One of the worst things about owning a crossbow is having to discharge it at the end of the day when you are done. There are professionally made crossbow discharge targets and blunt tip arrows that work, but they are expensive, and I don’t find them to be very effective on the fast launch bows.

I am going to show you a quick and simple way to make a discharge target out of stuff you probably have lying around in your basement or that you can pick up very inexpensively.

What you need:

• A 5-gallon bucket with a snap on lid
• A piece of plastic, like a heavy-duty garbage bag
• Cloth material – old blue jeans, towels, blankets, old sleeping bag etc.

Step One

Take the lid off the plastic 5-gallon bucket. Remove the center of the lid so you just have the retaining ring.

Step Two

Take whatever you are using for material and stuff it inside the bucket. Don’t be afraid to pack it really tight. The tighter you pack it, the better it will work.

Step Three

Lay the plastic on top of the stuffed bucket. Take the lid, snap it back on, and trim away any excess plastic.

Step Four

Load in a field point and shoot through the plastic, into the bucket.

There you go! Now you have a simple, inexpensive, effective way to let your bow out at the end of the day. You can toss your discharge bucket in the back of your truck or leave it at the bottom of your tree stand.