Honor Targets

Honor targets are mementos of an occasion that are peculiar to shooters, particularly schuetzen shooters. The tradition goes back hundreds of years in Germany. The collection in Schwaebisch Hall dates from 1727 only because a fire in the city burned all of the "old" ones. The subjects commemorated vary from club matches, births and birthdays, weddings, individuals, historic events, to whatever catches the fancy of whoever is paying the bill. Portrayed on the targets are the honorees, landscapes, historical events or persons, game animals, Freudian naughtiness, and again, whatever moves the artist or the person donating the target. It seems strange to honor an individual or a wedding couple by shooting at their portraits, especially if you remember the fuss made a few years ago when Bill and Hillary were so honored. I saw a target once illustrating the visit to a town by one A. Hitler. Considering how sensitive he was to criticism, one can see that there was a completely different point-of-view.

Targets are generally round from about a foot to three feet in diameter and are painted on wood. Keep in mind that there is no law governing or limiting the imagination of the artist. Around the outer circumference is often found the club name, the date, the occasion, the winner, who donated the target, and sometimes the names of the shooters. Quite often the shooters mark their hits, sometimes with little conical pegs, and sign their names on the back of the target. During my latest in-depth research expedition, I observed a target that was not meant to be shot but rather to be hung in the schuetzen house. It was to honor the local volunteer firefighters whose representatives were present at that banquet.

Traditions vary about the use of the target. In our club, we shoot a "King Target" each match, a shot at a regular target, sign our names to the hits and present it to the best shot. In some clubs in Germany, an honor target at a schuetzen fest is shot to determine the Schuetzen King for the year, an honor that may entail certain social responsibilities. At more mundane occasions the honor target is presented to the winner or the honoree(s) or hung in the schuetzen house or a favorite pub.