Building a backstop in the back yard

[Magwa45]

I am thinking of a backstop for archery in the back yard. Maybe putting a couple 4x4s in the ground to hold by a half inch piece of plywood about 4'x6'. On top of the plywood putting rubber pads. I just want to stop any arrows from flying out of the yard. I would appreciate any feedback if anyone has done something like that. Thanks.

[Maclean]

Do what you're describing, but replace the sheet of plywood with a 5x7 horse stall mat. Hang it from the top on it's long axis, a couple of inches off the ground. Easier on your arrows and just as effective if not more. You can find them at any farm centric supply store. Plenty of YouTube videos on it.   

[Pine]

2x ^^^^^

[Magwa45]

Do what you're describing, but replace the sheet of plywood with a 5x7 horse stall mat. Hang it from the top on it's long axis, a couple of inches off the ground. Easier on your arrows and just as effective if not more. You can find them at any farm centric supply store. Plenty of YouTube videos on it.   

Thanks! I have heard about horse stall mats. That sounds like a great idea.

[Wudstix]

I'm figuring out a design myself.  Using heavy rubber mats as a backstop.  Then a block target and 3-D hog and/of javelina target in front.
 

[awry]

Horse stall mat attached to a lacrosse goal frame. Works great!

[Swamp Stick]

I placed two 4x4 posts as the main frame for mine. The back of the posts has a sheet of thick plywood attached. On the front of the posts, I ran a 2x4 from one top to another. The 2x4 gave me a mounting location for the rubber stall mats. So once finished I have free hanging stall mats (if they free hang and don't touch the ground they soak up more arrow energy) and about 4-6" behind the mats is the sheet of plywood. Add some extra wood and you can get a roof to protect your target from the elements.

[Swamp Stick]

Here's a picture of mine

[Even]

Mine is a few piled rectangular bales of barley straw covered with a cheap tarp (to keep the straw out of the weather),  fronted with three dense foam archery targets.   It has worked well for ten years now. 

I might have to try the horse mat thing, for some farther targets, once I find a 70# ASL to my liking.  Getting the urge to set up my long targets again. 

[Keefer]

Here’s our “Outdoor PlayStation” as I call it.

[Keefer]

And a few of my favorites I forgot to load

[Trenton G.]

I use a similar setup as others have mentioned, except I use 2-3 squares of old carpeting. It stops arrows well, and is much easier to pull arrows from than a stall mat. If you're able to leave a few inches between each carpet layer, even better as it will absorb the arrows energy as each layer moves a bit on impact

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I just got mine fixed up and moved yesterday. It’s positioned so I can test fire some arrows while tillering. I’ve had the backstop for about half a year and the arrows just bounce off the horse stall mats. They are very heavy when you get two of them together. It was a pain to get the mats up there but I got it up.

Kyle

[Gun]

How about a dumpster dive behind a carpet store

[Magwa45]

Thanks everyone for some great ideas. Putting two together so that you don't have to worry about an arrow going over the target looks good. I have lost more than a few arrows that just disappeared in the grass after flying over the target. Also putting on a roof to protect the 3D target is also very smart.

[Magwa45]

I bought 2 4'x6' horse mats at the local feed store today. These things are heavy and hard to handle. Just wondering how to get these up on a target stand? Maybe build the frame for the target and then get the mats up there somehow. It looks like a challenge.

[Blackstick]

Being old and living alone, I had to use a tractor with a front end loader to set mine up.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I ended up tying the end of a long rope to a hole in the boards for the mats. Then did a few wraps over the pole and through the board hole to give some leverage. Then with one hand I would pull the rope and the other hand I would lift the board. If I did it again I would make sure the frame is tall enough I could fit a proper pulley system between the frame and mats. So essentially make the frame about 7’ tall  and 8-8.5’ inches wide. The mats weigh 95# each and being floppy make it difficult to move.

Kyle

[Kelly]

Keefers, approximate size of yours and how far off ground to platform? Thanks

[Keefer]

Kelly ,
  I’ll have to go out and take some measurements but I think the platform was like 30” off the ground and I know it’s 6’ wide cause that is the size of the horse Matt in the back .
  I have a plan I made on Graph paper of how I wanted it to look and then just added doors to keep the element out.
  The metal was free for the roof but I bought some for the sides to close it in.
  Built it during the Covid shut down .
  Here’s
Some pictures as I built it .
  The 5 1/4 lumber came out of my neighbors dumpster when they had their deck built and was scraps that were cut off so I dumpster dived .