Creating your own... Targets Creating your own Archery Target can be a cost saving technique. It can also be quite rewarding and save time due to back orders on some replaceable cores.  If you have any variations or new ideas please E-Mail them to mfoster@spots.ab.ca.

During the past few years archery has changed into a high speed, high tech sport. Unfortunately, along with these changes some objects became obsolete or are inevitably changed. Targets are definitely not excluded from those changes. Targets are now made of newer materials, so that these targets can cope with and stop those hard hitting arrows fired from today's bows. But can you wallet keep up with the continued replacements of cores or the purchase of targets that work for you?

In the following lines you will find ideas, instructions and plans on targets that can be made at home. These targets can keep up with today's archery equipment and rival targets on the market of this day.

Straw Bale Target

The first target is a classic. In fact, it is probably one of the most common things to see in the great Canadian prairies!  A good old fashion bale of hay.  This target however, is plagued by its size and weight, but one must not refuse the idea of such a target. Nothing is more durable than these butts when tight. They can take an extremely large amount of damage from thousands of arrows and can still stand up to the power of mother nature.

Flax bales are preferred over other types of straw, probably for the reason that that material is cheaper, will last longer and they never seem to decay. We had some of these at the archery club near my school, and they were enjoyed because they were large, forgiving targets that would stop anything I could shoot at it.
 

Cloth Target

LeeZure1@oal.com sent me this target.  These targets can be procured from the Salvation Army.  The target consists of pre-baled unneeded  clothes. They are heavy, but make a good size target and come in  around five dollars. We place them on wooden pallets after putting them in tough plastic cotton sacks, obtained from any cotton gin...
 

Burlap Bag Butt

Another interesting target can be made quite easily from old potato bags and used car tire tubes. The best thing about this target is it easy construction and maintenance. All you have to do is cut the old tire tubes into small strips of about 2.5cm by 10cm (1 inch by 5 inches) and pack them tightly into the bag. You should use three bags together for better results. When the target becomes unusable due to damage simply transfer the rubber strips into a new bag... This makes the target a joy to have.

These target are very weather resistant (except maybe) and resist arrows quite well. The arrows can be easily removed and the only maintenance needed it to change the bags once in a while as the rubber strips will last a long as you do.  Later on if you choose so, you might want to  add more rubber strips to replace those that may have left with the bag.

Variantion:

I recently received a message containing a variation to this target.  The major difference being, that one would use plastic bags instead of used tire tubes.  This could be time consuming considering, that many bags are needed and that in itself may take a while to collect.  Other than that, the target can take a pounding and keep on going.  Also, it is environmentally friendly by reusing  a material, that may otherwise be thrown to the landfill.

Of course one could always go to their local grocery store and ask the clerk if he can get some from the local recyle bin.  Once done I am sure you could return the bags to be recycled.

Instructions

1. Fold a piece of  burlap (26" x 52") in half and sew the sides closed, except for a 3" opening in the side opposite the fold. (recommend heavy thread and a heavy seam stitch)

2. Turn the burlap bag inside out through the 3" hole.

3. Scrunch up all the plastic grocery bags one at a time and stuff them into the bag.

Variations:
This variation was submitted by Darren  Constable  when you look at the variation you notice that it could be quite a bit easier to build then a plastic bag target.  As with almost every factory shipping deptartement. They  wrap their pallets in a strechy plastic film reminescent of  saran wrap.  Also all pallets coming in are wrapped in it.  Where he would  work he would simply ask the shippers to save it for me and pick it up every day or two and in about a week he'd have enough plastic, in pieces substantially bigger and easier to handle than grocery bags to fill a feed bag or two.

Truly if one can can a hold of this material, it could make your life much easier.

Another submission, this time made by Paul Oskamp, which entitles the use of the heavy plastic that furniture is shipped in.  It is not as heavy as inner tubes, but much heavier that the garbage bags.  Also, these stores are usually glad to get rid of it.  Simply stuff it in, without cutting it up.  It works great, and when the burlap gets a hole worn in it, we don't have little bits of plastic all over the lawn.

NOTE: That this target is not really broadhead friendly… Loosing a hunting arrow due to the fact that the target failed to stop it is not highly appreciated.
.

Tarp Target
.
This target came to me from Luke Zajac.  This target seems like something that is quick and quite easy to use.  Worth a try by anyones standards.

    For this target, you will need a feed sack or similar bag, and as many old tarps as you have.  Take 1 tarp and fold it tightly enough to fit inside the old feed sack. Then, repeat with more tarps until no more can possibly fit. Seal the bag any way you please.  I haven't tried wrapping a rope around the bag to compact it even more, but that may make an even better target, so try it out!

This type of target is very cheap to make especially if you use and go through these items often.  Not only is it cheap, but even at 5 or 10 yards, it stops my arrows very quickly.  My bag is currently uncompacted and stops them before they are 4-5 inches in!  At 5 yards, though, my arrows are hard to pull out.  But at the norm(20 or 30 yards)they are not as tough.
 

"Chicken Wire" Target

This target was described to me by Bill Lambert.   Many years ago, he  moved to Concord North Carolina and joined a local club where  they had an interesting idea for targets and below is a description of the target..

A wooden  frame was built , then covered the front and rear with chicken wire, leaving the top open.  Front to rear should be about 6 inches.  The target is filled with scraps from a sock mill.  Actually, any type of material should work.  On the front, you place cardboard with a target face on it.

The material seems to form an aerodynamic brake and the arrow will not penetrate the depth of the target.  The cardboard holds the arrows which are very easy to remove.  If you have access to scrap material, these targets are cheap and work very well.  For field archery, we put a roof over the targets.
 

Phone Book Target

This is truly a unique target and it's secrets were given to me by Anand Joshi.  It utilizes phone books about five centimeters thick to stop and arrow.  The phone books, should be two layers thick (one behind the other) placed flat with the spine facing away from the archer.  I doubt that this target is light and portable and will probably not take a beating from the environment.  But target has a unique potential to stop arrow dead in their tracks.
 

Cellotex Targets

Now this target is my personal favorite target. This target can be made at home for about forty dollars Canadian, can take heavy damage, broadheads and still remain portable. You may even have seen these targets around archery clubs. And the best is the fact that these targets are simply sheets of buffalo board (without tar or equivalent material) compressed onto one another.

Sounds simple? Well it is, and it can take the elements of nature , as well as any arrow you can fire at it. My archery club uses larger versions of these and they last for years beofre needing replacement. Believe me these targets must to be durable in order to handle some of the setups that some of our members have. Some have setups firing four-hundred-and-fifty-grain arrow fired at three-hundred feet per second. Also these targets take are left outside year round and show no sign of decay.

To build this style target is simple and all you need is buffalo board/cellotex (4) or a similar material (I use old ceiling tiles). Cut them into strips of 6 inches by 18 inches and compress them by using four 3/8" (1) threaded steel rods and two 2x6 pieces of wood (3) and don't forget to bolt the rods (2) :-) As for support the target stands by itself, so all you need is something to stop it (a bent steel bar is useful) from going backwards to far. For more information please consulting graphic below.

Another variation on this target is to use old carpet scraps from carpet stores. According to LeeZure1@oal.com the targets seem to last a long time, and the carpet pieces can be rearranged periodically to put the fresher ones in the middle of the target area. It takes awhile to cut the carpet, but the price can't be beat. This also makes an excellent club project. He usually cuts the pieces about 12 inches deep by 18 inches wide.

I was recently told by Peik Borud that you can use Ethafoam in the areas that are not as heavily hit. You would cut the foam into strips, just like the buffalo board or old ceiling tiles and one would apply it the same way. This would reduce the weight of the target, but could increase the price as well. The choice is up to you on this variation.

As with any other targets there are disadvantages. This target is plagued with its weight, even though the target can be carried around. Also arrow removal is rather "stiff" but removing the arrows will not damage them.

Home Page