Deadnuts 2D targets

[PaddyMac]

Sorry if this one has been posted before. I searched and came up with nuttin. Has anyone tried the Deadnuts 2d targets? I like the concept of photo realism and actual size, and I'm familiar with polyethylene. I'm concerned with how long they last at $139 since I'm a horrible tightwad when it comes to targets.

[Terry Green]

 There is not a lot of info on their website either.  I assume you have to have a backdrop to catch your arrow?

[Trenton G.]

I've been looking at getting one of their elk targets to practice for this fall. They used to be called Solo Targets, and there are several YouTube videos out there on them, including one by 3 rivers. It's the same product, just under a different name now.

[PaddyMac]

Yes, you need to attach them to a butt or target. I have an email in to them. I'll post their reply when/if I get one. They're about 3 hours away from me. If I'm down that way fishing, I'll definitely stop in. I just think that if it's 1/4" low density polyethylene as much as I shoot I'll shred that sucker pretty quick especially if I shoot broadheads into it which I plan to. They come with two extra vital zones. There must be some kind of physical restriction to the thickness of the material they print on or laser cut. They should be a sponsor here. I'll message them on that.

I'd try the broadside mule deer first.

I have two butts. One is a new double layer of 2"x24" 6lb PE in a 2x6 frame. The other is, get this, a 4'x4'x5' super bag filled with shredded plastic. It's not all the way done yet, but it's basically free. That one is for the neighborhood Karens. 

[Terry Green]

PaddyMac, thanks for the response and mentioning us to them.

You might check and see if same weight field points fly exactly like your broadheads(like mine do as well as same weight Judos) and shoot those at this target.

[PaddyMac]

Mine always have. I'm an obsessive tuner and whenever I go to fiddle with something I have to remind myself that nothing's broken. My 175 gr. Woodsman broadheads fly exactly like my 175 gr field points on 30.5" 400 GT trads with 3 4" fletch and 5.5" wraps (and pretty much the same with 4 fletch) but I'm a firm believer in constant verification so I shoot broadheads a lot which is expensive on target wear.

[Terry Green]

I hear you.  I mostly shoot broadheads on big deep latex foam targets that I get for free being in the carpet business. However, if I were to shoot this type of target I'd probably use field points.

Keep us posted....

[Wolf1007]

I bought one and tried it. Bottom line up front, I would not buy another one.

They are made of the same material that the plastic election signs your neighbors put in their front yards are made of. The graphics are high quality but you will quickly shoot the insert out of it. It will come with a spare, but the same thing will happen and then you are left shooting at a 2d target into a black hole (I hung mine over a matrix target).

If you use any kind of collar over the end of your arrow, the plastic material will get caught between the collar and shaft. It did hold up well to the weather and the UV light from the sun though.

Not a bad idea, just not a 100+ dollar idea in my opinion. I would not buy another one. Hope that helps and I hope everyone has a great Independence Day!

[Wolf1007]

Broadheads will eat one of these alive and be a pain to remove...forgot that part!

[PaddyMac]

Thanks, Wolf. That's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. Yes, definitely, it's a good idea. I like the idea of their slogan "Shoot for the spot instead of the dot." I might still do it. It's only money, right? 

[Trenton G.]

I would imagine you could always make a new insert out of some corrugated cardboard too if you wanted. I've made some full size deer and bear targets from that stuff before.

[Al Dente]

I think that you could find a printing establishment and have them print you out an elk, if photo-realism is what you're after, then glue it to piece of core-plast, the plastic cardboard, and hang it on a haybale or backstop.  for the close to $150 you spent, I'm sure that you can make several.

[PaddyMac]

Not a bad idea. I'll check it out.

[PaddyMac]

OK, I'm figuring this out. Probably too much information at this point but geeky does as geeky is, I guess. These numbers are not very accurate, but close enough for government work. High resolution printing on foam board requires pretty expensive equipment, maybe $3,000 to $6,000 depending on resolution, vertical image size, and material thickness and then you're talking ink. I don't even. To print a high resolution actual size deer on 1" PE foam, you're talking quite an investment. And you have to cut it. To do an outline cut you need a fairly specialized piece of equipment. What Deadnuts is using is probably a modified vinyl cutter and that's why they're only ~ 1/4" thick. To do a 2D outline cut on a full size elk on 1 in. thick PE, you can probably get by with a CNC machine for around $6,500 but it's going to be very slow. It's the cutting that the expensive part. If you just wanted a full size deer target on paper, that's not that expensive and you can buy those, but I'd be done in not much more than a dozen shots with broadheads. 1 in thick PE foam would last quite a while with field pts but 1/4" vs. 1" with broadheads? And then you're going to need a fairly skilled person(s) to do it. I'm not sure the added cost vs the durability would make sense. Bottomline: I like the concept enough and the price is reasonable enough I'm going to give it a go.

[Terry Green]

I would chew them up real fast with Zwickey Delta 4 blades and three blades.

Let us know how it goes...

[Trenton G.]

Figured I'd bring this back to the top real quick as I just received one of their targets in the mail the other day. I bought one of the banner elk targets and mounted it to a couple big squares of cardboard to stand in front of my target. Right out of the box I was impressed with the material, as I had expected something maybe just one step up from paper, however, it's more of almost a canvas type material and has been pretty durable so far. The print was nice, and they had installed metal grommets around the edge to make mounting easier. It also came with two replacement kill zones and a bunch of smaller stickers to cover individual holes. I've probably put close to 200 shots through it and so far it's been a lot of fun!  Even if the killzone eventually gets shot out, the rest of the elk will still be there and I'll just be shooting through to whatever target I have behind it, so I see this lasting quite a long time. I bring it in when I'm done shooting as opposed to leaving it out in the sun.

[Terry Green]

Trenton, how about a pic?

[Trenton G.]

Forgot about the picture until this evening. I've been shooting anywhere from 15 to 75 yard on it. Lots of fun.