Where do you fling arrows?
I bought a bow this year in hopes of being able to go to the outdoor range on the way out to Bragg Creek since I work on that end of Calgary. Dreams of flinging hundreds of arrows a week and getting better where dancing around my head. Then I found out it was removed due to construction.
If you are like me and you want to get into a rhythm of shooting hundreds of arrows a week and get ready for 3d shoots in the future where would you go to shoot? Ideal would be a 100 yard chunk of dirt to setup a foam target that i would bring and take when i leave that is close enough to Calgary that i could spend the most time shooting as possible without having to be constrained by the costs and hours of operations of a lane. I mean i have been out for drives out to public land and such but that really doesn't work well for a working man. Is there such a thing? |
I live in the NW and there are. Couple of undeveloped government road allowances within 5 minutes of me. Calgary (and Edmonton) are surrounded by these. Drive down one, set up target (with safety in mind always) and shoot your 100's of arrows. I can stretch out my shots to 100+ yards or more if I want
J. |
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BigGirth, I too was heart broken that the range was torn down. I live 5 minutes from it and just picked up my first bow this year. I'll keep my eyes and ears to the ground for some place to shoot (close-by) and send you a DM if I find something - maybe we head out together at some point if you don't mind adding someone to the mix. |
unfortunately not anywhere near as close, but I have started driving to Carstairs and shooting at Bighorn Archers. Great outdoor range, and only $100 a year. Well worth it to make the drive in my opinion, until something closer opens. I've never been a big fan of shooting indoors.
http://bighornbowhuntersandarchers.com/ |
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1) Safety is always paramount for me; if there is a house close by, use some common sense and discretion. Nothing that'll tick a home owner off faster than a ricochet floating through their yard 2) Make sure you're outside of the City's legal boundary limits. Local bylaws will probably make your life a little exciting if you're not. As for my own private shooting range? I have 3 of them. One is a little more heavily used than the other two, but it's closer. Typically only visit that one at first/last light for low light practicing as the other "traffic" would be lighter during those times (but not always). The other 2 are in a N-S direction and provide alternating wind / no-wind shooting scenarios. Just takes a little Google Earth browsing in your neck of the woods to come up with possibilities. Saves time/gas and will give you a pretty good birds-eye view of the area; enough that it will eliminate most of the spots and hone you in on the likely ones. IF HOWEVER, you check out one that looks good on GE and there's a fence/gate blocking your access - leave it alone. More than likely it's been closed off by agreement between land owner / county and you would be trespassing. Not all closed lands are evident, but fences/gates are a very good indicator that it's no longer public access. Sometimes this isn't the case, but it would cost you money to investigate and be sure - and then the possibility of harassment still would exist. Just move onto the next possible spot. J. |
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J. |
Awesome thanks J.!
To be honest with you I'm not sure if my city slicker eyes can't tell between a Gravel road going to a property and a government road allowances road. I had gone for a drive a couple of times and found that all the land around the city looks like private drives. The very last thing i want to do is pi ss anyone off that might own land and give all you great archers a bad name. I have looked at https://maps.alberta.ca/RecAccess/Vi...ewer=RecAccess and i see a few spots open to rec use but they all have names attached so I'm not sure what that means. Thanks again for helping a Noob out BG |
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I've just done a quick search West of Calgary. Look on Google Earth 1.5 miles south of Hwy 1 and Calaway Park, then West 2 miles, then North 1 mile. I haven't been to this location personally, but this looks similar to locations that I go to and also view on GE. But because I haven't been to this particular location, I can't guarantee that it would work for you or that adjacent land owners wouldn't squawk. Use this information at your own peril. J. |
Regarding the range being torn down. When it comes time to vote don't forget who was the mayor at the time.. Every other damned sport gets special accommodation in Calgary but archery? No they eliminate our range. I'm still fuming mad about that one.
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Thanks J, much appreciated.
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I think it was the province that closed it down due to the extension of Stoney trail, it would be nice to have another one for sure.
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Anywhere around Edmonton you guys know of?
Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk |
I shoot at my 18-1 target just inside of town in subdivisions where the sewer and roads are being put in, only after the work day is done for those guys. Put it up against a topsoil pile so no rocks wreck any arrows if missing at long ranges. Luckily there are a lot of local law enforcement that are also bow hunters and understand. You also must understand that if somebody phones in a complaint then they must do their job. Just make sure there is nothing important beyond your backstop aka dirt pile and keep out of sight if possible. Gotta get creative to get thos reps in if your in the city
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I'd most likely pay 3X the amount quoted above to have another outdoor facility here.... J. |
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