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Iwas thirteen years old when Iused my lawn mowing money tobuy my first compound bow, a

Bear Whitetail Hunter, and six 1918aluminum Game Getters. Until thattime, I shot a light draw weight BenPearson recurve and wooden arrows.My only backstop was a bale of hay.It was enough to handle woodenarrows and the heavy aluminumshafts from the 50-pound Bear, but Isure won’t try using one to stop a car-bon shaft sizzling through the air at300 feet per second (fps).

With so much energy packedinto the draw cycle of today’s high-

powered bows and with the smalldiameter of many of the most popu-lar arrows, we are asking a lot of ourtargets. They must not only stopthese fierce missiles but also do it afew thousand times. It takes some-thing special to get that job done; nolonger will homemade targets cometo the rescue.

With bowhunters facing thechallenge of stopping their arrows,top quality archery targets are anecessity and have the potential tobe a profitable part of your annualsales. There is enough room forprofits in target sales that you can

easily achieve a very respectable 40percent margin, and in some cases,even more.

The number of good targetsavailable to archers and bowhuntershas never been greater. All these tar-gets can be broken down roughlyinto three categories: 3-D targets,bag targets and broadhead targets.The latter two categories are trulyportable and can go with you wher-ever you plan to shoot.

3-D targets are too expensive tohandle every off-season arrow andare too cumbersome for you to haularound in your vehicle, but when

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shot sparingly with a group offriends they provide a great way tobecome accustomed to aiming atreal game and provide a lot of fun.Bag targets are the real workhorsesand will take literally thousands ofshots from field point tipped arrowsbefore they need to be replaced.Finally, broadhead targets aredesigned to withstand the abuse ofcutting blades and serve as the bestbackstop when tweaking your hunt-ing arrows.

The well-rounded bowhunterneeds a target from each category,but in this feature, I’ll cover only thelast two target categories in detail:bag targets and portable broadheadtargets – the travel targets. Here arethe newest materials and the latestproducts.

FOR LOVE OF BAG TARGETSA quality bag target can take

thousands of impacts and keep com-ing back for more while costing thearcher a fraction of a penny per shot.They are affordable enough and

portable enough that a bowhuntercan keep a bag target in the trunk ofthe car or back of their pickup foreasy midday practice during thehunting season. In addition, manywill also have another, more perma-nent, target in their backyard orinside their workshop.

Today’s bag targets retail foraround $35 to $60, and should lastthe average shooter for years. A fewmay even last the better part of a life-time. Most have a multi-layer fillingconsisting of several materials.Plastic sheeting, synthetic fiber bat-ting and woven fabric are the mostcommon fillers. The only downsideof the bag target is the fact that afterheavy use the target face maybecome worn enough that the stuff-ing begins to come out. To remedythis, many of the companies makingbag targets also make replacementcovers for even greater target life.

Some bag targets are really littlemore than woven poly, painted withaiming points and filled with cast-offmaterials, so there is not much over-

head in making these products. As aresult, there are dozens of compa-nies doing it. I have not shot themall, but I have shot enough bags toknow that they all function wellenough for general use. Choosingthe best bags to sell may end upbeing a roll of the dice. Talk with thecompanies you already work withand find out what they have to offerand the margins you can expect.Because shipping charges are sub-stantial, be sure to check out yourdelivery options. Here are many ofthe companies offering bag targets.

Morrell Mfg.: The OutdoorRange sets the standard for big bags,but is still reasonably affordable formost bowhunters. It is 30 x 32 x 14inches. When combined with thecompany’s holding fixture, it is allthe target any serious shooter willever need. The smaller Quick Stop(23 x 23 x 12 inches) is one of themost popular bags on the marketand comes with an internal frame foreasy setup.

Bracklyn Products: The free

The same rubbery “self-healing” foam used in mak-ing the durable Rinehart 3-D targets is used in an 18-1shown at left. This is a geometric solid foam targetthat can be shot on 18 different faces. It measures 16inches high and comes with a molded in carrying loop.

The Rinehart Field Target (below) is just 9 inches indiameter, the same size as a deer’s vitals or the paperplates many bowhunters will practice on. Smallenough to fit in a duffle bag or in the overhead com-partment of an airplane, this target has a baseweighted with sand so it will rock back up afterabsorbing a shot. The loop makes it easy to carry or tothrow for hunters who prefer to practice their “roving”skills on something kinder to costly arrows than astump or dirt bank.

You can reach the Janesville, Wisconsin target manu-facturing firm at (608)757-8153.

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standing Carbon Monster is a realworkhorse. It weighs 30 pounds andis 24 x 24 x 12 inches. The target willreportedly take 20,000 shots fromcarbon arrows. A replacement coveris also available when the first coverwears out.

Southern Archery ProStop: TheHigh Velocity target has 160 layers ofpoly batting to stop carbon arrowsup to 400 feet per second (fps), butrequires a minimum arrow speed of230 feet per second (fps) or thearrows will merely bounce off. Thisbag measures 24 x 24 x 14 inches.The ProStop Magnum is an afford-able target and has the added fea-ture of an optional replacementcover if the first one wears out beforethe stuffing does.

TW Design and Manufacturing:The Dominion Series target featuresa layered system that is just as effec-tive on the edges as it is in the center.It measures 18 x 26 x 13 inches.Independent reviews I’ve read onthe product are very complimentaryof its stopping power.

Delta: Delta offers every kind oftarget including bags. TheirDeadstop line includes several. TheDeadstop Burly is 25 or 30 inchesacross the face (two sizes) and is

filled with syntheticfiller for weather-resistance and longlife. You can alsoreplace the outershell for even longerlife. The Dead StopQuad offers four-sided shooting andis free standing foreasy set up any-where. The bag has18-inch square tar-get faces.

R & M Targets:The Tough Bag andMonster Tough Bagare very affordablypriced and designedto stop thousands ofarrows from highdraw weight com-pounds. The ToughBag measures 22 x20 inches while theMonster measures30 x 30 inches andhas 24 pounds offiberglass filler. R &M offers a separatereplacement cover for both bags.

U Stuff-It Targets: U Stuff-It fea-tures 16 different covers that rough-

ly resemble animals such as coyotes,bighorn sheep and even a life sizeelk. There is also a standard rectan-gular bag that measures 36 x 41inches. Your customer provides thestuffing and saves big on these tar-gets. U Stuff-It offers a list of com-monly found materials that workgreat at stopping arrows.

Magic Stop Targets: The MagicStop Bag II is 24 x 30 x 18 inches andweighs 22 pounds. You can also buya replacement cover. The bag willreportedly handle six thousandshots from a high draw weight com-pound bow. Magic Stop also makesthe smaller MS Lite bag target.

Arrow Brake Targets: ArrowBrake offers seven bag targets thatrange in size from 24 x 24 to 24 x 30inches. The Deer Vitals Target willstop carbon arrows up to 400 feetper second (fps) and features deervitals on one side of the bag and fiveaiming dots on the other side. ArrowBrake advertises that their top bagswill last 30,000 shots - a lifetime formost bowhunters. The Arrow BrakeI is the most affordable target and

The Yellow Jacket F/P (for field point) has become MorrellManufacturing’s top-selling bag target. The 23 x 25 x 12-inchtarget has an internal frame to maintain its shape, and thecompany’s patented internal layered construction for longlife. Morrell sells replacement covers for this model. Call themanufacturer at (800)582-7438.

James Daugherty displays bagstyle and layered foam targets fromMagic Stop. Call (800) 992-5972.

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will stop carbon arrows up to 275 fpsand will handle approximately15,000 shots. Arrow Brake II is 24 x30 inches and will stop carbonarrows up to 350 fps. Arrow Brakealso sells a portable target stand.

YellowHammer Outdoors:YellowHammer produces threeSlammer bags. The forty poundCarbon Slammer is at the top of theirline with a woven synthetic fiber fill-ing that will stop even the fastest car-bon shafts. It is a big (26 x 26 x 12inch), heavy (40 pounds) stand upbag that your customers can poundfor years. The Slammer is slightlysmaller (23 x 23 x 10 inches) andlighter (33 pounds) yet it still fea-tures the same guts for extremearrow stopping and long life.

The Mini-Slammer has the samefeatures but is portable enough to fitin the trunk of a car so your cus-tomers can easily transport it to anylocation for shooting practice withfriends or pre-hunt preparation. Allthree targets are self-standing.

Spence’s Targets, Inc.: STI makes

three bag targets: the Super Stop,Magnum Super Stop and Infinity.The Super Stop and Magnum SuperStop both feature a foam target faceand layered construction for arrowstopping power. The Infinity is an18-inch thick foam covered, cloth-centered field point target that willstop all types of arrows from all types

of bows.Hips Targets: Hips Targets makes

several bag targets to go along withtheir complete line of broadhead tar-gets. The coolest bags in the line arethe Super Bag, Big Bag and Little Bag.These are self-supporting targetsthat will take tons of abuse from fastcarbon arrows.

McKenzie 3D targets have stood up to the rigors of competition shooting at the toughest events in the country since 1989, earning them the distinction as

the premium targets of choice with clubs and dealers as well as at the ASA, I.B.O. and NFAA.

If they won’t settle for less, why should you?!

DELTA Sports Products, LLC | Reinbeck, IA 50669 | 1-800-708-0673 Proud to be the official ASA target supplier, I.B.O. and NFAA sponsor, and ATA member.

Visit your local pro shop today to see for yourself why McKenzie Targets are the

standard by which all others are judged.

Find the pro shop nearest you at www.McKenzie3D.com.

Circle 152 on Response Card

The wide line of field point targets from Delta Industries includes the Burly (left), avail-able in two sizes, and the freestanding Quad. Reach the Iowa firm at (800) 708-0673.

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PORTABLE BROADHEAD TARGETSThere’s no reason for a

bowhunter to shoot broadheads allsummer long, but it is critical to fine-tune the actual hunting combina-tion during the last two weeks lead-ing up to the season and to stay intune during the season. Mostbowhunters hate shooting broad-heads because there is a notable lackof good, inexpensive targets to shootthem into; and there’s no way theycan afford to tear up a 3-D targeteach fall. While bag targets are veryaffordable, you should never usebroadheads on bag targets. A good,affordable dedicated broadhead tar-get is the only answer.

Most dedicated broadhead tar-gets are made of ethafoam or somecombination of urethane andethafoam. Because they don’t lastlong, the solid foam versions are notvery sophisticated; their primarypurpose is to keep cost down. Iwould not recommend shootingfield points into most of these solidethafoam broadhead targetsbecause it is hard to remove thearrow.

Another alternative is the lay-ered target that permits the archer toshoot either broadheads or fieldpoints. Though these targets willgive up some lifespan if shot exces-sively with broadheads, they do pre-sent a viable option for those whodon’t plan to shoot several hundredbroadhead arrows each fall.

For my money, when it comes tobroadhead targets, I want somethingcheap and I’ll save my more expen-sive layered foam targets primarilyfor use with field points. But that’sjust me, many bowhunters haveenough discretionary income to jus-tify a layered foam target every year –which is about how often they willhave to replace them if they shootdaily with broadheads. In that case,these designs present the ideal com-bination target.

Morrell Mfg.: The HumungoBroadhead Target is 30 x 30 x 10inches and is constructed of severallayers of dense foam. It will stop allarrows including high-speed carbon

arrows and will retail for around $45.The Six Shooter is one of the newestbroadhead targets from Morrell. Itoffers six-sided shooting so it takesmuch longer to wear it out, evenwhen shooting broadheads. It issolid and measures 22 x 22 x 22 inch-es (a perfect practice cube). Twosides of the Six Shooter are designedfor broadhead use while the otherfour sides are designed for field pointuse making this a great combinationtarget.

Spence’s Targets Inc.: STI offersnine different broadhead targets.Their top unit is the KineticKruncher in three sizes: 30 x 28 x 18inches, 24 x 20 x 18 inches and 18 x16 x 18 inches. This foam target isthick enough to stop any arrowwhether tipped with a broadhead orfield point. The Kinetic Kruncher isfree standing, and believe it or not,STI offers a two-year warranty on theproduct. The Standard Bullseye andthe Pro Plus targets come in thesame height and width but are not asthick, being 6 inches and 12 inchesrespectively. The Traveling Buck andother 2-D photo realistic animal tar-gets (elk, bear, antelope and turkey)

are excellent broadhead targets withthe added benefit of realistic size andcoloration.

American Whitetail: The Cubehas become synonymous withbroadhead targets. This target ismade of several layers of heat-bond-ed laminated foam. The bondingprocess produces a very durable tar-get that can be shot from every side.The Cube comes in nine sizes rang-ing from 18 x 18 x 12 inches up to 30x 30 x 20 inches. American Whitetailalso makes other broadhead targetssuch as the FoamLite and PowerLiteSeries.

The real workhorse just may beAmerican Whitetail’s King series tar-get. These targets are affordable andhave a good lifespan due to the waythey are made with layers of foamhaving varying densities. TheCompound King is 16 x 16 x 20 inch-es to give any bowhunter enough

The King Series of targets fromAmerican Whitetail use differentdensities of foam layered from faceto back. The Cube broadhead target(lower right) comes in several sizes,from 18 x 18 x 12 inches all the wayup to 30 x 30 x 20 inches. ReachAmerican Whitetail by calling (888)233-1976.

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arrow stopping ability to handleeven a fast carbon arrow. With a sug-gested retail price of $38, this targethas the potential to last at least oneseason and quite possibly two sea-sons making it a good value.

Field Logic, Inc.: The Block hascreated a strong name as one of thevery best all-around targets on themarket. Your customers can shoot itwith field points all summer andthen handle broadheads leading upto the season. Testing has shownthat the Block Pro Model will takemore than 10,000 shots from fieldpoints and testimonials from shoot-ers suggest that it will take more than2,000 shots with broadheads. TheBlock is constructed by sandwichingmany layers of thin foam under ten-sion with the edges facing toward theshooter. The Block comes in fivesizes.

The new Block 4 X 4 offers four-sided shooting as opposed to theoriginal Block that offers two-sidedshooting. The aiming points are off-set to reduce the chances for a pass-

through afteryou have wornout one side ofthe target. Inreality, the 4 X 4may not havetwice the lifeexpectancy ofthe originalBlock, but itdefinitely willhandle a lot ofarrows beforeall four sidesare worn out.

R & MTargets: R &M’s solid foambroadhead tar-get is made ofhigh-density 6-p o u n dethafoam andmeasures 24 x22 x 2 inches. Ithas an 8-inchsquare replace-able core.

D e l t a :Delta offersthree lines of

broadhead targets. The Arrowstopcomes in eight styles including aheavy-duty model that’s constructedof three plies of 4-pound densityethafoam. Their Arrowsnufferscome in four sizes, all are five inches

thick and constructed of laminatedfoam. The Shot Absorber is a layeredfoam target that is 18 x 18 x 14 inch-es and will handle both broadheadsand field points. It has a handle foreasy carrying.

Hips Targets: If you’ve beenaround archery for a while you’veseen the Stanley Hips target and itssmiley face bulls-eye. I’m not sure ifit was the first true broadhead target,but it has been around for more than35 years. This firm now marketsHips targets in a dozen sizes andstyles, so there is definitely one to fitany situation. Also, the core sectionon most of the solid foam targets isreplaceable so these targets are veryeconomical to shoot. The mostunique targets are the Pick A SpotBroadhead target, the Omni-Directional Broadhead target andthe Carbon Catcher.

Rinehart 18-1 Rinehart makesthe most outrageous selection of 3-Dtargets you can imagine from life sizegiraffes to 13-foot tall aliens andevery manner of trophy whitetailincluding replicas of several of theworld-class bucks we see in maga-zines. These are used in the RinehartR100 fun shoot that’s helping tobuild interest in 3-D among hunterswho don’t care that much aboutcompeting on a 3-D course. Rinehartalso makes about 50 different ani-mals for sale to individuals and

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Layered foam targets are great for shooting in the backyard and inhunting camp for both field points and broadheads. This target ismade by Black Hole, a division of Field Logic that focuses on aaffordable, portable open layer targets. The Superior, Wisconsin firmcan be reached by retailers at (800) 282-4868.

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clubs. With all that experience craft-ing foam, it is little wonder thatRinehart also makes an innovativebroadhead cube called the 18-1,shown on this feature’s openingspread. This target has six 8-inchsquare target faces and 12 edges at a45 degree angle to the sides that giveyou lots of angles and options. If youwear out one side, you can simplyturn the target 45 degrees and keepshooting.

A THROW TARGETRinehart Field Target: The new

Rinehart Field Target is a completelynew concept in archery practice. It ismade of self-healing foam and iscounter-weighted with sand so youcan throw the target (using the hoophandle) and it will always stand upstraight offering a 9-inch target faceto shoot at. The target is obviouslyportable enough for any bowhunterto keep in the back seat of their car,in their trunk or in the back of theirpickup truck. It is ideal for a fewquick shots each morning or after-noon to keep shooting muscles looseand the eye sharp.

TARGET FACESTarget faces are the most afford-

able aiming surface and they workgreat when pinned or draped over asolid backstop such as an excelsiorbale or the like. I used to get bales ofplastic packing material free fromthe local manufacturing plant wherethey actually banded them and setthem outside as garbage. One man’sgarbage is another man’s gold. I trynot to make a habit of rootingthrough dumpsters, but those bales

were a definite windfall.Anyway, I used Amestargets pinned to thesebales and I could shootdaily for months withoutever wearing them out.Other companies alsomake good, affordabletarget faces.

Maple Leaf Press:Maple Leaf Press out inGrand Haven, Michiganis a one-stop source forpaper target faces of allsorts. For instance, inthe NFAA Official targetseries you can find theIndoor and Hunterbulls-eyes, the Field tar-get faces sized for shoot-ing from 20 feet out to 65meters, and 28 coloredanimal faces that carrythe kill zone lines for anyNational Field ArcheryAssociation orInternational FieldArchery Associationround. They’re groupedin four sizes from aprairie dog printed on 11 1/4 by 141/4 inch backing up to moose orbear on 28 by 40 inch stock.

If your customers are looking fora truly life-size target, there are twoin the Authentic Animal Targetsseries from Maple Leaf Press. TheWhitetail Deer and Bear are printedon 125 pound tagboard on a 35 by 45inch sheet. Like all 11 Authentic tar-get faces, these have the skin lines,kill area and vitals outlined faintly, sothey’re visible when you walk up to

the target, but invisible at normalshooting ranges.

Delta: The Tru-Life paper animaltargets have probably been shot atby more bowhunters than any othertarget made. They are standard issueat most ranges and are a fun alterna-tive to shooting at spots. Each haslightly marked scoring lines for thosewho want to use them for competi-tion. I once shot an indoor winterleague in Michigan and these targetswere all we shot. It was a blast.

The Block comes in a number of sizes from superportable targets that you can keep in the trunk of yourcar, up to targets that work best as backstops at archeryclub ranges.

Circle 44 on Response Card

Compact Arrowsnuffer foam targets from Delta Industries.

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Ames Industries: Ames All-Weather target faces are made ofburlap and available in 10 differentanimal designs and offer the ulti-mate low price, do-it-yourself bagtarget. Sew two All-Weather targetsback-to-back with an open top forstuffing. Grommets at the four cor-ners permit the target to be suspend-ed. Your customer supplies the stuff-ing. The target is a full 40 x 40 inchesmaking it one of the largest on themarket. You can also drape the tar-get face across any kind of backstopto provide a durable aiming point.

Third Hand Archery: UnlikeAmes, Third Hand makes a completebag cover that your customers canstuff with plastic or even old clothingto construct their own bag target.For that matter, they can use any ofthe replacement covers offered bythe other bag target companies inthe same capacity. By simply addingtheir own stuffing, your customerscan get the benefits of a bag targetfor about half the cost. Third Hand’scover is a large 32 x 34 inch in sizeand has an easy to seal Velcro top.

OTHER TARGET SYSTEMSI once invented my own target

that featured four 2 X 4s, eight bigwashers, four threaded rods, fourthreaded handles, four large casterwheels and a bunch of cardboardboxes from the toss-out pile at thesupermarket. I built a compressionsystem in which I stacked cardboardand then using the threaded rods, I

p r e s s e dthe papertogethert i g h t l yenough to stop a fast arrow. It wasvery inexpensive and worked wellas long as I didn’t get it wet. WhenI shot the center out, I merelypulled the destroyed cardboardout of the targetand fed in sever-al more sheets atthe top and com-pressed every-thing again.

Now a com-pany calledB a l e b i n d e rmakes a similar,though muchmore sophisti-cated systemthat that you cansell your cus-tomers in whichthey can com-press anythingthat will stop anarrow, includingcardboard, lay-ered foam andeven hay bales.

Target faces from Maple Leaf Presscover all the major archery disciplines, including spotand animal rounds. The deer target at upper right isavailable in a life-size version for realistic hunting prac-tice, while poker and dart games can be used for friendlycompetition.

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