Practicing on a 3-D range offers many benefits, such as improved distance judging, shot placement, increased muscle memory, and the ability to shoot in realistic hunting conditions. The benefits are many, yet few archers have the acreage or funds to develop dozens of shooting scenarios. However, like baseball, you don’t need a stadium to learn the game. With a few basic materials, you can build an archery target to practice in a variety of realistic situations.
Bales Can Be Beautiful
I was nearly 30-years-old when I began bowhunting and quickly realized I needed a target for regular practice. Since I live on a farm, I buried two fence posts four feet apart, attached a support beam for two compressed bales of straw, and an angled room to keep the straw dry. I positioned the target where I could shoot from an elevated deck and at the end of the yard, creating distance and angle challenges. Since I often worked until dark in the fall and winter, I shot at night under a security light. Often, I would practice at a distance where I could not see the target’s face, placing my 40-yard pin at the center of the target’s silhouette. Strangely, this allowed me to focus totally on my form, and I often could have fletch touch in a target I couldn’t see.
Realistic Practice
During daylight, I attached a plastic coffee can lid on a string and suspended it in front of the target. Usually, there was a breeze blowing on the farm and the circular disk would slowly turn in a rotating fashion. The trick was to hit the target as it turned “broadside,” which required holding at full draw and shooting at exactly the right time. I found this very helpful, and it provided a realistic challenge, even at 20 yards.
Size Matters
You can add 3-D animals to your backyard range, but the priority should be one large target. By large, I mean at least 3 feet by 3 feet; larger is better. As your experience grows, you will want to practice with new sights, releases, scopes, and other improvements, so you can start from scratch to build accuracy. Morrell’s new V36 is two feet wide and three feet tall, which is perfect for longer-range practice. The center portion of the V36 is the popular High Roller foam target, rated at 450 fps and compatible with target points or broadheads.
DYI Range-
Here’s an informative video that’s spot on with one exception. Several of the 3-D targets they set up have no backstop, and a high shot on a 3-D animal can easily skip well beyond the target. Their goal is to practice at 100 yards, which they do very successfully.
