DIY Archery Target

[NS40]

I recently became the proud (and slightly surprised) owner of a lovely new recurve bow.

I was out Christmas shopping with my wife last week (the only task I hate more than ordinary shopping). We ended up in Decathlon looking for stuff for the kids but she talked me into letting her buy me a bow and a few arrows for Christmas. I was so taken aback, I didn't put up much of a fight and reluctantly agreed (I last owned a bow as a kid, been dying to get back into it and my web browsing history contains a lot of archery related pages - rather than what you'd normally expect of a middle aged man)

Anyways, the problem with having a new hobby (or rediscovering an old one) is that you discover a need to buy loads of additional kit. So far I've ordered more arrows, a bow-bag, arrow tube and next month looking at a few more bits...you get the idea. To distract from these purchases (and save some money), I decided on a bit of DIY and made a target.

In retrospect I should have made a step-by-step but I'm sure it's simple enough that folks will figure it out.

For the body of the target I took some old carpet, some cardboard and wrapped them in a few old poundshop kip mats I had lying around. I bound the bundle in a poundshop tarp with liberal use of cheap duct tape to secure it all.

To make the target easier to carry and give an easy method to suspend it I used an old sports direct bag. I cut along the centre of the side panels then added 4 webbing loops to the corners. I then stitched the sides of the bag again so that the bag was a bit skinnier, fitted the foam target more snuggly and so that the white inside was outermost.

This means the target has a nice carrying handle but can also bee securely lashed to a tree or similar.

Printed off a few paper targets and off to the woods...hope the pictures help give you a better idea of the end result...





(I have no affiliation to either sports direct or the poundshop...I just regularly alternate between extravagant and cheapskate)

 

[awarner]

Nice target, what poundage bow do you have and guessing you are shooting barebow?
With shooting style as an instructor try not to lean your head back and drop your elbow so your arm is parallel when drawing this will reduce the strain on the joints and help with stability.
Main thing is to enjoy shooting, nice environment you have better than an old hall that I use for my scouts.

 

[NS40]

It's a 28 lb bow. No sights, whisker biscuits, etc yet but that'll come next (I get paid on Tuesday so already have a few bits stored up on my wishlist ready to press the button)

The pic is of my 15 year old son. It was his first time using the bow so a few things to work on technique wise. I'd given him a demo of the proper stance, how to draw the bow etc but these things take a bit of time. For the first wee while I felt as if I was constantly having to prompt him...this photo was taken on his first shot so he did get better...but I was also careful not to impinge on his enjoyment too much by overloading him with lots of 'Dad advice'. He's keen to get out at least a couple of times a week and practising his posture and draw at home under close supervision.

Any and all advice though is gratefully received. I attended an archery club for many years as a kid but that was admittedly a while ago. In the new year I'll be signing us both up for a beginners course though as it's a stipulation of the local clubs I've looked into.

We're lucky to have lots of woodland around that we can use. This spot is ideal as there's a 25 foot cliff at the back, good views in all directions and the approaches strewn with felled trees/branches so anyone heading our way will be spotted/heard before they get anywhere near.

We've had a couple of broken arrows so far...hitting the cliff behind which fortunately has a good, thick covering of earth and moss to reduce the chance of arrows pinging back. I'll be buying a few more so we have plenty then pulling together spare nocks, points etc for running repairs. My wife has no idea what she's started but at least I can blame her for encouraging me...

 

[mrcharly]

Excellent backdrop and what a useful target you have there.

 

[NS40]

Just got some 'bow bling' to 'pimp up' my bow (and hopefully improve accuracy a bit). Didn't think it would have arrived before crimbo but was waiting for me when I got home tonight along with another dozen arrows.

A new bow sight (even lights up for low light), a whisker biscuit (aka arrow rest) and a stabiliser/silencer.







Now, what do you think the chances of me sneaking out tomorrow to fire off a few?