Range Maintenance
Target Bosses
Most of our target bosses are wooden frames filled with hundreds of thin layers of closed-cell foam, compressed together. As they are used, the foam is cut by arrows and the centre of the boss becomes progressively weaker until arrows can start to penetrate through the back of the boss if shot with a high-poundage bow, or simply fall out of the target if shot with a beginners bow. We sometimes attach blocks of additional dense foam (called “nappies”) at the back of the targets to stop arrows penetrating, but heavily used bosses must be deconstructed and re-packed with foam every few months.
Re-packing
Bosses can be re-packed in-situ on the field, ideally by a team of four people.
To re-pack a boss, we first unscrew and remove the two long threaded steel rods that hold the wooden frame at the top of target to the target legs, and provide the pressure to keep the foam compressed. Some target bosses have handles at the top of the threaded rods, others have octagonal nuts. Either way, they are most easily unscrewed and removed using a cordless electric screwdriver, drill or impact driver with either a standard socket or a special attachment that fits over the handles. A small stepladder is needed to gain access to the top of the target. The two threaded rods, one on each side of the target, need to be unscrewed together or alternating in short stages. The quickest way is to have two people with two stepladders and two drills.
The next steps require three, ideally four people. The upper wooden frame is lifted off, handed down and set aside. Foam strips are then carefully removed in layers of 10-15cm at a time and set aside. The multiple foam layers should be kept neatly stacked so that undamaged foam from the top of the target can be easily replaced into the target frame. Foam layers from the middle of the target will usually be falling apart and are set aside for disposal. All badly damaged foam is removed, leaving a base of undamaged foam at the bottom of the target frame.
Foam is then loaded back into the target frame, replacing the undamaged foam and adding layers of new foam as needed. Foam should be stacked to about 10-15cm above the top of the target frame, as it needs to be compressed down to create the density needed to stop arrows. It is important to stack layers of foam as neatly as possible, avoiding any creases or rucks or gaps.
The upper wooden frame is then replaced onto the top of the target and the threaded rods are inserted into the target legs and tightened until the necessary pressure is achieved. The two rods need to be gradually wound down at the same time as each other, or in alternating small stages – again this is easiest and quickest with two people, two ladders and two drills. This needs to be done with great care, especially if the rods have handles rather than nuts. Over-tightening can cause the handles to part company with the rods. If the wooden top frame is screwed all the way down so it touches the legs, you must immediately stop at that point. If the frame is fully closed and the foam remains fairly loose it may be necessary to re-do the process with an extra few cm of foam layers added.
Sacrificial Wood and Weather Protection
To protect the wooden frames from errant arrows, we attach additional strips of wood to all exposed faces. Most important are the exposed legs to either side of the foam and the the fronts of the top and bottom frame pieces. We mostly use wood recovered from broken targets, which we attach with a couple of self-tapping decking screws.
Sacrificial wood strips need to be attached to new targets when they are first put out on the field. The sacrificial wood strips on heavily used targets can split and may need to be periodically replaced.
We paint our target frames (including the sacrificial wood strips) with red cedar fence paint to provide a little weather protection and to give them a uniform appearance.
Our targets also have covers, consisting of a large square heavy duty PVC sheet, with a wooden batten at the top and bottom ends. The upper batten is screwed to the middle bar of the top frame of the target, the lower batten hangs free. An eye is screwed into the middle of the lower batten and a short bungee cord with a hook on the end is attached to the lower frame of the target, allowing the cover to be secured when the target is covered.
Grounds Maintenance
We have a small team of archers who use our two ride-on mowers to keep the grass trimmed. But we also need to periodically attack other vegetation, notably the brambles that snake across the grass from the perimeters and plant themselves on the range. We need to keep the range itself clear, but don’t mind having a dense thicket of trees, bushes and undergrowth around the edges, as this might help prevent people getting in and arrows getting out. (Note the range is securely fenced on both sides and at the end, so this is an extra precaution.)
We also need to periodically cut back the weeds and grass that grow beneath our targets, our set-up tables, around the containers, and anywhere they can.