Ideas needed! 3D indoor shoots

[Brian K]

Hi Gang,

I'm looking for a little help,  I just volunteered to run 3 indoor 3d shoots at my club.   See what you get for opening your mouth.   My goal is to increase our attendance at each shoot and renew a tradition of fun inventive 3D shoots.  Back in the day,  the members hand made life size targets of Fred Bear's world record grizzly, a moose, and a polar bear among others.

What things would you like to see at an indoor 3d shoot?   What would get you to travel to iowa for some 3D fun in January?    We have a 30yd indoor range w/ 12 lane the food is good too. My wife comes  just for the biscuits and gravy.

I'm hoping to simulate realistic hunting condition/shots in a safe controlled environment  and give folks the chance to try different shooting positions and devices such as blinds and shooting chairs.

Here are some of the things I'm thinking about.  

1) trees and fences at the shooting line, around the targets, and mid-ranges.  These will force different shooting positions;

2)kneeling , sitting, shooting through gaps, and at obstructed animals

3) Pop up targets.  I'm thinking a fish jumping out of a pool.
Seated shots from different seats such as a hunt more.  
Shots from a pop up blind.  Shooting out a window at a turkey is a whole different view.
4)A low hanging stand from an awkward position or just shooting with a harness.

5)Shooting under/over an obstacles
6) Slow Moving target,  you must shoot as it crosses your lane. This one is probably too dangerous for indoor.
Smaller targets like a squirrel on a tree stump or a fox on a fence

7) Self setting Buzzard on a tree branch

8) Rabbit under a bush

So you trad Gangers are pretty creative,  what ideas do you guys have?

Thanks much!

BK

[bigb3303]

You could do some trick shots. Like William tell apple on a target head for extra points. Or thread the needle where you shoot thru a curved pipe. .. Put a Squirrel or raccoon in a hole in a tree. You have to shoot him in the hole.  Also do a shot where you have a bush in front of the target , just a tight gap to sneak an arrow true. You could do a semi submerged gator. Or shoot a skunk in the but! Hahah plug the hole!

[huntnmuleys]

a lot of the indoor 3ds here collect the trees after Christmas and build bases for em.  that's an easy start.  sounds to me like you have some good ideas already. maybe an antelope from a stool like in a blind?

[beaunaro]

We always had a swinging ball that had to be pinned to the backstop/
Also use a vaccuum cleaner in reverse (blowing) air thru a self standing pvc pipe to float a ping pong ball.
The ball will move up and down in the airstream.
Small animals on fences and Christmas trees and other obstacles like you already have thought of.

[macbow]

A very close shot like 5 feet. With a small kill area.
Most shooters don't practice these.

[BAK]

Hey Brian, I've shot your summer course many times over the past few years.  Sounds like something I'll have to put on my calender.  My only "don't" is regarding shots from blinds.  I've got a 66" recurve and can't shoot it out of most of these pop up blinds that are designed with the compound or gun hunter in mind.

You might try some low light shots down along one side of the range to simulate real hunting shots at dawn or dusk.

Do you have a date set for this yet?

[long time archer]

Some set up we used in an indoor hunters' league for several years:

Half a telephone pole with a garage door opener track and motor on the back side with clips on the track to hold foam cutouts of squirrels. the curved side of the pole toward the shooters. as the motor started squirrels would move up the pole on the right side allowing shots as they moved.

A grill rotisserie motor and the steel that goes through a large chunk of meat was used similar to the pole above but set up horizontally so clips brazed to the steel held foam pheasant heads that appeared just above a log. A shooter had just a second or two to shoot before the head swung down behind the log. They moved continusously up and down as long as the motor was running.

Swinging targets that swung like a pendulum from the ceiling would be released by pulling a string to release a lock on the side wall. The target would swing between old fake trees, and a shooter could only shoot between the trees.

Running target along the back wall. Small cable ran from close to ceiling on one side and down to ?? height on opposite wall. Again a lock release was activated by pulling a string release.

[long time archer]

More: hollow log on a wooden 'X' frame to hold it the right distance above the floor. Allowed for two shots from knees to two different targets before moving on to the next shooting spot.

Had a ??? carp target on the floor and was shot from a small platform from above as if in a boat.

Cross the facility from one corner to the other as full size 3D targets.

Shot with both feet on truck intertube inflated enough to keep your feet off the concrete, so the shooter was apt to move or wiggle at the shot.

Shots sitting, kneeling, and using your off hand.

We had a lot of fun, and the guy that set us up each Thursday night was not wound right.

Use lots to fake Christmas trees, limbs, and make up moving targets.  One of my favorite moving targets was a swinging target painted to look like Ghadafi mooning us. We has to hit a very hurtful area as he swung between two trees.

[ChiefStingingArrow]

Something that would be cheap and easy would be to get some clear glow in the dark paint...put it on your bulls eye and then  some on your arrow. It would be different and fun.

[reddogge]

I visited an indoor 3-D range in York, PA a couple of weeks ago and one thing you should think of is something to put on the walls to absorb the arrow hits (and thery were lots). They had some kind of foam on the 3 walls and it was draped in dark brown burlap type of fabric. They also had mulch on the floor and artificial Christmas trees, real limbs as hazards. Each animal had a large number posted near or on it so you could keep score if you wanted. They also had a deck over a storage room which acted like an elevated shooting position. A safety red revolving light was activated by the opening of a gate to retrieve arrows.

[riverrat 2]

utilize the 15 point score ring on your 3-D targets. Make the archer call out they are "going for 15" when they come to it. Hit it...15points. Miss it...8points at best. Put a balloon or something on the targets that the 15 point option tu is available. A "bionic buck,or turkey" point shot is another good one. Having to shoot thru a section of pvc pipe before a target is another idea,or we use a record player with a couple arrows mounted on a foam hub,with ballons tethered at the nock end. Put it on 45 and it's either 10 or 0 points. I love our indoor league. Have fun buddy.  rat'

[woodchucker]

Make a "Turkey Blind" target!!!

Take a 4ft X 4ft piece of cardboard and cut a 12" X 12" hole in it. The shooter sits on a 5gal bucket and shoots through the hole, at a 3D turkey target.

[Brian K]

This is so fun!   Thanks for all great ideas.

I'll try to let everyone know how the shoots go.  

BAK,  come see us.  The dates will be January 26th and February 16.

BK

[Brianlocal3]

Everyone's ideas are fantastic. I am fortunate to have a pretty large group of traditional shooters close enough here that 10-20 meet up on Monday nights to shoot. This I have witnessed just don't let it get to you.

There are going to be people who complain about YOUR layout for the course.  Just politely inform them they can do all the work next time!  Have fun and good on ya!

[Sam McMichael]

How about a deer target at say 12 to 15 yards with a raccoon or some other small target behind the deer at about 18 to 20 yards lined up in such a way that you must shoot between the deer's legs and under the body to make a hit on the smaller target? A hit on the closer deer is a missed shot. It works better if the smaller target is slightly downhill from the deer. It helps with arrow trajectory.

[Bldtrailer]

Ok lets get ready to have some fun!!!
1st take an old standing turkey target(headless) and a slow power drill, make foam heads from 3inch pink insulation(homedopt)         now set the spinning heads just behind the taregt (but 3ft in frount of the back stop arrow clearance.
the heads are rigged to fly off as the are hit.put a large  card board sheet between target and drill so the shooters can not see the coming heads.  can use same rig with crackers or playing cards(no target)attached to the spinners arms(cloaths pins to hold) as a form of archery skeet.

 next flip a guarage door openner,(or mount on indoor ceiling with cables to hang 3ds from) chain drive works best. mount it  to a board and make a cart  to carry a 3d target( remote control or use wire with a door bell as foot petttle     control will stop or revease each time pressed                8 to 6 feet of walking target( get the shooters buddies to control the target motion          )

[Bldtrailer]

and the old shot pleaser a ping pong ball on a collum of air (shop vac )unless hit just right the ball will bounce away, if centered will be pinned to the back stop ( can attach 2 pound test fishing line from above, to keep ball  above the air(still moving up& down) but not falling off

[Bldtrailer]

here's a photo of 2 openners on the range note the bolts to put the 3D on    

[Bldtrailer]

how about a zip line across your range

[Knawbone]

Want to attract the young guys? Get a 3D Zombie for a surprise station.