Archery 2022: Backstop expanded at Rodes Farm

WPOA’s Dennis Inscoe (left) and WSC’s Mark Gomersall had to take to ladders to attach the netting to the top.

The height of the backstop at the Rodes Farm Archery Range has always been a bit too low. Visits into the deep, weed-packed woods behind the backstop to search for errant arrows were too common.

With the replacement of the old hanging bag targets at the Rodes Farm archery range this spring with larger boxed foam targets in a frame, the issue of the too-low backstop could no longer be ignored as the new frames had raised the targets higher off the ground. New (and not-so-new) archers were flying too many arrows into the forest. Sometimes lost arrows remained lost.

On June 29th, with (again) the talents of Wintergreen Property Owners Association’s Dennis Inscoe and three WSC archery volunteers, the Rodes Farm archery backstop was extended upward by four feet. Two layers of black heavy-duty debris netting with knitted polyethylene threads were installed to catch the ill-aimed arrows.

This should greatly reduce (but not completely eliminate) the number of arrows lost in the woods.

The new backstop does not extend all the way to the far right. The right target is now reserved for the archers using compound bows with sights.

Charles Batchelor (Left) did the shopping for the netting material used to extend the backstop. There is some 50 feet of material left over which can be used for patching if necessary.

Left to right: Dennis Inscoe, Mark Gomersall, and WSC ARchery Lead Mike Capps used dozens of nails to attach the netting.