In-town backyard archery setups?

[T Bone]

Having moved from a 3.5 acre lot to a .75 acre lot I find myself wondering how to keep backyard archery practice safe.

Do the rest of you subdivision dwellers practice at range, or do you shoot in the back yard?

What have you backyard shooters done to ensure 100% backstop?

 

[Dinkshooter]

Our archery club sets up in a public indoor arena every week. We stand up 1/2" oOSB behind the targets. Never seen one go all the way through.

 

[choc dogs]

I've used 3/4 osb, cause I had some on hand, but I've still worried about those people that lift the bow past horizontal (either intentionally, or unintentionally) as they draw it. I've quit shooting in my yard cause of it, and either use the desert south of town with a block type target, or ..hell, that's about all I do

 

[Brudno]

I've got a garden shed as a back stop 1/2 plywood walls. Neighbors are pretty cool with it. Thats the biggest thing, if they werent I'm sure they could call the cops and make it nearly impossible for me to practice.

 

[Summitthunting]

If you've got one, shoot in your basement. I can get 19yds out of mine if I shoot corner to corner. I even get to practice out of the blind without the neighbors thinking im a loon.

 

[genesis273]

If you in the city limits you might was to check the city ordinances to make sure it`s legal first.

 

[MuddyBull]

My practice bale is in the garage. If someone has a mis fire it's my treasures that are on the line. I do have several layers of siding on the back wall to prevent pass through.
MB

 

[mixedbag]

I don't have any issues at my place.I do have a friend that I shoot at that took hay bales and ran all thread thru them with a 4x4 top and bottom and tightened it up good.With that set up,probably as good as any block target I ever shot at;next to no penetration.He had the bales about 4-4 1/2' tall.Works great but seems like a lot of work to get set up.I'll probably make something similar this year as my son isn't quite as good as me at hitting the target.It works as a great backstop to 3-D targets also.The bales we get around here are 3-4' long so its a pretty good size when finished.If you miss that, I don't think you should be hunting really

 

[1_pointer]

If you in the city limits you might was to check the city ordinances to make sure it`s legal first.

Fo' sho'! It's not here.

 

[T Bone]

It's legal here...just can't discharge firearms or air guns.

Thanks for your input guys....I really need to put some time in practicing this summer to get used to this new setup. I'm really stoked to be archery hunting elk again.

 

[Khunter]

Do both. I am on an acre lot. To me that is sparse enough to shoot in a direction that is not going to hit anything. Shoot out to 50 yards, and 60 by standing on the edge on one nieghbors property. I do not have 100% backstoop other than the runout on my arrows just can't reach anything in our wide open, non fenced yards. Empty space of 100+yards in the direction I shoot till I would reach a roadway Neighbors have been accomodating. The house I shoot 'toward' has sold 3 times. I shoot early and often as fast as a new neighbor moves in, And I make a point of communicating whats up and the care I take to not shoot fifi by mistake.

 

[Gunner46]

6-8" of layered cardboard, backed by a sheet of OSB. Shoot field points to practice, and closer to season, 'Dull', broadheads. and the neighbor's be damned, climb on the roof and shoot at elevated angkes. (The Ex Hated that one , LOL)

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

We have a 80'x80' shop with a second floor, we shoot from the loft area. Makes for a neat shooting set up. Do you have access to something like that? John

 

[JohnCushman]

I can shoot 62 yards if I stand on the curb out in front of my house and shoot into the back yard. I have a pretty sturdy shed back there, as well as some bales of hay stacked up. So far only 1 neighbor has had an issue with it, but they were new people across the street and the cop informed them that I wasn't doing anything illegal.

 

[cornfed]

At my old house I could get to 50 yards by standing on the neighbors side walk and shooting thru the two foot gap between my house and garage in to a bag target against the next door rentals garage.New house has a open hay field in the back yard and I warned the wife that I need to get another tree stand this one for the back yard.

 

[snite66]

I am not limmited by distance since I live so far out in the country, but I have used the climb up on the roof to shoot elevation. Must say it works well and much easier than using the climbing stand.

 

[putm2sleep]

A shed or a piece of plywood ought to work just fine as 'back-up'. Decks are nice for elevation and a change. If you need more than that to back you up, hit the range, or I suggest you start indoors, so you save money and keep it safer. If you have a home owners assoc(HOA)?, check that. Check with subdivision neighbors last - ask for forgiveness......it is your lot, and it should be legal. Hopefully they do not bother with ya, and ya never know, maybe a new neighbor will be your new shooting partner?

 

[Zach]

If you've got one, shoot in your basement. I can get 19yds out of mine if I shoot corner to corner. I even get to practice out of the blind without the neighbors thinking im a loon.

+1, except for the blind part.


If I was going to set up something in the backyard, I'd just talk to the neighbor that shares the fence line with me and make sure he's cool with it. He's a fellow hunter so I wouldn't do anything to offend him.