Archery in Chicago

[Peter133]

I was wondering if there were any cheap (or free) places to shoot in Chicago. I live there 9 months of the year for school and need a place I could get to using the CTA

[paulsemp]

 in warrenville by blackwell forest preserve. it is off mack rd. look under dupage co website.

[HoBow]

I've talked to several people in the Chicago area that were interested in getting together, but I never did anything with it.  Maybe in the next month or two once it warms up we can have a little workshop somewhere....anyone interested post here or PM me your numbers if I don't have it. 

[Jeremy Holden]

Hello Peter,

I can't speek for Chicago.  But I live about 45 minutes north of the city in Lake County.  There's a free range up near the Antioch area and Bass Pro Shops has an indoor range but it'll cost ya'.  Not sure what your transportation options are.  You could get Waukegan by train but from there, not so sure.  Hope this helps.

-Jeremy

[yod9]

Hi everyone, I am new here and have finally come back to archery after a 20 year absence.

I am in the Chicago area (south burbs) and would love to keep updated on anything going on in the area as well.

Places I have shot (outside my back yard LOL) have been On Target in Steger.
I know there are a lo of ranges, in fact there is one very nice one in Chicago (northside).
But they charge by the hour what some charge for unlimited.

Hope to meet you all on the boards soon and often!

Steve aka Yod9

[gstoneberg]

in warrenville by blackwell forest preserve. it is off mack rd. look under dupage co website.

I tried to reply before and it somehow didn't make it.  We lived in Warrenville from 1978-1994 and I fished at Blackwell probably 3 times a week through some of that time.  Wonderful memories from there.  Doesn't look at all the same now.  I took up archery in that time frame and shot out behind work at the corner of Naperville Rd and Warrenville Rd.  It was AT&T Bell Labs then, not sure what it is now.  I saw some of the largest whitetail bucks I've seen in person in the forest preserves there (where they were safe for the most part).  I built my first longbow there in 1993 (it was an f-word bow) and missed my first deer with traditional tackle in 1994, just before we moved to Nebraska.  Very good memories.  Our youngest daughter and I went to countless 3D shoots around the Chicagoland area.  Very good times.  Back then it was a great place for an archery minded person to be.

That girl I shot with will turn 30 this summer and just gave us our 5th granddaughter yesterday.  Life is good.

George

[paulsemp]

hey George, AT&T Bell Labs is now lucent technology. I thought I heard of a huge layoff about 10 years ago. Unless someone else is in there now I do not think much happens around there. I live about 5 miles from there!

[gstoneberg]

Yea, I was in Omaha when we turned into Lucent, then our division became Avaya in a spin-off, next I was incented to retire at the big Avaya employee exit of 2000, worked as a contractor for 10 years and now am working directly again for a company called Commscope.  All more or less the same job and most of it for the same boss.  I think Lucent had a tougher time of it than we did with more severe cuts.  In it's day we had the Indian Hill main building there at the corner, and Indian Hill West, South and Court off to the west there.  Over 6000 R&D employees in the hey-day.  I'll bet there's not 500 there now.  Very sad.  We lived in the Thornwild town house complex just east of the intersection of 59 and 56 for the first 7 years of our time there and in old Warrenville on Rogers Street not far from Bower Elementary for the rest.  I've been only been back a couple times since we left in 94.  Nostalgia...  My younger brother just moved back to Sugar Grove.  If I head that way again I'll try and look you up.

George

[paulsemp]

don't forget to bring a bow and some arrows!

[Starfire]

So I take it nothing has formed in the Chicago area?

[paulsemp]

Not that I know of. Hobow and I have talked about getting together but have not yet ( kids seam to take all my time these days). Would like to in the near future. Would be fun to make some bows with you guys. Starfire if you need help I am sure I could find the time. Have a bunch of staves and all the tools to make board bows and milling backing.

[Horse Thief Killer]

I am in the area as well. I would be interested in any primitive archery gatherings-shooting, making bows, arrows etc. 

[pclars]

I would be interested in hearing if anything develops in Chicago.  I've never made a bow and doubt I have sufficient patience to compensate for my lack of handcraft skills, but could be open to persuasion, and certainly interested in some chat and shooting.