Nov 11, 2025

US12467724 - Biodegradable and edible disc target

A disc target for shooting sports is disclosed that is biodegradable and edible by wildlife. The disc target includes one or more natural ingredients that are readily available and typically inexpensive. The disclosed disc targets are biodegradable and can be consumed by local wildlife. Preferred embodiments of the disc targets are primarily made of alfalfa and/or other natural ingredients such as corn starch that can be used as a binding agent. The disc target can be utilized for shooting sports, such as trap or skeet shooting, as the disclosed disc targets are able to withstand the force of being launched in the air but also easily shatter when hit by only a few pellets from a shotgun.

Assignee: KECS, LLC
Inventors: Brendan Herrmann, Blake Burke, Richard N. Azar
Filing date: 2021-07-16

The patent describes a biodegradable and edible disc target for shooting sports, made primarily from natural ingredients like alfalfa and corn starch, which can withstand launch forces and shatter upon impact. The manufacturing method involves creating a mixture of grains or legumes with biodegradable binding agents, compressing it into a disc shape, and curing it to produce a target that is safe for wildlife consumption.

Claim 1

1 . A method for manufacturing a target for use in shooting sports, comprising: a) producing a mixture comprising of a grain or a legume and one or more binding agents, wherein said grain or legume comprises at least 50% by weight of said mixture, and said binding agents are biodegradable, non-toxic, and edible to wildlife; b) compressing said mixture into a disc shaped mold to form the mixture in the shape of a disc, wherein the mold comprises a first piece defining a top of the shape of the disc, a second piece defining a bottom of the shape of the disc, and third piece defining a middle portion of the shape of the disc; c) temperature curing said mold with said mixture within until sufficiently dehydrated enough to remove the mixture from said mold entirely, thereby producing a solid disc from the mixture; and d) removing said solid disc from said mold, thereby producing a disc shape target, wherein said disc shaped target is geometrically compatible with the dimensions of common launching devices or methods used for shooting sport applications, and is capable of withstanding the primary stresses induced by common launching methods yet sufficiently fractures into fragments upon contact with a shot projectile, and wherein said fragments are biodegradable and both edible and digestible for wildlife. a) producing a mixture comprising of a grain or a legume and one or more binding agents, wherein said grain or legume comprises at least 50% by weight of said mixture, and said binding agents are biodegradable, non-toxic, and edible to wildlife; b) compressing said mixture into a disc shaped mold to form the mixture in the shape of a disc, wherein the mold comprises a first piece defining a top of the shape of the disc, a second piece defining a bottom of the shape of the disc, and third piece defining a middle portion of the shape of the disc; c) temperature curing said mold with said mixture within until sufficiently dehydrated enough to remove the mixture from said mold entirely, thereby producing a solid disc from the mixture; and d) removing said solid disc from said mold, thereby producing a disc shape target, wherein said disc shaped target is geometrically compatible with the dimensions of common launching devices or methods used for shooting sport applications, and is capable of withstanding the primary stresses induced by common launching methods yet sufficiently fractures into fragments upon contact with a shot projectile, and wherein said fragments are biodegradable and both edible and digestible for wildlife.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12467724

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12467724