Archery World

Check first with your local city/town/county regulations to determine what is allowed. I know our town although very small doesn’t allow shooting of any weapons. You also need to check with your insurance company, better business bureau, etc if you are planning on doing this for profit. You would possibly need a permit if you were going to open a range that was for public use. There is a lot to check into.

As has been said already, you need to check with your local authorities: Police, Town Council, County Attorney, etc. Be sure to check with ALL of them, since many police departments will tell you somethin gis not allowed — when it actually is. (this is because the police in many areas do not like to do the needed paperwork for certain things…and many times police personnel get what is known as “The Wyatt Earp Syndrome” - they think that the law is whatever they want it to be; I’ve known some “Wyatt Earps” in many places).

As to how much room you need, it depends entirely on what you want. If you want to practice at 30 yards, you will need at least 32 yards distance from your shooting line (where you stand) to your backstop (it’s what stops the arrows when you miss; heavy carpeting, hanging freely, works great as a backstop). The extra 2 yards is to make sure that you actually do have enough room, since the targets will take up space, and in case of “pass-through”… Putting an arrow into a fence, whether that fence is wood, metal or plastic, often ends with a broken arrow and is to be avoided whenever possible. Obviously, whatever the longest distance you plan to shoot, add at least an extra 2 yards to it.

If you are able to build your own archery range in your backyard, also be sure to allow at least 30° on EACH side of the target (from the shooting point - where you will be standing or kneeling when you shoot), sort of like a baseball diamond. This is for the sake of safety, just in case there is anyone who is in the habit of walking onto the range without bothering to make sure it is safe to do so (someone such as a young child or addle-pated moron) — at least you will have a chance to stop shooting before they are hit by an arrow. And be sure to NOT place your target(s) in front of the car or house, or any other such item, unless you really want to pay for the repairs. Put the backstop together so that it extends at least 3 feet to either side of the target(s) and at least 2 feet above the tallest target; if you miss — and you will miss at least once — the backstop will prevent arrows from going into the neighbours’ yards (and their precious poochies won’t get skewered).

Make SAFETY your Number One Concern, and even your immediate neighbours should have no real problems with your backyard archery range — as long as it legal to have it to begin with.