Best archery target for the least dough?

[Longtoke]

Shot my old target to smithereens and time for a new one. I'm saving up for some carbon arrows so I'm trying to find the best value target.

Any recommendations?

[Ray Lyon]

If you were in a less rocky environment, I'd say stumps and blunts. No better practice in my opinion.

[Biggamefish]

http://thirdhandarchery.com   Get some of the skins and make your own.  He guarantees them.  I have them and they are nice.  You just need a BUNCH of clothes for the inside.

[Longtoke]

I live in the canyon/prairie area so my closest thing to a stump would be a cactus lol. I do like tossing out a few thick plastic water bottles for some thumping practice.

However I am looking for a backyard target, The cheapest I have found is one called "the black hole" for about 30 bucks, any one have experience with this target? will it hold up or will i be shooting through the middle after a week?

[Pete McMiller]

Cheapest target other than a sand pile is a feed sack stuffed full of either old clothes or plastic grocery bags or even a balled up roll of visqueen.  Will stop any field tipped arrow for as long as the feed sack holds up.

[John3]

The Block lasts me though thousand upon thousands of field tipped shots.  I shoot inside the house for form.. Broad heads outside into a "river bottom" buck 3D.. Quality for the money

[Longtoke]

Originally posted by Biggamefish:
 http://thirdhandarchery.com    Get some of the skins and make your own.  He guarantees them.  I have them and they are nice.  You just need a BUNCH of clothes for the inside.

That looks like a good idea, I do have some old towels laying around...

[Longtoke]

Originally posted by Pete McMiller:
Cheapest target other than a sand pile is a feed sack stuffed full of either old clothes or plastic grocery bags or even a balled up roll of visqueen.  Will stop any field tipped arrow for as long as the feed sack holds up.

Great idea, that fits right into my cardboard box budget lol!

[achigan]

Originally posted by Longtoke:
 

Originally posted by Pete McMiller:
Cheapest target other than a sand pile is a feed sack stuffed full of either old clothes or plastic grocery bags or even a balled up roll of visqueen.  Will stop any field tipped arrow for as long as the feed sack holds up.

Great idea, that fits right into my cardboard box budget lol! [/b]

And once the feed sack is shot up, just drop it, stuffing and all, into another feed sack.

[AZ_Longbow]

Carpet target, if you can find some old carpet, 2x4s and some allthread you can make a durable but heavy target.

[Longtoke]

Originally posted by AZ_Longbow:
Carpet target, if you can find some old carpet, 2x4s and some allthread you can make a durable but heavy target.

Cut them to 2x4 sheets, stack them, then stitch them together?

[Longtoke]

Guess i picked a good time to tile the basement after all
 

[Kamm1004]

Take a bunch of cardboard boxes that are the same size. Collapse them down, stack them up, and use ratchet straps to tighten them together. Costs nothing, lasts a long time, and the arrows are easy to remove.

[reddogge]

100# feed sacks are $1 at the feed store. make up a bunch of them. They will degrade if left out in the sun though. But just restuff the whole thing into another one for $1.

[riser]

I saw a YouTube video about "low cost / free targets. Stuff an empty corrugated box (of the size you desire) with old plastic packaging (shrink wrap, grass seed/compost heavy duty plastic bags etc). Tape the box closed. Viola. Target.  You can " weather-proof it by putting it in big plastic 33 gal lawn/leaf bag, and running a strip of packing tape around it. Stops the arrows, but is easy to pull them out.

Works great.

[riser]

I live in a rural area. I can buy abale of hay (2' x 3' ?) for $3 each.  I use a bent piece of steel coat hanger as target pin/hangar ( 6" total length, then bending a right angled square about 1" diameter with a 2-3" stab). I then stick the cheapest paper plate on the bale of hay.  The plate is about the size of a deer's kill zone, or a 3d "8 ring".  The smaller inside " ring"/ embossed bottom of the plate is close to a 10 ring on a NFAA target or 10 ring on a 3d target.  Works well.

You can put the bale of hay in a lawn/leaf bag to protect from rain.  Stick some one inch tree branches in the bottom of the bale of hay and youngive it "legs".  It's about the size of a deer's body.

[Stump73]

I built a cardboard box target and stuffed it with old blue jeans and clothes. Then I wrapped it with duck tape to make the carboard last longer. It worked to good to stop my arrows. The down side was I couldn't pull the arrows out. Dont know if it was the duck tape or the jeans that grabed on to the arrows.

[AZ_Longbow]

longtoke you have pretty much everything you need there, and no need to stitch anything.
Cut the carpet material into your desired size say a 2x1 foot rectangle. stack them as tall as you want. we did about 2 foot tall. you take the 2x4s and place them on the bottom of the stack at the front and the back so it rests on them, then do the same on top. You run the allthread between the top and bottom 2x4s and use nuts and washers to tighten the stack. we put plywood and furniture dolly wheels on the bottom of ours to roll it around as it can get heavy. now we shoot everything from 360fps wheel bows to my longbows into that thing. nothing goes any deeper than 8 inches.
a video " Make Your Own Carpet Archery Target "
by antler geek on the you. I never worry about the rubber backs stuff with my recurve or longbows. the arrows are not fast enough to melt the rubber.
Its cheep its easy and it lasts and lasts and lasts, it is just HEAVY.

[joe ashton]

a fed sack filled with plastic bags.. works great.

[Tajue17]

not sure if someone posted these but the best that I know of and cheapest I found is,,, a potato sack or even better go to a plumbing supply house and ask for  a couple sacks the cast iron fittings come in..

now find plastic,, plastic anything even tarps stuff em in as hard as you can, hold the top shut and spin it and finally tie it shut or zip tie it..... stops the fastest arrows and two finger removal,, every now and then you need to kick it around a little to move that plastic around if you shoot thru one spot.

practice with big broadheads or treesharks,,, a few towels drapped over a saw horse,, because they are hanging loose they stop the arrow.

another broadhead target,,,, get a cardboard box and throw old clothes, sheets any fabric in, wet everything a bit and stomp on it so it packs down inside tighter but leave the top open,,, shoot the broadhead then very carefully fish around in the top thru the clothes to find the arrow shaft and follow to broadhead to remove out top or back it back out the broadhead hole,, cover with tarp when not in use.

someone in the past also said a trashbag filled with expandable foam then shape into a target when its done expanding and setting,,,,, someone also set expandable foam sprayed into plastic bottles is good field point/blunt targets.

lastly a nice thick sofa seat cushion stuffed inside a car tire so it fills the rim hole,, now find a hill in the woods or field and have someone roll it down,,,,, if you counter weight the opposite with a heavy weight bolted to the back side it will not fall to the arrowshafts