One night after watching ‘Once upon a Time,” I got the idea to do a “Flying Creature,” in this case an Oz-style wicked witch on a broom. Now I have to tell you, the finished product looks great and can fly from tree to tree, but it took a lot of time to build.

First, you need a female foam head (yes, they do make male and female heads).

Then you need to make prosthetics to get the right look. A rubber finger from any Dollar store (cut to size) fits over the nose.

You can use the tip of a paper snow cone stuffed with cotton for the chin, and googly eyes for realism.

I used green duct tape for the skin and black duct tape for the hair. Remember, if you don’t duct tape the head, an arrow will make it shatter.

Next comes the body. I used heavy construction paper and pool noodles for the body and shoulders. Rolled paper was used to make the arms. The paper gives you flexibility when you add the hands and broom later.

Now we go back to the Dollar store for the clothing. I picked up a costume intended for a five-year-old girl for 50% off after Halloween.This gives you some idea how big the target is. The hands are cheap gloves (Dollar store again) stuffed with cotton and glued to the arms.

The broom is a tree branch with colored pipe cleaners added to the back to look like flame as it flies. 
In the picture below, cords made of 10 lb. fishing line run from the witch to a heavy cardboard tube above the witch. All that is left is to tie a clothesline to a tree, run the line through the cardboard tube, and tie the other end to another tree. Tie a line to the witch’s broom and have the marshal stand at a safe distance while slowly pulling the witch across the field.

This is a “for fun” shoot, so be sure to pull slowly enough that the archers get 3 or 4 shots before you call Hold.

Finally if you want to try this shoot, it will be at the Castle Archery Muster in Debatable Lands this April. The witch will fly up to the castle roof, so if you ever wanted to go on a “flying creature hunt,” now is your chance.

This month’s safety tip: in the article I talked about a safe distance for the marshal to stand when pulling the rope. Check the diagram below. The marshal should be at least 10 yards back from the firing line so he or she can see the target and also watch the archers. 

In service,

Deryk Archer

Editor’s note: no actual witches were harmed in the making or use of this target.