7 Best Archery Targets of 2021
Choosing the right archery target can get confusing, especially if you are new to the sport. This comes as a result of different types and designs of targets in the market, which all have their unique advantages over the others.
If you are in the market for a practice target, you'll need to take a little time first to understand the different types of targets available to you and what you can use them for.
Your type of bow is also important, as well as its draw weight . This review of the best archery targets will give you all these and other necessary information, so you can make the right choice.
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7 Best Archery Targets – Review
- 1. Morrell Yellow Jacket – Best Overall Archery Target
- 2. Longbow Targets – Best Budget Archery Target Papers
- 3. Shooter G71600 – Best 3D Archery Target
- 4. Drew Polystyrene – Lightweight Archery Target
- 5. Block Vault – High-tech Foam Box Archery Target
- 6. Hurricane Bag – Very Versatile Archery Bag Target
- 7. Morrell 450FPS – Sturdy & Durable Archery Target
- Types of Archery Targets
- How to Buy the Best Archery Target
- Conclusion
7 Best Archery Targets – Review
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PRODUCT |
FEATURES |
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1. Morrell Yellow Jacket (Best Overall) |
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2. Longbow Targets (Best Budget) |
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3. Shooter G71600 (Best 3D Design) |
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4. Drew Polystyrene (Lightweight) |
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5. Block Vault (High-tech Foam Box Design) |
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6. Hurricane Bag (Very Versatile Bag Design) |
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7. Morrell 450FPS (Sturdy & Durable) |
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PRODUCT |
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1. Morrell Yellow Jacket (Best Overall) |
2. Longbow Targets (Best Budget) |
3. Shooter G71600 (Best 3D Design) |
4. Drew Polystyrene (Lightweight) |
5. Block Vault (High-tech Foam Box Design) |
6. Hurricane Bag (Very Versatile Bag Design) |
7. Morrell 450FPS (Sturdy & Durable) |
1. Morrell Yellow Jacket – Best Overall Archery Target
If you want a highly flexible, visible and durable bag target, then consider this offer from Morrell. With a 25-inch height and a 23-inch width, this bag-target offers you enough space for practicing.
Morrell adds a carrying handle for moving it from place to place. It weighs just 28 lbs and is free-standing, so you don't need any stand for it. If you like, the bag also comes with grommets, so you can hang it for more shooting fun.
This Yellow Jacket Supreme 3 is a very durable target and can withstand thousands of arrow hits. Plus, you can easily change its cover as well to give it an entirely new life.
Designed solely for use with field points, the Supreme 3 will stop everything from a compound bow to a crossbow arrow and it's a great choice for those who need crossbow targets for 400 fps and higher speed shots.
This bag is tough, dense, and flexible to use. Plus its unique artwork doesn't just make it look nice, it also presents you with stylish targets to shoot at.
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2. Longbow Targets – Best Budget Archery Target Papers
Bulls-eye targets still have their place in archery. This offer from Longbow targets offers you either a pack of 40-cm or 80-cm paper bulls-eye targets.
You can get the targets in packs of 3, 8, 15, 25, 50, and 200 pieces, with the prices getting better with more targets in the package. Both the 40 and 80-cm sizes are made according to strict official standards and with 10 rings each.
The 40-cm targets come on 7-pt paper, while the 80-cm targets are either printed on 7-pt paper or on 10-pt heavy-duty tagboards. This helps to limit hole sizes during impact, so you can use the target for longer.
While paper bulls-eye targets are great and cheap, they do have certain limitations or disadvantages. This includes needing a holder or something to pin them up against.
Paper bulls-eye targets are also not as durable as bags, that's why you buy them in packs and keep changing from time to time. But that's how it's been done since ages.
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3. Shooter G71600 – Best 3D Archery Target
3D targets are great for hunting practice, and what's a better 3D target than this life-sized deer? It includes the legs, the antlers, and replaceable inserts, to make this one of the best 3D deer targets for the money.
You can either use broadheads or field tips for this deer, although it's not exactly self-healing. Still, it will hold out for hundreds of arrows before you'll need to turn the side. Also, there is a core replacement that comes with the package.
The antlers and the legs are removable, but you'll have to install them the first time though. The package further comes with 2 stakes that you drive into the ground and slide the legs over to make the deer stand solidly.
This deer is definitely one of the biggest archery targets you can find and it's good for light and heavy draw-weight bows as well. The beauty of 3D targets for hunting lies in learning where to shoot to kill.
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4. Drew Polystyrene – Lightweight Archery Target
Here's something for beginners and experienced archers alike. This Drew Polystyrene foam box offers a practice target with different bulls-eye sizes, including single and multiple rings.
It's weatherproof and weighs just 3.6 lbs, making it easy to carry around.
Beginners will find the large bulls-eye fun to practice with, while more advanced shooters will love to try the 2 smaller or 4 even smaller bulls-eyes.
The drawback here is it won't handle draw-weights above 70 lbs well. This also means that it'll need a stand or some sort of support, which is still not bad for the price.
However, if you're looking for the best bow target for kids and youth's bows between 8 and 25 lbs, then you've got a winner here.
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5. Block Vault – High-tech Foam Box Archery Target
Block Vault presents a high-tech archery target here. This box uses a Polyfusion technology to create a foam box with a more uniform compression of the foam layer which is also fused in place.
Such an advanced technology is better than simply stuffing foam inside a box. It makes arrows easier to retrieve and makes the target also last longer.
The 4-sided foam box will stop broadheads and field tips alike. They are available in 4 sizes, including Medium 16 x 16 inches , Large 18 x 18 inches , X-Large 20 x 20 inches , and XX-Large 22 x 22 inches .
Each of the 4 sides features multiple and different aiming points. This helps to make your practice more fun while increasing your bow shooting accuracy.
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6. Hurricane Bag – Very Versatile Archery Bag Target
The Hurricane bag archery target combines a lot of nice features to create a truly unique and useful archery target. It has a brightly colored background which improves its visibility. Plus, it also offers brightly colored circles for practice.
This bag offers a deer vitals image on the back side, making it equally important for those practicing for the hunting season.
Three sizes are available, starting from 20 inches , then 25 inches , and the largest measuring 28 inches . All three sizes come with a heavy-duty handle for easy portability.
For cons, it's not designed for high-powered arrows. Secondly, it doesn't work well with broadheads.
You'll also find grommets on each side of the bag for hanging it, plus replacement covers are available, so the bag can last you for a really long time.
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7. Morrell 450FPS – Sturdy & Durable Archery Target
Morrell's double duty archery bag target is large, sturdy, and designed to withstand endless sessions of shooting practice.
Rated at 450 fps, this archery bag will stop arrows from your most powerful bows, including crossbows , longbows, compound bows, and airbows. It will also take thousands of hits before showing any signs of wear.
This Morrell 131 archery bag features 2 Tote carrying handles, so you can easily move it from place to place. It measures 19 x 19 x 19 inches and weighs 30 lbs which isn't bad.
In addition to its bright yellow background, each of the 6 sides includes a lovely and unique graphic print, providing you with lots of practice options. Simply flip it over and you are ready to shoot at something else.
For downsides, it's recommended solely for field point arrows though because its net-like filling material will trap broadheads.
To further increase its already impressive durability, the cover is also completely replaceable, making this impressive archery bag able to last many years.
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Types of Archery Targets
Following is a list of the different types of archery targets available, plus a little explanation of each and it's best for.
1. Bulls-Eye Targets
A bulls-eye target is the traditional and most popular type of archery target that almost everyone has seen somewhere. A standard bulls-eye target consists of 5 rings of different colors, which include white as the outermost, then black, blue, red, and yellow in the center.
The bull-eye target is almost synonymous with archery and is generally used in competitions. It is great for target practice and getting to know your bow, but it's not ideal for hunting practice.
2. Bag Targets
These are very basic archery targets that consist simply of a bag filled with materials that'll stop a bow. They are best used with field-point arrows because
broadheads
will shred their insides and outer coverings as well.
Bag targets are heavy and will have a handle for carrying them around, plus grommets to hang them from a rope. The filling material is usually a synthetic fiber that stops an arrow quickly and allows its easy removal.
Some bag targets are meant for indoor use, while others are weatherproof, so, always check to make sure.
3. Cubes/Block Archery Targets
Cubes or block targets make use of foam layers to stop an arrow using friction. Since they are made from foam, they tend to weigh less than bag targets and can get carried around easily.
They are also considered by many to be the best archery target for the money, although you have to watch your shooting angle to avoid shooting across the foam layers.
You also need to avoid heavy draw weights, which might get deeply buried. Both field points and broadheads can get used here, although the targets will last longer with field points alone.
4. 3D Archery Targets
3D targets are perfect for anyone who's practicing to start hunting. They come in a variety of animals to create a more realistic hunting experience.
Most will contain markings of areas with the game's vital organs, making it easier for you to learn. If hunting is on your mind, then you need the best 3D archery target for your hunting practice.
How to Buy the Best Archery Target
Deciding on an archery target can become quite a task, especially if it's your first time. Following are the important features to consider when choosing.
1. Purpose
Your purpose for practicing is an important consideration because it'll determine the type of target that you need, as well as its density and how much draw weight it can handle.
Your purpose could be for a championship or hunting practice, in which cases you'll need a bull-eye target or 3D target. It could also just be for fun, in which case you can pick anything you like, or go with a bag target.
2. Easy Retrieval
A good target should make it easy enough to retrieve arrows from it, as well as quickly and effectively stopping arrows.
Stopping arrows using friction is always a good system, as is the case with foam blocks. Field heads are easier to retrieve from foam blocks, but broadheads still pose a problem.
3. Durability
You should also keep an eye on how long a target is promised to last. While broadheads greatly reduce the lifespan of all targets, some targets will hold longer than the rest because of the materials they got built with.
4. Size
In almost all cases, a bigger target is simply better. Traditional longbow and recurve bow shooters need a larger target area because of their lower level of accuracy compared to compound bows.
You can also forgo a target with one large circle or bulls-eye, and go for one with many smaller targets.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking for the best broadhead target or the best crossbow target, you should know that your bow's draw weight is very important in choosing the right target.
However, if you just want the best overall archery target, then Morrell's Yellow Jacket is simply the best recommendation.
For those who want a little more hunting excitement, the recommendation is the life-sized Shooter G71600 deer with its replaceable core.
And for budget shoppers, you'll hardly get a better deal than these
Longbow Paper Targets
.