Building an Archery Shooting Range

Whether you live in the city or the country, archery is best conducted in a range designed specifically for that purpose, where safety is maximized and where comfort is integrated. If you’re shooting in the country, it can be hard to keep track of your arrows, and the replacement costs over time can become quite large. On the other hand, if you shoot in the city, an archery range is absolutely necessary to prevent arrows from going astray and hitting someone.

If you’re looking into building your own archery range, read on. Below is general guidelines on how to go about building your own, with ideas that will encompass most types of shooters, and most landscape situations.

Choose a Location

The first thing you need to do is choose a location. This will vary depending on where you are. If you live on a lot of land, then you likely have a great deal of areas to choose from. If not, your options may be limited to one area.

The best places are empty ones, where there aren’t a lot of trees and where the ground is relatively smooth. If you’re on an incline, your shooting area may be perpetually filled with water from rain, or it may always be covered in leaves, meaning your targets will constantly have to be cleaned off.

Make a Backing

You will need something behind the targets to catch the arrows should you miss the targets. This will need to be very sturdy and be able to handle arrows that hit it at full power straight on. Building a wall out of 2 x 4’s is a good option, as even the fastest and strongest moving arrows will not damage it or go completely through.

Arrow Cover

If you’re shooting in a residential neighborhood, then you’ll need something surrounding your shooting area to stop wayward arrows from bouncing back, or getting caught in the windows and blowing dangerously away.

A good option starts at solid objects, such as steel storage containers. Steel storage containers are all over the US, and can be purchased for anywhere from $500 to $4000. They are weather proof and solid, and they are perfect for making single-shooter ranges. Arrows cannot penetrate them, they allow for clean and dry areas, and they can be used in the rain, sleet, and snow, and also on windy days, so you never have to have your shooting interrupted.

If a steel storage container is too large of price for your budget, consider a finely woven nylon net, which can be purchased fairly cheap. Anchor some stakes into the ground and attach the net to them, so that the shooting area is enclosed. This will prevent a majority of the arrows from leaving it they bounce off the wooden back, though there is a chance for one to make it through.

Targets

Finally, you need something to shoot at in your range. This will entirely depend on your skills, the size of your range, and your budget. Hunters do well with targets that resemble the game they hunter – deers, birds, etc.

Marksman are better with traditional targets that are used in championships.

If you are on a budget and can’t afford to purchase a ready made target, get a few canvas bags and fill the with hay. Or, use foams targets made from packaging foam.