To t-hawk throwers, what do you use for a target?

I use a chainsaw slice of a big log ~ 33" in diameter - pine. Mounted on a tripod made of stout branches. I think the log slice is far better than planks, especially since you are throwing into the end grain. Take the time to locate a suitable log. I got mine from a neighbor who was removing a large pine tree from his yard.
 
If you cut some 4x4 up into 1 foot lengths then stack them up and bind the whole thing with a strap you can make a "round" as big as you want with the added benefit of being able to replace bits as they wear out.
 
Basswood rounds are my favorite. Size is up to you, but smaller(14"or so) helps me focus.
 
We in the military academy, the target for throwing bayonets looked like this: - wooden frame 6x6 feet and her butt was inserted beams 8x8x10.
 
Now I just use random trees of various sizes and will use a leaf I somehow stick to the trunk at a target! It's not great but I live in a apt in a city so now I gotta travel to throw my hawks and hey it works!
 
Cottonwood Rounds approx 22" diameter (six stacked pyramid style on a tripod stand with upper single round centered about head height). This way six hawks can be thrown without overlapping targets and resultant damage that can happen when throwing multiple hawks to same target.
 
I just use what ever tree trunk I have cut down but haven't split up yet. Standard fire wood cut length. Turn it on a side to give me two flat sides to throw at and drive a rail spike in the top between them. Then throw a rope over a limb and pull it up to head height and tie it off.

Just today I put a new one near my camping/fire/shooting bench area to use around the camp fire. This one I used a trunk about 3-4 feet long that I handn't cut short for some reason. This time I drove the spike in the end so it is sort of standing/swinging long wise to simulate throwing at a tree trunk that size.
 
Last edited:
I just use a standing tree. I've thought about making a target but I'm lazy and there is an unlimited amount of trees within walking distance.:D
 
I own the trees where I live and I don't want to just randomly kill and destroy them.

https://i.imgur.com/lyp9Up3.jpg
owGcS


http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/beard/throw_tomahawk.htm
 
I have never had a tree die from being used as a target. I only use trees that have 1-1.5 inch thick bark. And I only throw a hawk every 3 months plus or minus.
 
Last edited:
How old are you?

I'm 63 and I've been around the block, a couple times. I know lots of guys who've "never had a tree die from shooting it". Some because they shoot up every one else's trees, some because they've never owned a tree or live in the same spot more than a couple years. Others because they just don't care enough to see what it does to a tree.

I'm just doing you a favor here. If you want to throw at YOUR trees. Have at it, I don't care about your trees. I throw at trees to, ones I don't care about.

If you care about your trees and you don't want to kill and ruin them all, here is what I do. Do it or don't, at your house.

d4MoYRa.jpg
 
Last edited:
You're right, I never thought of a long term impact on the trees. Thank you for taking the time to explain the why to me and not just saying that I'm wrong. That looks like a nice system you have there. What's the rope attached to on the log?
 
Jack Ryan said:
I'm 63 and I've been around the block, a couple times. I know lots of guys who've "never had a tree die from shooting it". Some because they shoot up every one else's trees, some because they've never owned a tree or live in the same spot more than a couple years. Others because they just don't care enough to see what it does to a tree.
Click to expand...

38 years ago a buddy and I took target practice at a young pine with high powered rifles. We wanted to see if we could blast it down. We didn't succeed, we thought. 25 years later I saw that tree still standing and I was relieved. 2 years later we had a drought summer and the tree died and broke off right where we had been shooting at it all those years earlier. I felt like crap when I saw that. Stupid thing I did as a kid. :(
 
A17 said:
You're right, I never thought of a long term impact on the trees. Thank you for taking the time to explain the why to me and not just saying that I'm wrong. That looks like a nice system you have there. What's the rope attached to on the log?
Click to expand...
I cut up any dead or falleen trees trees for firewood. Just take the biggest piece of trunk and drive a rail spike in the top like the one in that last picture and tie a rope to it. I use a taught line hitch or a pipe hitch to make that tie. Throw the other end over a limb and pull it up. I think I tied that to the truck and had my daughter pull it up. Then I took it off the truck and wrapped it around the tree and tie it off. It is actually all the same rope and set up my 35 year old kids used with a tire on it for a swing when they were little.

By the time my boy was 12 or so the tire was gone and we used it for throwing targets ever since. I've gone through probably ten hunks of firewood like that one since then. That set up keeps it interesting. We put cards on it and throw at each others card to "put them out" if there a few throwers hanging around. Spin it, swing it, spin and swing it... way more fun than any other way of holding a target that I've ever used and I've had about every sort of stand mentioned and a few more.

Last thing before this was just cutting out all the "tri-pods" out of any tree that fell and then cutting a "slot" to fit the up post of out of the tri pod. This rope thing is the way to go for my money. Easy, cheap, portable. You can cut a double length of firewood and drive the spike in the flat part if you want to simulate throwing at regular standing trees. See the other pic in my post above these. Be careful with that, you'll find any misses are likely to go flying off in any direction.

I'll give the beginners here a little head start on sticking knives in these. Probably every one has walked around throwing a screw driver or knife sticking it in the ground. Well practice that a little learning the distance by throwing AT SOMETHING instead of just sticking it in the ground. Start throwing at a particular leave on the ground and once you've hit that a few times, go to your hanging target. Stand right against the target and throw it at the ground where you want to throw from the at the target. Do it until you stick it in the ground. Now walk to the knife and put your toe against the knife, facing the target. May be scratch a little mark in the dirt where it was stuck, and that is a DARN GOOD spot to start throwing at your hanging target to stick it.
 
Square_peg said:
38 years ago a buddy and I took target practice at a young pine with high powered rifles. We wanted to see if we could blast it down. We didn't succeed, we thought. 25 years later I saw that tree still standing and I was relieved. 2 years later we had a drought summer and the tree died and broke off right where we had been shooting at it all those years earlier. I felt like crap when I saw that. Stupid thing I did as a kid. :(
Click to expand...
Meh, it was well worth the lesson if you learned from it. A bullet doesn't always kill them but it wouldn't take much with a tomahawk to ruin a tree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: A17
Three years ago I helped clean up an old elm that was taken down in a friends yard. I saved a slice off the butt end for a target, now I regret not saving a few more. I can move it around now but it was so heavy when it was green that I used a hydraulic lift on a splitter to raise it up, then built the frame around it.
It was 36” across with the bark on and 9” thick.
It cost nothing but has provided many hours of enjoyment ever since.
BvASL58.jpg
 
The above answers are best. Though I have glued and screwed 6 MDF boards to each other, supported by a base made of 2x4s with 45 degree supports. Used it for years of knife, hatchet, and bullet practice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top