backyard archery
Archery can be a great pastime. It’s relaxing to spend time shooting, and it’s a great way to spend time outside. It can be a highly social or solitary pursuit. There are few things more satisfying than the feeling of putting arrows on the bull’s-eye. Conversely, there are few things more frustrating than trying to shoot a bow and missing consistently. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could practice at home?
How do you build an archery range at home? Making an archery range isn’t difficult, but it does take a little planning. To create a backyard archery range, follow these steps:
To get good at archery, you must practice almost every day. You could carve out time every day to drive to an archery range. Of course, that assumes there is an archery range nearby, and that it doesn’t take too long to get there. You can easily double or even triple the amount of time you spend practicing archery if you didn’t have to commute to a range every day. In this article, we are going to explain how you can build an archery range in your backyard.
Backyard Range Setup.
The first step to building an archery range is checking your local laws to make sure it’s allowed. If your locality bans backyard archery, you can’t create a range. You will have to find other options to practice your shooting.
If you live in an incorporated city or town, start by checking with your city government. The local code enforcement department is the best place to start. If your town does not have a code enforcement department, check with the police department or the town clerk’s office.
If you’re still unsure how to find out this information, I wrote an article all about The Legal Restrictions Of Practicing Archery In The Backyard that will help you figure everything out.
File:a Little Backyard Archery On This Gorgeous Day In Louisiana.jpg
Once you’ve determined that backyard archery is allowed, you can start laying out your range. Range layout is vital – get it wrong, and you’ll never have the best shooting experience. The first step to laying out your field is to decide the distances you need.
If you are a competition shooter, deciding on distances is simple. Look at the rules for your competition and measure your yard to find that distance. Don’t limit yourself to just the backyard, either. You can maximize the reach that you shoot if you stand at the front of your lot and shoot through the gate into the backyard.
You have a few options for measuring your lot. One is a measuring tape. A 30-foot measuring tape lets you mark off 10-yard increments. If you want to go a little longer, you can purchase 100-foot tape and measure distances up to 33 yards.
Quick & Easy Backyard Bow Stand/quiver
For longer distances, a measuring wheel allows you to pace off any length you like. Measuring wheels are available at most hardware stores, I recommend this Measuring Wheel on Amazon. If you often shoot on informal ranges, a measuring wheel can be a handy thing to have in your archery kit. You can measure distances as quickly as you can walk them.
If your property is not big enough to give you the full distance that you need for practice, don’t despair. You can simulate long-distance shooting by cutting the range in half and using a target face that is half the size of your official target.
This will give you the same site picture that you get from shooting a full-size target at the full distance. Also, you will benefit from the extra shooting practice even though you’re not shooting at the full range.
Archery Practice: Diy Backyard Range
If you are a hunter, identifying the distance to shoot is a little tougher. Check your stand location and identify the longest shot you are likely to take. Then, practice at twice that range. Yes, twice the range. If you have a chance at a big buck at the maximum range for your stand, you want it to feel comfortable – not like you are working at the limit of your skill.
Many archery pros (the guys you see hunting on TV) make a habit of shooting at 100 or even 120 yards. That’s how they make a 60-yard shot look easy.
You probably won’t be able to set up a range to meet that maximum distance. That’s OK. Just like for competition archers, you can use smaller targets to compensate for the lack of distance. Get your practice every day on small targets at half distance, then make sure you shoot at longer distances every few weeks.
Creating A Backyard Archery Range
The layout of your property will determine the orientation of your range if you are trying to maximize your shooting distance. In a perfect world, your range should be oriented so that you shoot at the south side facing north. This orientation guarantees that the sun will not be in your eyes – no matter the time of day or the season.
For most people, a west-facing range is the worst. This puts you staring directly into the sun as you shoot in the evening. South-facing ranges should also be avoided because the low winter sun will be in your eyes.
If you can’t prevent a range layout that requires you to face the sun as you shoot, try to align your range so that something blocks the sun for your shooting. A tree, a fence, or even your backstop can all be helpful. Targets and Firing Lanes
Backyard Beginner Archery Set
If you’re a solo archer, laying out the range is easy. Set your target at the back of the range, mark your firing line, and start shooting. If you shoot with multiple archers of different skill levels, it can be tougher.
The most straightforward arrangement is to have your target or targets at the back of the range and mark off different firing lines. This has the advantage of requiring only one target and backstop. It has the disadvantage of requiring everyone to shoot at the same distance for each round.
If you would prefer to allow all archers to shoot at different distances, set up a single firing line. Place targets at appropriate ranges and put a backstop behind each one. The beautiful thing about this set up is that everyone can shoot at once, no matter the distance. The drawback is that you need to have multiple targets and multiple backstops.
Diy Backyard Archery Ranges: Safety And Efficacy
Once you have measured and aligned your range, you will want to mark the firing lines. You can dig holes and set posts at each range, or you can mark the distances with a brick. Dig a hole the size of the brick and set your marker in the ground. Make the top of the brick flush with the ground. This gives you a visible marker that won’t move, but you can roll right over with the lawnmower. No weed-eating needed!
The next thing you need for your range is a backstop. Most of your arrows will hit the target, but sometimes even the best archer misses. OK, maybe
Don’t miss. But your buddy, or your kid, or your spouse will. You need a backstop to keep the arrows from leaving your range or getting lost. An ideal barrier will stop your arrows without damaging them.
Starter Kit: Build A Backyard 3d Target Range
Most suburban backyards already have a handy backstop in place – a wooden privacy fence. These fences will keep arrows in your yard and your neighbors safe. The drawback to a solid-wood backstop is that it can damage arrows. It’s best if you can make the area immediately around your target have a softer barrier.
Besides arrow damage, solid-wood backstops can be very noisy. Arrows smacking into a wood fence can be loud and irritate your neighbors. A softer barrier is best because it’s quiet and easy on arrows. If want to use your fence as a backstop, I suggest adding some rubber mat to protect your arrows and cut down on the noise.
The best backstops for stopping arrows without damaging them or heavy, yet flexible. You can purchase netting that is made specifically for stopping arrows. This netting works very well and is available in large sizes, but it can be expensive. I recommend this Archery Netting from Amazon.
Can You Shoot Archery In Your Backyard?
Another option is old carpet. The carpet will also stop arrows, and you can often get it for free. The downside of carpet is that it can be ugly and possibly get moldy when wet. You may need multiple layers of carpet to stop arrows from stronger bows, personally I avoid using carpet.
Perhaps the best combination of durability and price for a backstop is the rubber mats meant for horse stalls. These mats are waterproof and practically indestructible, yet they don’t cost that much. Hanging a rubber stall mat as a backstop will catch all your arrows safely without damaging them.
Whatever flexible backstop you choose, you will need to hang it up. Flexible barriers work the best if they are hanging in space and allowed to flex. Don’t attach your barrier to the privacy fence. Build a separate frame and attach the backstop only to the top of the frame. When arrows hit the backstop, it will give
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