3 D Deer Targets

3 D deer targets have been on the market for quite a few years now and there is currently quite a large selection to choose from. When I first began shooting a compound bow back in the early 1980’s there weren’t any 3D deer targets to be found. I started shooting at cardboard boxes and developed my shooting skills shooting at dots on targets. Being the kind of person that doesn’t usually jump at the newest thing, I had never purchased a 3 D deer target until my kids started getting interested in bowhunting. Since my 11 year old wanted to try to shoot a deer with his bow, I thought that shooting at a 3 D deer target may help him out.

We started with the Riverbottom Buck from Delta. This 3 D deer target was an economically priced target for us back yard shooters. This target was a little smaller than the more expensive ones, but this only mimics the smaller deer that we have in our neck of the woods. Shoot, if you can hit a small deer, you can surely hit a big one. Currently there are quite a few 3 D deer targets available at a wide range of prices.

I thought that shooting at a 3 D deer target would be a good opportunity for my kids to really get the feel of aiming and shooting at a deer. It took me a while before I had the process down correctly some years ago and now maybe it will be more comfortable for my kids. There is a big difference between shooting at a dot on a target and shooting at a live deer. Shooting at a 3 D deer target should help bridge this gap. When they aim at the live deer it should be more natural for them since they have been practicing with a target that actually looks like a deer. I also enjoyed watching my daughter get excited the first time she hit the deer.

You can show new hunters exactly where you should aim on a deer. An accomplished bowhunter taught me several years ago that you need to pick a spot on the deer. It is too easy to look at the antlers if it’s a buck or to just look at the deer in general and not concentrate on a spot. I think that it will be much easier for young hunters to get used to picking a spot to concentrate and aim on with the 3 D deer target.

Arrow removal isn’t as easy as my bag target or as hard as a foam target. You can’t pull them out with your teeth but it will not make your fingers sore either. The self closing foam does just that when arrows are removed but it will wear out over time and after many shots. After all, they do sell replacement vital areas for these targets, which should tell us something.

The set-up of this deer is very easy; you’ll be shooting at a buck within minutes of opening the box. The hardest part was sticking the antlers into the head. Since most of the deer that I shoot with my bow are does I probably should have left them off.

Today's 3 D deer targets look like a real deer and could be used as decoys as well. Maybe I'll give this a try some time.

After bowhunting for many years I never saw the need for a 3 D deer target but, for new hunters it is a great learning tool. Now that we’ve been shooting at it, I really enjoy it myself. If you have a new hunter in your family give one a try.