If you have read many of my reviews you know that I am not one inclined to “gush” over any one product in our industry. In fact, my position in the industry dictates that I do not “endorse” any one product per se so as to not be considered bias. I accept no invitations to be a “Pro-Staffer” for any company and never will as long as I review archery products. Generally, I am one of the few writers that will actually criticize a product (tactfully in order to respect those that have put many hours of time and effort into a product). This is done not to put the product down but to help the manufacturer design a better feature or product.

With that said, let me get as close to “gushing” as you may ever see:

Over 200 archery product reviews, thousands upon thousands of field point tipped arrows, thousands upon thousands of broadhead tipped arrows, Bow test after bow test – only one target – AMERICAN WHITETAIL! 

I have put an amazing pounding on the three American Whitetail Targets in my shop (two Cubes and a Foamlite). My children, neighbors, friends and other writers have all pounded my A.W. Targets time and time again. 

The number of arrows shot into these targets is beyond counting and guess what, all of them still stop a 300+ fps arrow out of any bow! 

I am amazed that every archer in the country doesn’t own one of these targets. I feel like I have had one of the best kept secrets in the target world for four years – and now its time to let the cat out of the bag. 

CUBE
I started out with one of the Cube series of targets back in 2000. The Cube is a layered and bonded dense foam target designed for broadheads. It is a freestanding design with an easy carry handle attached to one corner. Every side is painted and intended as a target face for shooting. This gives you six shooting surfaces which naturally results in longer life. Mine has been left out in the weather with no adverse effects. If you shoot a cube you will never have to mess with cardboard, metal banding, bags or boards. Just give it a toss out onto your target range and start firing. 

One of my favorite Cube sizes is the 18x18x12” CampCube. It is small enough to take just about anywhere yet it still has the power to stop fast and heavy arrows. Other sizes available include: 

Cat# Size Thickness MSRP 
C-918 18x18    12    52.12 
C-920 20x20    14   73.79 
C-924 24x24    14   84.19 
C-930 30x30    14 114.43 
C-1020 20x20   20  87.31 
C-1030 28x28   20  126.80 

Foamlite

The Foamlite series of targets is designed to meet the needs of those looking for a light weight, inexpensive target. This target is constructed of tightly coiled and bonded foam. The front and rear face are bonded to the core and a single piece of foam is wrapped around and bonded to the core’s circumference. Works well for either carbon or aluminum arrows tipped with fixed or expanding broadheads. I personally enjoy shooting my field tips into this target as well.

The bottom of my Foamlite is squared off to allow the target to hold steady when placed on a flat surface. This is a very useful feature. One feature that you will notice when shooting this series is the ease with which the arrows will pull from the target. The Foamlite Series is available in the following sizes:

Cat# Size Thickness Price 
A-220  20" Dia    7 "    35.19 
A-224  24" Dia    7"     43.96 
A-330  30" Dia    7"     51.99 
A-524  24" Dia    12"    63.91 
A-530  30" Dia    12"    81.09 

Compound King
The 2004 Compound King target utilizes a totally new concept in stopping arrows. By layering foam in increasing density, soft/low density to high density, the arrow is quickly slowed in steps. The first section of foam that the arrow contacts, low density, has the best self healing characteristics while the last section, high density, has the best stopping power. There are two layers of medium density foam in the center. This design also allows the arrow to be pulled easily

The Compound King comes in one size, 16x16x20”, and has a suggested retail price of only 34.95. Definitely worth a look at!

Conclusion
As you can tell, I am a big fan of the folks at American Whitetail and the targets they design. In addition to the targets mentioned above they also offer several other target models. Last year I evaluated a Kinetic Cube and was somewhat disappointed with the durability after a couple of months. As you may have guessed, it didn’t meet the high standards of the A.W. Team either and has since been discontinued. I am confident that if you try an American Whitetail Target you will not be disappointed and very well may become a customer for life!

For information on these and other American Whitetail products contact:

American Whitetail, Inc.
8478 East SR 62 
Ferdinand, Indiana 47132 
888-233-1976 
Web:  www.archerytargets.com
Email:  archer@psci.net