Archery targets come in a range of shapes and sizes. The target form used depends upon the type of archery. Indoor and outdoor field archery events frequently use paper targets for scoring purposes. Bag and foam targets work well for general practice. Realistic 3-D targets simulate game animals for bow hunters to train on.
Paper Targets
Paper targets consist of sheets of heavy paper, or sometimes vinyl, with ringed archery targets printed on them. These are mounted on a thick backing or pad of some type that an arrow can penetrate. The Federation Internationale de Tir a L'Arc, or FITA, is the organization that oversees and sanctions international archery competition. Their authorized targets consist of six rings colored gold, red, blue, black and white from the center out with two scoring zones each. The gold center is worth 6 points, the red 5, and so on. Other paper targets--such as the Vegas target, with a cluster of three, smaller three-ringed targets, and the National Field Archery Association five-spot pattern target, with a set of five even smaller targets with two scoring rings per target--are also available. Field archery events frequently use these targets.
Bag Targets
Bag targets consist of a woven polyethylene or vinyl bag with round targets printed on the surface. The bag is filled with straw, sawdust or other easily penetrated material. Very inexpensive and easy to set up, bag targets are perfect for general archery practice or teaching archery to children.
Foam Targets
Many archers use targets made of laminated sheets of heavy-duty plastic foam covered with shrink-wrapped vinyl with targets silk screened on all surfaces. These targets usually have a carrying handle, are usually very portable and can be set up virtually anywhere. Foam targets are designed to withstand repeated hits from arrows, even wide-pointed hunting broadheads, and are particularly popular among bow hunters.
3-D Targets
Another target popular with bow hunters and the most sophisticated of archery targets, 3-D targets replicate animals, such as turkey, deer, elk, boar and bear, in various stances and positions. These 3-dimensional models are usually made of heavy-duty plastic or fiberglass and can be quite realistic. The target contains a "kill zone" area, where a bow hunter would normally aim to bring down a game animal. This area is made of soft foam rubber that an arrow easily penetrates, and it "heals" when the archer removes the arrow. The target area is easy to replace when it finally wears out.
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