Garden Archery Update

Sorry it's been some time, but at last I have pictures of the garden archery range that my partner and I made.

After digging away the grass, putting up the garden arches and netting, I planted lots of climbing plants like clematis, ivy and willow in the new borders. The netting was tied to the trellis (a two-person job) and I hung some old cd's along the tops so that the birds could see the net and not fly into it. I left the bottom clear so that any birds, hedgehogs or other wildlife could still wander round safely and also so that I could still weed the beds while the plants grow up.

It looks longer than it is, I might extend it at a later date. But for now it's mainly for practising my form and fine tuning.

The second image shows the actual set up. It's about 12 yards in length. An old washing line post and metal pole were dug into the ground to hold up an old archery net and I bought the boss second hand for £10.00 from a fellow archer at my club. The arches cost around £6.00 each off e-bay.

At the moment Stratford Archery are selling large foam bosses and stands for £10.00 if anyone is interested. I think they have 18 left. It's on their Facebook page.
Stratford Archery Centre

The third picture is a view from the top of my garden to the house, to show that I have left plenty of room behind the target too. Safety is really important and although I am not worried about the length, I was worried about the width of the garden. At this distance it is not likely that I would miss the target, but for any stray 'bouncers' the net is added protection.

So, fellow archers this is a neat idea to transform your garden, without spending a fortune and I hope it looks great in a couple of year's time when the plants have grown up. I hope you like it.

From top of the garden to house

Garden Archery Range

Home Made Archery Range

The garden archery range is slowly happening. My partner and I have been busy over the Easter weekend. Some of the arches are up, some netting added and borders dug. I was a bit worried about the birds flying into the netting so I've hung up some cd's until the plants get going and left a gap at the bottom so that the blackbirds can still run around. I've planted lots of clematis for a more permanent structure, the morning glory seeds are planted and waiting to grow in the greenhouse and I've got some willow to put in. It actually looks much longer in this picture than it really is. The finished range is only going to be about 10 yards so that I can improve my grouping and work on my technique but I'm looking forward to trying it out and maybe at a later date I might extend it. I'll also be shooting down at the target and placing a back net behind it. Our garden slopes upward and backs onto a field (plus we have that huge sycamore tree), so I am not too worried about the length. However, the width is not ideal so I'm taking no chances and planting loads of climbers to make a natural barrier over the netting. I just hope it grows quick!

For now, I'll be happy shooting at a shorter distance and hopefully I won't annoy my neighbours too much. I'm looking forward to the Summer.