Targets...just for fun

[JC]

I wish I had more time to run off to the woods and hunt but out of normal season it's tough to arrange the time to make the trip to go chase hogs. But, it's not to tough to steal a few minutes each afternoon to fling a couple of arrows if only for the pure pleasure of watching them fly.

I love shooting at critters, and I love 3d but danged if I don't have a lot of fun whacking stuff most people throw in the garbage or use for other purposes.

For me, nothing gives instant gratification like the crunch of a coke can. I shoot them till they literally fall to pieces...then shoot at the pieces. I've got a medication that comes in a super tough bottle of heavy plastic...sucker will take a bunch of punishment before giving up the ghost and makes a challenging target. The smaller gatorade bottles bounce around the field really nice and make the most pleasant "WHUMP" when whacked with a blunt. Bottle caps hung on a string are a great target for humbling you on those days when you think you can't miss. Having a bunch of rescue dogs mean we have those solid rubber "Kong" toys...they go "WHOP" when you hit em, they bounce away for a follow up shot and I've yet to tear one up with anything short of a broadhead...and they'll take those pretty regularly too!

So, outside of stumps/leaves/3d targets, what targets do you use just for fun...for the pure sake of giggling like a kid when you hit it?

[FlyinCedar]

The plastic baseballs without the holes in them...always fun for me

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Shooting glow stick at night is a riot, and the loud smack of a Hex Head on the hard bottom of a soda can is pretty fun too.

[JohnHV]

Hey JC, haven't seen you in a while, hope all is well!

Now to your question. One thing you didn't mention is empty plastic water bottles.  My boys and I like to hang the small ones from their "necks" on our target stand with a piece of bailing twine.  You know when you've made a solid hit by the sound and they stand up to a lot of abuse. After enough hits, the bottle will usually tear away from the bottle opening, and then we try to shoot through the ring left hanging there.  You can also hang a bunch of them from low hanging tree limbs in the woods for an improvised "3D" course.

Have fun!

[Blackhawk]

Speaking of instant gratification, popping balloons is hard to top.  My buddies and I secure several (sizes and colors) and backoff 40-50 yards and call our shots.  If you hit, shoot again. If you miss, next archer shoots.  Keep score with the loser buying the diet pepsi.

Another game is shooting aerial targets.  We use gallon milk jugs with enough rocks or sand in the botton for easy throwing.  Using flu flu arrows make for easier retrieval.

[Red Beastmaster]

Old broken small appliances such as coffee makers and radios make good targets. I've also shot up rap CD's and naked Barbie's.  

[Boomerang]

Tennis balls thrown arround the yard last a long time before they are un-usable.

[kbetts]

Little plastic practice golf balls.  Hard to hit, fun to crunch and cheap.

[saumensch]

i had (!) old small plastic dinosaurs from my childhood days, they were fun too

[George D. Stout]

I'm lucky to have lots of natural targets around my woods, but I do collect a can or bottle now and then.  Especially fun with an old classic recurve like this Bear Polar.

[tippit]

Masters of the Barebow III DVD has a cool idea:

1 Liter plastic coke bottle on a fishing line and reel.  Have you buddy or significant other throw it out on the lawn and slowly reel it in.  Great practice on a slow walking deer.

I also throw out those orange or yellow foam practice golf balls all around the yard and try One Shot at each.  Then I know if I hit the deer, bear, hog, or whatever on the first shot or go home with my tail between my rump    Doc

[2Blade]

Originally posted by Jason R. Wesbrock:
Shooting glow stick at night is a riot, and the loud smack of a Hex Head on the hard bottom of a soda can is pretty fun too.

Great idea im going to try that tonight.

As for me when im in the yard I shoot at polo balls, flowers, leaves, bees the list goes on.

[NoCams]

Brother Joe,
Mason and I started four years ago with two 2 liter coke bottles about 20yds apart filled with some gravel to keep them from blowing across the yard in the wind and to help them stand up. We would shoot at the first one about 20yds away while standing at the other one. We would go retrieve our arrows, stand the bottle back up and then shoot back the other way at the second bottle. Back and forth for hours ! We had trad fever so bad that sometimes we would only have 10 minutes of shooting light when I came in from work in the winter. Mason would meet me in the yard with my bow and I would go from the vehicle to the bottles without even going in the house first !

We have some soft golf balls that we stick into our target butt and see who can hit the ball first. We love to stump our way back to our trail cams to check pics and fill the feeder. Guess who carries the feed and who carries the bows, haha !!! We usually shoot judos, but bought some of the hammers from DW and Sky and love them ! Recently started shooting ballons tied to the target butt and we try to shoot each other's ballon first. I used to do that drill when shooting pistols, too much fun !!!

And the most fun of all....... ? Climbing a white oak in the yard in August and doing some real life practice on a 3D deer target mounted on a stand with wheels. One shot only from each new position of the target, just like the real thing !!!

p.s. The running bear / hog at the Coot's Cabin !


nocams  

[STOBBER]

Medication bottles filled with baby powder go POOOFFFF when ya hit'em wid a blunt !!!!!

[mcgroundstalker]

I like bustin' my buddies arrows.  :rolleyes:  

... mike ...

[champ38]

I like to shoot the stuffed animals.. I can buy a garbage bag full at the thrift store for just $2-3.00, and they come in all shapes and sizes(some even as big as 3-d targets)...Oh and I can relate to giggling like a kid thing....My neighbors think Im "sick"

[Big Riser]

nerf footballs from garage sales

[Covey]

I have two apple tree's in my front yard and me and my son will take turns shooting " or should I say trying to shoot" the apples off the tree's, right now their about the size of a silver dollar! We also atempt to shoot the flowers off the clover and whatever else we can find!! My son is 10 so the little targets make him focus!!    Jason

[The Talon3]

Arials

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r259/Rkyle/?action=view¤t=AerialwithOnieda.flv

[Curtis Haden]

Beer cans!  Every few days, I shoot one so full of holes, I have to go empty another one!!!