What do you guys shoot at?

[Gimlis Ghost]

Back in the 90's I was cleaning out a storm damaged storage shed and found several stuffed animal toys that were a little mildewed, not nasty but not worth cleaning up.
I used a large teddy bear and a small polar bear toy as targets. The smaller bear was about the size of a ground hog.
The large teddy bear was so big and tightly stuffed that it would stop even arrows from a powerful compound bow.

I had a beautiful Plot puppy in the 80's that ran loose most of the time. One day my mom told me my dog was having a yard sale. Somewhere he had found a dozen or so stuffed animals and brought them home.
He would line the toys up in a perfectly straight line parallel to the street. He walked back and forth in front of them like a drill sergeant . If one seemed a bit out of line he'd growl at it and bat it back into place with his paw. Then he'd sit at one end of the line as if showing off his new pack.

[Hawkdancer]

Them Plott Hounds Are pretty smart!  Training them is another matter!  I showed my miniature wire haired Dachshunds in obedience and once the judge told me she just had to get one and that if I could train hounds, I could train anything, meaning dogs - little did she know I was a Special Forces Sergeant Major . Also showed Irish Wolfhounds!
Hawkdancer

[boomhowzer]

Wow...I was not expecting such gruesome pictures. I mean, that one Eric Krewson posted of the coyote split completely in half made my wife scream and my cat to run under the bed. That's some amazing handywork getting them back together though! If I ever run across a munched up foam target, I won't be afraid to bring it home! How does the foam do with broadheads though? Is it worth making a form and sort of casting your own target out of it?

[Eric Krewson]

Broadheads are a no-no, so are compounds and crossbows. I also bought what we call "legs" which are the center section of a 3D target that was about to be discarded after being replaced by new. I shoot broadheads at these center sections to make sure they are flying true.

Here is one from a mt goat next to my bag target, I bought it for $5.

[boomhowzer]

Where do you buy these things?

[Eric Krewson]

All the tournaments I go to used to sell shot up or broken targets after the tournaments when they got new ones in.

Used to be they auctioned the targets on Sunday evening after the tournaments, usually most of the folk had left by then so there were few people to bid on them.

The last tournament I went to where they auctioned off the worn out targets they had the auction after dinner on Saturday when there was still a big crowd, the biding was much more active and the targets went for between $50 and $100 with some people buying a half dozen at a time.

[Eric Krewson]

Well I forgot one; I made this target 20 years ago, I can shoot out to 15 yards in my basement. I never shoot at the same place and pick an ear, eyeball, base of the tail, black dots or any other place I can "pick a spot". That is why the kill isn't shot out, the bag is stuffed with sheet plastic, I have never restuffed, it is two sided with a deer on both sides.

I don't shoot the target much anymore but at one time I had it outside and put thousands of arrows into it.

Ames made this "you stuff it" target, they are out of business now but I think I saw a similar bag target with an animal face in one of the archery catalogs recently. I have seen these bag targets on eBay occasionally, new old stock. Three Rivers sells a you stuff it square bag target for around $25.

My target is bigger than the picture would suggest at 38"X38". The bungie cords keep it pulled tight.

 

[Gimlis Ghost]

Haven't tried it yet but seems to me a loosely woven burlap sack filled with tightly packed batting might make a durable target, if used with field points only of course.
A loose weave would encourage the point to slide into the material without breaking the tough woven strands.

I've seen African armor worn by ceremonial horse guards that was made of cloth and packed tightly with cotton several inches thick. It worked a bit like a European Gambeson . It was of course most effective against sling stones but also provided some defense against arrows from traditional Africa hunting bows and javelins.

[Eric Krewson]

 Burlap coffee bags make good targets, you can find them online plus I have seen them farm stores and big box craft stores for $4 each. They are course weave and take shots well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184725378296?hash=item2b027d94f8:g:EUEAAOSwJEZgW2zT

This one is stuffed with polyester bats that once filled a large commercial archery target, I salvaged the filling after the covering rotted off. I have it in my shop now and use it for exercising a bow when I am in the tillering process,  I prefer short draw shots rather than simply pulling the string back.

I have made a bunch of these over the years, most were crammed full of sheet plastic. These targets need to be covered when not in use if left outside, the burlap will deteriorate if left out in the rain.

[Fox]

I have a black hole target which is fine, but they come apart after a year maybe... now I mostly use compacted straw or hay or any other compacted bail that you can find at a tracter suply, I think there for feeding and whatnot, ussually wrapped in a white plastic bag. they only cost 15 dollers or so and have lasted just as long or longer then the black hole target, and its not so bad for the planet with all that plastic for the black hole one.

[boomhowzer]

Cheers to Eric Krewson for laying down some real target experience for us. Thank you.

My biggest thing is that I always want to practice with my hunting broadheads and I haven't found anything that works besides sand and wood chips. Now I'm thinking I'm going to stuff a burlap sack with wood chips, duct tape the whole thing so its waterproof and stick it out where I think a deer is going to walk by. I tried making smaller, mobile sand targets, but even a 2' x 2' box of sand gets pretty heavy carrying it from spot to spot. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again for all the input. I love seeing what guys are shooting at.