Archery in your garden, legal?

So long as you are not scottish and live in York you should be fine,

6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

And if you are over 14 you should be practicing for 2 ghours a day anyway:

13. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.

its legal if you change your name by deed poll to Robin Hood

hmm wouldnt want to be walking past your house in the field, and that is why you are not allowed, contact police for more information

wickedteen

hmm wouldnt want to be walking past your house in the field, and that is … hmm wouldnt want to be walking past your house in the field, and that is why you are not allowed, contact police for more informationRead lessRead more

To get to one of the maybe three people a day who pass by the back of my house the arrow would have to go through whatever backing i put up, a six foot high wooden fence and thirty foot of various trees. In the unlikely event someone shot it high the trees are mainly conifers and are about twenty feet high so would catch most stray arrows.

@ Barky
The bloke who was teaching Archery at Center Parcs kept calling me Robin Hood as I was hitting the bullseye every time with zero previous experience.
(edited)

Not if you get one of your relatives to stand in the field and keep an eye out for your arrows

There are a lot of ifs and be it on your own head.....

(b) Solo shooting by senior archers (ie archers 18 and over) is permitted … (b) Solo shooting by senior archers (ie archers 18 and over) is permitted on private land which is fenced all round and where the public has no legal right of access. A warning notice must be displayed at all entrances and points of access. Any member shooting on their own is doing so at their own risk in respect of personal injuries.Read lessRead more

Taken from the GNAS

cannyscot

Not if you get one of your relatives to stand in the field and keep an … Not if you get one of your relatives to stand in the field and keep an eye out for your arrowsRead lessRead more

Actually that wouldn't be a bad idea.

I would be shooting diagonally right to left away from the garden gate so someone could just walk out to the path and shout if anyone was to wander up walking a dog or something. I also forgot to mention that the field has a hill at the side closest to me so the arrow could never go any further.

Edit:
Can I just point out when I say 'path' I mean a muddy rutted track that has been worn into the grass and heather from years of infrequent use rather than an actual stone or gravel path.

(edited)

You need to make sure that there is NO chance that any arrow can stray. Saying "I'm a good shot & never miss" is not enough - you need to make sure that there is an inpenetrable barrier behind the target area (i.e. NOT trees, but something solid or a safety net). You need to have a clear area behind the barrier (in case an arrow goes over - it does happen, I've seen it!), GNAS recommend 100m. You also need to have a clear area either side of the shooting area. You need to put up warning signs all around. You need to make sure that you (or someone else if needed) constantly watches the clear area & you must stop shooting if anyone gets close to the clear area.

All common sense, but don't take shortcuts - if it can go wrong it will! I've been instructing archery for a few years now - I've not had any accidents, because I've done the GNAS course, I have the correct kit, I follow (& insist on) strict safety rules, & I NEVER assume that everything is OK.

It's a great sport, relatively cheap, & I enjoy it! I hope you do too!

cannyscot

Not if you get one of your relatives to stand in the field and keep an … Not if you get one of your relatives to stand in the field and keep an eye out for your arrowsRead lessRead more

Don't do this, it's screaming out for an accident to happen! Invest in a metal detector, it's cheaper and involves less spilt blood.

I looked into this last year also after trying it at Bovey Castle - I absolutely loved it - sadly the Archery classes around here are full

join a club,,,safety first,,,

just do it, stick some wood up or something behind the target

numptyj

just do it, stick some wood up or something behind the target

If I did decide to go ahead it would be with full nets, backing and a low archery target to reduce the risk of overshoot. Seems unlikely that i will though.

Ungreat

If I did decide to go ahead it would be with full nets, backing and a low … If I did decide to go ahead it would be with full nets, backing and a low archery target to reduce the risk of overshoot. Seems unlikely that i will though.Read lessRead more

If you take steps to reduce the risk (as you are intending to do) then the chances of overshooting will be very rare, & yet I've seen it happen 3 times in one session! Just make sure you have 100m of dead ground behind your butt & you'll be OK.

I do a little target shooting and know the legality's well. It is perfectly legal to shoot in your own garden provided you follow the rules below which I assume will be relevant to both airguns and archery.

Anyone under 18 must be supervised by an adult over 21.
You must be at least 50 yards from the center of a public highway.
You must have a sufficient backstop and no projectile should leave the boundaries of your land.
Your activity's should not cause any distress to neighbors or passing public.

(_;)

What type of archery you doing, I guess recurve right?

Join a club....they will recommend that you don't rush out and buy your own bow as with practice you will be pulling more poundage as you get used to it. You will also increase your range of target which will keep it a challenge for longer.
(edited)

Civic EG62010 15

What type of archery you doing, I guess recurve right?

Most likely as it's just for target shooting in a garden.

One of my neighbours must be practicing archery on their back garden because i found a very nasty looking slightly bent aluminium arrow near the bottom of my garden, i informed the police whom came to collect it but didnt seem very concerned with regards broken laws.