springgobbler

Curious if anyone has ever tried to start one up from scratch. I have about 6 acres that would make a nice 3D set-up.

Arthur P

Basics you will need for the range:

Targets - 3D and practice targets. Our club uses Morrell Outdoor Range bag targets on our practice range. It wouldn't hurt to make a branding iron with your club's name on it and brand the belly of each 3D target, so it can be identified in case of theft. They do 'walk off' sometimes.

Storage shed for extra targets, groundskeeping equipment and miscellanious like scorecards and concession supplies.

Sanitary facilities - Portapotties or, if legal, outhouses.

Concession supplies - Water jugs, ice chests, other stuff. Supply water for sure. Cold drinks and food for any tournaments you put on.

Benches and picnic tables. They gotta have some place to rest while drinking their cold drinks and eating their food. A pavilion to get under in a cloudburst is a nice touch, or you can do like our club and just let 'em drown.[8D]

Lock on the gate to discourage unauthorized entry. Posted signs about every hundred feet all along the fence. Sign out front identifying the property as an archery range.

Liability insurance - just in case. Very important for a non-profit club. Vitally important if you intend to make this a commercial range where you charge people to shoot your course. Plan on it costing at least $600 a year for a non-profit club. Probably more for a commercial range. None of the injuries I've ever seen on a range have actually been due to getting hit with an arrow. All have been due to falls and bows breaking. You can't be held liable for someone's bow blowing up, but if they slip, trip and fall, then you could be - and there are jerks out there who would sue you for them being an uncoordinated klutz.

If you've got running water and electricity on the property, that's a bonus. Few clubs I've been to have such niceties.

If you're going to set up a true non-profit archery club, you'll have to draw up a constitution and by-laws. A club can't function without rules to govern it. Not to mention the basic archery range safety rules which you will post so people will see them when walking from the parking area into the shooting area.

You'll need to set up a bank account for the club.

Might not hurt to consult a lawyer to make sure you get all the bases and angles covered. Definitely do that if you go for a commercial range.

Then, after all that, you'll need startup money and spare time to devote to the club. If you can get 40 people to chip in for a $200 charter membership, that'll be enough to get going. Naturally, if you want to set up a commercial deal and charge people to shoot your course, you'll have to front the whole startup cost yourself.

Trapper_Hunter

Ive helped run one.. Boy would it be cool to have your own big range like that...

1elkhunter

worked on an archery range as an officer of the club for about 15 years. LOTS of WORK involved. However if you have the time and enjoy working on all aspects of 3-D archery, then you should give it a try. Itis expensive to do though andexpect that noone is willing tohelp for very long, it is too time comsumingfor most people. I love shooting 3-D, but I spent too many countless hours working on targets, the range, practice range,supplies, opening for business and closing business every weekend,( wehosted tournaments every Sunday afternoon and Thursday evening), keeping up with paperwork, insurance, and listening to people complain about everything and noone willing to help fix what they were complaining about, that I stopped enjoying it as much and got out of that end of it. I still enjoy shooting, but I let someone else do all the work, and I don't complain about anything. Oh yeah, that club that I did everything for is no longer open. Seems they couldn't find anyone else that wanted to give up that much time.
If you have help, then I wish you all the luck in the world. You should enjoy it if you do.

Buckhunter 17

i've helped run one, and am still a member of it today. the one i help run is about 88 acres and has a small shack for food and drinks, semi trailer for storage, and help of course. we currently have 30 3-D targets and a full target range. targets ranging from 20 all the way out to 65 yards on the range. we have monthly meetings and usually one shoot per month. it cost 10 bucks to shoot at each shoot unless you're a member. to become a member you must pay 20 bucks and your coverd for insurance. then we require you to work atleast one shoot. after you are a member you can come out to the range anytime you want and shoot. you can also contribute by helping maintain the grounds, such as....buy mulch for paths, help mow, build bridges, and anything that you think needs to be done. you buy it and the club will pay you back. i would love to open one my self at my own house but it would cost a lot to get all the targets by myself. hope this gives you some pointers and advice.

Angus74

Ill agree with 1elkhunter, me and some buddies started one about 6 years ago, at first when we were getting everything together, we had about 20 guys ready to help out and do whatever it took to have a local 3-d shoot, the first shoot was nice and we had less help with each shoot we had. By the second year there was about 4 of us that did all of the setup and take down work and work the entire tournament, and were so busy we werent even able to shoot it for fun. It eventually got to where no one would chip in to help set it up, but most of them who were too busy to help set it up at 5 oclock in the morning found time about 10 oclock to come shoot, then had to hurry back home to do whatever. Sorry to rant so much about it, but that is what happened to us, I hope anyone who starts a new club has better luck with theirs, because it definitely helps bring new people into archery and bowhunting, and is great family fun. Good luck with the club, and one other peice of advice would be to use good targets, we tried a couple cheaper targets thinking we would save some money, but they wouldnt withstand nearly as many shots asn our McKenzies did, so we just had to replace them after a couple shoots. We also found that if we made our shots easier, more people new to shooting were more likely to return and shoot again, bbuuttt, our target midsections got shot out faster due to the close range and more hits in the 10 ring. With the shots a little harder, the advanced shooters felt more challenged and liked it better, and the targets lasted longer,, but then the most important shooters(the new guys) didnt like to lose their arrows and would seldom give it another try, so keep it within reason and use good targets. Good luck!

Arthur P

Take what you want, give nothing back. Unfortuantely, that's generally the attitude you get from the vast majority of people nowadays. It's a rampant problem at every club, every organization.

Daisy Bates

This is nice post which I was awaiting for such an artice and I have gained some useful information from this site. Thanks for sharing this information.Regards,

Valentine

Of course, I had been in business and always knew an archery club was just like running a business. I got into archery as a hobby, and not for business, and for any reason related to it.

Happy I spent all those hours on my private range, one light target-carry in and out, one archery shooter, no tournaments, pure shooting and exercise at my speed. No competition with the shooter who got a $1200 bow. No loud shouting or inane jokes.

Just the near silent wisk of an arrow, at the target.