Welcome to The Austin Archery Club

Club Rules

(updated November 11, 2024)

General Rules

  • NOTE – For the safety of all Members and their Guests, multiple cameras with live/remote viewing capability are discretely placed throughout the facility.
  • Access to the club is restricted to daylight hours only: 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset.
  • Paid memberships may be used by the individual and family (individual + spouse/partner + children under 18, all living in the same household). Sharing of a membership beyond these immediate household family members is not permitted.
  • All Guests must be accompanied by a Club Member. A current Member may bring up to 3 non-member Guests with them per visit, registering them in advance HERE. This is intended as a one-time benefit for each Guest to enjoy and learn about the Club before securing their own membership.
  • Minors under the age of 18 shall be supervised by an adult at all times.
  • Pets are allowed, but must be under strict control of an adult at all times.
  • Entry/Exit gates must be locked at all times, except during club-sanctioned events. Please follow the General Entry Rules outlined HERE.
  • The Tournament Course is only for use during sanctioned events, and is not to be used by anyone at any time outside of those scheduled shoots.
  • Rules detailed in the Safety Policy must be followed at all times.
  • Report unsafe conditions on ranges/courses.
  • Use of your Vault account to access the entry gates acts as your sign-in for each club visit.
  • Crossbows may only be used by archers with a physical condition limiting their reasonable use of a traditional or compound bow. Please Contact the club if you require this accommodation.
  • The following items/activities are Not Permitted:
    • Broadheads (including Broadhead Simulators)
    • Atlatls (except during club-sanctioned events)
    • Firearms (including airguns)
    • Full Camouflage
    • Hunting
    • Open Fires
    • Overnight Camping (except during club-sanctioned events)
  • The violation of any rule or the Safety Policy may result in temporary suspension of Club access privileges, up to and including permanent termination of Membership.

Static Ranges

  • An arrow may only be nocked and the bow may only be drawn when the archer is standing at a designated firing position and facing the target.
  • No Skydrawing – pointing a bow skyward to make it easier to draw the arrow is strictly prohibited. See Rule #12 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • The Lower Static Range is only to be shot from the West to the East. Three well-defined shooting lanes have been set-up for this purpose. Because of neighboring residential properties, NO OTHER direction of shooting is permitted. To better communicate this policy, the old covers have been removed, and clear signage will be installed as a reminder. The parking lot has been extended to include the old covered area.
  • Only the targets placed by the AAC are to be shot on the Static Ranges. No targets are to be moved or repositioned, and do not stand up any targets that are found laid down. See Rule #7 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • If a target is found in need of repair or replacement, or you have a specific question about either the Upper or Lower Static Range, reach out to the Club using our Contact page.

Field Archery Course

  • Shoot the targets in sequential order from #1 through #14. DO NOT backtrack the course, as this may bring you near a previous target being shot at by subsequent shooters. In the event of an emergency requiring backtracking as the shortest route, loudly announce yourself as you near targets on your way back to the course entrance.
  • The course and targets are designed to match NFAA tournament guidelines – to complete a standard 28-target NFAA tournament course a shooter would simply make 2 passes through all 14 targets. This includes shooting only 4 arrows per target, which is standard for scoring, and necessary to reduce the wear on the target butts and fiberboard slats.
  • DO NOT repeatedly shoot targets near the course entrance/exit. Not only does this result in excess wear to these targets, but doing so requires backtracking, which is not permitted. If you’re sighting in and not intending to shoot a full round, the Static Ranges are more appropriate for that purpose.
  • An arrow may only be nocked and the bow may only be drawn when the archer is standing at a designated firing position and facing the target.
  • No Skydrawing – pointing a bow skyward to make it easier to draw the arrow is strictly prohibited. See Rule #12 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • High speed compound bows, especially using carbon arrows – shooters should soap or chalk the first 4+ inches of their arrows (or use a commercial lubricant product intended for arrows). The high-density fiberboard the targets are made from will adhere to these arrows making it very difficult to pull them from the targets. DO NOT attempt to cut around the arrow, as this permanently damages the target.
  • DO NOT make purposeful indentations into the fiberboard, as this too permanently damages the target.
  • No tape or any other material is to be masked over the target face. Doing this is a disservice to those shooting behind you. Please limit such aiming devices to the Static Ranges.
  • Only the 14 fixed targets installed by the AAC are to be shot on the Field Archery Course. No targets are to be placed in front of any target on the course. See Rule #7 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • Older concrete cylinders may be found on some of the lanes. Only the orange shooting markets are placed at official distances. There are no Cub distance markers.
  • If a given target face is found in need of replacement, or you have a question about the Field Archery Course not covered above, reach out to the Club using our Contact page.

Bowhunter 3D Course

  • Shoot the targets in sequential order from #1 through #30. DO NOT backtrack the course, as this may bring you near a previous target being shot at by subsequent shooters. In the event of an emergency requiring backtracking as the shortest route, loudly announce yourself as you near targets on your way back to the course entrance. The only exception to this rule is when shooting the road targets, BH1 through BH6, which are safe to backtrack because of their placement along the road.
  • An arrow may only be nocked and the bow may only be drawn when the archer is standing at a designated firing position and facing the target.
  • No Skydrawing – pointing a bow skyward to make it easier to draw the arrow is strictly prohibited. See Rule #12 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • Only the 30 designated targets placed by the AAC are to be shot on the Bowhunter 3D Course. No targets are to be moved or repositioned, and do not stand up any targets that are found laid down. See Rule #7 of the Safety Policy for more details.
  • Some of the Monthly 3D Shoot targets are left in the field between events. These targets ARE NOT part of the Bowhunter 3D Course, and they ARE NOT to be shot at any time other than during events sanctioned by the AAC. Between events these targets may require maintenance or may be placed temporarily, therefore shooting them between events is unsafe.
  • The designated scoring area (bullseye, 10-ring, vitals) located inside the removable core of the target is the only approved aiming/shooting point. Archers may not deliberately aim/shoot any other part of the target. If a target/core is found in need of replacement, especially if a passthrough occurs, or you have a question about the Bowhunter 3D Course not covered above, reach out to the Club using our Contact page.