lemoyne

I am building a crossbow range on my hunting property I bought last year.
Since I can't afford to put out a bunch of 3d targets [what I would like is 14 deer] I will have to use dirt buts it will be in sandy loam which should work ok but the tree roots are every where they are every where everywhere. Since I am trying to prevent warshing I hate to dig it out with my little back hoe then put it back they would grow back in a yearor two any way. Any ideas? Lee

Rebel Hog

Lee, purchase some hay bales and make your targets out of6" paper plates.

awshucks

Lee: I toyed w/ same idea here. Couldn't get enough interest even w/ donated acreage, lol. However, I did hear of "2-D" targets, which seemed to be just paper/plastic ??? overlays onto whatever. I had planned to ask entrants to bring their own targets [block; black hole, ect] to get started, then get real 3-D stuff. I did hear rumors of some guys over at Hot Springs that have a whole 3-D target set-up, but no where to put them. Call Wes Wright at my number, just change the last four to 5200, he knows them. Good luck, and let me know if ya need a hand.

lemoyne

awshucks,I put a few dirt butts and a trail in,I think I can get 7 on this trail nice big hill for back stop,I am holding off on one spot we might build a lake there if we can get permission [it right next to the Little Red which is one of the top trout rivers in the country and they are a bit touchy about such things.If we can't put the lake in I will put an other trail in on that side of the hill and 7 or 8 more butts. I tried hay but the bales I tried won't stop my 10 point. We used to use them on the archery range,I could get help but its the same group that would not let me shoot with them when I got hurt and had to go to a xbow so they wont be allowed on my property.
I might try some excelsor bales [I dont know about that spelling] some one said that they stop arrows a lot better than hay,do you or anyone know how well they stop a 2219 at 310 fps? Lee

Tree climber

lemoyne ; I took 2 hay bails and stood them on end on two 2x6 and then two 2x6 on the top. put chain from top 2x6's to the bottom one with a turn buckle in between(so you can tightnen the chain).pull the 2x6's together with the turnbuckle,that makes the hay tighter.that way the bolts; or arrows "WILL NOT" shoot through the hay.I used the same bales for 4 years befor I got my 3D's.they would have worked another year or so had I not taken them down.

just an idea.

lemoyne

Thanks Treeclimber, I was wondering how they made them work when I shot right through them.
Question? Did you use turnbuckles on both ends and did you use one or two to an end? Lee

htoler

I have one of the bales you are talking about the are banded with metal bands very tightly ,, they are great at stopping arrows until they get wet .. then because they swell and get tighter it is very hard to pull arrows out of them.so they are great if you keep them dry..

Tree climber

If I knew how to draw on this puter I would show you.

first I too two 4x4 and put in the grown for post,put a 2x6 on each side about a foot off the ground for the bails to set on.
I tooktwo 2x6just longer than the post are widedon't nail these they slid up and down on the post and keep the bails from falling over.then layed two short ones across the top and two underneath the cross braces(these short ones are the ones I hooked the turnbuckles to,one on each end) these will pull down on top and up from the bottom of the long ones and mashes the bails tighter.I use what they call well chain with a short length on each end of a large turnbuckles.

the post are about a foot taller than the bails,I took a sheet of plywood and laided it on top of the post to help protect the bails from the rain as long as it doesn't blow real hard.they will last for several years.
just put them up at the longest shots you will have and mark yardage back from there.
hope you can understand what I am saying.if not holler and we will try again.

at one range we has several of these and never had a shoot through or damaged an arrow.

awshucks

I'd forgot about this, but had a bud back in Illinois that had gotten some "baled" up flattened cardboard boxes from a Mal-Wart and just covered them w/ cheap plastic tarp. They stopped his arrows real well, and I'm guessing here, but think they would work for xbow too. They were held together real tight w/ metal banding.