Sometimes you just want to have a quick shoot on a beautiful day, or you’ve only got a few minutes to practice that new technique that you’ve been working on – and you don’t want to drive ten miles to the range. Or maybe you don’t have a local 3D archery range or club in your area, having a real archery range right in your backyard is super convenient.

Many people think about building an archery range in their backyard, but wonder about all the various issues that it brings up. What about the neighbors? Do I need to build a backstop to catch stray arrows? Can I leave my 3D targets outside year round?

There’s a lot to cover when it come to backyard archery ranges, so if you’re interested in setting up one of your own – Let’s get started:

Think About Safety Before You Build

As the old saying goes, safety first! The most important thing that you need to consider when it comes to any aspect of a backyard range is the safety of any and all surrounding people and property. Start by reading this, especially if you’re somewhat new to archery.

You need to be especially conscious of any kids around your yard. Unless you’re in a rural area with a bit of land, you should only have a range if you have a fenced in yard. If you’re in a town or city where houses are closer together, you need a fenced off area to be sure your yard is free of any wandering neighbors’ kids or pets.

While an indoor range (usually built in basements) are well off the radar, an outdoor range will mean that you’ll have to check your local laws and regulations. Be sure that it’s alright to have a range in your yard – especially if it’s visible to any neighbors or passers by.

If you’re close with your neighbors, go ahead ask mention the idea to them, they may be completely fine with it. They’ll also be aware not to wander into your yard.

The other reason a fence is important is to keep your range out of view, even if you’re in an area where it’s allowed. You don’t want a nosy neighbor creating any headaches for you. Plus, a solid wooden fence also acts as a sort of second line of defense from stray arrows.

A tall wooden fence with some nice tall trees behind it (in your backyard side) is a near perfect privacy setup for your 3d archery range. If you’ve already got the fence, consider planting some fast growing tall yet thin trees this year.

All About Backstops

Whether you’re an experienced archer, or brand new to the sport, arrows still miss their targets from time to time. Regardless of your experience level, you should consider building a backstop. Even if you’re an absolute pro, you may want to let your friends shoot at your range from time to time.

Unless you’ve got a lot of wooded land that goes on and on with nothing at all in the arrows path, you should build a backstop. These are typically made from wood or stacked up bales of straw. Just building a simple wood wall around 14 feet wide by 10 feet tall would be a good start for a two lane range.

Another thing to consider is that arrows hitting wood can be loud. Really. Especially if you don’t want to draw any attention from the neighbors, you’ll want to have some padding on or in front of your backstop.

Some good ideas for padding are some heavy duty outdoor carpeting or some horse stall mats, both of which are great for stopping arrows and either one will cut down on any arrow sound significantly.

Padding also helps to prevent your arrows from getting damaged. Your arrows will last longer and be in much better shape then if you were shooting directly into wood. And it’s easier to retrieve your missed shot arrows, as they’re much easier to pull out of carpet than wood.

If you just want a professional quality backstop, without all the hassle of getting all of the supplies and building it yourself, you could get one of these professional backstops. There is also this backstop netting, which is another option if you want a great backstop without all the fuss. Both are available in a variety of sizes, which makes it easy to get the right size for your custom archery range.

If you can’t tell by now, I’m very much in favor of backstops at any home archery range.

Can I Leave My 3D Targets Outside Year-Round?

Are you thinking of building a 3D backyard range? 3D archery is so much fun, but those targets can get pretty pricey. Maybe you’re wondering if you can keep some 3D targets outside, or what you need to do to keep them in the best condition possible.

Here’s a guide I wrote all about the best 3D archery targets for the money, it covers all of the best, high quality 3D targets available today. If you do buy a 3D archery target – be sure to get the most value for your money.

The main enemies of 3D targets are the sun and rain, not to mention snow if you’re on the east coast. By taking a few simple precautions and with a little forward planning, I’ll show you how to keep your targets in shooting condition for as long as you can. Besides, who wants to keep hauling heavy targets in and outdoors every time you want to use them?

Most 3D targets are made to withstand some wear and tear from the elements, but this varies brand by brand. As with many things, you get what you pay for. The cheaper, economy 3D targets are generally known to break down and not stand up to the weather that well.

If you have some nice shaded land that you can shoot at, take advantage of that tree cover to help protect your target(s) from the sun. Areas like these would be the first spots I would pick to place any 3D targets.

It’s a good idea to cover your targets if you’re not using them often. If you’re shooting your range everyday, you don’t necessarily have to worry about this – but you’ll still want to have a cover for each target you own, as you’ll probably need them at some point.

They do sell outdoor archery covers, but most of them that I’ve seen are way to expensive to waste money on. While some people just cover their 3D targets with plastic tarps or canvas, there are a couple better ideas to protect your targets.

You can get a four foot by eight foot plastic tarp (these are usually cheap and sold at any hardware store), fold it in half and sew two of the sides leaving the bottom open. You now have a 3D target cover that will easily fit over most sizes of 3D targets. You can thread some rope or twine through the holes on the bottom and tie them to a tree or attach a weight to keep your cover in place.

A clever cost effective option is to use lawnmower or outdoor grill covers: They’re affordable, easy to get a hold of and their the perfect size for most 3D archery targets.

Another reason you’ll want some target covers is to protect your targets from and meddlesome wildlife, especially if you’re in a more rural area. A tarp or cover will stop any wandering bucks in the area from ripping up any deer targets you may have.

I’ve also heard of coyote messing with targets in certain areas. Keeping your targets covered when not in use helps to make them look like uninteresting junk to most animals.

One thing to remember is not to leave any type of bag targets outdoors, as they’re known to easily get ruined by the elements. If you have these types of targets at various locations on your range, you may want to make some wooden storage cases for them so you don’t have to haul them all the way back to store them.

A great little trick for 3D targets is to get some clear outdoor sealer like Thompson‘s water seal and give all your brand new targets a quick coat or two. It’ll help extend your target’s color and looks for a lot longer.

After a few years of outdoor use, you will start to notice some fading in the colors of your targets. For most 3D targets yo can just find an appropriate color of spray paint and give them a coat every few years.

The only time you’ll need to pack away your targets is during the winter months if you’re in any area that deals with snow, ice and harsh winter weather. In the winter the elements will wreak havoc on 3D targets. Simply storing them in a garage or storage shed for the winter will help to protect your targets for years to come.

The Finer Points

Distance Markers

Most people will want distance markers on their ranges, especially if your practicing gap shooting and judging yardage. The problem with most methods of marking yardage is that they all use things that stick out of the ground, making it a pain to mow the lawn on your range.

A simple solution is to measure out every five or ten yards and dig out the ground on each side then stick down a brick flush to ground level, or just barely below ground level. You can then mark each of them with the appropriate yardage. You could also get some decorative flat stones from home improvement stores and use those on either side for a more classy look.

If you want to go the full on, tournament style route: You could get these professional field archery distance markers. People will definitely notice and comment on the top notch level of your custom range.

Bow Stands

If you don’t have one, a bow stand is a must for any backyard archery range. They hold your bow while you retrieve your arrows and sight your targets through your binoculars. The last thing to want is your bow sliding of the table you left it leaning against, or the kids knocking of the chair you left it on.

These days bow stands are pretty cheap. There are lots of really good quality, sturdy bow stands out there for not a lot of money. You should seriously consider picking one up.

Here’s my personal favorite bow stand – These are great, they can hold multiple bows at once and I was surprised at how cheap you can get them on Amazon.

You could also make your own bow stand if you like. There are tons of different sites online that give you plans for building a simple PVC bow stand. A good afternoon DIY project, if you’re that type of person.

You can also bury some PVC tubes into the ground at various points to act as quivers at the different shooting stations on your range. Just be sure to have the pipes cut with one foot extra length, which you can fill with cement or another hardening agent. Then bury the cement foot length as a solid base for the tube.

Make sure to either drill small holes at the very bottom of these, or buy PVC end caps for them to prevent them filling up with water when it rains.

Tips for Bow Hunters

If you’re mainly planning your backyard archery range to practice for the hunting season, there are a few fine points that you might want to consider:

Since most hunters shoot from a tree stand, it’s a good practice to be shooting down at your targets. If you have a back deck that’s elevated enough and your range is downhill from it, you should start shooting from there. Only shoot from your deck if it falls within all the safety guidelines we covered above. You should only shoot if a miss will launch the arrow directly into the ground.

If at all possible you should set up and shoot from your tree stand in your backyard range. If that’s not possible you could build a simple elevated shooting platform from some 4X4’s and an afternoon of construction.

While we’re at it, if your mainly practicing for bow hunting, consider getting a 3D target if you don’t already have one. It’s much better to practice with a target that’s as real as possible – not a bright, neon colored box with targets printed om it.

So I hope that this has helped to answer any questions that you may have had about setting up your own backyard archery range. Hopefully I’ve given you some new ideas, things to consider and a few tips to make your range that much better.

Again, remember that safety is first and foremost, and no range should ever be built that doesn’t have this first in mind. That goes for home and professional archery ranges alike.

So get out your notebooks and start sketching those shooting lanes and planning those 3D targets, just behind that brush and under those trees. Let your imagination go when designing your own range, and above all have fun! That’s the whole point of having a range in your own backyard anyway.