Pennsylvania Game News - June 2020 - 60

an extra year or two before replacement.
When I know my targets have seen
better days and it's time for retirement,
I always give them to a kid who might
enjoy shooting them. With a youth bow's
lower draw weight and energy output, the
targets often hold a kid's arrows, even if
they no longer hold my own. And I'm
happy to see a youngster enjoying the
sport.

DIY ENHANCEMENTS
There are several do-it-yourself projects home-rangers can use to enhance
their ranges. They aren't overly expensive,
and they significantly add to the range's
overall efficiency.
The first is a simple bow-hanger stand.
Mine is very basic and includes a cedar
fence post driven deeply into the ground
and topped with two opposing hooks to
hang bows during arrow retrieval.
I use a manual post-hole digger to
dig down about 30 inches, drop in a rotresistant post, backfill and pack it, then
drive in two additional anchor stakes on
an angle to prevent leaning. The stand also
could be constructed more permanently
with cardboard tubing and Quikrete, but
I was going for economy.
And instead of fancy bow-hangers, I
screwed in two rubber-coated hardware
J-hooks and called it a day. I also have
seen horizontal boards with dowel rod
pegs glued in on a soft upward angle
added to the top of these vertical posts to
serve more bows. Either way, it's nice to
have a convenient place to hang your bow
between rounds.

60

An arrow-holder can be fashioned
from a 20-inch length of PVC pipe with at
least a 4-inch diameter. Either drive a stake
into the ground and lash the pipe to the
stake, or cap the base of your PVC pipe
and attach it to a 6-inch square of treated
lumber for a mobile, yet stable option.
If you plan to store targets outside, it is
best to shield them from the weather by
constructing a makeshift shelter. I built
one that I use for my bag targets and a
3-D deer target that stays out year-round
for quick-shoot sessions. This reduction
in handling also helps to preserve the
longevity of my targets.
I framed up shelters from scrap lumber
lying around my barn and old fenceposts
salvaged from a nearby horse pasture. A
small section of tin roofing was scrounged
from a friend's scrap pile, and all I paid
for was the screws to assemble it.
It's about 3-foot-wide by 6-foot-high
to accommodate bags hung high and a
standing deer target below them. I intentionally left two of the cross braces a little
long to serve as a temporary bow hanger
when pulling arrows. It's a cheap structure
that works great, and I replace bags when
they're too shot up to hold arrows.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
If you have the space, creating an
archery paradise is not beyond your reach.
It may take a few years to acquire what
you need, but once you do, think of how
nice it'll be to shoot anytime you want,
with family and friends, and be a few feet
from your home. Nothing tops a "home
on the range."
Pennsylvania Game News - June 2020

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