How to build a large and affordable archery target 

Cheers mate! Glad to hear this was useful. The little guy is my son - he's got his own super tiny bow now as a reward. And shoots it all by himself - if he wants to, that is :-)

2 years late here but curious if you're still doing it and if you love it?!

@@babyydollloo Unfortunatly we had to move and we don't have a big backyard anymore. So bow is waiting in a drawer. I would like to give that excercise to my back and shoulders again...

@youMerdman2 Well, _'Thank you' right back at ya !_ ( For sharing the _'hay bales as convenient and inexpensive archery target'_ idea. ) I'm going to pick up a few straw bales, a pallet or two and some ratchet load straps and make a couple of those targets for myself.

@@AsDeadAsDillinger _why do you type everything like this?_

By the way, I can confirm that placing a pallet on the top indeed increases the lifespan and stopping power! The only issue that we found is that it can cause damage to arrows when people manage to shoot into the gap it creates, but this is a rare event.

Hi. Thanks for your comment. Depending on your crossbow you may have made the right call. The stopping power of this target may not be sufficient for a more powerful crossbow. It's certainly enough for a traditional bow, but Compound bows and Crossbows it will most likely struggle.

Thanks, he's helping more and more in the meantime and still cute.

We tried 60# at it, at 20m it worked OK. But we only took a few shots, so I can't tell you for how long it would hold up before the arrows go through. I would try it with a backstop behind and a few layers of cardboard on the front.

You're welcome.

Hi. With a 50# bow arrows stick out about 10cm at the rear at the start. But the more shots you get on and the older the straw becomes the further they will stick out. There is a risk of arrows going through completely - so as you said you shouldn't put it in front of the mesh fence, a concrete wall is a safe choice (despite not being good for the arrow). In your case I would place it 1.5 arrow lengths away from the rear wall, that way you can still pull an arrow that has fully slid into the straw out from the back.

I wouldn't think so. There aren't many targets at all that can deal with that kind of power.

Thank you.

I wouldn't think so - it will most likely cut through or won't be easy to remove. The only way really is to build a sandpit and shoot into that. It will blunt your broadheads but it's safe and you can retrieve your arrows - just set a couple aside for training purposes.