7 TIPS Before Setting Up Your Own Archery Range

If you are a serious archer, whether your aim is private hunting or competition, there is a good chance that at one point or another you are going to want to set up your own archery range. While this is a fairly straight forward endeavor, you will find that in order to practice good safety and to make sure that the chances of someone getting hurt are absolutely minimal, you will find that it is important to keep a few things in mind.

Choose to shoot from north to south alignment

Remember that setting up like this will prevent the sun from getting into the archers' eyes; this would obviously be reversed if you were in the Southern Hemisphere.

Maintain a clear line of sight between the edges of the range

As with just about everything in archery, visibility is the key. No matter where you are shooting from, you should be able to see the entirety of the shooting area. The smallest ranges will measure around twenty five yards, but you will find that the more space you have, the better. This will let you move targets back as you improve.

Figure out how to catch arrows

When you miss the target (don't deny it, it happens!) make sure that you have a way that you can catch the arrows before they hurt someone else or land in someone else's property. If you have all of the space that you want, you may find that a simple open field behind the targets will work, but if you don't, a wall of straw bales or a wooden fence of some sort might be your best idea.

Mark the firing line

It seems that you will always know where you should stand when you are going to be doing some practice, but don't count on it. Find a way to accurately mark your firing line, whether it is with some rope or a painted line on the grass. You will find that this will help you maintain a realistic idea of what your distance and accuracy are, and if you have anyone coming in to shoot with you, it can be an extremely important safety precaution.

Mark the perimeter

It doesn't matter how isolated or solitary that your shooting range is, make sure that you mark the perimeter so that it can be seen from a distance. For temporary practice areas, you will find that a brightly colored rope hung between knee and waist height will do, though if you are looking for a more permanent structure, think about some light fencing. When you are going to be having other people regularly, take the time to make sure that there is only one entrance to your range.

Mark your targets

Make sure that if you are shooting at more than one distance that you mark out what distance the targets are resting at. It can help when it comes to scoring if you are shooting against a friend and it will save on confusion later on.

Practice good safety and make sure that others do also

Even when you know that no one else is around, be cautious. Always check before you fire onto a range and make sure that anyone else who is shooting is doing so as well. Stay behind the firing line and make sure that you keep an eye on anything moving.

Having read the information in this section, you should have a good idea on how to set up your own archery range along with some excellent safety tips, please note it is important to keep these few things in mind. With just a little more research, you should be ready to get that archery range happening right on target.