Archery - As a Hobby

TheBeagle

TheBeagle

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Picked up a crossbow. Got it sighted in at 30 yds and just waiting for deer season to open next Saturday. Draw weight is 185 lbs, my fucking back! Gonna be sitting in a tree stand every weekend until all my tags are full. Can't freaking wait. Anyone on the fence about taking the next step to actual hunts, Do It!
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Foler

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Ordered an archery target bag to test out for building my range. Friends and I found an indoor range that can build you a custom recurve bow for like $120-150 and custom arrows. Seems like a great cheapish hobby to get into. Gonna grab some hay bails as a backstop.
 
Borzak

Borzak

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Like everything else, can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. Till you have a custom bow press, arrow cutoff saw, fletching jig to fletch a dozen arrows at a time. Heh.
 
TheBeagle

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Foler said:
Ordered an archery target bag to test out for building my range. Friends and I found an indoor range that can build you a custom recurve bow for like $120-150 and custom arrows. Seems like a great cheapish hobby to get into. Gonna grab some hay bails as a backstop.
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I went all the way through that heavy bag with a couple bolts. Popped the tip off one pulling it out. Make sure to buy the fattest practice points you can find.
 
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Foler

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TheBeagle said:
I went all the way through that heavy bag with a couple bolts. Popped the tip off one pulling it out. Make sure to buy the fattest practice points you can find.
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Lol well for right now were only shooting recurves.
 
Foler

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Borzak said:
Like everything else, can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. Till you have a custom bow press, arrow cutoff saw, fletching jig to fletch a dozen arrows at a time. Heh.
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Maybe a question for you or anyone else here but, is it worth getting more than one archery lesson for recurve? One lesson enough to get form down then just practice?
 
Fogel

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Just youtube some stuff. I watched a couple on the basics like setting and using knock points properly, etc. As far as drawing etc, there's a few different forms depending on what/how you want to shoot.
 
Foler

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Ok archery is hella fun. Got my first target in and buddy brought his bow over.. wow. So satisfying hearing the sound of arrow hitting the bag target.. Just ordered another target last night and plan on getting a bow early next week. This is an awesome hobby if you have lane. We're all beginners so we were shooting at maybe 30 yards.

Gonna build a target holder like this I think. That's the exact target I have. Probably will throw hay bails behind it so we don't have to walk further to get ones that completely miss.

What do you guys think of this target stand? I'd like to keep my targets outside 24/7.. Will arrows break if they hit the wood? Primarily shooting recurves with 25-30 lbs pull weight.
 

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Fogel

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We were using a tree to hold our target one time, hit the tree plenty of times and none of the arrows broke, they either stuck, deflected, or bounced out. That was with a mix of 25lb and 40lb recurve shooting with blunt points.
 
Borzak

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Can nail two nails into a saw horse if you have a wooden one to hold it as well and doubles as ...saw horse when you're not using the target. Whatever you use if you miss the bag enough you'll tear up whatever is holding it up pretty quick. I would advise against leaning it up against something solid.
 
Hoss

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Foler said:
Will arrows break if they hit the wood?
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Not usually but it's always possible. You will also eventually break arrows that you stuck in the target. Probably by hitting it with the next arrow. The point is, plan for that and get extra arrows. It would be good to also be prepared to retip, renock, and refletch the arrows. Fletching is the hardest, I never actually did that, but I think there are some EZ mode self adhesive feathers you can use.

The roof on that stand is interesting. It might cause more breakage too but I'm sure the benefit of keeping sun and rain off the target outweighs the risk. My only problem with that target is the height. I like to always be shooting down. That way if I have a bad shot, the arrow won't go as far.
 
Foler

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Hoss said:
Not usually but it's always possible. You will also eventually break arrows that you stuck in the target. Probably by hitting it with the next arrow. The point is, plan for that and get extra arrows. It would be good to also be prepared to retip, renock, and refletch the arrows. Fletching is the hardest, I never actually did that, but I think there are some EZ mode self adhesive feathers you can use.

The roof on that stand is interesting. It might cause more breakage too but I'm sure the benefit of keeping sun and rain off the target outweighs the risk. My only problem with that target is the height. I like to always be shooting down. That way if I have a bad shot, the arrow won't go as far.
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So you prefer targets stay on ground?
 
Hoss

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Foler said:
So you prefer targets stay on ground?
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Yes. Unless you have a hill you can shoot from atop. At my house I can shoot from a couple feet higher and I still have the target sitting on the ground. Its rare that I have to chase an arrow. If you can build a huge berm that's a lot less important, but I would still suggest that the target itself be slightly below your line of sight. I can't tell how tall that stand is in your picture but the terrain behind it ... oof. Those misses are going to be hard to find.
 
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Foler

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Yes. Unless you have a hill you can shoot from atop. At my house I can shoot from a couple feet higher and I still have the target sitting on the ground. Its rare that I have to chase an arrow. If you can build a huge berm that's a lot less important, but I would still suggest that the target itself be slightly below your line of sight. I can't tell how tall that stand is in your picture but the terrain behind it ... oof. Those misses are going to be hard to find.
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Gonna buy hay bails to put behind my targets. Good idea or no?
 
Borzak

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Depends on how fast the arrows you are shooting. A hay bale in itself wont' do much at all to stop an arrow. Maybe if it's already gone through something else and is coasting along is all.
 
Hoss

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Foler said:
Gonna buy hay bails to put behind my targets. Good idea or no?
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Probably but how long do they last and what happens as they decompose? You said 25-30 lb bows at 30 yards. I think the hay bales will stop the arrows. How thick are you planning to make it?
 
Furry

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TheBeagle said:
Picked up a crossbow. Got it sighted in at 30 yds and just waiting for deer season to open next Saturday. Draw weight is 185 lbs, my fucking back! Gonna be sitting in a tree stand every weekend until all my tags are full. Can't freaking wait. Anyone on the fence about taking the next step to actual hunts, Do It!
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That's so texas its painful to look at. There's a spa to the left isn't there?
 
Foler

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Hoss said:
Probably but how long do they last and what happens as they decompose? You said 25-30 lb bows at 30 yards. I think the hay bales will stop the arrows. How thick are you planning to make it?
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Not sure. Have my first lesson tomorrow. What's an alternative backstop other than hay bails? They decompose and I burn them or they become a nest for snakes?
 
Borzak

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Make sure you have lots of ant poison. They'll build up in those bales in a hurry.
 
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Fealorn

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So when I started archery I had three round bales as a backstop which was fine. When I bought my compound bow my first arrow went right through and was lost in the cornfield behind it. My recommendation is to get a large target and start shooting really close and slowly add distance as your accuracy improves.

I built this during the summer at our farm, love it. It stays out 24/7, it looks similar to the one you are building. i'm going to put a horse stall mat behind it as a backstop. I've had guests shoot the stand itself...this has resulted in field tips that are buried in the wood. I bought some 3d targets as well this year that are super fun to shoot.


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