Several of you have asked for informaiton aobut how to set up an outdoor range. The informaiton below is gathered from several sources, primarily USA Archery training manuals and some online videos as well as the work we have done at Archer Artemis setting up two outdoor ranges. I have attached some of the pages form those manuals.
Ultimately, regardless of what you do or how you do it, you will be held accountable for anything that happens on your property even if people trespass so please be vigilant about this.
SAFETY FIRST
The responsibility for your safety and the safety of others lies in your hands. Most places recommend that you do not shoot in your yard but that you go to a regulated facility. However, for many people in many circumstances, that is not possible, especially now. If you own your property, you have all the legal rights associated with that. If you rent, you will need to check with the owner of the property.
It is possible to set up an outdoor range of any distance providing you meet the safety guidelines for distances. Please note some towns may have restrictions so you might want to check with them first to make sure you are following your city or town guidelines and rules.
At Archer Artemis, we have created a culture of safety that is deeply imbedded in our program. Everyone of you who has shot with us has been highly trained to keep yourself and others safe on the range. Our range is always staffed by at least one and often several USA Archery certified instructors or coaches. When you create your outdoor space, you will need to keep this in mind. Family and friends do not have your training and they therefore will not have the almost innate sense of safety that each of you who have trained with us have developed. You cannot be too firm with family and friends in this area. You are the boss and your job is to keep anyone who comes near the range, safe.
Equipment
You will want to shoot at a regulation target, if possible. I spoke with Lancaster Archery about buying them. They have them and you can, but the shipping costs can be expensive, so you may want to look locally for them. Walmart does have them. There are many videos online that can tell you how to make them. I have not done that so I cannot vouch for the effectiveness.
You will need some type of backstop such as an archery curtain, rubber, tarp etc, something that will slow down the arrow. Regardless of what you use, unless it is a solid structure, you cannot expect that it will stop the arrow or prevent injury. Even fences have holes in them. Most backstops will stop the arrows but not prevent injury if a person is behind it. So do not rely on a curtain or a tarp to prevent injury. At our studio, we have archery curtains along the back wall about 10 feet from the wall. You are all aware that only staff are allowed back there and when one of us goes back there we announce it to another staff person and then call all clear when we are back. If the backstop is something very solid such as brick, you need to be aware of the possibility that it will deflect off the backstop and come back at you so try to have some material that is forgiving for your backstop.
Placement
Where you place your target is critical. Always place your target a few feet in front of the backstop.
You cannot put it in the path of any activity. If there are entry ways (doors, paths) that are in the range parameters, you will need to set up signs and possibly tape to mark off the area.
What you cannot assume is that you are a good enough shooter that you will not miss, regardless of how close you are shooting. We have seen string walkers forget to crawl and suddenly the arrow is flying overhead. Or someone could get distracted and shoot off to the side. It is possible for the best archers in the world to miss so do not make any assumptions about that.
Distance
The back and side distances are the most important. Standard guidelines require that you have 15 yards (45 feet) on either side of the shooting lane and 50 yards (150 feet) behind the target. The ideal setting is a natural berm separating you from the street or other people’s property or public access. If you have some type of structure that acts as a safe barrier on either side or the back (such as a barn) and it is on your property you only concern would be that anybody that has access to your property understands when the range is live. There is no specific guidelines as to how high up a backstop should go but be aware that is should be several feet above the target itself.
If your property is on conservation land, you have a responsibility to make sure that you still have these distances on your own property. You may want to talk with the town to determine if you can have any access to that land.
When the range is live you need to affix signs to any area where someone could walk into the line of fire. For example, if there is a structure to the left of you with a door, there must be a sign on the inside of that door that the range is live and that entrance is not permitted. At our outdoor ranges we use signs and tape liberally. Even with that, I have seen a jogger run right through our outdoor range, oblivious to the fact that it was a live range. And all legal issues aside, it was devastating to think that I could have hit him when he came running through the trees right past the target. Knowing you have abide by all the rules will help you if this happens.
Remember the safety guidelines taught in class. What defines a shooting line? It is the line where all archers agree to shoot from. You can use spray paint to mark that line, or simply draw a line in the dirt if that is possible. We do not recommend putting down any type of rope since someone could trip over it. You can use something such as a barrel to denote the line. Please make sure if others are shooting with you that they are following those rules.
Observe all shooting commands as you learned in class.
2 whistles indicates “archers to the line”
1 whistle equals “shoot when ready”
3 whistles means “clear”
5 whistles is the same as yelling “Emergency!” or “STOP!”.
Retrieving the arrows
Retrieve the arrows safely. At the studio we pull one at a time. I recommend you do that. However, if you should pull more than one please be aware of where the arrow is pointed and who is around you. Remember that at the studio everyone present knows and respects the rules and there is always a certified USA Archery Coach or Instructor monitoring the range and the pulling of the arrows. If you have family or friends around who do not know the rules there is greater risk. It is your responsibility to make sure they not only understand but obey the rules.
Always know how may arrows you have when you shoot outdoors so you know you have retrieved them all. At the studio we have a metal detector to help us find them. They can go deeply into the dirt.
Indoors
You can set up a range indoors, such as in your basement. However, again be aware of all the safety guidelines discussed. And make sure that you are clear of any pipes or wiring.
There are several vidoes on youtube, some helpful, some make me cringe. But there are ways to build targets and backstops. Just be aware of the guidelines discussed and you should be albe to make wise, safe choices.
Safe out there! And have fun!!!!
There is little out there that I could find on Youtube on how to set up an outdoor range. This one talks about setting up a range in small spaces and I think this could be helpful: