# Who uses Haybales for archery targets?



## HCH (Sep 20, 2006)

Settle a debate for me, guy wants to know if they work; will they stop a fast arrow out of a modern compound? My experience is that an arrow will blow easily through a square bale and either blow all the way through a big round bale or bury in the middle. Any haybale shooters out there still? No traditional bows, only modern compounds are at question. Thanks!!!!!!!


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## 2005Ultramag (Apr 3, 2005)

I used to practice with broadheads on a stack of three bales. Thet stopped arrows just fine, but it cost me a few shafts when I shot between the bales and the metal wires contacted the shafts. No more hay bales for me. I use a block target for broadheads now.


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## sdb777 (Nov 22, 2006)

Hay is for horses,
Better for cows,
Pigs don't eat it,
Coz they don't know how!


Blocks are the only way to go, don't do the hay-it gets costly!

Scott (it rhymes) B


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## captanspeedy (Mar 8, 2007)

Hay bales or straw bales? I've shot both. A good tightly baled 1 ton hay bale will stop an arrow. And at long ranges (70+) the straw will too. Much closer and you'll be digging in your straw bale to even see the nocks. I've got some set up on my range and if you shoot much you'll want to trade them to the cows and set fresh from the stack ones three or four times a year.


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## heavy dart (May 4, 2005)

I tried hay bales a couple of years ago.Thin shaft arrows with field points easily penetrated to the fletch and beyond,but they were an inexpensive butt for the kids.I garbage bagged the bale to keep the rain off cause they get mouldy and nasty looking after awhile.
I use a large coffee bean bag stuffed with plastic wrap at home.That works well,but the friction created by the arrow entering the plastic leaves some residue on the arrow


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## bdca (Apr 9, 2007)

I have been shooting the same 2 straw bales since March, a $16 investment, but they do a good job stopping target points (ACCs) at 20 yards. Every now and then I'll hose them down to tighten them up a bit, or reverse them. They are developing soft spots so I have but a Humogous block behind the bales.

Cya!


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## JD Wild Turkey (Apr 5, 2007)

I shoot my guardian at straw bales wrapped in papermachine wetfelt and they do just fine, even at 20 yards. :darkbeer:


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## midevilarcher (Feb 13, 2007)

never had a problem with hay or straw.Straw is alot cheaper the only bad thing about it is they dont last to long if your shooting the same spot every time.


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## upnorth (Feb 24, 2004)

we were shooting for quarters the other night. we place a 2 inch orange sticker on a target and try to set up a shot that the rest cant make. i have a few haw bales in the range . the shot was a blind shot through a bale into a turkey about 3 feet behind the bale at 20 yards. all 5 shooters shot through the bale without a problem two hit the sticker.


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## jake21 (Jun 13, 2006)

i lost most of my arrows into one...i think they were flyin thru or somethin cuz it was all moldy...anyways i lost 4 that day...kinda pissed me off a lil bit
and that was with an old old compound..like '60's old


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## cdfirefighter1 (Apr 26, 2006)

I shoot 70# 30" with carbon arrows and have not had a problem shooting hay bales... every once in awhile I get one that goes almost all the way through.. but not often.. just get a good tight bale and all is fine.. I can only shoot 20 yards in the back yard, it works fine.. also when it gets a little loose I use a ratchet strap and tighten the bale a bit and shoot a couple more months.. tighten a little and go again..


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## JeffreySlayR (Mar 1, 2006)

The deal is is, it depends on how tight the bale was bound. Some times a bale of hay could weight 50 pounds, or 100 pounds. The heavier the bale the more hay was compounded into it. So generally speaking, the heavy bale will more than likely stop your arrow quicker than the lighters one.

If you can purchase a "cedar" bale, they will last seemingly forever. And they are Heeeeevvvvvvyyyyy!


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## nwaoutdoorsman (Jun 18, 2007)

I shoot a round bale and have been shooting the same one for 4 years. You cannot shoot into the ends of it, you must shoot the sides into the layers. And yes they will stop any arrow from any of todays bows. As many as 10 guys come to my house and shoot a variety of bow and arrow combinations. Never has anyone lost an arrow inside of the bale or buried them up to the fletchings. That my experience. I dont recommend shooting broadheads into it though. Get a block or another quality broadhead target for that.


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## GAshadowcat (Jul 1, 2007)

i've always had bad experinces with hay bales. either it was going straight through or ripping off the fletching. But it does slow it down to were if it goes through it just falls out the other side. So i set up some hay bales and set my block in front incase i miss accidently. for some it works, some it doesn't. you could pack your own target bales if you got the time.


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## crazyjz (Sep 26, 2006)

*Hay bales work fine.*

I don't put the targets on the bales anymore but I used to. I have had enough time to afford block and 3D targets but I still place hay bales behind these new targets for those "rare" misses.

When I get new bales of hay I usually take a small stick, stick it under the individual bindings (string not wire) and twist both strings 7 or 8 times which really tightens them up. I leave the sticks stuck in there and as the bales get older and start to deteriorate, I just give them a few more twists and they're ready to go again.

I have had a few guys arrows pass through when shooting from the 15 yd mark. I rarely shoot from there and I'm only pulling 62 lb on my Cardiac. They don't go more than a couple of feet though even when they pass through.

Hay bales are still a great starter backing for archers!


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## iowaqdm (Mar 14, 2007)

HCH said:


> Settle a debate for me, guy wants to know if they work; will they stop a fast arrow out of a modern compound? My experience is that an arrow will blow easily through a square bale and either blow all the way through a big round bale or bury in the middle. Any haybale shooters out there still? No traditional bows, only modern compounds are at question. Thanks!!!!!!!



I use a round bale. I shoot into the side not the end. I shoot 70lb hoyt and the arrow go into bale to about 20 inchs at 20 yards and less further out obviously. After about 500 shots or when the arrows start to sink to the fletching I roll the bale a little so the "soft" spot is 18" higher than the new spot I want to shoot at. Every other year I get a new bale from my friend and he uses the old one for bedding. He doesn't charge me anything for it. You should be able to buy a round bale from someone that bales a grass waterway or pasture for 20 bucks. Alfalfa/hay bale will be higher. I always try to pick out the bale that is rolled tight and is still round (not flat on the bottom). If you know the guy have him double or triple wrap a bale for you when he is baleing as it will hold together better. Plus, a round bale works great for a backstop when shooting 3D targets.


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## Apache (Apr 11, 2007)

I use straw bales as a backstop. I haven't had an arrow go completely through one yet but they will get buried and have to be pulled out from the backside ...


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## IGluIt4U (Sep 22, 2004)

We were shooting all day today at hay bale butts... if you get someone to band/strap them with steel pallet bands, you can get em really tough.. otherwise...


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## Tomarri (Dec 6, 2005)

get a block


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## WV Has Been (Aug 9, 2002)

If you shoot Riggs Bales( 200lb hay bales) out of Mt Pleasant PA. you can get more shots on these butts than you can any other butt on the market at a cheaper price.


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## bbaumer (Jul 19, 2005)

In my experience right out of the baler doesn't work very well. Blow right through.

If you compress them more as suggested with banding or some other method they will work. I'd still just buy a big Morrell or Block or some other outdoor range target though. It won't get moldy, is easier to move and lasts a lot longer.


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