all sorts of bets and games.
aside from that a cheap foam target from meijers is like 20 bucks or so.

[Belair]

I bought a cheap target at Meijers for around $10. It is just a large box stuffed tightly with plastic of some sort. Seems to work quite well for the price. It stops my carbon arrows just fine. Good enough for a temporary or limited use target.

[Dedge]

Well I took a few cracks at the neighbors foam deer. DON'T DO THIS WITH CARBON ARROWS. He mentioned that they were tough to get out of in an earlier conversation, but holy crap. I had to cut them out. Yikes! Won't be using that again any time soon. Anyone know why that is? We were guessing that the arrows got heated during impact on account of the friction, and they had some residue of the foam on them when I did get them out. But not sure. Suggestions on how to clean this.

Man I really realized that I have a lot to learn about archery.

Feverishly addicted,
Dan

[Kevin]

You can use a silicon lubricant applied to your arrows to help on their removal

[Michihunter]

Well I took a few cracks at the neighbors foam deer. DON'T DO THIS WITH CARBON ARROWS. He mentioned that they were tough to get out of in an earlier conversation, but holy crap. I had to cut them out. Yikes! Won't be using that again any time soon. Anyone know why that is? We were guessing that the arrows got heated during impact on account of the friction, and they had some residue of the foam on them when I did get them out. But not sure. Suggestions on how to clean this.

Man I really realized that I have a lot to learn about archery.

Feverishly addicted,
Dan


Bar soap!! Works great!!

[SuperHunter18]

I just picked up a Dead Stop Bag target at Dunham's for $14.

[PITBULL]

Bales will work, get six bales. stack them three high and two thick.
just make sure they are tight bales

[jme]

When you see an old couch on the curb for trash pickup, grab the cushions. Put 'em two or three deep and you're in business. Works great for field points and broadheads. Plus, it doesn't cost a dime!

[Dedge]

When you see an old couch on the curb for trash pickup, grab the cushions. Put 'em two or three deep and you're in business. Works great for field points and broadheads. Plus, it doesn't cost a dime!

My bro in law does this, and I was considering it, but I was concerned the the arrows would zip right through it. Do they go right up to the fletchings?

Dan

[ArcheryBowdoctor]

Yeah buy a "Judo Point" and go stump shooting it's fun, and you learn to judge distance too!

[wild bill]

collect the shrink wraping they use at lumber yards or any place that has it(lowes/homedepot). pack it tight in burlap or feed bags and shoot away.

[tdejong302]

I stop by a garage sale or Salvation Army once a year. Pay $1 for the ugliest comforter that I can find. Put it in a card board box and thats my target each year. As long as you would fold it like you would any other linen and put it in a bag or box your good to go.

Try to keep it dry when your not using it or it will start to mildew and rot if it rains.. I spray paint a 4 inch shooting target on it and am still using the same target I bought 3 years ago. I don't shoot broad heads into though. You can't get them out.

[Dedge]

Well I broked down and bought a cheapie from Dunhams today. Got a few arrows into and it seems to work ok. It is just one of those carboard box ones. But for 9 bucks (guy gave me 10 percent off because it didn't have a handle) I couldn't go wrong. And it got me shooting today. Which is what I was really after. Good enough for now. I figure after it gets pretty shot up I will just slap a new piece of cardboard over the top of the old one. And I am a newbie so the bullseyes should be good for quite a while.:D


Dan