Best Archery Ranges In Chicago, Illinois

Best Archery Ranges In Chicago, Illinois

For as large of a city like Chicago, you’d be surprised how few and far between archery ranges are. This post is dedicated to helping you find the best nearby range so you can enjoy practicing shooting your bow.

The best archery ranges in Chicago:

  • North Side Archery Club
  • Archery Bow Range Chicago
  • Chicago Archery
  • Chicago Bow Hunters

Since every archer has different needs for a range, I’ve tried to put together a list with different styles of ranges. Some are standard indoor ranges, others are for members only, and we even have an outdoor, public range. I’m sure you’ll find this list useful.

Let’s start.

North Side Archery Club

The North Side Archery Club is one of the more well known, non-profit archery clubs in the Chicago area. They have multiple archery ranges all around the city, both for outdoor and indoor shooting. They also have archery classes, competitions, and events.

The club has one outdoor range and 4 indoor ranges. It does seem that most of the indoor ranges are closed during the outdoor season, but the club does provide a place to enjoy archery year-round.

Range fees

Prices may vary and are relevant to the information found at the time of writing this post.

Outdoor shooting is free if you’re not doing it as a part of any class or event. Of course, you’ll need to bring your own equipment.

Indoor sessions fee is 10$ for non-member, 5$ for basic members of the club and free for Deluxe members, all per session.

If you want to enjoy the discounts, which will only be worth it if you’re practicing a lot, you can join the club as a member.

  • The Basic Membership costs 50$/year for the first family member, and gives you a 5$ discount on indoor range fees
  • The Deluxe Club membership costs 100$/year for the first family member and includes all indoor range fees
  • The Inner Ten Ring cost 200$/year for the first family member and includes the indoor range fees, different events, training sessions, and more.

If you’re trying to decide between the Basic Membership and the Deluxe, know that they’re both worth it if you’re going to use the inner range more than 10 times a year, and that the Deluxe membership ends up as a better deal.

Members have many more benefits than just the range fee waived, so if you join make sure you read the full list so you know everything.

I’d suggest you’ll go to the range a few times, meet the staff and see that you like it, and only then join the club.

To join the club you can fill a simple form on their website. All the information is there as well.

Archery classes and courses

Another cool things the club offers are the archery classes and courses. The classes are mostly for beginners.

The NSAC beginner and intermediate classes are dedicated to refining the fundamentals. The beginner class is great if you’re just starting out, while the intermediate class will help you to farther enhance your shot. They take about 4 sessions and are pretty space limited. They have them in parks almost all over the city.

Of course, the club also has a JOAD program to help young archers improve they skills.

The club also offers a free “try archery” session so you can get a taste of the sport even if you’re not into archery. You don’t need to bring any equipment, and they’ll teach you all the basics.

Hours of operation

The different ranges hours of operation vary, so it might be a good idea to check in their calendar.

Generally the outdoor range is open from sunrise to sunset for the entire year.

Some of the indoor ranges are only open during the outdoor off-season, and since their operating hours vary, it’ll be a good idea to check whether they’re open on the website.

Location

The club has multiple locations over the city, but the main outdoor range is located at:

Archery Bow Range Chicago

The Archery Bow Range Chicago is located at the center of the city and offers archery training, events, and leagues. They allow walk-ins to shoot in their range (the clinic room) when no events or classes take place.

The main range is mainly dedicated to classes and events, while the clinic room is sometimes free for walk-ins. Make sure you’re looking at the right calendar, and also compare it with operating hours.

They also offer standard bow rental, and even premium gear rental (at an additional fee).

In the club, you’ll be able to enjoy different training programs for kids and adults, leagues, and events. So if you’re just starting out and need some help with improving your shot process, or you’re more advanced and want to join some positive-spirited competitions, here you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.

Range fees

Prices may vary and are relevant to the information found at the time of writing this post.

The standard fee for using the range, for returning archers, is 10$/hour. New shooters must also take a short, but mandatory, safety and sociability orientation, which will cost an additional 10$.

If you also want to rent and use the club’s gear, it’ll cost you an additional 5$/hour for a standard bow.

Hours of operation

Tues-FriSatSun
Opening time6:00 AM12:00 AM12:00 AM
Closing time9:00 PM6:00 PM5:00 PM

Location

Chicago Archery

This club is located in the suburbs, at Elmhurst. While being a bit more far off, the club is totally worth a drive. They have a great archery shop with everything you might need and two multi-lane ranges.

The ranges in Chicago Archery are 20 and 30 yards long and have multiple lanes so people can practice simultaneously. Archers new to the range need to take a safety introduction, while people who have never shot a bow need to take an archery lesson before using the range.

The club also offers many different archery classes and camps, both in a private and group form. They’re mostly for beginners to intermediates.

Range fees

Prices may vary and are relevant to the information found at the time of writing this post.

The standard range fee for using the ranges is 12$/hour using your own equipment, all during the hours of operation. They do offer a shooting pass that gives you a significant discount.

If you also want to rent equipment, it’ll cost you an additional fee of 15$. The bows in this club are pretty high-end though, so for what you’re getting the price isn’t that high.

If you’re never held a bow before, you’ll need to take a 1-hour archery lesson with an instructor, which will cost 35$. They’ll teach you the basics of shooting a bow so you and the people around you are safe.

Hours of operation

The-ThuFriSatSun
Opening time2:00 PM3:00 PM12:00 PM12:00 PM
Closing time8:00 PM6:00 PM5:00 PM4:00 PM

Location

Conclusions

I’ve listed here some of the best ranges around Chicago. Of course, it’s a major city, so there are other great ranges, but these are the absolute best I’ve found. I also like that they’re pretty spread out, so no matter what part of the city your in, you’ll have somewhere to enjoy archery.

If you have other recommendations, feel free to leave a comment below this post, so other people may enjoy your hidden gem range.

With that in mind, have fun!