If you're like me, you're always pinching pennies trying to save for that perfect lease, the exotic hunt you've been dreaming about, or "in my case" the ranch I want in the western Hill Country.

As an archer, and extreme fan of traditional bow hunting, I shoot hundreds of arrows a week and can really tear up some targets. Well, here's a way I save money, recycle, and improve my skills for next to nothing.

Through the winter my hunting partner and I empty about 30 bags of corn per month, filling the feeders and spreading along the ranch roads. Of course, most brands of deer corn have a target on the back of the bag, but what I noticed with the brand we use ("West Feeds") is that it has an inner lining that is the practically the same material that is used to make the " YellowJacket " brand archery targets, that you see at places such as Academy.

So that's where we'll start, with a couple of empty feed bags.

The next thing we do is find something to fill them with that will stop, but not damage, a target or field point. I've used leaves that I raked up out of my yard, which were effective, but the best packing material I've found, are the plastic bags you get from the grocery store. Whatever you use, pack it in as tight as you can, then slide another bag over the top.

Now we're ready to shoot some arrows. I've made a platform for the target and backed it with a couple of layers of old carpet I picked up at a job site. This gives me a little extra protection so that as I start wearing out the target the arrows won't penetrate to the point I have to pull them through, risking tearing the fletching.

This target will take 150 to 200 shots before it's worn out. That doesn't seem like a lot, but there are other advantages to using this target. First and foremost, it's free. Second, after shooting a hundred arrows, I can look at the target and it will show me my tendencies, telling me where I need to focus my practice. I shoot gap, so it's important for me to understand the difference between where to aim the tip of the arrow, and where the arrow strikes.  Today I'm shooting from 10 yd and 15 yd spots I have marked off in my backyard. When I hunt, whether from a ground blind or a tree stand, I'll mark off those distances with piles of rocks, so I'll know what gap to use.

One of the great things about this target is the ease of which the arrows are retrieved. Though the arrow penetrates 6 inches or more into the target, I can pull them out using only my thumb and forefinger.

After I obliterate the target, as seen in the next picture.....

I simply slide another bag over the top, packing and adding new material as needed.

As time goes on, and I add more and more bags, the target actually gets better. One thing I have found though, is as the bags get thicker, and target starts to wear out, the arrows have a tendency to either not penetrate, or hang on the target, as shown in the next photo.

I've found out the hard way not to shoot when my arrows are hanging,  just in the last month I've shot two arrows in half this way.......and still I can't win the lottery.

I hope this journal entry helps some of you out there. As a traditional hunter, concern for the animal is at the top of my priority list, and to have the highest percentage chance of making a clean kill it takes practice, practice, and a lot more practice. Good luck and good hunting.  -Paleo-

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