Outdoor Backstops(anything new out there?)

[Davesea]

I use judos in the backyard and I hang a heavy polyester mesh as a backstop.  It is 50=60" high by about 9' (3 yards).  Cost is inexpensive for the size coverage.  works great.  shoot at a small target and be confident that your arrows won't go into the neighbors yard....

[Over&Under]

There was an indoor range where we used to live and the backstop was phone books stacked up with the open pages facing the shooter.  They must have been compressed a little, but I have yet to see a better backstop.  Not sure where the guy got that many books, they were stacked to the ceiling, and from wall to wall....my guess 8ft tall and about 20ft wide.  I have been saving phone books to make my own.

[Converml]

I have access to large round haybales so that is what I have been using. Cheap but they can be a handful to move. Merle

I like the  CeloTex idea and the carpet/ horse matts. I'm going to try them.

[nschlag]

mudd,
i didn't take the time to read every post so this may be a repeat. i stack 3 straw bales and compress them with 2x6's and allthread. just put a 2x6 on top and on the bottom with holes drilled in the appropriate places, insert the 6' allthread and tighten. weathers pretty good and very inexpensive.

you could also have the bails banded together at a lumber yard with the same stuff they band bundles of wood with.

[Bird Dog]

I made a great backstop out of an old hot tub cover.

[Davesea]

The advantage of the mesh fabric is that it's cheap, light, easy to put up and take down (in minutes) and doesn't leave an eyesore because you can remove it when you are done.

[Over&Under]

Originally posted by Mudd:
The target ideas are great! I'm sure a lot of folks will benefit from your suggestions but what I need is something to stop arrows that for whatever reason fail to get snagged in the target. It needs to be really "big" and really "cheap" and realy "easy" to make. I'm not very handy, just handsome!

The big isn't so much for me as it is for any of my buddy's that drop by and want to fling an arrow or two.. like Gray Buffalo, Butch Speer, Loyd.. and others that I want to come back. When they lose arrows here they have a tendency to stay away after-wards...

There's not enough brush in my back yard for an arrow to be sustained on for long periods of time when released back into the wild.

Thanks!
God bless,Mudd

If big and cheap is all you want....then the double thick carpet idea, draped over a cable or rope or something is IMO the best idea.  You can get remnants from local carpet store (may even be given to you) and the rope and posts are easy too.

I have the double carpet as my backstop and it is the bees knees!

[reddogge]

Here's my carpet backstop on my deer target. It'll catch the high ones and I seldom miss low.
 

[rice]

Mudd: This is 2 landscape timbers, 2 2x4 and 2 pieces of rubber converyer belt.


This one is same as above, except has 4 pieces of carpet screwed to the frame.

The arrows were shot from a 52# bow. Only cost in this one was the posts $1.59 each from sale at home depot. 2x4 were scrap. Carpet was free from a remodel at a friends.

[Three Finger]

Mudd. I work at the Post Office and some of the mail comes in very large bags. Just like the bag target material. My post master gave me a few and I save all our plastic bags to fill them up. I have 3 full now. They are about 3 ft tall and 2ft wide. They work great and I leave them out all yr. And they are free.

[saumensch]

Old carpets, hung double or triple work very well.
Just make sure they hang loosely to teh ground so they can move a bit.
My club has them on our 3D range and they work good up to 60 # of draw weight when hung double.
Hope that helped,
Axel

[Dave Thaxton]

Mudd,

According to my missus I'm cheap but in my mind just.....cheap    (that word again)easy and tough. When it is weathered enough I still have the other end of the table to make another.

[Maxx Black]

Mudd! The photos that (rice) has posted are the same design I use and have had very good use from them. Mine are three years old and still back stopping my targets. If it becomes worn or weathered just hang another carpet over top . Also you can move them around the yard without a forklift.  Maxx

[falconview]

Havnt read all the posts on this but my solution for a behind a target stop is to hang a 4'x8 dence  rubber  shop Mat you can get it in 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick. They are not cheap but work excellent

[Bud B.]

Mudd,

If you have an old tarp you can buy four bales of wheat straw. Buy the ones with the nylon strings. Stack them two wide and two tall. Stack them on the cut edges of the straw.

Place your tarp on the ground where you want your target and fold the tarp to be as wide if not a little wider than bales. Also buy one can of the expanding foam. Place two bales width wise facing your shooting lane on the tarp with the length of the tarp towards your lane. When it's over you want to wrap the bales like a burrito. When the two bales are facing your lane and side by side (tip to tip) you can then spray a layer of foam on the tops of the ground level bales and then stack the last two bales on top of the other two in the same fashion. The foam will be a sealant between the bottom two and the top two. Then take the tarp and wrap the bales to keep them dry. Let the foam set up, about 24 hours, and that prevents arrows from going through the bales at the seam. Do the ends too if you have enough foam.


Four bales - $16 roughly
Brand new tarp - $20 roughly (use an old one then get the new one to replace the intent of the used one)
Spray foam - $5 roughly

If you go three high by two wide you might need post supports on the back side of the bales to keep it stable. You could just go three high.

After you shoot up the bales or they start to rot you can use the to plant tomato plants in....a bale garden.

This is great for field points. Broadheads might cut the bale strings.

Here's my three bale tarp covered target stop.

[buckeye_hunter]

Two layers of straw bales.

Set the first layer up sideways and the second layer on end. Put some wood dole rods behind or on corners to hold it up if needed.

With 2 layers the arrow doesn't pass through. Lasts a loooong time for only 15-20 dollars.

I am shooting a 53lb recurve bow into that and no issues yet.