So, What Are Archery Targets Made Of You Ask?

There are plenty of people interested in taking up archery, and the sport is always growing. Some people want to do shoot targets for sport and competition, while others want to do it for fun. Whether you want to be involved in competition or not, plenty of target shooting can really improve your accuracy and your technique. Buying commercially made targets is always a good choice, but if you have plenty of land or acreage, a safe space, and want to make up your own targets, you might be wondering what are archery targets made out of?

It’s not a question we get every day here at Combat Australia, but we’re always happy to help out our customers and provide solid advice. If you really want to practice on a homemade target, the first thing we’ll always tell you is to stay safe! We wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for a beginner to archery, but if you have some experience, making a homemade target isn’t too difficult provided you have the right materials.

Making Your Own Target

Setting up a target at home can be great for practice, but it’s always best to do it in a safe area. The thing about targets is that they need to be dense enough to prevent the arrow from penetrating up to the fletching, but not too dense otherwise they could actually damage your arrows. This is no good if you’ve just bought yourself some lovely carbon fibre shafts to use.

Some people use wood, but we don’t recommend it. If the wood has a strong grain it can divert your arrows as they penetrate. A hard enough wood will even cause damage. There are a few options, but one of the best is dense layered foam. These can be bought as Yoga mats, or even from a place like Clark’s Rubber. You can layer several together to form a dense target that will prevent an arrow from completely penetrating, but also hold the arrow tightly enough without causing structural damage to it.

Cardboard can also form a decent target if you find thick cardboard and layer it. This may involve some trial and error in terms of finding what width works best to hold the arrows without allowing them to penetrate too deeply.

If you have easy access to hay bales, you can also stack them up and use those. The great thing about hay bales is that form a large enough target to capture any arrows that go astray. They are also great for beginners because they form a large enough target to aid in boosting confidence.

Making your own archery targets is a great option to hone your skills and boost confidence, especially if you don’t have access to a local archery club where commercial targets are always available for practice. Even if you are part of an archery club, you can still find great benefit in having a homemade target to practice on for your next meet!