we've got 2 targets in our backyard- both out of a big balm of gilead poplar. one is a 6 foot chunk standing upright. it's propped up also with a stick driven into the ground and notched into the back of the target, though with the weight of it this seems kind of unnecessary. the other one is a section of the same tree with the end grain facing out, propped up in a Y of the same tree again. it's smaller (20" across) and harder to hit. it's easy to line up side to side- its the up and down that's more challenging, especially as you change distances from full revolution to 1 1/2.

the upright poplar is definitely getting chopped away at, but when it's gone there is more to the tree left.

be sure there are no rocks behind the target! just in case you happen to miss.

my parents had a fancy axe range- with a kind of gallows log structure that supported a hanging log. that was the party game back then.

oh and for accuracy and sheer dandyism- a daisy stuck in the target makes for a greater challenge. it's like shooting at a big moose- you're more likely to hit what you want if you aim small.