Vintage Photos

15 Vintage Shooting Range Photos (1960s-1990s)

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Two black and white illustrations of animals, a raccoon on the left and a beaver on the right, both shown as targets with concentric scoring circles and numbers on their bodies.
Via Anonymous9183

To step into a shooting range of the past was to step into a different world entirely. This collection of vintage photos from the 1960s-1990s shows what kinds of targets people were working with at their local shooting ranges back in the day. They certainly all depict their shared levels of vintage aestheticism.

1. Caught and nowhere to go

Black and white illustration of a raccoon on a branch, used as a target practice sheet, with concentric scoring rings on its head, body, and around it. Spaces below for distance, shots, score, and name.

2. Poor squirrel never stood a chance

Black and white illustration of a squirrel on a branch used as a shooting target, with circular bullseye targets marked with scores on the head, chest, and body, and a small scoring table at the bottom left.

3. Why no love for the woodchucks?

A vintage paper shooting target featuring the outline of a standing woodchuck, with multiple concentric circle targets on its body and head and other bullseye targets around it. Instructions and store details are printed below.

4. The birds all perfectly plotted on the fence is almost too good to be true

A vintage shooting target sheet shows an illustration of five crows perched on a wooden fence, each crow marked with a number. Three crows are flying in the background, and instructions are printed in the upper right corner.

5. Squirrels are always getting shot after, it seems

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6. So many fish in a barrel, and wow, so little time indeed

A drawing of a barrel with four rows of red fish, each row labeled with numbers 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 along the left side. The text "FISH IN A BARREL" appears at the top.

7. Bringing the Starfleet Academy into this

A target practice poster featuring a Gorn alien from Star Trek, with scoring rings over its body, two smaller targets on the sides, and areas labeled for distance, number of shots, score, and name.

8. Crows and humans always seem to have a bone to pick

Vintage paper target featuring a black crow silhouette with multiple bullseyes and scoring rings on its body, wings, and tail. The text reads “J.C. Higgins Crow Target, Target No. 7.”

9. At least the fox had time for its catch of the day

A vintage paper target features a black fox carrying a bird in its mouth, with multiple shooting targets marked with rings and numbers on the fox’s body and head. "J.C. Higgins Fox Target" is printed in the top left corner.

10. This one would seem particularly seasonally friendly

A vintage turkey-shaped shooting target labeled "J.C. Higgins Turkey Target No. 9," featuring concentric scoring rings and numbers over the silhouette of a turkey.

11. Not so sly after all there, fox

A vintage J.C. Higgins fox target from Sears, Roebuck & Co., showing a black fox outline with numbered scoring zones and a section to record distance, number of shots, and score.

12. Another poor old woodchuck, what do you know?

A paper shooting target featuring the silhouette of a groundhog with concentric scoring rings over its head and torso. The target is labeled "WOODCHUCK GROUNDHOG TARGET" and "J.C. Higgins.

13. Not the close-up of the turkey that is about to be vanquished

Illustration of a bird’s head overlaid with a circular shooting target. The target’s rings, numbered 4 to 10 and X, are centered on the bird's eye area. The beak and lower head overlap with the lower target rings.

14. The deer would seem to be a hard “target” to stimulate due to its natural agility in the wilderness

A deer-shaped shooting target with labeled scoring zones from 5 to 10 points. X marks are on the head and chest areas, indicating bullseyes. "4 pts" is written on the left, with instructions and a score table on the upper right.

15.

Vintage target practice sheet featuring a large heart, several target circles with scores, and a silhouette of Cupid aiming a bow and arrow. Text reads "LOVE TARGET Target No. 11" with scoring details on the right.

Explore more vintage content:

Vintage shooting range photos offer a fascinating look at how past generations practiced skill, sport, and discipline long before today’s modern equipment and safety standards. These snapshots capture a world that feels both familiar and strikingly different, reminding us how quickly culture and technology evolve. If you enjoyed this throwback, explore even more nostalgia with our collections like 20 Vintage Photos from the Silent Film Era, or dive into broader past-era imagery with 30 Vintage Photos That Help Capture Life in the 1890s.

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Meet the Writer


Matt Staff

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.



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