Upload
others
View
8
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
DEER&DEERHUNTING’S©
GUIDETOBETTERBOWHUNTING
ThankyouforpurchasingthisDeerandDeerHuntingeBook.
Signupforournewsletterandreceivespecialoffers,accesstofreecontent,andinformationonthelatestnewreleasesandmust-havedeeranddeerhuntingresources!Plus,receiveacouponcodetouseonyourfirstpurchasefrom
ShopDeerHunting.comforsigningup.
orvisitusonlinetosignupathttp://deeranddeerhunting.com/ebook-promo
ContentsTITLEPAGE
SpecialOffersINTRODUCTIONYouCanBecomeaBetterBowhunterCHAPTER112StepstoBetterBowhuntingCHAPTER2WhyYouNeeda40-YardPinCHAPTER3LongShotsvs.FlyersCHAPTER45ReasonsWeMissSlam-DunksCHAPTER5ShootaHeavyArrowCHAPTER6TuningExpandableBroadheadsCHAPTER7BroadheadTargets:ShootLikeYouHuntCHAPTER8FieldRepairsCanSaveYourHuntCHAPTER9CraftShootingLanesforSuccessCHAPTER10NoExcuses:WearaHarnessEveryTime!CHAPTER11QuitShiveringandMaketheShotCHAPTER12GuideYourTargetforBetterShotsCHAPTER13BroadheadDesign:DoesitMatter?CHAPTER14IsYourBroadheadTooLight?CHAPTER15
ShortBroadheads:ProsandConsCHAPTER16Rangefinders:BeyondtheBasicszCHAPTER17GetLoopyforConsistentAccuracyCHAPTER18ChoosingaReleaseforStringLoopsCHAPTER19DoYouNeedLightedPins?CHAPTER20ExaminingModernSplit-LimbBowsCHAPTER21ShouldYouShootaShorterVane?CHAPTER22SilenceisGolden…andCheapCHAPTER23SetYourSightsonSimplicityCHAPTER24WhyBraceHeightMattersCHAPTER25ThePracticalLittleBowPeepCHAPTER26YouCanBuildaBetterArrowCHAPTER27TheRestisUptoYouCHAPTER28It’sAllAbouttheStringCHAPTER29IsaCrossbowinYourFuture?RESOURCESMeasuringYourDrawLengthPaperTuningCOPYRIGHT
introduction
YOUCANBECOMEABETTERBOWHUNTERBOWHUNTINGFORWHITETAILEDDEERhaswitnessedanexplosionof
interestinthepast20years.Aswhitetailpopulationshavesoaredandbowhuntinggearandtacticshavegonemainstream,moreandmoredeerhuntersarepickingupstickandstringtochasetheirfavoritequarry.Today,thesportrankshigherinparticipationthanalmostanyotherformof
huntingafterwhitetailgunhunting.Infact,archeryhasbecomesopopulartheNationalArcheryintheSchoolsProgramissettosurpassLittleLeagueBaseballinparticipation.Thissurgeininterestmeansbowhuntingisstillrelativelynewformanyfolks.Infact,beginnersandintermediatearchersmakeupalargeportionofAmerica’s3.2millionbowhunters—andthesefolksarehungryforexpertinformation.Evenseasonedarcheryveteransfindthesportiscontinuallyevolvingwithnew,cutting-edgeproductsenteringthemarketeveryyear.Additallupandthehuntingworldishungryforpracticalandcomprehensivearcheryinsights.AlongthewayDeer&DeerHuntingmagazinehasbeenrecognizedasa
leaderinsharingthetechniquesandgearthatmakeusbetterarchersandhunters.ThisbookisacompilationoftheverybesttipsandstrategiesfromourNo.1archeryexpert,BobRobb.Insidethesepages,Robbsharesshootingadvice,insightsoncriticalgear,bowhuntingtechniquesandtonsofhelpfulhintsforin-the-fieldarcherysuccess.Presentedinastraightforward,no-nonsenseapproach,Deer&DeerHunting’s
GuidetoBetterBowhuntinghighlightsallthelittlethingsarcherscandotogetmoreoutoftheirarcherygear.Itoffersreal-worldexamplesandexaminesthelatestproductsthatcanhelpyouinthewoods.Infact,thedetailedadvicewillhelpanyarcher—fromtheRockyMountainstothetargetrange.Ifyou’veeverwonderedaboutwhichbroadheadstouse,whywemissangledshotsorwhattypeofbowisbestforyourshootingstyle,thisbookwillanswerthosequestions…andmore!Thiscutting-edgeinformationissuretomakeyouabetterbowhunterand
shooter,whetheryouareabeginnerorseasonedexpert.Welcometotheworldbetterbowhunting.Youcanbecomeabetter
bowhunter.
chapter1
12STEPSTOBETTERBOWHUNTINGWITHSERIOUSWHITETAILSEASONUPONUS,thelastthingyouwant
todoisrushofftoyourfavoritestandandfindoutthatsomelittlethingyouneveranticipatedturnsthat“gimme”shotintoa“goner.”That’swhyfinalpreparationsaresoimportant.Thekeyistoanticipateproblemsbeforetheyhappenandsolvethemathome.
Tothatend,herearesomethingsyoumaynotthinkaboutmuch…untilitistoolate.
1.FINE-TUNEYOURARROWS.Beforehuntingseason,makesureyouhaveadozenbroadhead-arrowshaftcombinationsthatflylikelaserbeams.Shooteveryoneofthematleastacoupleoftimestoensuretheyareflyingrightandalsoimpactwherethesightpinssaytheyshould.Weighthefletchedshaftandbroadhead,bothseparatelyandtogether,thegoalbeingtohaveaquiverfulloffinishedshaftsthatweighwithin3to5grainsofeachother.Whenit’stimetohunt,eitherre-sharpenyourbladesorreplacethemwithscalpel-sharpbladesfromanewpack.
2.SIGHTINWITHBROADHEADS.Beginninginlatesummer,Iquitshootingfieldtipsaltogether.Ifyouhavebeenusingfieldtipsandarejustnowswitchingtobroadheads,makesureyoupracticewithexactlythesamearrow/broadheadcombinationyouwillhuntwith.Thismeansfirstshootingthemthroughpapertomakesurethebowispreciselytunedwiththiscombination.You’llprobablyhavetomakesomearrow-restadjustmentstoachievethis.Thenre-sightthebowusingthebroadheads.Donotbesatisfiedwithabowthatisonly“sortof”tuned!
Evennewbowswith“no-stretch”bowstringswillhavethestringsstretchatfirst,whichcanrotatethepeepintoadifferentpositionafterawhile.
3.CHECKYOURBOWSTRING.Checkthestringandcablesystemforwear,payingattentiontothoseareaswhereitrollsthroughthewheelsand,ifyoudonotuseastringloop,whereyourreleaseattachesdirectlytothestring.Thenlightlywaxit.
4.PEEPCLOSELY.Doyouuseapeepsightwithoutarubbertubethatforcesitbackintotheproperpositioneverytime?Thenmakesureyoursdoesturnbacktherightway.Evennewbowswiththosesupposed“no-stretch”bowstringswillhavethestringsminutelystretchatfirst,which,ofcourse,rotatesthepeepintoadifferentpositionafterawhile,socheckit,fixitandthenuseanindeliblemarkeraboveandbelowthepeeptomarkitsexactposition.
5.LOCKITDOWN.Checkallthescrewsthatsecureaccessoriestothebow,includingyourquiverandsight,andmakesuretheyarelockeddown.
6.LUBRICATEIT.It’stimetolubricatethebow’saxlesandalsothemovingpartsofyourreleaseaid.Idosowithagraphiteproductthatwillnotfreezewhentheweatherturnsbitter.
THELASTTHINGYOUWANTTODOISRUSHOFFTOYOURFAVORITESTANDANDFINDOUTTHATSOMELITTLETHINGYOUNEVERANTICIPATEDTURNSTHAT“GIMME”SHOTINTOA“GONER.”
7.PADIT.Ipadtheheckoutofeverythingthathaseventhesmallestchanceofmakingnoiseonstandwithstick-onmoleskinorfleece.Thebottomofmybowsight,thearrowshelf,arrowrestprongs—theyallgetcoveredup.Ialsohavecoveredmyentirelaserrangefinderinmoleskin,thencoveredthatwithalayerofthesametapehockeyplayerswraptheirstickswith.Hockeytapeisanawesomeproductforbowhuntersbecauseitistough,quietand,bestofall,doesnotgetstiffwhentemperaturesdropbelowfreezing.
8.TRYSPECIFICITYTRAINING.Thisisatermcoinedbyexercisephysiologistswhentrainingathletestoperformtotheirmaximumpotentialatspecifictasks.Forexample,asprintertrainshislegsandcardiovascularsystemsohecanrunhisfastest,anddoesn’tspendalotoftimeliftingheavyweightswithhisupperbody.Forbowhunters,thatmeansreplicatinginpracticeascloselyaspossiblethoseshotsyouwillmostlikelygetatdeer.Thatmeansthat,whilestandingatatargetlineontherangeisgreatpractice,shootingfromanelevatedplatformismuchbetterasafinaltune-upfortreestandhunting.Ifyouhuntfromagroundblind,practiceshootingfromthesittingposition.Asitgetsclosertohunting,Iliketowearmyhuntingclothes,putmybinocularsandlaserrangefinderaroundmyneckjustasIwouldwhenhunting,thenplaygameswithmyselfasIgothroughmymentalshotchecklist.
9.PACKSMART.Organizeyourdaypacktothepointwhereyouknowexactlywhereeverythingislocated,fromsnacksanddrinkstodeercallstospareclothingandequipment.Thatway,youwon’tbemissingavitalpieceofgearbeforeheadingafield.
10.STANDANDDELIVER.Ifthelasttimeyoulookedatyourtreestandswaswhenyoupulledthemlastseason,thetimetocheckthemoutbeforethisseasonisrightnow.Makesureallthebolts,screwsandstrapsareingoodworkingorder,andlubricateanyjointsormovingpartsthatmightsqueak.
11.POWERUP.Isthereanythingworsethanheadingtothewoodsandhaveaflashlightbatteryburnout?Orhavetherangefindernotfireatthewrongtimebecausethebatteryistooweak?Spend10bucksnowandreplaceallofyour
batteries.12.DE-FOGOPTICS.Tohelpkeepwaterandfogfromwreckingmyvisioninbad
weather,IsimplyusethesameRainXIuseonmycarwindshieldonopticslenses.Itworksgreat.
chapter2
WHYYOUNEEDA40-YARDPINBOWHUNTINGWHITETAILSISAGAMEconducivetothickcover,tight
quartersandcloseshots.Thatmostbowhunterssettheirstandsforin-your-faceencountersishighlightedbyasurveyIsawrecently.Thisstudyaskedarcheryproshopowners—guysandgalswhospeakwiththousandsofcustomersannuallyabouttheirdeerhunting—whatthesefolkshadtosayabouttheirshotsatdeer.Thesurveyshowedthattheaveragebowshotatawhitetaildeerissomewherebetween21and25yards.Bethatasitmay,mystandardwhitetailbowhassightpinssetfor20,30,40
and50yards,alldistancesatwhichIpracticeregularlywithbroadheads.Isubmitthatifyouwoulddothesame,yourchancesoftakingmoreandbiggerdeerwouldincrease.AshiningexampleoccurredonNov.11,1999,inBrownCounty,Ill.,whenI
killedthebiggestbuckofmylifewithanyweapon,aperfect10netting180⅜inches.Ireleasedthearrowwhenhewas42yardsout,becausetherewouldnothavebeenachanceforaclosershot.Thebuckenteredasmallgreenfieldat4p.m.,scent-checkingfieldscrapesforsignofahotdoe,andwasmakingtheroundsacrossthefieldfrommytree.Ihadtotaketheshotsittingdown,ormycameramanandIwouldhavebeenbusted.HadInothada40-yardpinandpracticeduntilshootingatthatdistancewasascomfortableasapairofwell-wornshoes,Iwouldhavewatchedthatdeerwalkoutofmylife.That’snottheonlybuckI’vetakenatwhatmostbowhuntersconsider“long
range.”Fortunately,Ihaveenoughtimetopracticeenoughtomaketheseshotsfeelroutine.AssomeonewhospendsalotoftimebowhuntingtheWestformuledeer,elkandbears,I’velearnedthatthefartheroutIcanmakeanaccurateshotwithbroadheads,thebettermychancesareatpunchingatagandnothavingtoeat“tagsoup”atseason’send.Thereareseveralreasonsyoushouldconsiderlearningtoshootatlongerrange,too.
LONG-DISTANCEPRACTICEWILLMAKEYOUAMUCHBETTERBOWSHOT,REGARDLESSOFWHETHERORNOTYOUEVERTAKEALONG-RANGESHOTATGAME.
Firstandforemost,pleaseunderstandIamnotadvocatingtakingpoorshotsatgame.Eachindividualhashisorherownpersonalmaximumeffectiveshooting
range(MESR).Ifyouarenotcomfortableandconfidenttakingshotsoutpast20or25yards,thenbyallmeansdon’t.Ever.However,extendingyourownMESRwillgiveyouseveraladvantages.Bypracticingatlongerranges,you’llfindthatthosetypical15-to25-yardshotsseemlikeslamdunks.There’snothinglikebroadheadpracticeat40or50yardstomakeyoufocusintentlyoneverythingaboutyourshooting,includingyourshootingform,themechanicsofyourrelease,andyourequipment.Minorflawsinyourshootingform,oftenindiscernibleat20yards,aremagnifiedat40.Abow-and-arrowset-upthatisnotperfectlyintuneandgeneratingdart-likearrowflightisincapableofproducingtightarrowgroupsat40yards.Long-distancepracticewillmakeyouamuchbetterbowshot,regardlessofwhetherornotyouevertakealong-rangeshotatgame.
Tobeabletoshootatlongdistancerequiresaperfectlytunedbow-and-arrowset-up.It’sallaboutbeingabletoplaceyourarrowsinthebull’s-eyeshotaftershot
Thebuildingblocksofaccuratebowshootingbeginwithawell-tunedbow-and-arrowset-upthatfitsyouperfectly,hasadrawweightthatisnottooheavyforyoutohandleandhasalet-offyouarecomfortablewith.“Probablythemostimportantissueinchoosinganewbowistonotgetone
withtooheavyadrawweight,”saidJimVelasquez,publicrelationscoordinatorforBowTech.“Withtoday’stechnology,yougetmoreenergyfromlesspoundagethanwedidjustafewyearsago,andthustheaveragearchercanenjoypullingalighterdraw-weightbowwiththesameperformanceofanolder,heavier-weightbow.”Onceyouhavetherightbow,it’sbeentunedandyourarrowsareflyinglike
laserbeams,startchallengingyourself.Ifyouarecomfortableatmaking20-to30-yardshots,stepbackandtrysome35-yarders.Atfirstyou’llfindittoughtokeepyourarrowsconsistentlyinornearthebull.Stickwithitlongenoughandbeforeyouknowit,you’llthink35-yardshotsarea“gimme.”Nowit’stimetomovebackandtryacoupleof40-yardshots.Thenextthingyouknowyou’llhavea50-yardpin,andbesmackingthebull’s-eyemoreoftenthannot.Alongshotatadeershouldnotbetakenwithoutdueconsiderationtomany
factors,allofwhichmustbeprocessedbyyourinternalcomputeronacase-by-casebasis.Ifconditionsarewrong—highwinds,poorvisibility,extremecold,skittishdeer,etc.—Iabsolutelywon’ttakealongshot.IalsoneverattemptalongshotunlessIhavebeenabletousemylaserrangefinderandknowexactlyhowfaritis.However,wheneverythingisjustright,youcanbetyourbritchesI’lltake
thoseshotswithconfidence.Evenoutto40yards.There’snoreasonitcannotbethesameforyou,too.
chapter3
LONGSHOTSVS.TAKINGFLYERSWITHTHEPOSSIBLEEXCEPTIONofreligion,politicsorthemeritsof
differentbrandsofwhiskey,fewthingscanheatabowhuntingcampdebatefasterthanthesubjectofthefarthestdistancesatwhichaskilledarchershouldactuallytakeashotatawhitetaileddeer.Eachbowhunterhasadifferentshootingability.Nooneelseshootsexactly
thesameway,orwiththeexactsamedegreeofskill.Additionally,notwobowhuntersperceiveatargetidentically,evenunderidenticalconditions.Shootingisanindividualthing.However,oneofthemostimportantpointsinallofbowhuntingisforeachindividualtorecognizehisownshootingabilitiesandlimitations—andstaywithinthematalltimes.Weallmustlearnandrememberthateachshotpresentsauniquesetof
problemsthatmustbeovercome—distanceisonlyoneofthem.Otherfactorscanincludepoorlight,strongwinds,toomuchbrush,toomanydeerortheanimalstandingatthewrongangle.Experienceisthemostimportantpieceofequipmentabowhuntercantake
intothefield.Allthenewhigh-techdoo-dadsareterrific,buttheycannevertaketheplaceofyourownabilitytosizeupeachsituation,makejudgmentsbasedonpastexperiencesanddecidewhetherornotthetimeisrighttotaketheshot.
Unlessyoucanput90percentofyourbroadheadsintothevitals,youshouldnottakeashotatadeeratthatdistance.
Experienceistimespentinthewoods—duringandoutofhuntingseason.It’salsobeingaroundthegameyou’rehunting,acquiringanintangiblefeelfortheanimalandanabilitytoanticipateitsactions.It’stimespenthoningyourhuntingskills.It’sfamiliaritywithchosenbow-and-arrowsetup,howitdraws,howlongyoucanholditatfulldraw,justhowitsettlesinyourhand,thetrajectoryofyourarrows.It’showwellyoucanjudgedistancetothetarget.Andit’showwellyoushootyourbowwithbroadhead-tippedarrows.Firstandforemost,youshouldstrivetoextendwhatIcallyourMESR—or
maximumeffectiveshootingrange—asmuchasyoucan.MosttreestandhuntersIknow,havedifficultymakingashotbeyond40yards.Yet,withtoday’sincrediblecompoundbows,carbonarrows,low-profilebroadheads,precisionsightsandalaserrangefinder,40-yardshotsaretruthfullywithinthecapabilityofmostofus.However,tobecomethiskindofshooterrequiresdedicationandattentionto
detail.Itallbeginswithabow-and-arrowsetupthatfitsyouperfectly,youarecomfortableshooting,andthathasbeenpaper-tunedwiththeexactsamearrowsandbroadheadsyou’llbehuntingwith.Forgetfieldpointshooting.Ifyouwanttoknowexactlyhowyourhunting
arrowsflyatdistance,you’lldestroyatleastonebroadheadtargeteachyearduringpracticesessions.Also,theimportanceofmeticulouslytuningyoursetupcannotbeoveremphasized.Ifyourarrowshaveanywobbleatall,theywillnothitpreciselywhereyouwantthemtoatlongdistance.
KNOWINGTHEEXACTDISTANCETOTHETARGETISEVERYTHING.TESTSCONDUCTEDBYTHEMILITARYHAVESHOWNTHATTHEAVERAGEPERSONCANNOTACCURATELYJUDGEDISTANCEPAST35OR40YARDS.
ExtendingyourMESRisasimpleprocess.Startshootingatthedistanceyouaremostcomfortablewith.Thatmightbe20yards.Afterlayingyourarrowsinthebull’s-eye,backup5yards.Keeppracticinguntilyoucanplace90percentofyourhuntingarrowsintheX-ring.Then,movebackanother5yards,andrepeat.Keeptheprocessgoinguntilyougettothepointwhereyouarenotgettingthemintothebull’s-eye.Itmightbe30yards,itmightbe50yards,butyou’llknowwhatitis.Unlessyoucanput90percentofyourbroadheadsintothevitals,youshouldnottakeashotatadeeratthatdistance.Ofcourse,thisdoesnotoccurinonerangesession.Fatigueandtheabilityto
keepconcentratingarelimitingfactors.Itismuchbettertoshootfewerarrowswithpropershootingformandgoodconcentrationthanalotofarrowswhenyouaretiredandnotpayingattention.Whatyou’lldiscoveristhatyoureallyhavetoconcentrateonpropershootingmechanicstoconsistentlymaketheshotatlongerdistances.You’llalsofindthataftershootingwellat50yards,30-yardshotsareeasyaspie.Knowingtheexactdistancetothetargetiseverything.Testsconductedbythe
militaryhaveshownthattheaveragepersoncannotaccuratelyjudgedistancepast35or40yards.Yet,withoutapreciseknowledgeofhowfarawaythetargetis,you’regoingtomisstheshot.That’swhyusingalaserrangefinderissoimportant.Howfaristoofar?Onlyyoucananswerthatquestionforyourself.Idoknow
this:ThetwolargestbucksIhaveeverkilledwerearrowedat42and46yards,andthoseshotsweretheonlyonestheyweregoingtogiveme.ClintEastwood,playingDirtyHarryCallahan,putitsimply:“Aman’sgotto
knowhislimitations.”Ido.AndwhileIstillworkhardtogetshotsatdeerat20or25yards,Iwant
tobeabletomakethelongershotifIhaveto.
chapter4
5REASONSWEMISSSLAM-DUNKSANYWHITETAILBOWHUNTERwhotellsyouhehasnevermissedashot
iseitherlyingorhasnotbeenhuntingallthatlong.Allofushaveblownaslamdunkshotatsomepointinourlives.Afterwipingtheeggoffourfaces,wethenaskourselveshowitcouldhavehappened.Herearethefivetopreasonsmostarcherspoochthateasyshot,andhowto
avoidthesemistakesthisfall.
1.LACKOFPRACTICE
Howmanyofyourbuddiesgrabtheirarcheryequipmenttheweekendbeforetheyplantogohunting,giveitaquickonce-over,andheadout?Wedon’tallfallinthiscategory,butsomearchersdo.Manyofthemmisseasyshots.Aseriousdeerhunterknowshowcriticalitistoshootarrowspriortohunting
season.Thisisimportantforsomanyreasons,includingmakingsurethebowistunedandshootingbroadheadsperfectly,thatyoursightsaredead-on,andthatyourmusclesarebackinshapeafteralongsummer.Itisalsoimperativetopracticeshootingthesamewayyou’llbehunting.That
meansfromanelevatedplatformifyouhuntfromatreestand,orfromastoolifyouhuntfromagroundblind.Itmeansputtingonbig,bulkyhuntingclothes—includingyourtreestandsafetyharness—andpracticingreachingupandgettingyourbowoffthehook,attachingyourrelease,drawing,pickingaspot,aimingandmakingtheshot.
2.EQUIPMENTMALFUNCTION
Herecomesadeer.Yougetreadytoshoot.Thensomethinggoesawry.Maybethetubethatstraightensyourpeepsightpopsoff.Perhapsthearrownockgetsturned,causingafletchtonicktherest.Ormaybethepeepslidesupthebowstringjustasmidgewhenyoudraw,makingthearrowimpactalittlelow.Itcouldbethatthearrowmakesahorriblescreechingnoiseasitisdrawnacrosstherest.Whateverhappens,inbowhuntingit’sthelittlethingsthatallowdeertokeeptheirscalps.That’swhyitissoimportanttocheckovereverythingconnectedtoyourbow
andarrowset-uptomakesureitisallinA-1shapebeforeleavingthehouse.Thetimetodothisiswellbeforetheseason,soanyrepairsorreplacementscanbemadeintimetohunt.
3.PASSINGTHEFIRSTGOODSHOT
Youspotadeerheadingforyourstand,anddothementalmath:“OK,ifhekeepscoming,he’llgettothatspot20yardsoutandIcansmashhim.”Youpassupa30-yardbroadsideshot,andmaybethatquartering-awayshotat
25yards.Then,beforethedeercomescloser,somethinghappens.Hechangescourse.Anotherdeerappearsanddrawshimbehindbrushtoothicktoshootthrough.Or,evenworse,hegetsto15yardsandhisradarfindsyouasyoustarttodraw.Allthese,andmore,havecostmedeerofallshapesandsizes.NowIhavetwobasicruleswhenitcomestowhentoshoot:No.1istotake
thefirstgoodshotadeergivesmewithin35yards.No.2isdonotletadeergetcloserthan20yards.
Itisimperativetopracticeshootingthesamewayyou’llbehunting.Thatmeansfromanelevatedplatformifyouhuntfromatreestand,orfromastoolifyouhuntfromagroundblind.Itmeansputtingonbig,bulkyhuntingclothes—includingyourtreestandsafetyharness—andpracticingreachingupandgettingyourbowoffthehook,attachingyourrelease,drawing,pickingaspot,aimingandmakingtheshot.
4.POORSHOOTINGFORM
Toshootaconsistentlyprecisearrow,archersmustmaintainpropershootingform—regardlessofthesituation.Thatmeanskeepingyourbowarm’selbowslightlybent,youranchorpointthesameeverytime,andbendingatthewaistwhenshootingdownhill.Thisformmustbemaintainedevenifyouarerequiredtotwistyourtorsoatanoddangletotakeashotatadeerthatisofftothesideorevendirectlybehindyourstand.Youmighthavetorotateatthetorsoandbendorleantoclearlimbs.Tobeabletodothis,youmustpracticeit.
5.LOSSOFCONCENTRATION
ThebestdeerhuntersIknowcanmulti-taskwithease.Whentheydecideit’stimetoshootsomething,theyhavetheabilitytomakethingsslowdownintheirminds.Whilefocusingonthetargetanimal,theyalsoknowwherealltheotherdeerareandwhatthoseanimalsaredoing.Theyanticipatewhatisgoingtohappen,andthusareabletoknowpreciselywhentodrawandrelease.Theypickaspotonthedeer’schestandburnaholethroughitwiththeireyesastheyaim.Theyconcentrateonfollow-through,notallowingtheirbowarmtodropawaytooquickly.
NEVERMISSAGAIN?Missesarepartofarchery.However,eliminatethesefivegaffesfromyour
game,andchancesaregoodyou’llbeeatingbackstrapthisyear,andnottagsoup.
chapter5
SHOOTAHEAVYARROWMODERNCOMPOUNDBOWSHAVEEVOLVEDintosuchwell-designed
andhighly-efficientmachinesthatmodelsfromeverymajormanufacturerarecapableoflaunchinghuntingarrowsatspeedsmostofusonlydreamedaboutadecadeago.Sowhyisit,then,thateverytimeIturnonahuntingshow,Iseesomebig-
namebowhuntershootawhitetailandnotachieveacompletepass-throughontheanimal?Thisamazesme,becauseunlessyousmackascapula,thereisnoreasontonot
blowahuntingshaftcleanthroughthechestofeventhelargestwhitetailattherangesmostdeeraretakenat.Perhapsthereasonisthatmanyhuntersarechoosingarrowsbettersuitedto
targetshootingthankillingadeer.
MEASURINGARROWENERGYKineticenergyisanimportantpartofthearrowpenetrationequation,though
itiscertainlynottheentirestory.Tocalculatehowmuchinitialkineticenergyyourarrowshave,youneedto
knowtwothings—howmuchyourarrowshaftweighs(includingfletchingandbroadhead)andhowfastthearrowleavesthebow.IweighmyarrowswiththesameelectronicscaleIusetoweighgunpowder
whenI’mreloading.Then,Isimplyshootthemthroughachronographtorecordthespeed.Next,Iplugthenumbersintothestandardkineticenergyformula—whichismasstimesvelocity2,dividedby450,240.TheresultistheK.E.ofyourarrowinfoot-pounds.Forexample,mybowissetat72pounds.My281⁄2-inchshaftstippedwith
100-grainbroadheadsweigh401grains.Theinitialarrowspeedischoronographedonefootinfrontofthebow’sriser.Inthiscase,itis284fps.PluggingthenumbersintotheformulagivesmeaninitialK.E.of71.84foot-pounds.Thisisalotof“juice”—waymorethanmostexpertsbelieveistheminimum
fordeer-sizedgame.MinimumK.E.hasbeendebatedaroundarcherycirclesfordecades,butmostpeopleIrespecthavesettledonanumbersomewherenear50foot-pounds.forwhitetail-sizedgame.
Youmustremember,though,becausearrowsdecelerateratherquicklyastheytraveldownrange,theamountofK.E.deliveredontargetwillbemuchlessthaninitiallygeneratedattheshot.That’swhyanarrowthatwillblowrightthroughadeerat20yardsmightonlypenetrateabouthalftheshaftlengthat40yards.
GAININGMOMENTUMKineticenergyisfarfromtheend-alldeterminantinpenetration.Ifitwere,
bowhunterswouldbeshootingarrowshaftsthatwerelightasafeather,becausespeedistwiceasimportantasmassintheK.E.equation.Butinhunting,oneotherkeyscientificprincipleisalsoimportant—
momentum.Momentumisdefinedas“apropertyofamovingbodythatdeterminesthe
lengthoftimerequiredtobringittorestwhenundertheactionofaconstantforce.”Onereasonwehearlittleaboutmomentumwhentalkingabout“bowpower”
isthatitistoocomplicatedforustocalculatewithouthavingPhDsinmathematics.Butreally,allyouneedtoknowaboutmomentumisthat,allthingsbeingequal,heavieranddenserobjectstravelingatthesamespeedaslighterobjectswillhavegreatermomentum.Puttingitanotherway,itismoredifficulttostopaheavyarrow,whichmeansitwillpenetratemoredeeply.
Theotherfactorthatseriouslyaffectsarrowpenetrationhasnothingtodowithbowkineticenergyormomentum.Simplyput,razor-sharpbladeswillpenetratemuchmoreeasilythandullblades.
THETRAJECTORYFACTORThebigreasonmanybowhunterschooselightarrowsissotheycangetthe
mostinitialarrowspeedpossibleoutoftheirset-up.Somewanttobeabletobragtotheirbuddiesaboutwhatascreamertheirset-upis.Othersarelookingforaflatterarrowtrajectory.However,lighterarrowsshedarrowspeedmuchfasterastheytravel
downrangethanheaviershaftsdo.Thus,whentheyarriveontarget,theywillhavemuchlessK.E.andmuchlessmomentumthanarrowsweighingmore.Inaddition,theaveragedeertakenfromatreestandiskilledatlessthan25
yards.Trajectoryisn’tmuchofanissue.Ifthedeerisfartheraway,alaserrangefinderwilltellyouthedistance.
Therefore,aslopingtrajectoryisn’taproblem.Alsokeepinmindthatthefasteryourset-upis,themoreitwillreactto
imperfectionsinshootingformandpoortuning.
DON’TFORGETTHETIPThereisanotherfactorthatseriouslyimpactspenetrationthathasnothingto
dowithK.E.ormomentum—thebroadheadblades.It’ssimple:Broadheadswithscalpel-sharpbladesslicethroughhair,hide,
muscleandinternalorgansmucheasierthandullblades.Nomatterhowmuchpoundageyoupull,orhowheavyorlightyourarrows
are,youmusthuntwithbroadheadsthataresosharptheyscareyou.Dullbladeswillensurepoorpenetration.Teamarazor-sharpheadwithevenamoderatelyheavyarrow,andyouarejust
aboutguaranteedapass-throughonawhitetailatanaveragerange.
PUTONALITTLEWEIGHTTherearemanyreasonstochoosemoderately-heavyarrowsinsteadoflight
shaftsforbowhunting.Theaddedweighthelpssoakupvibrationandnoisefromthebow.Theweightalsogivestheshaftmoredownrangemomentum,akeyfactorinpenetration.Plus,heavyshaftsaremorestableinthewindanddeliversomefixed-bladebroadheadswithmoreaccuracy.Bowhunterswithanaveragedrawlength—between27and29inches—and
whoshootaminimumdrawweightof60to65poundsshouldhavenotroubleachieving50ft./lbsofkineticenergy.Evena350-grainarrowleavingthebowat250fpshasaninitialK.E.of45.2
foot-pounds.However,uppingthearrowweight25grains—whichcanbeaccomplishedbyswitchingfroma100-to125-grainbroadhead—producesan
initialK.E.of52foot-pounds,aswellasmoremomentumdownrange.Switchingtoaheavierbroadheadallowshunterstoincreasetheweightof
theircurrenthuntingarrowswithoutpurchasingnewshafts.
chapter6
TUNINGEXPANDABLEBROADHEADSIFEELSOSTRONGLYABOUTPRACTICINGwiththeexactsame
broadheadsIhuntwiththat,formanyyears,IrefusedtohuntwithexpandableheadssimplybecausethemodelsIlikedbestutilizedarubberbandtoholdthebladesinplace.WhenIshotthemintoatarget,therubberbandshredded,andIcouldneverfindreplacements.SoIdidn’tpracticewiththem,and,therefore,didn’thuntwiththem.Iusedreplaceable-bladeheadsthatmadeiteasytopracticewiththerealthing,thenquicklyandeasilychangeoutthebladeswhenitwastimetogohunting.Today,manyexpandablescomewitha“practicehead,”whichthe
manufacturerclaimswillflyexactlyliketherealthing.Allyouhavetodoispracticewithoneofthesepoints,theysay,andwhenhuntingseasonrollsaround,tradethemoutforarealbroadhead.Alliswell.Thathasn’tworkedforme.I’vetriedalotofthesepracticeheadsandhaveyet
tofindonethat,forme,shootsintothesameholeasarealbroadhead.Asacaveat,Iamafanaticalbowtuner.Andunlessmybroadheadsaregiving
meaperfectbullet-holetearinpaperat10yards,Iwillnotgohunting—noexceptions.I’vetriedtuningexpandablebroadheadsandthepracticepoints,andtheydonottearthesameforme.Ever.
Whenshootingexpandables,theauthorwillnotsettleforshootingthespecialtypracticepointsthatcomewithnewheads.Instead,heusestherealthing,andusesScotch®tapetokeepthebladesfromdeploying.
Close?Sometimes.Thesame?Nope.Ihavetriedallsortsoffixestoallowmetobeabletopracticewithareal
mechanicalhead.AlittledabofSuperGlue®toholdthebladesinplace?Itworksforashotor
two,butthenthegluebreaksandthebladesgetcoveredwithtargetgunkandIcan’treglueit.Iknow.Thisisprobablyalotofnitpicking,andIhavebeentoldIamwaytoo
fanaticalabouttheselittlethingsbefore.Buthavingamilddoseofattentiondeficitdisorder,Ijustcan’thelpmyself.IworktoohardtogetintopositionforashotandknowIcancontrolmyequipmentandhowitfunctions.Icannotpredict
orcontrolwhatamaturebuckwilldo.
SOSIMPLEIT’SSTUPIDIwaswhiningaboutthisproblemtoagoodfriend,JimVelasquez,thisspring.
Hehasbeeninthearcherybusinessmorethan40years,andisacrackshot.He’sasuperbbowtunerwhousedtoownaquivercompanyandnowworkspart-timeinanarcheryproshopwhiledoingpublicrelationsforseveralarcherycompanies.“Icanfixthatforyou,”Jimsaid.“WhatIdoistrimasmallstripofScotch®tapeandwrapitaroundtheferrule
wheretherubberbandgoes.Thetapeweighsaboutthesameasthelittlerubberbandanddoesn’tchangetheflightcharacteristicsofthebroadheadatall.Giveitatryandseewhatyouthink.”SoIdid,andyouknowwhat?Itworkslikeacharm.Thewidthofthetapeisactuallyaperfectone-wrapfitaroundtheferrule,
makingiteasytotrimapiecetofit.Itonlylastsoneshot,butIactuallylikethat.Itforcesmetotakemytime
betweenpracticeshotsinsteadofjustlaunchingarrowsasfastasIcanshootthem—averybadpracticehabit.
TODAY,MANYEXPANDABLESCOMEWITHA“PRACTICEHEAD,”WHICHTHEMANUFACTURERCLAIMSWILLFLYEXACTLYLIKETHEREALTHING…I’VETRIEDALOTOFTHESEPRACTICEHEADSANDHAVEYETTOFINDONETHAT,FORME,SHOOTSINTOTHESAMEHOLEASAREALBROADHEAD.
Ididafairamountofpracticingthissummeratlongerranges(40to80yards)toseehowthearrowsflywhenItapedtheferrule.Theanswer?ThesameaswhenIusetherubberband.TheSwhackerbroadheadsIusedemploytwobladesthatfoldbackward,
meaningItapetheferruleinfrontofthebladeassemblywhenusingthem.Itisabitmorecomplicatedwhenusingaslip-cambroadheadliketheRage,
butyoucanmakeitworkwiththem,too.Itjusttakesabitmorefinaglingandalittlemoretime.
chapter7
BROADHEADTARGETS:SHOOTLIKEYOUHUNTINEVERGAVEARCHERYTARGETSmuchthoughtuntilIbeganshooting
broadheadsalmostexclusively.WhenyoushootasmuchasIdo,youquicklyrealizethatyouneedatop-notchtargetthatcantakealotofhitswithareplaceable-bladebroadhead.Yet,youwouldprefertonotrequirethestrengthofHerculestoremoveyourarrows.Likemostarchers,Idomyinitialpapertuningwithfieldpoints.Andifitis
monthsbeforehuntingseason,Iwillpracticewiththefieldtipsusingastandardbag-typetarget.However,whenhuntingseasonsareacouplemonthsaway,ItunethebowagainusingthesamebroadheadsIwillbehuntingwith.AfterIgetitperfect,Iresetthesightpinsandstartshootingbroadheadsexclusively.Thirtyyearsago,Ihuntedmostlywithheavyfixed-bladebroadheadsmade
fromsteel.Ishotthemintoabigsandbankforpractice.Then,Isimplyre-sharpenedthebladesandwenthunting.Today’saluminumferrulebroadheadsarenotreallymeantforsandbankshooting,thustheneedforabroadheadtarget.Thefirsttargetsdesignedformodernbroadheadswereapain.Mostwere
madefromaheavyplasticmaterialthatcouldtakealotofhits,butremovingarrowswasakintotryingtoremovethemythicalSwordintheStonewithoutroyalblood.Icanrememberhavingtolaysometargetsontheirsideandstandonthemtobeabletogetmyarrowsout.AndafterIstartedshootingfastcarbonshafts,forgetit.Sometimessomuchheatwasgeneratedfromthefrictionofthearrowenteringthetargetitwouldmeltandsticktotheshaft!Ofcourse,theindustryresponded.Newdesignsandmaterialscreatedtargets
withlongerlifeandeasierarrowremoval.However,somearemoredurablethanothers,especiallywhenthearcherisshootingbroadheads.
THEFIRSTTARGETSDESIGNEDFORMODERNBROADHEADSWEREMADEFROMAHEAVYPLASTICMATERIALTHATCOULDTAKEALOTOFHITS,BUTREMOVINGARROWSWASAKINTOTRYINGTOREMOVETHEMYTHICALSWORDINTHESTONEWITHOUTROYALBLOOD.
“Foranethicalbowhunter,targetpracticeisofparamountimportance,”saidMikeWeinkaufofFieldLogic,makersofTheBlockandPolyFusiontargets.“Tryingtoshootoutabroadheadtargeteveryyearisanexcellentgoal.Whatarchersneedtorealizeisthatnotalltargetsarecreatedequal.“Ourtestingshowsthatsomeoftoday’smostpopulartargetswillhaveapass-
throughfailurewithfieldpointsinlessthan1,000shots.Ifyou’repracticingwithbroadheads,yourtargetmaynotlasthalfthatlongbeforeyouexperienceapass-through.”Earlybroadheadtargetsthatpermittedanysemblanceofeasyarrowextraction
frustratedallofuswiththeirlackofdurability.However,archersmustalsorealizethatwhenshootingafastarrowtippedwitharazorbladeintoanytarget,thattargetwillgetshreddedovertime.Itiscompletelyunrealistictothinkabroadheadtargetwilllastaslongasabag-typetargetshotwithnothingbutfieldpoints.Still,thebestself-healingbroadheadtargetsouttherewillwithstandalotofhitsaswellasbadweathershouldtheybeleftoutdoorsforaprolongedperiod.
Asmallbroadheadtargetcanbepackedforhuntingcamp,allowingarcherstomakesuretheirsightsareonandshootingskillshonedduringahunt.However,havingalargertargetathomewillextenditslife,especiallyifyoudon’tjustshootthecenter.
Tohelpincreasethedurabilityofyourbroadheadtargetsregardlessofmakeormodel,hereareacoupleoftips.First,buythebiggesttargetyoucanbothaffordandtransport.Thelargerthetarget,thelargerthesurfaceareatoshoot,whichwilltranslateintolongerlife.Second,targetsthatpermitshootingonfoursideswilllastlongerthanthose
thatcanbeshotononlyoneortwosides.Third,andperhapsmostimportant,donotshootonlyatthecenterofthe
target.Toachievemaximumtargetlife,youhavetospreadthehitsaround.Tohelpmedothiswithouttheriskofmissingthetargetentirely,Ishootthecenterofmytargetswhengettingmysightpinsset.ThenIshootatspotsscatteredaroundtheedgesofthetargetatreasonabledistances(formethatistoabout50yards),savingthecenterforlong-rangeshootingwhereagreatermarginoferrorisneeded.Whatabout3Dtargets?Iloveshootinglife-liketargets,especiallywhenreplicatingactualhunting
conditions,suchaswhenpracticingshootingfromeitheratreestandorgroundblind.Formaximumlife,therearetargetswithareplaceablevitalareacore.Goodbroadheadtargetscancostaslittleas$50toasmuchas$200.However,
theyareworththeinvestment.Ipersonallyliketohavetwo:onelargerpremiummodelIkeepathome,anda
smaller,lessexpensivemodelthat’seasily-transportableinmytruckthatgoeswithmetohuntingcamp.
chapter8
FIELDREPAIRSCANSAVEYOURHUNTITWASTHEFIRSTDAYofalong-awaitedruthunt.Iwashuntingonafarm
knownforproducingbigbucks,andIwassopumpedIbarelysleptawink.AnhourbeforefirstlightIclimbedintomystand,securedmysafetybelt,andbeganhaulingmybowup.Ihaditthreefeetfromtheplatformwhen,tomyhorror,thepullropecameuntiedandthebowwentcrashingtotheground.Iclimbeddowntofindmysightwascompletelytrashed.Twoofmyfivepinswerebroken,andthehousingwasbent.Mypriceyweek-longguidedhuntcouldhavebeenalloverbeforeiteven
started…exceptIwasprepared.Iradioedmyguide,whocameandpickedmeup.Backatthelodge,Idugintomybowcaseandpulledoutmysparesight,attachedit,andthenwentouttocheckthezero.Iwasbackupadifferenttreejustthreehourslater.
MURPHY’sLAWThereisnodoubtinmymindthattheinfamousMurphyofMurphy’sLaw
wasadiehardarcher.Moderncompoundbowsandtheiraccessoriesareintricatetoolswithpartsthattakeconstantpamperingjusttokeepthemintuneandproperlysightedin.Thereisnotanexperiencedbowhunterthat,atsometime,hasnotbeenbitteninthebehindbysomesortofequipmentmalfunction.It’snotabigdealifithappensathomeoronthepracticerange.It’sadifferentstoryinhuntingcamp,especiallyifyouareinaremotecamporhuntinginruralAmericawherethenearestarcheryproshopis100milesaway.
QuickFixesforCommonProblemsPeepsight:Peepsightscanslideupanddownthebowstring,somarkthepeep’slocationonthestringwithanindeliblemarker.Ifyouuseapeepthatrequiresrubbertubingtoalignitatfulldraw,beawarethatthistubingwilldeteriorateprettyquickly.Checkitconstantlyandalwayscarryaspare.Tubelesspeepsarepronetonotaligningperfectlyunlessyougivethemaslighttwistbeforeyoudraw,sodon’tforget!Bowsight:Thebestadviceanyonecangiveyouistousethetoughestbowsightyoucanbuywiththeleastamountofmovingparts,aruggedpinguard,andstrong,protectedfiber-opticpins.Useanindeliblemarkertomarkyourverticalandhorizontaladjustmentsofthesightpinhousing,andconstantlycheckallscrewsfortightness.
Arrowrest:Theseareabsolutelythebiggestbugabooonyourbow.Afterthebowistuned,useyourmarkertomarkthehorizontalandverticaladjustments,andcheckthetightnessofallmountingscrewsoften.Makesureyoupadrestprongsandthebow’sriserwithstick-onmoleskin.Bowstring:Ifthestringfailsyou’redone.OnetimeIwashuntingmountainlionsinMontanaandIslippedandfellduringahikealonganicycreekinasnowsquall.Mybowwentflying.WhenIpickeditupIsawthestringhadcomeoffthecams!ThankfullyIhadabackupbow.Later,Iwasabletotakethedamagedbowtoalocalproshopandgetthethingputbacktogether.Ifyoudon’thaveasparebow,youneedasparebowstring,loopmaterial,nocksets,stringwax,andaportablepressandknowhowtoreplaceitexactlythewaytheoriginalwas.Release:Qualityiscritical.Checkfordebristhatcansneakitswayintothemovingpartsareaandkeepitlubricated.Alsocheckthejawsfornicksandthewriststrapforwearandfraying(Ihadanoldstrapsnaponmeduringahunt.)Alwayscarryaspare.
ONETHINGIHAVELEARNEDISTHATYOUSHOULDNEVERTRUSTAHUNTTOANUNTESTEDPIECEOFEQUIPMENT—WHETHERIT’sANARROWREST,BOWSIGHT,PEEPSIGHTORRELEASEAID.
Youneedtobeabletosolveanyproblemsthatoccurmid-huntbyyourself.Thebestwaytodothisistoanticipateanythingthatcangowrong—everything—andtakepreventativemeasuresbeforeleavinghome.IhavelearnedaboutlotsoftheseissuessimplybecauseIhaveplayedwith
lotsofbowsandaccessoriesoveralotofyears.OnethingIhavelearnedisthatyoushouldnevertrustahunttoanuntestedpieceofequipment—whetherit’sanarrowrest,bowsight,peepsightorreleaseaid.Recently,IwasinQuebecwiththenewHoytCarbonMatrixbow.Ihada
drop-awayrestonit,butwhenIgottocampandtooksomepracticeshotsIsawthecordthatpullsthelauncherarmsupwasfrayingonaslightimperfectionintheresthousing.Fortunately,Ihadasparepieceoftheright-sizedcordinmytravelingtoolkitandwasabletomakeahastyrepair.HadInotbeenprepared,though,myhuntwouldhavebeeninjeopardy.
ANOUNCEOFPREVENTIONYoucanpreventalotofproblemswithyourbow’saccessories,atleastinpart,
byselectingonlytime-testeddesignswiththefewestmovingpartsandbomb-proofconstruction.Then,afteryou’veassembledthebow,lookateverypartandtrytovisualize
anythingthatmightgowrongandlearnhowtofixthem.Here’swhatIdonowwhentravelinganydistancefromhome:
First,Ihavetwobowsallsetup,tuned,sightedinandreadytohunt.IfmyNo.1bowgoesdownforanyreason,IsimplygrabNo.2andgetbackafterit.Ialsohavealittlesparepartskitthatgoeswithmeeverywhere.Ithas
everythingfromsparescrewsandrestpartstoatubeofsuperglue.Othernecessitiesincludestringservingmaterial,nocksets,stringloopmaterial,arollofelectrician’stape,extrapeepsandastringseparator.IalsotravelwithasparereleaseaidandcompletesetofAllenwrenches.
AbouttheonlycamprepairIcannotmakeisreplacingabowstring.ButsinceIhaveasparebow,thatdoesn’tbothermemuch.IalsobringasoftbowcasealongtoprotectmybowwhentravelinginatruckoronanATV.Thismightsoundlikeparanoiatosome—exceptMurphy,whoisalways
waiting.
chapter9
CRAFTSHOOTINGLANESFORSUCCESSADECADEAGO,Iwasdoingalotoffilmingforcabletelevisionhunting
shows.Fortunately,oneofthecameramenIworkedwith,ChuckJones,wasastone-coldkiller.Heknewhowtofilm,andheknewhowtofinddeerandpickgoodtrees.Wemadeaprettyefficientteaminthedeerwoods.UnlikealotoftheguysIhuntwith,Joneswasnotafraidtotrimlimbs.He
evencutdownsmall-diametertreestocreateshootinglanes.Hisphilosophywassimple:Whatgooddoesitdoifadeerwalkswithinrangeandwecan’tshootit?I’vealsohuntedwithguyswhobelievethattheonlywayyou’llevergeta
shotatamaturebuckistonevertrimathing.Theirtheoryisalsosimple:Maturebucksknowtheircoreareaslikeyouknowyourlivingroom.Rearrangingthefurniturewilltipthemoffthatsomethingisamiss,whichwillmakethemthatmuchhardertokill.Whichtheoryisright?Probablybothofthem.Manydeerhuntersfailtoconsidershootinglaneswhenselectingaspecific
treetohangastandin.However,alongwithwinddirectionandsunposition,shootinglanesareoneofmyprimaryconsiderationsinchoosingatree.Theidealtreeprovideseaseofmovementandmanynaturalshootinglanes,whilestillprovidingenoughnaturalcoverandagoodbackdroptokeepmehidden.
Clearlanestobeabletomaneuverandshootyourbow,butstillleaveenoughbranchesandleavessurroundingyouinthestandtobreakupyouroutlineandkeepyouhidden.
Notleavingenoughcoverinandaroundthestandisoneofthebiggestmistakesatreestandhuntermakes.However,youcanalsohandicapyourselfwithtoomuchcover.
TIMINGANDLOCATIONMATTERInaperfectworld,youareabletoscoutyourhuntinggroundandselecta
handfulofambushspotswellaheadofhuntingseason.Youcantrimshootinglanesmonthsaheadoftime,allowinganylocaldeertogetusedtoyourhandiwork.Still,bythetimehuntingseasonarrives,limbsandleaveshavegrownout,requiringaminimalamountofpruningtore-opentheshootinglanes.ThatiswhyImakesureIalwayshaveasetofpruningshearsandasmallhandsawinmybackpack.Summercuttingcanbemoresubstantialthanlast-minutepruning.Largelimbs
andevenentiretreescanbetakenoutwithenoughtimebeforehuntingseasonthatthedeercangetcomfortableagain.However,somenewresearchonmaturewhitetailedbuckssuggeststhatanyencroachmentintotheircoreareascan,andoftendoes,sendthempacking—oftenforgood.Thisresearchsuggeststhatahuntershouldneverencroachonabuck’scorearea,evenintheoff-season.It
reinforcessomethingIhavelongbelieved:Aseriousbigbuckhuntermustbecognizantofhisimpactondeer24/7,365.Forme,thatmeansnotgoingonsummertrekstothewoodstostartcuttingdowntreesunlessIamdoingsoinplacesotherthancorebeddingareas.Travelcorridors,fieldedgesandalongwatercourses?Fine.Beddingthickets?
Inever,ever,gonearthem.
NOTLEAVINGENOUGHCOVERINANDAROUNDTHESTANDISONEOFTHEBIGGESTMISTAKESATREESTANDHUNTERMAKES.HOWEVER,YOUCANALSOHANDICAPYOURSELFWITHTOOMUCHCOVER.
NOLEADTIMEIhuntlotsofplaceseachfall,soIoftenfindmyselfscoutingon-the-go—
whichmeansIsetnewstandsduringhuntingseasonalot.WhenIdo,Itrytokeepmytrimmingtoaminimum.Yet,IalsorecognizethatunlessIcanslipmyarrowthroughthejunk,ImightaswellbewatchingTV.Eachlocationandsituationisdifferent,soprudenceandcommonsensecomeintoplay.TimeofyearcanbeonefactorIweigh.IfIamtrimminganearly-seasonstand
leadingtoafoodplot,forexample,IwillkeeptrimmingtoaminimumbecauseIassumeanyshotIgetwillbeatadeerwalkingdownthetrailIamsetupon.Duringtherut,whendeerarechasingeachotherwilly-nillyandI’msetupinafunnel,Iwanttobeabletoextendmyshootingrange.Plus,Iassumethattrimmingandcuttingwillhavelesseffectondeer.
OTHERCONSIDERATIONSOnemistakemanyhuntersmakeisnotopeningupshootinglanesthatpermit
shotsatextendeddistances.Sure,youwanttoshootyourbuckat20paces,butwhatifitwalkspastat30?Iamcomfortablewithmybowatthatrange,andIwanttobeabletomakethatshot.Ifyouhuntpublicland,itmightalsobecrucialtodisguiseyourshootinglanes
tokeepothersfromknowingwhereyourstandsare.Thereisnothinglikefreshlycutlimbsandtreetrunkstogiveaspotaway.Ialwaysremovetrimmedlimbs,erasefootprints,andevengosofarastorubmudanddirtonthesurfacesoffreshlycuttrunkstokeepthemfrombeingnoticedbymanordeer.
INTHEENDThebottomlineisthatyouneedclearlanestobeabletomaneuverandshoot
yourbow,whilestillhavingenoughbranchesandleavessurroundingyouinthe
standtobreakupyouroutlineandkeepyouhidden.Findthatbalance,andyou’llfindmoresuccess.
chapter10
NOEXCUSES:WEARAHARNESSEVERYTIME!“OnSaturday,November1,2008,BrianC.Aldridge,age38ofButler,diedastheresultofinjuriesreceivedinatreestandaccidentontheopeningdayofTennessee’smuzzleloaderseason.Aldridgewasfoundapproximately100yardsfromatreefromwhichhehadfallen.”
—TennesseeWildlifeResourcesAgency
NATIONALSTUDIESCONDUCTEDbyDeer&DeerHuntingMagazineindicatethatapproximately33percentofhunterswhohuntfromanelevatedstandwillhaveanincidentsometimeintheirhuntingcareer.Somewillnotlivetotelltheirstory.Otherswilltellitfromahospitalbedorwheelchair.Manyaccidentvictimswillneverhuntagain.Thescarypartisthattheseaccidentscanbeavoided.Somestatesreporthigherfatalityratesassociatedwithtreestandincidents
thanwithfirearmincidents.A2006studycommissionedbytheConsumerProductSafetyCommissionshowedthattheaverageageofthevictimswhofellorhungtotheirdeathis44yearsold.Thesearehunterswithupto20yearsofexperiencewho,likemanyofus,gotlazyandtoofamiliarwiththerisks.Yet,in75percentofthedeaths,thesubjectwasnotwearingafullbodyharness.OnehunterwhofellandlivedtotellaboutitisJohnWydner.Duringa
Michigandeerhuntin2000,Wydnerfoundhistreestandcrashingtotherocksbelowandhimselfclingingtothetreeforhislife.Slidingdownabark-coveredtrunklefttheterrifiedhunterbloodiedand
shaken.Allhecoulddowasthinkabouthowclosehehadjustcometosevereinjuryordeath.ThatnightbackatcampJohn,brotherJerryandhuntingbuddyJimBartaputtheirheadstogethertotryandfigureoutawaytomakeasafetyharnesseasytoputonandcomfortabletowear.Atruckloadofideasandprototypeslater,HunterSafetySystemswasborn.Yet,whenJerryWydnersharedthatstorywithmeatabusinessmeetingin
Spring2009,itremindedmeofhowlaxIhavebeenattimeshuntingfromelevatedstands.Imean,I’maprofessional,right?Thisstuffalwayshappenstosomebodyelse.Right?
TopChoicesforFull-BodyHarnessesAvarietyofeasytousefull-bodyharnessesareavailabletoday.Herearesometopoptionsandcontactinformation.
AmeristepTheClimbingVestHarnesswww.ameristep.com
GorillaEXOTechSafetyHarnesswww.gorillatreestands.com
HunterSafetySystemsTheProSeriesHSS-6andTreestalkerHSS-7
www.huntersafetysystem.comMuddyOutdoorsSafeguardSerieswww.muddyoutdoors.com
SummitSeat-O-the-Pantswww.summittsands.com
TrophylineUSAArmourLiteSafetyHarnesswww.trophylineusa.com
MountaineerSportsRescueOneControlledDecentSystemwww.mountaineer-sports.com
Today’ssafetyharnessesareasnaptogetonandoff—easilyfittingoveryouroutermostlayerafteryoureachyourstand.They’refullyadjustableandquiet,andhaveadditionalfeatureslikepocketsandbuilt-indeerdrags.
Wrong.Adecadeago,hunterslikemejustifiednotwearingasafetyharnessfor
severalreasons.Theharnessesandsafetybeltsofthedaywerehorriblyuncomfortable,apaininthepetuniastoputonandtakeoff,andoftengotinthewaywhenwetriedtodrawandaimourbows.IstillrememberamonsterKansas
buckthatkepthisscalpwhenIhadtospininmytreetodrawonhimandmyoldharnessmadethatmaneuvercompletelyimpossible.Man,wasItickedoff!Buttoday,thereareseveralcompaniesthatofferexcellentfull-bodysafety
harnessesdesignedspecificallyforstandhunting.They’reasnaptogetonandoff—easilyfittingoveryouroutermostlayer
afteryoureachyourstand.They’refullyadjustableandquiet,andhaveadditionalfeatureslikepocketsandbuilt-indeerdrags.Iknowtimesarehardforalotofus.Moneyistight.Butifyouareaserious
deerhunter,thebestinvestmentyou’llevermakeisatop-qualityfull-bodyharness.
chapter11
QUITSHIVERINGANDMAKETHESHOTTHEFIRSTTIMEIsatinatreestandwhenthetemperaturefellbelow
freezing,Icouldn’tbelievemytroubles.Mybow—alwaysagoodfriend—becamestiffandgruff.Plus,Iwastoocoldtositwithoutdancing.Idon’tdoubteverydeerinthecountyknewwhereIwaslongbeforetheycameintorange.Extremecoldweathercantakeatollonbothyourbodyandequipment.
Therefore,youhavetomakesomemodificationsinbothyourequipmentandyourpreparationsifyouwanttobeabletoshootanaccuratearrowinbitterweather.
KEEPINGWARMANDDRYItisimperativeyoustaywarmastoasttobeabletobothsitstillforhoursin
bitterweather,thenmaketheshotwhentheopportunityarises.Thatmeansfuelingthebody,thendressingproperly.Asolidbreakfastbuiltaroundcarbohydratesthatcanbeeasilydigestedand
turnedintobodyheatisimportant.Ilikepancakesandpeanutbuttertoast,foodthatwillstickwithmeallday.Mypackcontainschewygranolabarsandasandwichforlunchtime.Athermosofhotchocolatehelps,too,butIalsobringwatertopreventdehydration.
Abulkyjacketcaninterferewithbowstringtravelduringtheshot.Wearingafull-lengtharmguardwillhelpkeepyoursleeveoffthestring.
Itiscriticaltowearundergarmentsmadefromsyntheticmaterials—notcotton—thatwillwicksweatoffyourbodyandintothenextlayerofclothing,negatingconvectiveheatlossthatwillchillyoutothebone.Blockingthewindisalsocrucialtoyourcomfortandefficiencyasa
bowhunter.IwearfleeceorothersyntheticouterwearfeaturingeitheraGore-TexorGoreWindstoppermembrane.Bothmembranesbreathetoletmoisturevaporoutawayfromthebody,yettheyalsoblock100percentofthewind.Wearinganupperandlowerbodygarmentwiththesemembranesallowsmetowearlesstotallayers,soit’seasiertoshootmybowwithoutfearofashot-destroyingbowstring-clothingcollision.Don’toverlookyourhead,feetandhands.Wearwarmpac-typebootsand
wickingsocks.It’simpossibletoshootwellwithbulkygloveson,soIwearonlyalightpairofgloves.IkeepmyhandswarmbywearinganinsulatedmuffaroundmywaistthatIcanstickmyhandsin.InthemuffIkeepaHeatMaxdisposablechemicalhand-warmer.I’veusedthissysteminweatherascoldasminus30degrees.Rememberabulkyjacketcaninterferewithbowstringtravelduringtheshot.
Wearingafull-lengtharmguardwillhelpkeepyoursleeveoffthestring.Sowill
anarcherychestprotector.Abinosystemalsocompressesmyjacketandkeepsitawayfrommystring.
BOWMODIFICATIONSYoumightbeHerculesandeasilydrawa70-poundbowduringearlyseasons.
However,whencoldweathercomes,thecombinationofstiffmusclesandextraclothingmakesitdifficulttosmoothlydrawthesamebow.Iliketocrankmydrawweightdown10percentforbitter-weatherhunts.Whenyouturnthebowdown,rememberthatyouhavetore-tuneituntilitisshootingbulletholesthroughpaper—whichmightmeanchangingtoanarrowwithadifferentspine—andthenre-setyoursightpins.Ialsore-lubricatemybow’smovingpartswithagraphiteorsyntheticproduct.
Iusethesamestuffonmyreleaseaid.Bowswithwoodorplasticgripsarepreferredincoldweatheroverbaremetalgrips.Wrapthegripwithtape,leatherorfoamforwarmth.
YOUMIGHTBEHERCULESANDEASILYDRAWA70-POUNDBOWDURINGEARLYSEASONS.HOWEVER,WHENCOLDWEATHERCOMES,STIFFMUSCLESANDEXTRACLOTHINGMAKEITDIFFICULTTOSMOOTHLYDRAWTHESAMEBOW.
Itisalsoagoodideatohangyourbowfromahookattachedtoeitherthetreeoryourtreestand.Holdinganice-coldmetalbowriserinyourhandswillchillthemrapidly.Ifyouuseapeepsight,besuretoconstantlycheckitforice.Onetime,Ihad
somesnowfallfromanoverhanginglimbontomybow.Thinkingnothingofit,Ibrusheditawayandresumedmyvigil.WhenadeerfinallyshowedandIcametofulldraw,Ifoundsnowhadgottenintomypeepsightandfrozen.Icouldn’tseeathing,andhadtopasstheshotuntilIcouldclearthepeep.Youmightneedtoslightlymodifyyourshootingform,too.Toavoidcatching
yourstring,tryopeningupyourstanceabitandfacingthetargetalittlemoredirectlythanusual.Thiswillhelpgetyourarmsawayfromyourbody.Besuretopracticewithyourcold-weatherclothesonbeforeyourhunttoseewhatkindoftweakingmustbemade.
TREESTANDSQUEAKSTreestandsarenotoriousforsqueakingandgroaningincoldweather.Two
thingswillhelp.Thefirstistore-lubricatemovingpartsandchainswiththesamesyntheticlubricantyouuseonyourbow.Thesecondistosimplyre-hang
thestandsnuglyagainstthetreetrunktopreventsubtlemovements.Padthestandfloorwithanoldpieceofcarpettopreventyourfeetfrom
makingnoisewhenyoushufflethemabout.Ifyouleaveitovernight,turnitoverorstoreitinaplasticbagtopreventice.Icovermystandseatwithabagovernightforthesamereason.I’vekilledbucksintemperatureswellbelowzero.Thekeyistoremember
thatbowhuntingbitterweatherisdifferentfromtheearlyseason.Eatwell,dressproperly,andmodifyyourbow.You,too,willenjoyhothuntingduringthecoldestdaysoftheyear.
chapter12
GUIDEYOURTARGETFORBETTERSHOTSFORALONGTIME,Ilookedatfencesonhuntinglandasarealpain.All
theyseemedtodowasholdupgatesIhadtokeepopeningandclosing,orripmypantsandshirtswhenItriedtogooverthem.ThenIbegantalkingwithlandownersaboutfences,andhowtheymightbe
usedasapositiveinmydeerhunting.Today,myattitudehaschanged.Istillhatetoopenandclosegates,butIhavelearnedthatfencescanbearealtoolinanarcher’swarchest.
FENCECROSSINGSFencesarenothingmorethanman-madeboundaries.Theymarkproperty
lines,aswellashelpsectionofflandintovariousdifferentuses.Theykeepcattle,horsesandotherlargedomesticanimalsconfinedtocertainareasand,moreimportantly,outofothers.Fencescanserveotherfunctions,too,andtheyaren’tallmadefromwireand
steelposts.Forexample,rockwallscanhelpshoreupcreekbanksandwaterholes.Andwhenwoodsarecleared,theresultingdetrituscanbepusheduptoformabarrieralongfieldedges.Alltypesoffencebarrierscanbeusedtoyouradvantagewhenbowhunting.
Themostobviousistolocatetrailsthatindicateplaceswheredeerfrequentlycrossafence.Dependingonconditionsandthetimeofyear,thesefencecrossingscanbeexcellentplacestosetastand.Spotswheredeerarecrossingunderafenceareeasytosee.Justlookfora
well-worntrail,thencheckthelowerstrandoffencefordeerhair.Soft,pliablehaircoupledwithfreshtracksisthekindofsignevenablindmancaninterpret.Youcantakethisastepfurtherbyscoutingtofindwherethedeercrossingthe
fencearecomingfromandgoingto.Iarrowedanice8-pointbuckoneyearinKansashuntingsuchaset-up.Thefenceranacrossanoak-studdedhill.Ononesidewasalarge,brush-chokedflatthatdeerusedasabeddingthicket.Ontheothersidewasa5-acregreenfieldandsmallclusterofwhiteoaktreesthatweredroppingaloadoflarge,sweetnuts.Walkingthefence,Ifoundwherethedeerwereobviouslycrossingunderitintwoplaces.However,Isetupawayfromthosespots,onalesswell-definedtrail.Thistrailhadarublinerunningalongit,
andwhereitmetthefencethetopstrandofthefour-foothighfencehunglow.Ifyoulookedcloselyyoucouldseewhereabuckortwotraveledupthetrailalongtherubline,jumpedthefence,andheadeddowntheslopetocheckthefieldfordoes.
WITHSOMECAREFULTHOUGHTANDANALYSIS,MOSTFENCESCANBEUSEDTOTHEBOWHUNTER’sADVANTAGE.STARTLOOKINGATTHEMASYOURALLY,NOTYOURENEMY.
Iusedaclimbingstandtosetupinabigredoakjustoffthecrestofthehillonthebeddingthicketsideofthefence,andgavemyselfa25-yardshottothefencecrossing.Thefirstafternoon,thebuckcameupoutofthebottomlikeasubmarine,passedrightnexttothe6-inchcedarhe’dbeenrubbing,andapproachedthecrossingspot.Henevermadeit.
FENCINGFORFUNNELSYoucanalsousefencesasartificialbarriersthatcanproduceshot
opportunitiesthatmightotherwisenotoccur.Onewayisbypushingbrushanddownedtreesintosolidbarriersaroundnewly-createdfields.MyfriendChuckSykes,abiologistwhospecializesinbothcreatingtop-qualitydeerprogramsforlandownersaswellasbookingfeehuntsonthesewell-managedpropertiesshowedmehowthisworksnearhisAlabamahome.
ALLTYPESOFFENCEBARRIERSCANBEUSEDTOYOURADVANTAGEWHENBOWHUNTING.THEMOSTOBVIOUSISTOLOCATETRAILSTHATINDICATEPLACESWHEREDEERFREQUENTLYCROSSAFENCE.
Sykestakesittotheextreme.Hehadusedheavyequipmenttocleara3-acrefoodplot,whichhesubsequentlyplantedincloverandalfalfa.Asheclearedtheland,hepiledtheslashalongthefieldedgesoitcreatedasolidbarrierontwosidesofthefield.Thosesidesjusthappenedtobetheonesthathisscoutinghadshownwerenearestthemostcommonly-usedbeddingthickets.Then,hestrategicallyopeneduptwosmallholesinthewallrightwheretwowell-usedtrailsran.Bothopeningshadlargeoakswithin25yards—perfectforanarchery
ambushsite.Healsoerectedashootinghouseacrossthefieldforgunhunters.
OPENTHEFLOODGATESSomefencesarebuiltsoitistoughfordeertocrossthem.Bymakingiteasy
forthemtogetfromonesidetotheotheryoucanoftensetupshotsthatyoumightnototherwiseget.Forexample,ifyoufindaheavily-usedtrailthatparallelsafenceforany
distancebeforecrossing,youcansometimesencouragethedeertocrossthefenceataplacewhereitistoyouradvantagetosetupastand.Withthelandowner’spermission,loosenandraisethelowerfencestrandbetweenapairoffencepostsnearagoodstandlocation.Thiswillcreateaduck-underwherethedeerhaveamoredirectroutetothefood.Withsomecarefulthoughtandanalysis,mostfencescanbeusedtothebow
hunter’sadvantage.Startlookingatthemasyourally,notyourenemy.
chapter13
BROADHEADDESIGN:DOESITMATTER?THEREISNOENDtothearmchairtheoriesIhearonthesubjectof
broadheadpenetration.However,it’ssafetosaythatawell-matchedbow-and-arrowcombinationthathasbeentunedwithbroadheadaffixedwillpenetrateplentydeeptotakedeer-sizedgameregardlessofthemake,modelordesignofthebroadhead.That’scertaintoraisehacklesonmanynecks—andtherearesomecaveatsthatneedtobeaddressed—butit’safairassessmentofhowfararcherytechnologyhascome.
FOCUSEDENERGYThefirstcaveatisarrowflight,whichcanaffectpenetrationsignificantly.
Withperfectarrowflight,allthestoredenergyinthearrowisplaceddirectlybehindthebroadhead.However,ifanarrowfliestail-leftortail-right,youmightstillhitwhereyouaim,butsomeoftheenergystoredintheshaftwillnotdirectlyaidinpenetration.Thisrationale,andaccuracyissues,arethetworeasonswhyyoushouldnever
huntwithabow-and-arrowset-upthatisnotperfectlytuned.
THEPHYSICSOFPENETRATIONThreemajorprinciplescanbeusedtomeasurethepenetrationofaperfectly-
tunedarrow.Kineticenergy(KE)isthemostsignificantfactoraffectingarrowpenetration,regardlessofthestyleofbroadhead.CalculateKEbytotallingthevelocitymultipliedbythevelocitymultipliedbyarrowweightthendividedby450,240.TheaccompanyingchartshowstheamountofKEarrowmakerEastonTechnicalProductsrecommendsforvariouscategoriesofgame.Asyoucansee,itdoesn’ttakemuchforbowhuntingwhitetails.RelatedtoKEismomentum—thetendencyofanobjectinmotiontoremain
inmotion.Allthingsbeingequal,heavierobjectshavemoremomentumthanlighterobjects.A125-grainhead,forexample,helpscarrymoremomentumthana100-grainhead.Thethirdfactorisfriction,whichisthedragduringpenetration.Larger-
diametershaftswillhavemoredragthansmaller-diametershafts.Broadheaddesignalsoincreasesordecreasesfriction.Intheolddays,frictionwas
somethingofapenetrationissue.However,itisarelativelyinsignificantfactorwithtoday’sequipment.
BROADHEADDESIGN:DOESITMATTER?Thisbringsustobroadheaddesign.Discussionsaboutwhichbroadhead
designpenetratesbesthavebeengoingonsincetheearliestdaysofbowhunting.Irememberwhenitwastwo-versusthree-bladeheads.Next,itwascuttingtipversuschiselpoint.Thenitwasstandardferrulelengthversusashortferrule.Then,ofcourse,camethedebatebetweenthepenetratingabilitiesoffixed-bladeheadsversusmechanicalheads.Withinthatisthedebateamongmechanicaldesigns—theolder,flip-opentype(wherethebladesfoldbackalongtheferruleuponimpact)orthenewerslip-camdesign.Finally,withmechanicalsthequestionhasrecentlyarisenaboutthepenetratingabilitiesofheadswithsuper-widecuttingdiametersof21⁄2inchesormore.
KineticEnergy(KE)andBigGameHunting
KE HuntingUsage<25ft.lbs. SmallGame25–41ft.lbs. MediumGame(deer,antelope,etc.)42–65ft.lbs. LargeGame(elk,blackbear,wildboar,etc.)>65ft.lbs. ToughestGame(capebuffalo,grizzly,etc.)
Moderncompoundbows,shootingwell-matchedmedium-weightcarbonshaftsthataretunedperfectly,canrunnearlyanyqualitybroadheadthroughthechestofawhitetaileddeer.
Justafewyearsago,allthiswouldhavebeenfodderforagooddiscussion.Today,thepointisreallymoot.Agoodfriendofminedidaprettycomprehensivebroadheadpenetrationtestwithmechanicalbroadheads.Whilehefoundthebestheadspenetrated22percentdeeperthantheworst,prettymuchallofthempenetratedthetestingmediadeeplyenoughforwhitetailhunting.Healsotestedapopularreplaceable-bladeheadasacontrol.Thisheadout-penetratedallbutfourofthemechanicals.Yet,thistest—plusthevastamountofinformationavailablefromhunters—tellsustheequipmentavailabletodaymakeseverybroadheaddeadly.Forthosestillhuntingwiththecompounds,arrowshaftsandbroadheadsof
yesteryear:Youarewaybehindthecurvewhenitcomestotheaccuracyandlethalityofyourbow-and-arrowset-up.
WHATTOWORRYABOUTModerncompoundbows,shootingwell-matchedmedium-weightcarbon
shaftsthataretunedperfectly,canrunnearlyanyqualitybroadheadthroughthe
chestofawhitetaileddeer.Thebroadheadcanbeoffixed,replaceable-bladeormechanicaldesign.Aslongasthebroadheadissharp,itwilldothejob.Ofcourse,thisassumesyoudoyourpartandplacetheshotwhereitneedsto
beplaced.Therecertainlycanbeasignificantdifferenceinbroadheadperformancewhenyouhitananimalinthewrongspot,suchasashoulderbladeorlegbone.Yet,thereisnorealwaytomakeanypredictionsaboutpenetrationfromthistypeofhit.Everybadhitonananimalisalittledifferent,andeachbroadheadperformsalittledifferentlydependinguponthecircumstances.Ifyouchooseabroadheadwithatleasta1-inchcuttingdiameter,yourbiggest
concernshouldbekeepingthebladessharpandputtingitintherightspot.
chapter14
ISYOURBROADHEADTOOLIGHT?INTHE1970sANDEARLY1980s,whencompoundbowdesignwas
primitivecomparedtotoday’sstandards,archersreleasedheavyaluminumarrowswithfingers.Theshaftsweretippedwitheitherfixed-bladeorreplaceable-bladebroadheadsthatcommonlyweighedbetween125and150grains.Suchheavyheadswererequiredtoachievethenecessaryweight-forwardbalanceforstraightandtruearrowflight.A“hot”compoundofthedayproducedinitialarrowspeedsofmaybe220fpswithanarrowshaft/broadheadcombinationthattypicallyweighedbetween500and600grains.Today,ofcourse,mostwhitetailbowhuntersshootingmodernbowsusean
shaft/broadheadcombinationthatweighsbetween350and425grains.Andthesebowsaredeliveringaninitialvelocityofsomewherebetween250and290fps.Mostofusarenowshootingcarbonarrows,whichmakesfindingashaftwiththeproperspinemucheasierthanwhenusingaluminumshafts.Whenthetrendforlighterarrowsstartedinthe1980sandearly1990s,themostpopularbroadheadsizesoldwas125grains.Nowthemostcommonchoicehasdroppedto100grains.Infact,somebowhunters,obsessedwithrawarrowspeed,arechoosingheadsthatweighaslittleas75grains.Althoughourgearhascertainlychanged,thequestionisstillacommonone:
HowdoIchoosetheproperbroadheadweightforwhitetailhunting?
SPEEDISN’TEVERYTHINGThisissueissometimescloudedbythemarketingusedtosellbows—much
ofwhichisbasedonthebow’sIBOspeed.Fasterisbetter,right?Andbyusingalighterbroadhead,you’llachievefasterarrowflight.Yet,theaveragebowshooterwillonlygainsomewherebetween4to8fpsin
rawarrowspeedbychoosinga100-grainheadinsteadofonethatweighs125grains.Theflattertrajectorygainedbythisminisculespeedincreaseisalmostnegligiblewhentakingshotsatwhitetails,becausemostcomeatunder35yards.Thus,themostimportantconsiderationinchoosingbetween100-and125-
grainheadsshouldbemaintainingasufficientfront-of-centerbalanceoftheassembledarrowshaft.HavingenoughFOCwillimprovestabilityinflight,whichinturnwillimproveaccuracyandgiveyouabitmoremomentumwhen
theheadbeginsdrivingthroughadeer’schest.
THEAVERAGEBOWSHOOTERWILLONLYGAINSOMEWHEREBETWEEN4TO8FPSINRAWARROWSPEEDBYCHOOSINGA100-GRAINHEADINSTEADOFONETHATWEIGHS125GRAINS.
MostexpertsagreethatanFOCof10to15percentisneededforoptimumarrowflight.Todetermineyourfinishedarrow’sFOC,measuretheshaftfromthenockthroattothetipofthearrowshaft.Next,withbroadheadinstalled,balancetheshaftonthedulledgeofaknifeandmarkthebalancepointwithapen.Measurefromthenock’sthroattothebalancepoint.
Todaymostwhitetailbowhuntersshootingmodernbowsuseanshaft/broadheadcombinationthatweighsbetween350and425grains,deliveringaninitialvelocityofsomewherebetween250and290fps.
Dividethatnumberbythelengthoftheoverallarrowshaft.Thiswillyieldthedecimalequivalentofthebalancepoint’spercentageofoverallarrowlength.
Subtract.50,movethedecimaltwoplacestotherightandyouhaveyourarrowshaft’spercentofFOC.
BEEFINGUPIfyoumeasureyourcurrentshaft’sFOCusingyourfavorite100-grain
broadhead,youmightbesurprisedtofinditiseitherinadequateormarginal.Ifthatisthecase,toachieveoptimalarrowflightandpenetrationyou’llneedtoeitherreducetheweightoftherearoftheshaft,addweighttothefrontoftheshaft—oralittleofboth.Remember,too,thatusingaheavierorlighterbroadheadwillaffectthe
dynamicspineofthearrow.Whenyouaddmoreweighttothefrontoftheshaft,thespineisactuallyreducedabit.Usingalighterbroadheadwillincreasethespinealittle.Conversely,addingmoreweighttotherearoftheshaftwillincreasearrowspine,whilesubtractingweightfromtherearwilldecreasespine.Adjustingtherearismostcommonlyaccomplishedwithheavierorlighter
fletches,butaddingwraps,crestingorilluminatednockswillalsoaddweighttotherearoftheshaft.
ACCURACYTRUMPSSPEEDThereare,ofcourse,otherconsiderationsbesidesweightwhenchoosing
broadheadsforwhitetailhunting.No.1onmylististhehead’sconstruction.Iwantstoutferrulesandthickbladesthatarerazorsharp.Ialsowanttightmanufacturingtolerancessothefinishedbroadheadweightthatiswithin+/-5grainsoftheadvertisedweight.Ialsowantaminimumcuttingdiameterof1⅛-inches.Ofcourse,IwanttoshootthefastesthuntingarrowIcanshootaccuratelyfor
theflattertrajectory,increasedkineticenergyandmomentum.However,themostaccuratearrowIcanshootisonewiththeproperspineandamorethanadequateFOC.IfthatmeansthatIhavetousea125-grainbroadheadandshoot265fps
insteadof272fps,sobeit.Becausewhenitisallsaidanddone,accuracy—notrawarrowspeed—iswhatitisallabout.
chapter15
SHORTBROADHEADS:PROSANDCONSFORTHEMOSTPART,radicalequipmentchangestobows,arrowsand
accessoriesareslowincoming.Thesportissteepedintradition,andarcherstendtostickwiththetried-and-true.Forexample,thenewworldofdrop-awayarrowrestshasproventhattheyhelptheaveragearcher’sabilitytomaketheshot,yetmostbowhuntersstillhavenotgivenoneaseriouslook.Itisthebusinessendofahuntingarrowthathasbroughtaboutsomeofthe
mostcontroversialchanges.Mechanicalbroadheadshavebeenaroundformorethanadecade,yetthedebateovertheireffectivenessremainsheatedand,infact,theyremainillegalinsomestates.Thelatestbuzzcentersonanewgenerationofshortbroadheads.Thesereplaceable-bladeheadslookjustlikethetraditionalthree-bladereplaceable-bladeheadstheymimic,thedifferencebeingtheyaresmallerall-aroundthantheirstandard-sizedcounterparts.Theyhaveshorterferrules,smallerbladesandslightlysmallercuttingdiameters.Severalreputablemanufacturersaresellingthem,andtheyhaveenoughmomentumtoseriouslyaffectthemarketplaceforyearstocome.It’sallaboutaerodynamics.Basically,broadheadswiththelargestexposed
bladesurfaceareaareaffectedbywindandairflowmorethanbroadheadswithsmallerexposedbladesurfaceareas.Thelargerheads,therefore,haveagreatertendencytosteerthearrowshaft.Knownas“planing,”thiscanoccurwhenshootingawell-tunedbowinamediumtostiffcrosswind,whenshootingabow-and-arrowcombinationthatisslightlyoutoftune,orwhenabroadheadisscrewedintotheshaftandisslightlymisaligned.(Allthesescenariosoccurmoreoftenthanmanyarcherssuspect.)
TheSonicPro100isjustoneofseveralshortbroadheaddesigns.
Mechanicalbroadheadsarepopularwithmanybowhuntersfortworeasons.Dependingonthedesign,theycanofferhugecuttingdiametersoncetheirbladesfoldout,andtheyalsohavelittleornoexposedbladesurfacestocatchthewind.Whyisthisimportant?Superhigh-speedphotographyofabowbeingshotshowsthatevenarrowshaftsaffixedwithhelicalfletchesdonotrotatemuchuntiltheyarewelloffthebowstring.Thismeansthat,exceptforthemostperfectofconditions,ifthearrowisn’trotatingitissusceptibletoplaning.Whenthefletchingbeginstoaggressivelyspintheshaftthroughtheair,planingisreducedoreliminatedandtheshaftfliesstraightandtrue.Simplystated,allbroadheadswithexposedbladesurfaceswillplanetosomedegreeoranother.Themorebladesurfacethereisthemoreplaningwilloccur,andthemorecriticalprecisebowtuningbecomes.Thus,shorterbroadheadswithlessexposedbladesurfacewillplanelessthantheirlargercousins.Theshorterferrulesofthesenext-generationbroadheadsrequire
manufacturerstobothshortentheirbladestofitandchangetheangleofthebladeasitsitsontheferrule.Thisdoestwothings—itreducestheoverallbladesurfaceavailabletocutaholeintissue,andthemoresevereanglerequiresmorekineticenergytoforceitswaythroughthattissuethanbladesatalesssevereangle.Thelatterpointisamootone,however,giventhatmostmoderncompoundbowssetatallbutthelightestofdrawweightsshootingallbuttheverylightestarrowshaftsproduceplentyofenergy.
IFYOUARENOTAFANOFMECHANICALHEADSBUTWANTABROADHEADTHATWILLGIVEYOUTHEVERYBEST
ACCURACYFROMAFASTBOW,THISNEWGENERATIONOFSHORTBROADHEADSDESERVESYOURATTENTION.
Thereducedcuttingdiameterissue,however,canbeafactor.VirtuallyeverybroadheadmakerIhavespokenwithaboutthistopicsaidthesamething—thebiggerholeyoucancutinananimal,thebetteroffyouare.(This,bytheway,isanotherstrongsellingpointforthosemechanicalheadswithcuttingdiametersof2inchesormore.)Thesmallerholeproduceslesstissuedamageandaleanerthebloodtrail,whichisnotagoodthing.Mostshortheadshaveacuttingdiameterbetween⅞and1⅛inches,whiletheaveragecuttingdiameterofstandard-sizedheadsis1⅛to11⁄4inches.Theshorter,morecompactferrulesofthesenewbroadheadsmakethem
strongerthanlonger,standardheads.Thismeanslittlewheneverythingisperfectandtheheadzipsthroughsoftmuscleandtissue.Whenithitsasolidobjectlikebone,however,itbecomesafactor.Theshorterlengthofthesenewheadsalsoallowsthemanufacturertomakeitthickerthanacomparablestandard-sizedheadofthesameweight,whichaddstoitsstrength.Thesameistrueofblades.Allthingsbeingequal,theshorterheadsarethestrongest.Despitemypreferenceforlargecuttingareas,Idecidedtogiveseveralof
thesenewshortheads(RocketUltimateSteel100)atrythelastcoupleseasons.OnethingIreallylikeaboutthemisthefacttheydoflyextremelywell.Ihaveusedthemonlyondeer-sizedgame,andsofarIhavehadnoproblemsintermsofquicklylettingtheairoutofanythingIhavehit.Ifyouarenotafanofmechanicalheadsbutwantabroadheadthatwillgive
youtheverybestaccuracyfromafastbow,thisnewgenerationofshortbroadheadsdeservesyourattention.Theyseemtoworkverywellfromfastcompoundsshootingarrowsatspeedsof270feetpersecondormore.Keepinmindthecompromisesmentionedabove,however,particularlythe
factthattheydonotcutaslargeaholeasmanystandard-sizedreplaceable-bladeheads.Checkthemout,thenlogontodeeranddeerhunting.comandletusknowhowtheyworkedforyou.
chapter16
RANGEFINDERS:BEYONDTHEBASICSIFYOU’REASERIOUSWHITETAILHUNTER,youprobablyalreadyown
alaserrangefinder.Ifyoudonot,youneedtoputoneonthetopofyourwishlist.Itdoesn’tmatterifyouhuntwithabow,rifleormuzzleloader,alaser
rangefinderwillmakeyouabetterdeerhunteraboveandbeyondtellingyouhowfarawaythetargetis.Intermsoftechnology,today’slaserrangefindersarelightyearsaheadofthe
unitsavailableevenfiveyearsago.Contemporaryunitsaremuchmorerugged,usefarlessbatterypowerandcanwithstandmorephysicalandenvironmentalabuse.Asanexample,IwasrecentlyspeakingwithanArmyspecialforcessniper.
HetoldmeheandmanyofhiscontemporariesbuythesamelaserrangefindersyoucanbuyforhuntingandusethemontheirmissionsinIraqandAfghanistan.“Afteraboutayearofusingoneofthem,Istartedhavingsomeproblemswith
it,”hesaid.“SoIopenedtheunitupanddumpedaboutashotglassfullofsandoutofit.Itwasstillworking,though.Itjuststartedworkingabitfasteroncethesandwasgone.”Thatsaid,thereismoretousingalaserrangefinderthanmeetstheeye.Here
aresomequicktipsonhowtogetthemostoutofyours.First,neverbuyaunitwithoutanangle-compensatingfeaturethathelpstell
youthedistancetoaimfor,nottheline-of-sightdistancetothetarget.Allthetop-endunitstodayhavethisfeature.Ifyouroldunitdoesnot,itis
worthspendingthemoneyandupgradingtoanewunitthatdoes.
IFYOU’REASERIOUSWHITETAILHUNTER,YOUPROBABLYALREADYOWNALASERRANGEFINDER.IFYOUDONOT,YOUNEEDTOPUTONEONTHETOPOFYOURWISHLIST.
Manyunitstodayalsogiveyoutheabilitytofocustheeyepiece,somethingnotpossibleseveralyearsago.Evenifyoureyesightis20-20,thisisavaluablefeature.
EASYMODIFICATIONS
ThefirstthingIdoispadmyentirerangefinderwithstick-onmoleskin,thenwrapthewholethingagainwiththesametapehockeyplayersusetowraptheirsticks.Hockeytapeissortoflikeducttape,butitremainsflexiblewhen
temperaturesgobelowfreezing.Thiswrappinghelpsprotecttheunit.Italsohelpsmuffleanyinadvertentclunksorclanksshouldyouaccidentallybumpitonsomethinghard,suchasareleaseaidortreestandrailing.WhenI’mbowhunting,Iwearmyrangefinderonalongcordloopedovermy
neckandundermyrightarmpit.Ithangsaboutbeltlevel,whichmeansIcantuckitintoacoatpocket.Thismakesiteasyformetoquicklygrabtherangefinderwithoutlookingatit,focusonanapproachingdeer,andletitdropoutofthewaywhileIhookupmyreleaseandturnanarrowloose.
Itdoesn’tmatterifyouhuntwithabow,rifleormuzzleloader,alaserrangefinderwillmakeyouabetterdeerhunteraboveandbeyondtellingyouhowfarawaythetargetis.
Howeveryouchoosetowearit,putsomethoughtintohowyouwilluseit.
Makesureyouhaveawaytoeasilyaccessandputitawaysoyoucanshootquickly.Thistipsoundssimple,butit’softenoverlooked:Alwayshaveasparebattery.
Whatgoodisarangefinderifyoucan’tuseit?OnetimeIwaschangingmybatteryinatreestandwhenIdroppedthebattery
compartmentcovertotheground.Itwasgoneforever.Tokeepmyunitfunctioning,Iplacedasmallwadofaluminumfoilontopof
thebatteryandhelditinplacewithducttape.WhenIgothome,Icalledthecompany,andtheysentmeanewcover.Forspot-and-stalkhuntinginopencountry,rangefindersperformanother
valuablefunction.It’snotuncommontoseeabuckyouwanttostalkandwonder,“HowfardoIhavetogotogetinrange?”First,takeareadingoffthebuck.Thentakeareadingoffarock,bush,treeor
thelipofagullybetweenyouandthedeer.Subtractthatreadingfromthedeerandyoucanchooseyourdestinationpoint.
DON’TMAKEITACRUTCHOfcourse,don’tbecometooreliantonarangefinder.Itisoftennotpossibleto
useyourrangefinderwhenadeersneaksuponyou.Thatmeansyouneedtobeableto“eyeball”therange.Iusemyrangefinderto
trainmyselftodothis.Oneofmyfavoritedrillsisto“stumpshoot”usingajudoorbludgeon-type
point.Whilewalkingaround,Ipickoutatuftofgrass,leaforsomeothersofttargetandshootatitwithoutusingmyrangefinder.Aftertheshot,ItakearangereadingthattellsmehowcloseIwasatguessingtheexactrange.Idothesameoutofmytreestands,oftenshootingonepracticearrowintothe
groundbeforegettingdownafteramorningshift.
chapter17
GETLOOPYFORCONSISTENTACCURACYBEINGSOMETHINGOFAN“ANTI-GADGETEER,”Iwasprettyskeptical
whenstringloopsappearedonthehuntingscene.Whytiesomethingontoyourbowstringthatmightslidearoundorcomeloosewhenallyouhadtodowasclipthereleaseaid’sjawstothestring?ThenIbeganwatchingsometop-notchtournamentarchersmaketheswitch.It
wasn’tlongbeforeallofthem—guyswhocannotaffordfaultyequipment—wereusingstringloops.Next,IsharedbowhuntingcampwithPeteShepley,oneofarchery’smostinnovativeandcreativemindsandthefounderofPSEArchery.WhenhetoldmeIshouldbeshootingaloop,Itookhisadvicetoheart.Ihaven’tgonewithoutonesince.
GETTINGSTARTEDAstringloop—whichissometimesreferredtoasareleaserope—isnothing
morethanasmallloopofheavy-dutynylonstringorcordpermanentlyattachedtothebowstring.Insteadofusingastandardnockset,youtietheloopaboveandbelowthe
arrownock,leavingjustenoughroombetweenthebowstringandthelooptocliponthejawsofthereleaseaidafterthearrowhasbeennocked.Basically,thestringloopactsasboththenocksetandtheconnectorbetweenthereleaseaidandbowstring.
Astringloop—whichissometimesreferredtoasareleaserope—isnothingmorethanasmallloopofheavy-dutynylonstringorcordpermanentlyattachedtothebowstring.
Totieastringloop,youneedsomeheavynyloncord,abowsquare,pairofscissorsorknifeandabutanelighter.Personally,Ibuynyloncordbythefoot.Itismuchmoreaffordablethanbuyingpre-cutpiecesof“stringloopcord.”Beforeyoucantietheloop,youneedtouseabowsquaretofindwherethe
loopshouldgoonthebowstring.Mostpeoplestartwithanockpointabout⅛-inchabovecenter.Markthatpointonthebowstringandkeepthetopknotofyourstringloopjustabovethatmarkasareference.Cut6inchesofcordtomaketheloop.Itistiedusingapairofreversedhalf-
hitchknots.Thereversedhalf-hitchespullagainsteachother.Ifyouneedsomeguidance,yourlocalproshopprofessionalcanshowyouhowtotieoneinnotime.Don’tleavemuchofaloop,anddon’tsnugtheknotsdowntight.Also,makesureyouhaveshorttagendsextendinganinchorsopasttheknots.Afterlooselytyingthetoppartoftheloopontothestring,adjustittothe
estimatedpropernockheightusingthebowsquare.Then,placeanarrownockinthecenteroftheloop,whichwillallowyoutocreatetheproperspacing.Insertapairofneedle-nosepliersintotheloopandforcefullyopenthem.Thiswillstretchopentheloopandtightenthehalf-hitchknots.Playwiththeloopuntilitisshortenoughtoleaveonlyasmidgenofspace
betweenthearrownockandreleasejaws.Whenyou’vegotitrightandeverythingtightenedup,usealightertocarefullyburnthetagendsofthecorduntiltheexcessisgoneandahardenedbulbisleftattheends.Don’tburnthebowstring!Thishardenedtagendisenoughtokeeptheknotsfrompulling
through,althoughsomeshootersdabalittleepoxyon“justincase.”Whentheloopisinplace,proceedwithbowtuningjustasyouwouldwitha
conventionalnockset.Atfirst,thestringloopcanprobablybeslidupanddownfortuning.Butafterthepressureofseveraldrawsisplacedontheknots,theywillbegintogripeventighter.Theywilleventuallybecomeunmovable.However,beingsomewhatofa“doubtingThomas,”Iusuallycrimpastandardnockabovethelooptopreventanyslippage.
BECAUSEASTRINGLOOPEXTENDSBEHINDTHEBOWSTRINGATFULLDRAW,ITWILLESSENTIALLYSHORTENYOURDRAWLENGTHBYTHELENGTHOFTHELOOP.
POSSIBLEPROBLEMSBecauseastringloopextendsbehindthebowstringatfulldraw,itwill
essentiallyshortenyourdrawlengthbythelengthoftheloop.That’sthemainreasonloopsshouldbetiedasshortaspossible.Toovercomethis,takeitintoaccountwhenbuyingabow.Forexample,Iama281⁄2-inchdraw,butIbuybowswitha28-inchdraw.Usingareleasewithanadjustablewriststrapcanhelp,too.Ofcourse,iftheloopisnottiedtightly,itcancreepslightlyupthebowstring.Creepingwilleffectthebow’stuneandyouranchorpoint.Stringloopscanalsobeabitslowertouse,becausemostbowhuntersmust
movetheireyestotheirlooptogettheirreleaseattached.Usingasingle-jawreleasewithasemi-openjawdesignedspecificallyforstringloopscanhelp.
AMAJORADVANTAGEWhy,then,shouldyouuseastringloop?“Itrelievestheunbalancedpressuresonthearrownock/string,”Shepley
explainedonthathuntmanyyearsago.Itmakestheshotquieter,preventsunnecessarybowstringservingwear,andifyouuseareleaseaidthatdoesnotattachitselftoyourwristwithastrap,youcanattachthereleasetotheloopandleaveittherewhilesittinginyourstand.“Ipromiseyouthataloopwillmakeyouamoreaccuratebowshot,”Shepley
added.Thefinalverdict?Ifyouhavenotmadetheswitchtoastringloop,perhaps
it’stimeyoudid.
chapter18
CHOOSINGARELEASEFORSTRINGLOOPSMOREBOWHUNTERSAREADDINGastringlooptotheirbowstringsthan
everbefore.Thereasonissimple:Thecombinationofastringloopandqualityreleaseaidcreatesthemostaccuratewaytoshootanarrow.Tyingaloopisfairlysimple.It’ssomethingyoucaneitherdoyourselforhave
doneatyourlocalproshop.However,beyondthat,youmustselectareleaseaidtomatewithyourloop.Therearethreebasicreleaseaidmodelsthatworkwellwithastringloop—
thedual-jawcaliper,single-jawcaliperandasinglecaliperdesignedexpresslyforaloop.Eachhasplusesandminuses.Thedual-jawcaliperreleaseisthemostpopulardesignsoldtoday.Itisused
bybothstringloopshootersandarcherswhoattachthereleasedirectlytothebowstring.Ithastwomovablejawsthatopenandclosesimultaneously.Therearemanydifferentmakesandmodelstochoosefrom.Thesingle-jawcaliperreleaseisalsopopular.Thisreleasefeaturesone
movablejaw,andonestationaryjaw.Thetheoryisthatwithonlyonemovingjaw,itiseasiertogetaconsistentreleasethanwhenusingareleasewithtwomovablejaws.Specialstringloopreleaseaidsareessentiallysingle-jawcaliperreleases.The
differencebetweenthemandastandardsingle-jawreleaseisthatinsteadofthetwojawscomingtogetherandtouchingwhenthereleaseisclosedaroundthestringloop,thereisasmallopenspaceafterthereleasehasbeenattachedtotheloop.Theadvantageisthatthereleasecanbeattachedorremovedfromthestringloopwithoutactivating.Withalittlepractice,itiseasytoattachthereleasetotheloopwithoutlookingatit—afeaturethatcanbenicewhenyoudonotwanttotakeyoureyesoffanapproachingdeer,evenforasecondortwo.Choosingwhichreleasemake,modelandstyleyouuseisanindividualthing.
Allthesestylesgetthejobdone.IIhavetriedallthreereleaseaidstyles,butseemtogravitatebacktothe
traditionaldual-jawcaliperbecauseitworkswellforme.Itismuchmoreimportanttosetthebowupproperly,andthisiswheretheproshopcanhelpyou.
THEDUAL-JAWCALIPERRELEASEISTHEMOSTPOPULAR
DESIGNSOLDTODAY.ITISUSEDBYBOTHSTRINGLOOPSHOOTERSANDARCHERSWHOATTACHTHERELEASEDIRECTLYTOTHEBOWSTRING.
Ifyousimplytieastringloopontothebowwithoutgivinganyconsiderationtothetypeofreleaseyou’llbeusing,badthingscanhappen.Howso?Iseemanyshooterseachyearwithastringloopthatistoolong.Astringloop
shortensyourdrawlengthbecausethereleaseisnotattachedtothebowstringitself,butatapointslightlybehindthestring.Thiswillknockupto1⁄2-inchoffyourdrawlength.Itdoesn’tseemlikealot,butittakesabitoffyourpowerstroke,whichwillcostyousomerawarrowspeed.
Makesureyourreleaseaid’swriststrapisadjustable.Beingabletolengthenorshortenthewriststrapwillenableyoutopreciselyestablishtheproperlength,whichwillpermityoutoanchorproperly.
Iftheloopistoolarge,youalsorisknotbeingabletoanchorproperlybecauseyou’llhavetopullyourshoulder,armandhandfartherbehindyourjaworear(orwhateveranchorpointyouuse).Thiscanwreakhavocwithyourshootingform,whichcanadverselyaffectaccuracy.Ontheotherhand,iftheloopistiedtooshort,itispossiblethatyourrelease
aidjawswillnotbeabletobeeasilyinsertedintotheloopitself.Ifyourreleaseaidhasawriststrap—thevastmajoritydo—youmustmake
surethestrapisadjustable.Beingabletolengthenorshortenthewriststrapwillenableyoutopreciselyestablishtheproperlength,whichwillpermityoutoanchorproperly.Itisalsoimportantthatyourreleaseaidhaveaneasily-adjustabletrigger.
Therearetwoschoolsofthoughtonhowthetriggerisbestactivated.Thefirstistosqueezeitlikearifletrigger.ThisishowIshoot.Thesecondinvolvesflexingyourbackmuscleswhileyourindexfingerisonthetrigger,withthesubsequentpressuresettingthetriggeroffbysurprise.Eitherway,youneedtobeabletoadjustthetriggerpulluntilitisatacomfortablepressure.Mostreleaseaidscomewiththeirtriggerssetabitstiffformytaste,soItake
alittlepressureoff.Ifyouhavenottriedsomeofthelatestreleaseaids,Irecommendyouhead
downtoyourproshopandcheckthemout.Bringyourbowsoyoucanshootthemwithyourownstringloopandseehowthecombinationworksforyou.Evenifyoudonotchoosetobuyanewrelease,thereisagoodchanceyou
willfindthatyouneedtoadjustyourrelease/stringloopcombinationauntilitmoreperfectlyfitsyourbodysizeandshootingstyle.Thereisnodownsideinthat.
chapter19
DOYOUNEEDLIGHTEDPINS?IBELIEVEINSIMPLICITYandtryandavoidanygimmickrywhenitcomes
tomyequipment.Afterall,themorestuffyouadd,themorechancethereisforsomethingyou’vecometorelyontofail.Soforyears,Iavoidedusingbowsightsthathavelightstoilluminatethepins.Ihadmanyreasons:Forone,thesesightsarenotlegalinallstates.For
another,manyofthelightingsystemsfoundonsightsevenfiveyearsagowereprettycheesy.Plus,upuntillastseason,Iwasdoingafairamountoffilming,whichmeantIcouldn’tshootunlesstherewasenoughcameralightanyway.Then,acoupleseasonsago,ahuge8-pointwalkedwithinfivestepsofmy
standjustasthemorninglightbegantorevealhisshapeagainsttheground.Hehungaroundmystandforseveralminutes.Atonepoint,hewas20yardsoffandIcouldseetheoutlineofhisantlersandhiswhitethroatpatch.TherewasnowayIcouldseemypinswellenoughtoeventhinkaboutshooting.Thenandthere,Idecidedtosetupabowwithalightedpinsightandexperimentwithitforhunting.
Mostoftoday’sfiber-opticsightpinsaresoefficientatsoakingupambientlighttheydon’tneedthehelpofbattery-powered,sight-mountedlights.Shouldyouuseone?Itdependsonyourindividualneeds—andyourstate’sregulations.
WHENDOLIGHTEDPINSWORKBEST?Lightedpinsdon’thelpineverycircumstanceyoumightface,buttheyare
niceincertainsituations.I’vefoundtheirbestuseiswhenhuntingfromadarkenedgroundblindorsittinginatreestandwhereIamcoveredupamongdarkbranches.Itmightbebrightoutside,butyourpinsbecomeinvisibleintheshadewithouttheadditionallight.Wherelegal,Ialwaysuselightedpinsinagroundblind.Whataboutduringthefirstandlastfewminutesofdaylight?ThisiswhenIthoughtlightedpinswouldbemosthelpful.However,Ihave
beensurprisedthatthisisnotnecessarilythecase.Here’swhy:Today’sfiber-opticsightpinsaresogoodatsoakinguplighttheydon’tneedthehelp.Modernfibersallowmetomakeshotsatreasonabledistancesinlightthatisverydim.Andwhenitissodarkthatthefiberopticpinsarenolongerbrightenoughtousealone,turningonthelightmeansthedeer’sbodywilljustbecomenothingmorethanadarkblob.Tome,takingashotundertheseconditionsisunethicalbecauseyoucannotpickaprecisepointtoplacetheilluminatedpin.
LIGHTEDPINSDON’THELPINEVERYCIRCUMSTANCEYOUMIGHTFACE,BUTTHEYARENICEINCERTAINSITUATIONS.I’VEFOUNDTHEIRBESTUSEISWHENHUNTINGFROMADARKENEDGROUNDBLINDORSITTINGINATREESTANDWHEREIAMCOVEREDUPAMONGDARKBRANCHES.
CHOOSINGALIGHTSOURCETherearesomeadd-onsightlightsforarcherswhowanttousetheirexisting
unlightedbowsights.Ihavetriedseveraloftheseand,ineverycase,foundIcouldnevergetthemattachedsecurelywhileshiningdirectlyontothesight’stoppin.Luckily,manycompaniesnowincorporatealight,orlightbracket,ontotheir
sights.Yet,becausealloureyesseethingsdifferently,Iwouldrecommendcheckingoutmultiplesightswithbuilt-inlightsbeforemakingapurchase.Forexample,beingcloserto60than50,myeyesarenotquitewhattheyused
tobe.ThatmeanswhenIextendmybowtoshoot,mysightpinsgetjustatadfuzzy.Becauseofthis,whenIusepins.029-inchandlargerandhitthemwithalight,theyglowenoughthattheysortof“blobout.”Preciselyplacingthemonadeer’schestbecomesdifficultwhenthishappens.Iusesmaller-diameter,.019-inchpinsinstead.Itmakesadifference.Willlightedpinshelp?It’sanindividualcall.Iusethemattimes,butInever
relyonthemtotally.Myadvice:Trythemoutanddecideforyourself.
chapter20
EXAMININGMODERNSPLIT-LIMBBOWSIREMEMBERWHENthefirstsplit-limbbowsappearedbackinthe1980s
—beforethetechnologywasrefined.Archersweren’timpressed,andthedesignfellawayforadecade.Today,split-limbbowsarebackinabigway.Still,questionsremain:Whydoweneedsplit-limbbows?And,aretheyasstrong,reliableandaccurateassolid-limbbows?
HISTORICALPERSPECTIVEIntheolddays,solid-limbdesignssometimescrackedafterrepeatedflexing.
Thisproblemwasaresultofhowtheyweremade.Generally,limbsarefabricatedofalaminatedmaterialwhichisstrongeralong
thelengthofthelimbthanacrossit.Forgreatestflexingstrength,thelimbismadeupofincrementalstripswhichrunthelengthofthelimbfromitspointofattachmentattherisertotheendreceivingthepulleyaxle.Adjacentstripsaretypicallyheldtogetherwithadhesives,andthelimbiscoveredbyareinforcinglaminate.Thestripsattheouteredgesofthelimbruntheentirelengthofthelimband
directlyreceivetheflexingstresswhenthebowisdrawn.However,stripslocatedinthemiddleofthelimbterminatesomewherealongthelimbcrotch.Theseinteriorstripsdonotdirectlyreceivetheflexingforceandhaveatendencytoresistflexingasthebowisdrawn.Onlytheinterstripcohesiveforcestransferstresstotheinteriorstripsfromtheouterstrips.Sincetheinterfibercohesiveforcesarenotasstrongasthestripsthemselves,theinteriorstripsdonotreceiveasmuchlongitudinalstressastheouterstrips.Asaresult,thelimbhasatendencytodevelopsignificanttransversetensionalstresses,whichconcentrateattheareawherethecrotchisdeepest.Afterrepeatedflexing,theconcentratedtransversetensionalstresseseventuallytendtoovercomethecohesiveforcesandcauseseparationofadjacentstrips.Acrackcandevelopneartheendofthecrotch.
TODAY,SPLIT-LIMBBOWSAREBACKINABIGWAY.STILL,QUESTIONSREMAIN:WHYDOWENEEDSPLIT-LIMBBOWS?AND,ARETHEYASSTRONG,RELIABLEANDACCURATEASSOLID-LIMBBOWS?
Anotherproblemexperiencedbyconventionalcompoundbowsisthetorsionalstressexertedonthebowlimbbythepulleys.Thestresscancausethebowlimbstobepulledoutofverticalalignmentwiththeriserandeachother.Ifthebowlimbsarenotproperlyaligned,thebowwillnotshootstraight.Priormethodsforpreventingthelimbfromsplittingincludedapplyinga
reinforcingpatchnearthebottomofthecrotch,installingaboltorrivetbeneaththecrotch,andusingaharnessyokeforthedead-endconnectionofthebuscablesattachedtothebowpulleystoachieveuniformstressdistributionacrossthelimb.However,noneofthesemethodscompletelyeliminatesthepotentialcrackingofbowlimbs.Inaddition,theuseofreinforcingboltsorpatchesincreasestheweightofthebowlimbandreducesthebowlimbacceleration.
Muchliketoday’ssolid-limbcompoundbows,modernsplit-limbbowsareextremelytough,durable,fastandaccurate.
INCEPTIONOFTHESPLITThefirstpatentforasplit-limbcompoundbow(CaldwellU.S.Pat.No.
4,350,138)wasissuedtoJosephM.Caldwellin1980anddisclosedaforkedbowlimbthatwassplitaxiallyforasubstantialportionofthelengthofthelimb.
Thesplitdividedthelimbintotwoportionsheldtogetherbymeanssuchasabracketatapointinboardofthecrotch.Whenthebowisdrawn,thelimbportionsflextogetheressentiallyasthoughthelimbwereunsplitalongitslength.Thebracket,however,interfereswiththeflexingofthelimbalongitsentirelength.Also,thebowlimbmembersarenotseparateandindependentandthusremainsubjecttosplitting.Astimewentonotherinnovatorscontinuedtoexplorethepotentialofsplitlimbs,andonMarch3,1998,patentnumber5,722,380wasissuedtoSpencerLandandClintPierceofHighCountryArchery.Thesedesignsbecamethebasisofmodernsplit-limbtechnology.
SPLITFORSTRENGTHFastforwardtotoday.Controlledstresstestsonbowlimbsshowthatsome
solidlimbscanbegintofailafterabout25dryfires.Mostoften,theystarttocrackwheretheV-grooveiswherethecamismounted.Crackssometimesalsooccurwherethelimbmountstotheriser.Forcomparison,Hoyt(acompanythatoffersanarrayofsplit-limbcompound
bows)hasengineeredapatented3⁄4-inchSplitLimbTechnologytosurviveanamazing1,000dryfiresat80poundsdrawweightand30-inchdrawlength.ThedesignalsoeliminatestheV-grooveandlimbboltgrooveorholewherefailuremostoftenoccursontraditionalsolidlimbs.Doesallthismeanthatsolidlimbbowsareontheirwaytothescrapheap?Ofcoursenot.Modernsolid-limbcompoundsaremorereliable,fastand
accuratethaneverbefore.Whatitdoesshowisthatmodernsplit-limbbowsareextremelytough,durable,fastandaccurate,too.
chapter21
SHOULDYOUSHOOTASHORTERVANE?ARCHERSAREALWAYSLOOKINGFORAWAYtomaketheirarrowsfly
fasterandmoreaccurately.WhenthecedarshaftsshotbyDougEastoninthe1940sand1950sprovedmoreinconsistentthanhewanted,hegaveusaluminumshafts.Then,ascompoundbowsimproved,aluminumshaftschangedtomeettheperformancepotentialofbetterbows.Aluminumshaftswerethenchallengedbyacarbon.Althoughcarbonshaftshadsomeinitialproblemswithstraightnessanddurability,itwasn’tlongbeforetheybecamethedominantoption.Asarrowshaftsevolved,theybecamelighterandsmallerindiameter.
Broadheadmanufacturersalsobeganusingmodernmaterials,replacingheavysteelferruleswithaircraft-gradealuminum.Insertsthatallowedbroadheadstobeeasilyscrewedintotheendofthearrowratherthangluedonalsosavedweight.Attheotherendoftheshaft,fletchinghasalsobecomesmallerandlighter.Today,themostpopularvanesizeusedbybowhunterswhoshootstate-of-the-
artcompoundbowsandcarbonarrowsisthe2-inchlongvane.AccordingtoBradyArviewofNewArcheryProducts,tournamentarchers
havegoneevensmaller,oftenusing11⁄2-inchlongvanes.“Tento15yearsago,whenfatter,heavieraluminumshaftstippedwith125-
grainbroadheadswerethestandardandbowslaunchedthematanaverageoflessthan250feetpersecond,ittooklarger5-inchvanestostabilizetheshaftinflight,”Arviewsaid.However,asbowsbecamemoreefficient,arrowshaftsbecamelighter,and
100-grainheadsbecamethemostpopularoption,smallerfletcheswererequiredtostabilizetheshaft.
HighSpeedLessonsJusthowmanyrevolutionsdoesabroadhead-tippedarrowshaftcompletebeforestrikingatarget30yardsdownrangewhenshotfromapopularmoderncompoundbowwithaninitialvelocityof260fps?
Theanswer:Zero.Yep,youreadthatright.Mostfolksbelievethatanarrowinflightrotatesrapidlyasitsailsdownrange.However,
high-speedphotographyshowsthatacarbonshaftstraight-fletchedwithstandard2-inchplasticvanesdoesnotevenrotateonetimeat30yardsfromabowshootingabout260fps.Ifyouaddabitofoffset—say2degrees—youwillgettheshafttorotateperhapstwoorthreerevolutionsat30yards.That’sit.
However,NAP’s2-inchQuikSpinvanesfletchedeitherstraightorwithasmalloffset,produceashaftthatwillrotateatleast10timesat30yards.Andthere’snodoubtthatthemoreaprojectile(beitbullet,footballorarrowshaft)rotateswhileinflight,themoreconsistentlyaccurateitwillbe.
Here’sanotheroldwife’stale:Yearsago,itwascommontoreadthatyoushouldtrytolineupyourfletcheswithyourbroadheadbladesformaximumaccuracy.
Again,thehighspeedphotographydisprovesthisclaim.Thephotographyshowsitmakesnodifferencewhatsoeverinaccuracy.
Whatisimportantismakingsureyourbroadheadsarescrewedinperfectlystraighttotheshaft.Youcancheckthatwiththespintest—spinningthearrowonthebroadheadtip–toseeifthereisanywobble.
Simplystated,smallervanesmatchthesmallerdiameterofthemostpopularcarbonshaftandlighter,low-profilebroadheads,whichhelpsbalancetheentirearrow.Theresultismoreaccuracy.
“The4-inchvanebecamethemostpopular,”Arviewsaid.“Thenitwasthe3-or31⁄2-inchsize.Todayit’sthe2-inchfletch.”Notonlyhavevanesbecomeshorter,theyhavealsobecomeabittallerand
morerigidthantheplasticvanesofold.
NAP’sQuikfletchandQuikSpinvanesareaboutahalf-inchtallerthantheold4-inchvanes.Thisaddedheightandstiffnessisplentytostabilizethesmall-diameterbroadhead-tippedshaftsmostmodernbowhuntersuse.Thenewvanesarealsoquieter.Oldervanesweremadeofamoreflexible
material.Theyflexedmoreinflight,whichcausedmorenoise,moredragandlessspeedthanmodernvanes.Simplystated,smallervanesmatchthesmallerdiameterofthemostpopular
carbonshaftandlighter,low-profilebroadheads,whichhelpsbalancetheentirearrow.Theresultismoreaccuracy.So,istheresuchathingasfletchesthataretoolargeformodernarrows?Arviewdoesn’tthinkso.“Withinreason,theywillcertainlyadequatelystabilizemodernarrowshafts,”
hesaid.“Thequestion,though,iswhywouldyouusesomethingthatweighsmorethanyouneedittoorprovidesmoredragand,thus,lessrawarrowspeed?”Still,hebelievesmostarcherswouldbenefitfromthenewdesigns.What’srightforyouandyourbowhuntingrig?Theanswercanbefoundwith
atriptoyourarcheryproshop.Ifyouareshootingthesamelongerfletchesyouusedfiveyearsago,trysome
newshaftsfletchedwithsmallervanes.Seeifmakingthissmallchangewilltunewellinyourbow,giveyoumorearrowspeedandtightenupyourbroadheadgroups.Thenyoucandecidewhethermakingachangeisworthwhile.
chapter22
SILENCEISGOLDEN…ANDCHEAPIT’sASIMPLE,UNDENIABLEFACT:Evenwhenahunterisusingoneof
thehigh-techbowsmanufacturedtoday,awhitetailhastheabilitytohearandreacttoashotbeforethearrowsmacksitintheribs.That’sbecausesoundtravelsatapproximately1,129feetpersecond.Evenifyoushootanarrowat300fps,thesoundofthebowgoingoffwillreachadeer’searsalmostfourtimesfasterthantheshaft.Thus,analertandincrediblyagilewhitetailhastimeto“jumpthestring.”Fortunately,bowmanufacturersarenowproducingbowsandmatching
accessoriesthatremovealotofthevibrationandnoisefromtheirproducts.Aslugofaftermarketproductsarealsoavailabletohelpmakeyourbowquieter.Ifabowisunusuallynoisy,vibrationsfromoneormoreaccessoriesadded
ontothebowitselfareusuallythecause.Here’showyoucanquicklycheckandeasilyrepairproblemsthatmightcostyouadeerwithoutabigfinancialhit.
DIAGNOSINGTHEPROBLEMIfyouhearnoiseattheshotandarenotsureexactlywhereitiscomingfrom,
bemethodicaltryingtofindit.First,trypluckingthebowstringjustaninchorso.Listenforvibratingparts.Apartnerwillbeabighelp.
Usefleeceormoleskinonanyexposedsurfacethatcanmakecontactwiththearrow,includingtheprongsorlauncherarmsandthebottomofthebowsight.
Ifthesourceisn’tobvious,Ialwayssuspectabowquiver.However,itmightbenecessarytotakeeachaccessoryoffoneatatimeandrepeatthestring-pluckingprocessuntilthesourceofthenoisehasbeenisolated.
ABSORBTHESHOCKIfyourstringtwangslikeabadly-tunedguitar,youhaveanumberofoptions.
Manufacturersproducemany“stringsilencers,”alldesignedtobeplacedonthestringapproximately6inchesfromeachaxle.Theyaremadeofseveraldifferentmaterials,includingfleece,softrubber,orLimbSaver’suniqueNAVCOMmaterial.Theirpurposeistoabsorbsomeofthenoise-causingvibrationassociatedwiththestringcomingtoanabrupthalt.Moststringsilencerscanbeeasilyattachedtothebowstringwithouttheneedofabowpress.Similarproductsaredesignedforthecablesystem.However,it’salsoimportanttocheckthecablebarandcableslideforsmoothness.Vibrationabsorbersarealsousedtocontrollimbvibration,whichcanbethe
sourceofalotofnoise.Mosthaveanadhesivebackingandareeasytoapply.Othersfitbetweensplitlimbs.Alloftheseareinexpensiveitemsandwillnot
affectabow’saccuracy.Astabilizercanalsoabsorbalotofvibration.Ilikestabilizersthataregelorhydrofilled.Thebonusistheseitemsalsoaidinaccuracy.
IFABOWISUNUSUALLYNOISY,VIBRATIONSFROMONEORMOREACCESSORIESADDEDONTOTHEBOWITSELFAREUSUALLYTHECAUSE.
THERESTOFTHESTORYThefirstthingIdowhenIsetupabowisnockanarrow,putitontherestand
thendeliberatelymovethearrowaroundandofftheresttoseeexactlywhereitwillcontactthebowifitweretoaccidentallyfalloff.Ifitcan,itwilldefinitelymakeawickedclangingsound.Thesolution?Putsomefleeceormoleskinonanyexposedsurfacethatcanmakecontactwiththearrow,includingtheprongsorlauncherarmsandthebottomofthebowsight.Speakingofbowsights,movablepartsonasightareoftenthesourceof
squeakingandgroaning.It’softenafunctionofscrewsvibratingloose.Iuselightmachineoiltolubricatethescrewthreads,andthenIconstantlycheckthemforlooseness.
DON’TQUIVERTheeasiestwaytoeliminatenoiseistousearemovablequiver.Ifyouprefer
tokeepthequiverattached,youshouldknowtheproblemsitcancauseandtakepreventativesteps.First,makesurethefoaminsertinthequiverhoodisintight,withnoair
pockets.Also,makesurethefoamholdsthebroadheadssnugglyandthearrowgrippersholdtheshaftstightlytoeliminatevibration.Ifthegripisloose,makethefittighterbyaddingalayerofeithertapeormoleskintothegrippers.Eliminateanypotentialcontactbetweenthequiverandanypartofthebow
duringashot.Ifyoufindareasofcontact,coverthemwithfleeceormoleskin.Ifyoustillhearvibrations,trystickingasmallvibrationabsorbertothehood.Oneothernoteonbowquivers:Insteadofcarryingsixoreightarrowsinmy
quiver,Ionlycarryfourorfive.Ispacethearrowsapartsothefletchesdonottouch(andvibrate).
MOVINGPARTSLubricatingmovingpartsisimportantbothforabow’smechanicallifeand
thereductionoffrictionnoise.Thisincludesaxles,butIalsolubricatelimbboltsandanyotherscrewthreadsonboththebowanditsaccessories.
Inhotweather,aqualitypenetratingoillikeWD-40orRemOilworksgreat.Butwhentemperaturesstarttodrop,Iswitchovertoproductsdesignedtoworkinsub-zeroweather.
chapter23
SETYOURSIGHTSONSIMPLICITYINTHEPASTDECADE,compoundbowaccessorieshavecomeaverylong
way.Fromarrowrests,tobowquivers,tovibrationdampeningadd-ons,theseaccessories—whenchosenwithcaretocomplimentboththebowandyourshootingstyle—allhelpmakeyouamoreefficientshooter.Yet,fewaccessorieshaveevolvedlikethebowsight.Ivividlyremembertheearliestmultiple-pinsightsIusedbackinthelate
1970sandearly1980s.Comparedtothesightsavailabletodaytheywereawful.Butbackthen,theywerecuttingedge.Mostsimplyboltedintotheriser,andunlessyouaddedalotofmoleskin
betweentheriserandsightbracket,theyrattledlikeanearthquake.Thepinswerenothingmorethanbrassrodswitharoundishtipthatslidintoabracketwithtwoadjacentverticalslotssothepinscouldbeslidupanddownforelevationchanges.Thepinswereheldinplacebyasquaremetalwasherandawkwardthumbscrew.Windageadjustmentsweremadebyslidingtheentirebracketeastandwest.
Nothingmovedsmoothly,andeverythingrattledloose,meaningyouhadtocheckeverythingdaily.Thepinguardwasasquaremetalbracketthatcouldn’tkeepakidoutofa
cookiejar.Andifyouhadtotakeashotonthecuspofdaylight,thepinsdisappearedfasterthanapoliticianbackpedalingonacampaignpromise.Twentyyearslater,top-endhuntingbowsightsareprecisiontools
manufacturedwithtighttolerances,easyadjustmentcapabilities,andsightpinsevenmytiredoldeyescanseeindimlight.Theyaremicro-adjustable,easyandquicktoinstall,andcantakeabeatinginthedeerwoodsandstillholdtheirzero.Ifyouhavenotcheckedoutnewbowsightsinthepastfiveyears,youoweit
toyourselftodoso.Whenyoudo,remembertherearealotofchoicesoutthere,andtheonlypersonyouneedtopleaseisyourself.Lookatseveraldifferentmakes,modelsandstyles,andaskifyoucanshootabowwiththemodelsyouareconsideringbeforeyoubuy.Atop-qualitybowsightisgoingtosetyoubacksomewherebetween$75and
$150,butit’sapurchaseyouwillneverregretmakingandaproductthatwilllastfordecades.
Herearesomeconsiderations:
HOWMANYPINS?Manywhitetailhunterswantasfewpinsaspossibletoavoidconfusionat
crunchtime.Someofmyfriendsusejustthreepins,butmosthavefive,setin10yardincrementsbetween20and60yards.Totakeadvantageofthespeedandaccuracyofmoderncompounds,youshouldlearntoshootouttoatleast40yards.Don’tusemysightasanexample.SinceIshootthesamebowforeverything,
fromtreestandwhitetailstowesternbiggame,Ihaveninepinsonmysights,setat10yardincrements.
MOVABLEORFIXED?Somebowhunterslikeasingle-pinsightwithamovablebracket.Thistypeofsightisdesignedtoallowthearchertomovethesinglepinto
correspondwithmarksonthebracketthatwillplacethepinintherightspotforvariousdistances.Then,whenthetimecomesthehuntermovesthesightandholdsdead-onfortheshot.Mostarchersfindthistoocomplicated.Me,too.
PINGUARDSFewbowsightinnovationsaremoreconducivetoaccurateshootingthana
roundpinguardthatcanbepreciselyalignedwitharoundpeepsighthole.Thisallowsjustonemorecheckatfulldrawthatyourheadisintheproper
positionandyoursightpincenteredinthepeep’shole.Ifthepinguardhasabrightoutline,somuchthebetter.
Asmallbubblelevelhelpsarchersensurethatthesighthasbeeninstalledperfectlylevelonthebow—anoften-overlookeddetail.Italsooffersaquickreferencewhenyoucometofulldrawtohelpyouavoidcantingthebow.
LOW-LIGHTSHOOTINGSomefiberopticpinsarebrighterthanothers.Forexamplemodelsthatwrapa
longfiberaroundacirculardrumcanreallypickupalotoflight.Therearetwokeystofiberopticpins.Thefirstisthatthefragilefiberoptic
materialitselfmustbeprotectedinsomemanner,oritwilleventuallybreak.Second,thepinsmustuseacoloryoureyescanseewellindimlight.Myeyes
seegreenpinsextremelywellandredpinsverypoorly,soItryanduseasmanygreenpinsonmysightaspossible.Ialsolookforasightthatmakeschangingsightpinsquickandeasy.
EASY,PRECISEADJUSTMENTSWhenshoppingforanewsightalsokeepinmindthatyouwilleventually
havetoadjustthepins.Youshouldbeabletoquicklyandeasilyadjustyoursightpinsupanddown,andbeabletoeasilyadjusttheentirerackofpinsbothleftandrightandupanddown.Ifittakesarocketscientisttomaketheseadjustments,keepshopping.
DOYOUNEEDABUBBLE?Manysightscomewithasmallbubblelevelinstalledatthebaseofthepin
guard.Thisisawonderfuladditionfortworeasons.First,ithelpsyouensurethatthesighthasbeeninstalledonthebowperfectly
level—averyimportant,yetoften-overlookedpartofinstallingthesight.Asightthatisnotlevelencouragesyourarrowstohitleftorrightofcenterasyoumovedowntherackofpins.Andsecond,thelevelisaquickreferencewhenyoucometofulldrawthat
keepsyoufromcantingthebow—whichalsocancauseleftandrightmisses.
SIMPLEOPERATIONFinally,inallthingsarchery,theacronymKISS–KeepItSimple,Stupid–
certainlyappliestobowsights.IlikebowsightsthatrequireaminimumofAllenwrenchsizestomakeallthe
adjustments.Also,thefewermovingpartsthatcanrattleloosethebetter.Partsthatdomoveshouldbeabletobetightlysecured.Remember,thewholepurposeofabowsightistoallowyoutoacquirethe
targetasquicklyaspossible,thenplaceyourbroadheadintothevitalsshotaftershot.Buyanewsightthatyouarecomfortablewith,thatwillnotbreakundereven
ruggedfielduseandisreliableasthesunrise.ThisisoneaccessoryinwhichIbelievetheupgradeiswellworththemoney.
chapter24
WHYBRACEHEIGHTMATTERSTHELASTTHINGYOUNEEDtothinkaboutwhenawhitetailwalkswithin
bowrangeissometechnicalmumbo-jumboabouthowyourcompoundbowfunctions.Judgmentsaboutyoursetupshouldbetakencareofwellbeforetheseasonbeginssothatallyouneedtodoisconcentrateonnotbeingseen,smelledorheard.Thenallyouneedtodoissmoothlydrawthebowback,placetheproperpinonthedeer’svitalsandturnthearrowloose.That’swhy,whenitistimetotradeinyourvintagecompoundbowforanew,
improvedversion,youfirstneedtounderstandabitaboutthefeaturesandbenefitsofthevariousbowdesignsavailablethatyearsothatyouarecomparingapplestoapples.Oneofthetermsweoftenhearbandiedabout,yetmostarchersdonot
understand,istheterm“braceheight.”Whatdoesitmean,exactly,andwhyshouldyoubeconcernedaboutit?Braceheightcertainlyisn’tassexyasAMOorIBOarrowspeeds,themass
weightofthebow,oritsaxle-to-axlelength.Yetbraceheightissomethingeverydeerhuntershouldunderstand.TheArcheryTradeAssociationdefinesbraceheightastheperpendicular
distancefromthebowstringtothepivotpointofthebow’shandle.Thatpivotpointisthemostrecessedpartofthebowhandleandisusuallylocateddirectlybelowtheholedrilledforthearrowrest.Braceheightismeasuredininches,andthebraceheightofyourbowdefinitelyaffectsbothitsspeedandaccuracypotential.Here’swhy.
Thebraceheightofacompoundbowisdefinedasthedimensionfromthegrippivotpointtotheinsideedgeofthebowstringmeasuredat90degreeswiththebowintheundrawncondition.
Theshorterthebraceheight,thefartherthebowstringtravelsforwarduponrelease.Thiscreatesalongerpowerstroke,which,inturn,increasesrawarrowspeed(allotherthingsbeingequal).Today’sfastestcompoundbowshavebraceheightsasshortas51⁄2inches.Meanwhile,somemodelshavebraceheightsaslongas8inches.Ifshortbraceheightsproducemorespeed,whychooseabowwithalonger
braceheight?That’ssimple:accuracy.Bowswithbraceheightsoflessthan61⁄2inchescanbeverycriticalofshooting
formandarelessforgivingbecauseoftheextremeanglescreatedbythestringandlimbsatfulldraw(thiscanbecompoundedinbowswithashorteroverallaxle-to-axlelength)andbecausethearrowstaysonthestringlonger.Thismakesyourshootingform,andespeciallyhandtorque,muchmoreimportanttoaccuratearrowflight.Bowswithshortbraceheightsarealsomorepronetoslapyourbowarmwith
thestring,especiallywhenyouarewearingheavyclothing.
Conversely,bowswithlongerbraceheightsareabitslowerbutaremucheasiertoshootaccurately.That’sbecausethepowerstrokeisshorter,andthearrowisnotonthebowstringaslong.Thus,minorshootingformerrors—whilestilltroublesome—arenotquiteascriticaltoplacingthearrowontarget.
FORTHEAVERAGEWHITETAILHUNTER,ACOMPOUNDBOWWITHABRACEHEIGHTBETWEEN7AND8INCHESISASOLIDCOMPROMISEBETWEEN“SHOOTABILITY”ANDRAWARROWSPEED.
Ofcourse,abow’sbraceheightisjustoneofmanydesignfeaturesthataffecthowfastthebowshootsandhow“shootable”itis.However,itisoneofthefeaturesyoushouldconsiderwhenshoppingforanewbow.Myownruleofthumbonbraceheightisthis:Fortheaveragewhitetailhunter
facedwithwhatmostofuswouldconsidercommon,everydayhuntingconditions,acompoundbowwithabraceheightbetween7and8inchesisasolidcompromisebetween“shootability”andrawarrowspeed.Keepinmindthatwiththeadvancesinmoderncompoundbowdesign,the
bowswehavetochoosefromtodayaresomuchfasterthaneverbefore,itisnolongernecessarytoshootabowwithasuper-shortbraceheighttoachieverawarrowspeedsthatonlythemostradicalofbowdesignscouldproducejustadecadeago.Therefore,mostcompoundbowswithbraceheightsofbetween7and8incheswillsendhuntingweightarrowsdownrangeatspeedssomewherebetween250and280fps—plentyfasttogetthejobdone.Thesesamebows,whenproperlytunedandsightedin,willbecomfortableto
shootandextremelyaccurate.They’llalsoallowyoutoshootwellevenwhenyourbodyiscontorted,theweather’snasty,andthedeerdonotdoexactlywhatyouhadhopedtheywould—prettymuchstandardfarewhenbowhuntingwhitetails.
chapter25
THEPRACTICAL,LITTLEBOWPEEPIFYOUSHOOTACOMPOUNDBOWwithoutusingapeepsight,chances
areprettygoodthatyouarenotthebestbowshotyoucanbe.Apeepsightisnothingmorethanasmallringfittedintothebowstringabove
thenockpointandpositionedtoalignwithyourdominanteyeatfulldraw.However,thislittleadditionforcesyoutokeepyourheaderectandanchorinaconsistentspotshotaftershot—importantdetailsinthequesttokeepthesamesightpictureforeveryshot.Theknockonpeepsightshasbeenthattheyblocktoomuchoftheavailable
lightatthecuspofdawnanddarkfromreachingyourpupil,makingitimpossibletoseeyoursightpinsthroughthepeepwhenlightisthislow.However,Ifindthatbyusingagoodfiberopticpinandlargeaperturepeep,Icanseemypinswellenoughtomakeshootingatgamepractical.Somearchersalsoworrythatthepeepwon’tbeturnedperfectlywhenthey
drawthebowstring,makingitimpossibletoseethroughtheaperture.However,thisisrarelyaproblemifthepeepisservedcorrectlyintothebowstring,andmanymodelsuseapieceofsurgicalrubbertubingthatpullsthepeepintoalignmenteachandeveryshot.Thereareotherdownsidestopeepsights,thoughtheyrarelyoccur.For
example,apeepcanfillwithwaterduringrainyweather,distortingyourvision.I’veevenhadawaterdropletfreezeinsidetheaperturehole,obliteratingmyvision.However,thisisquicklyremediedbysuckingonthepeepandlettingyourhotbreaththawitout.Whenpeepsfirstbecamepopularwithbowhunters,mostmodelsfeatured
surgicalrubbertubingtomakesuretheyrotatedintopositionatfulldraw.Thetubingiscutsoitslengthstretchesittautatfulldraw.Thisstylewasmorepopularadecadeagowhenbowstringsstretchedmuchmorethantheydonow,mostbowhuntersreleasedtheirarrowsusingtheirfingers,andfewreleaseshootershadeverheardofastringloop.
APEEPSIGHTISNOTHINGMORETHANASMALLRINGFITTEDINTOTHEBOWSTRINGABOVETHENOCKPOINTANDPOSITIONEDTOALIGNWITHYOURDOMINANTEYEATFULLDRAW.
Buttherearedownsidestothetubing-dependentpeep.First,thetubingcansnagonbrushorlimbsandgetpulledoffthepeep.Thetubingwillalsocrackandsplitovertimeandneedstobereplaced.I’vealsohadtheknotthataffixesthetubingtomybowcomeuntied.Arrowspeedisalsoaffected.Onaverage—andthisvariesfrombowtobow—you’llloseabout5fpsofrawarrowspeedusingthetubing.Finally,whenthebowisreleased,thetubingwillflyforwardandmakeanoticeableslappingsoundthatcanhelpspookgame.Today,manyarchersuseastyleofpeepthatiscalledaself-centeringpeep.
Thesejewelsaredesignedtorotateintoalignmentwithouttheaidofrubbertubing.Theyseemtobemostconsistentlyabletodothisonmodernbowsfeaturinglow-ornon-stretchbowstringsandastringloop.Thiscombinationallowthestringtobedrawnasconsistentlyaspossible,allowingthepeeptorotateintopositionshotaftershot.
Peepsightscomewithdifferentaperturesizes.Formostwhitetailhunting,largerapertures–whichallowmorelighttopassthrough–arethebestchoice.
Beforeservingapeepintoitsfinalposition,youshouldshootacouplehundredarrowswiththatstringtogeteverylittlebitofstretchoutofit.Then,thepeepmustbeservedsecurelyintothestringsoitcan’tslipupanddownbetweenthestrands.Itisalsoimportantthatyourstringloopbesecurelytied
ontothebowstringsoitwillnotrotate.Peepplacementcanbecrucialtoaccuracy.Makesureyourpeepisservedinto
thebowstringsothatyourheadcanremainerectatfulldraw.Afterthispositionhasbeendeterminedandthepeepplaced,markthebowstringatthetopandbottomofthepeepwithawhiteorsilvermarker.Thiswillallowyoutoinstantlytellifyourpeephascreptupordownthestring(theusualdirectionisup).Ialsoshootalotofpracticearrowsaimingaboveortothesideofmypeep
withmytoppinjustincasesomethinghappenstomypeep.Iplacethesightpinrightontoponthepeep,orinthemiddleofftotheside.Thispracticeletsmeknowwheremyarrowswillstrikeat20yardsincasetheaperturegetsfilledwithsomething,thepeepdoesn’trotateproperlyorthesurgicaltubingsnapsorcomesloose.Severalnewpeepvariationsdeviatefromthestandardroundhole,butthey
workinthesameway.Inmostcases,theuniqueshapeismeanttoincreaselighttransmission.ExamplesincludetheC-Peep,withanopenslotalongoneside;theVitalGearMasterPeep,whichclampsonthebowstring;andtheStringSplitter,whichismoreofanupsidedown“U”servedintothebowstringwithanopenbottomthatallowsahugeamountoflightinandincreasesyourfieldofvision.
chapter26
YOUCANBUILDABETTERARROWIFYOU’VEBEENBOWHUNTINGforanylengthoftime,you’ve
undoubtedlyexperiencedthefrustrationofhavingafletchtear,loosen,orgetrippedrightoffoneofyourfavoritehuntingarrows.Mosthuntersdooneoftwothings—settheshaftasidefortherestofthe
season,ortrytoputthebadfletchbacktogetheragain.Thetruthis,replacingabadfletchonacarbonhuntingshaft—theshaftofchoiceforthemajorityoftoday’sbowhunters—isn’tallthatdifficult.Youjustneedafewsimpletools,therightadhesiveandalittletime.Andafteryoufigureitout,thenextstepistobeginfletchingallyourownhuntingshafts—somethingthattakesabitoftimebutresultsinprecisely-builtarrowsthatflylikerocketships.Togetstartedyou’llneedtomakeasmallinvestmentintools.First,you’ll
needasimplefletchingjig.Thereareseveralgoodones,includingtheBohningJig,BlitzenburgerDial-O-Fletch,Jo-JanMulti-Fletcher,andArizonaRimProducts’CarbonE-ZFletch,E-ZFletchProandFletchIII.Expecttospendsomewherebetween$50and$100foraqualityfletcher.
Next,you’llneedastrippingtoolforremovingoldfletches.Adullknifewillwork,butusingonerisksdamagingtheshaft.TheNorwayZip-Stripworksgreatandcostsabout$35.Cabela’ssellsaFletchStripperfor$10.99thatalsoworkswell.
Fletchingarrowsrequiresasmallinvestmentintoolsandmaterials,buttheresultsarewellworththecostandeffort.
You’llneedsomethingtocleantheshaftaftertheoldfletcheshavebeenremovedandtoprepanewshaftforfletching.Acetone,lacquerthinneranddenaturedalcoholaresomeofthesolutionsthatworkwell.CommercialproductslikeNewArcheryProducts’QuickSpinFletchPrepWipes,BohningSSRSurfaceCleanerandAAEArrowCleaneralsodothejob.Finally,you’llneedtheproperadhesivetobondfletchestotheshaft.Many
yearsago,Fletch-Titewasthestandardbywhichfletchingadhesiveswerejudged.Anditstillworkswell—onaluminumshafts.Carbonshaftsarebestservedbyadhesiveswithadifferentchemicalmake-up—essentially,superglue-likeadhesives.Andthesegluesalsoworkonaluminumarrows.TopqualityadhesivesforcarbonshaftsincludeCarbonExpress’sCX
ExpressBond,BohningFletch-TitePlatinum,FastFletchGlue,andSaundersArcheryNPVCement,amongothers.CommercialadhesiveslikeGorillaGlueandoneofthemanysuperglueslikeLocktiteProfessionalalsowork.OneproductthathasdrawnravesfrommanyfolksisGoatTuffGlue.You’llalsoneedaclean,leveltabletoworkon,somecleanwipingclothesor
papertowels,andacoupleotherlittlethingsdescribedbelow,andthenyou’rereadytogetstarted.StepOneistoremovethedamagedfletch.Donotthinkyoucanrepairasmall
tearinasinglefletchorproperlyre-glueafletchtotheshaftthatispartiallycomingoffanddothejobright.Also,ifyouuse“wraps”orsomesortofshrinktubefletchsystem,you’llhavetoremovetheentirethingandstartover.
THETRUTHIS,REPLACINGABADFLETCHONACARBONHUNTINGSHAFTISN’TALLTHATDIFFICULT.YOUJUSTNEEDAFEWSIMPLETOOLS,THERIGHTADHESIVE,ANDALITTLETIME.
Themostimportantpartofadhesionispropercleaningofthearrowshaft.Failuretodosocancauseseriousadhesionproblems.Aftertheoldfletchhasbeenremoved,cleantheshaftwithakitchenscrubpadandacommercialcleanerlikeCometorAjax,oroneofthecommercialshaftcleaners.Carefullywashallresidueoff,thenrubtheshaftwithdenaturedalcoholtoremoveanyfineparticulates.Onlyscruffuptheportionoftheshafttowhichfletcheswillbeattached.
You’llknowwhenyouaredonewhenthereisnomoreblackcomingoffonyourtowel.Rinsetheshaftinrunninghotwaterandletitairdry.Arrowsshouldbefletchedassoonaspossibleaftercleaningtokeeptheshaft
frombecomingcontaminated.Donottouchtheportionoftheshafttobefletched,orthebaseofthevane,orallowthemtocomeintocontactwithanysurfaceaftertheyhavebeencleaned.Tofletchashaft,placethearrowshaftinthejig.Next,placethevaneinthe
clampandapplyanevenbeadofgluetothevanebase.Don’tusetoomuch!Quicklyapplytheclamptothemagnetonthejigandpressthefletchfirmlytotheshaft.Ensurethevaneisincontactwiththeshaft,thenletitstandforaboutfiveminutes.Squeezetheclampopenandremoveitfromthevane.Ifyouhavemore
fletchestodo,rotatethejigtothenextpositionandapplytheremainingvanesinthesamemanner.Removetheclampafteryouhavefletchedyourfinalvane.Removethearrowfromthejiganddotbothendsofeachvanewithadhesive.
Thiswillgiveyoumorevanesupport.
chapter27
THERESTISUPTOYOUINALLFORMSOFSHOOTING,consistentaccuracyisbuiltupona
foundationthatincludespropershootingmechanics,concentrationandusingaweapon-and-projectilecombinationthat,whentheshooterdoeshisorherjob,groupsseveralshotscloselytogether.Withacompoundbow,itmeanstuningthebow-and-arrowcombinationuntil
thearrowsareflyinglikelaserbeams,withnowobble.Seriousbowhunterspaper-tunetheirbowsuntilabroadhead-tippedshafttearsabulletholethroughthepaper,aprocessthatcanbetime-consumingbutwillpayhugedividendswhenitistimetomakemeat.That’sinaperfectworld.Intherealworld,manybowhuntersfindthepaper-
tuningprocessnothingbutdrudgery.Generally,oneoftwothingshappens.Thefirstincludesminorflawsin
shootingform,oftencenteredaroundhandtorque.Grippingthebowimproperlycancausetheshootertotorquethehandleastheshaftisreleased,whichcancauseminorinconsistenciesinarrowflight.Thesecondismoredifficulttodetectandmayinvolveminorfletchcontactwiththearrowrest.Anycontactwiththerestwillresultinwobbly,inconsistentshaftflightthatismagnifiedwhenbroadheadblades,whichliketosteertheshaftjustasfletchingdoes,areaddedtotheequation.That’snottosaythatyoucannotachievesuperbarrowflightwithbroadheads
usingconventionalarrowrestsandsmallerfletching.However,whenyouaddthedifficultiesencounteredinthefield—weirdbodypositions,awkwardshootingangles,toomanyclothesinthewayandalargedoseof“buckfever”—thechancesaregoodthatthearrowwillnotflyexactlyasitissupposedto.That’sbadnews.Withconventionalarrowrests,archersdependonthepositionofthefletching
toclearanarrowrest’sprongsorlauncherarms.Theobviousanswerhasalwaysbeenanarrowrestthatsupportstheshaftpriortorelease,butthengetsoutofthewayoftheshaftoncethestringisreleasedandthearrowstartsforward.
FALL-AWAYARROWRESTSPERMITYOUTOACCURATELYSHOOTFLETCHINGLARGEENOUGHTOSTEERREPLACEABLE-ANDFIXED-BLADEBROADHEADS.THEY
ALSOHELPOVERCOMEMINORINCONSISTENCIESINSHOOTINGFORM,THEBANEOFMOSTBOWHUNTERS.
Enterthefall-away(alsocalled“drop-away”)arrowrest.Thisradicalconceptisreallyprettysimple.Insteadofusingaconventional
fixed-prongpositiontoholdanarrowshaftatwhatisessentiallya90-degreeangletothebowstring,withafall-awayresttheshaftislaidontherisershelf.Therestdoeshaveanarrow-holdinglauncher,butitispositionedbelowtheshaftsoitdoesnotinitiallyholdtheshaftinplace.Inmostcases,thelauncherisconnectedtothebow’scablesystem—usuallythedownbuscable—eitherwitharubbertube,cordorcable.Whenthebowisdrawn,therearwardcablemovementpullsthecordback,whichinturnsendsthelauncherupwardintotheshaft,liftingitintopositionatfulldraw.Whenthestringisreleased,theforwardmovementofthecablecausesthelaunchertorapidly“fallaway”fromtheshaft.Inessence,thearrowstreaksforwardwithnochanceofmakingfurthercontactwiththerest.Theproblemoffletchclearancehasbeensolved.
Whenitwasintroducedafewyearsago,theZeroEffectresttookaccuracytonewlevels,andsparkedarevolutioninthearrow-restindustry.
Theconceptsoundssimple,anditis.Butdoesitreallywork?
Thefall-awayrestconceptcametotheforefrontin2001,whenMuzzyProducts—bestknownforexcellentlinesofreplaceable-bladebroadheads—introducedtheirZeroEffectfall-awayrest.Aswordofitssuccessspreadthroughoutthebowhuntingcommunity,othermanufacturerscouldsensesomethingofarevolutionoccurring.Sincethattime,adazzlingarrayoffall-awayrestshavebeenproduced.Iamafirmbelieverintheoldadage,“Theproofisinthepudding.”Ittookme
afullseasonofhard-coreexperimentingbeforeIwaswillingtoadmitthat,guesswhat?Hereisanewconceptthatreallyworksandactuallyhelpsmakemostbowhuntersbettershooters.Since2002,Ihavetestedasmanydrop-awaysasIcouldgetmyhandson,andIhavebowhuntedexclusivelywiththemeversince.Ibelievethatfall-awayarrowrestsaretherealdeal.Theypermityouto
accuratelyshootfletchinglargeenoughtosteerreplaceable-andfixed-bladebroadheads.Theyalsohelpovercomeminorinconsistenciesinshootingform,thebaneofmostbowhunters.Forthousandsofbowhunters—myselfincluded—theresulthasbeenmoreaccuratebroadheadshooting.Thekeyistofindonethatworkswellwithyourmakeandmodelof
compoundbowandmatchesyourstyleofhunting.Thebestplacetocheckthemoutisatyourlocalarcheryproshop,wheretheexpertshophelpcanexplaintheinsandoutsandhelpyousetyourbowupwithonetherightway.Ifyou’veneverputadrop-awayrestonabow,itcanbeabitconfusinganditiswellworththetimeandmoneytohaveanexpertdoitforyou.
chapter28
IT’SALLABOUTTHESTRINGABOWSTRINGHASTWOMAINPURPOSES—totransferenergyfrom
yourarmsandbackmusclestothelimbsofthebow,andtransferthatstoredenergyfromthebowtothearrow.Justlikeagolfclubortennisracket,thiscreatedthrustpropelstheprojectile(golfball,tennisballorarrow)andgivesitdirection.Itmusttransferenergyefficiently,inaconsistentmanner,formanyhundredsofshots.Ifthestringdoesn’tmeetthesecriteria,it’sgoingtomakeitvirtuallyimpossibletoshootaccuratelywithanyconsistency.Modernbowstringseasilymeetthesebasiccriteria.However,allserious
bowhuntersshouldunderstandafewsimplethingsaboutthestringandhowtomaintainit.Therearetwobowstringtermsthatarefrequentlymisusedandincorrectly
interchanged.Thefirstis“stretch.”Theproperandaccuratedefinitionofstretchis,“thetemporaryorrecoverableelongationofthestringcausedbytheshootingforceofthebow.”Thisissimilartowhathappenstoyourarmduringthepullingonarubberband—pullitanditstretches,letitgoanditreturnstoitsoriginalshape.“Creep”isthecontinualandpermanentelongationofthebowstringcausedby
theloadortensionfromthelimbs.Thisisakintobeinghookeduptoatorturerackandyourarmsandlegsbeingpulledinoppositedirectionsformonths.
Wheninstallingpeepsights,takethepressureoffthestringfirstwithacommercialbowpress.It’salsoimportanttotakeyourtime,beingextracarefulnottodamageanyofthestring’sfibers.
Oneimportantthingtorememberisthatwithmanypopularbowstringmaterials,ittakesabout200shotsforthematerialtocreepintothemanufacturers’specifiedlength.That’swhywiththestringsfoundonmanynewbowsitisimportanttoshootatleast200timesbeforedoingyourfinalfine-tuningandsightinginandservinginyourpeepsight.Manytopbowmakersoffertheirbowswithexcellentbowstrings.However,
asisthecasewithallthingsinlife,notallbowstringsarecreatedequal.Addingacustomstringcanaddapproximately$35to$75toanewbowpurchase.However,manyseriousbowhuntersfeeltheyareworthit.Manytoptournamentarchersandbowhuntersnowusecustom-madestrings.
ThebestonesI’vefoundarefoundonbowsbuiltbyBowTech,MathewsandcustomstringsbyWinner’sChoiceBowstrings.NearlyallBowTechandDiamondbowsincludecustombowstrings.Infact,
thecompanyemploys45peoplewhodonothingbutbuildcustomstrings.BowTechuses22strands(11eachoftwocolors)ofhighqualityBCY452X
materialthatispre-treatedwithasyntheticwax.Everysetispre-stretchedat450psiandheldforfiveminutesbeforeservingisapplied.ThepatentedMathewsZebraZSTwiststringsusecounterclockwise(Z)and
clockwise(S)twistedfilamentsbundledtogethertomakeacompletestring.Thisbalancesthestringtodramaticallyreducepeeprotation.Also,thetwo-colordesignmakesiteasiertoseparatethestrandsforpeepinstallation.MathewsTigerTwiststringsaremadefromSpectra/Vectranblendmaterialsandhavevirtuallynocreep.Winner’sChoicestringsandcablesareconstructedwithauniqueprocessthat
pre-elongatesthestringfiberssoyourstringandcablesstayatthedesiredlengthfortheentireusefullifeoftheproduct.
SIMPLESTRINGMAINTENANCEISCRITICAL.THATGENERALLYCONSISTSOFNOTHINGMORETHANREGULARLYWAXINGYOURSTRINGWITHAGOODWAX.
Mostbowstringproblemsarecausedbyahunter’snegligence.Whenhunting,carryyourbowwiththeriserdownsoifyoudoslip,thefirstpartofthebowtocontactthegroundistheriser.Also,whenwinchingyourbowupanddownfromatreestand,connectthepullropetothebowlimb—notthestring.Ifyoushootwithyourfingersoruseareleaseaidwithoutastringloop,that
meansyoumustcrimpanocksetontothestring’sserving.Don’tover-crimp!Also,“stringslap”onyourbowarmwillrapidlywearoutastring.Learnpropershootingformsoyouneverhavethestringslappingyourarm.Don’tplaceyourbottomwheelorcamdirectlyontheground.Whenyoudo,thestringandwaxpickupdebristhateventuallyactslikesandpaperandcausesunnecessarywear.Neverinstallapeepsightorotherstringaccessoryunderfulltension.Instead,useabowpresstorelaxstringtensionforthesechores.Ifyoudon’t,minutefibersorindividualstrandswillbreakorbedamaged.Simplestringmaintenanceiscritical.Thatgenerallyconsistsofnothingmore
thanregularlywaxingyourstringwithagoodwax.Thishelpspreventfiber-to-fiberabrasion,keepsthebundleofstrandstogether,maintainsandextendsthelifeofthestringandpreventswaterabsorption.Thebowstringmightnotbethemostexcitingpartofyourpetbow-and-arrow
setup,butitcertainlyisoneofthemostimportant.Simplybeingcognizantofthestringinthefieldandperformingsomebasicmaintenancewillkeepyourstringfromlettingyoudownwhenthechipsareontheline.
chapter29
ISACROSSBOWINYOURFUTURE?ONLYAHUNTERLIVINGONMARSthepastfiveyearscouldhavemissed
theexplosionofcrossbowhuntinginAmerica.Infact,crossbowhuntingisthefastest-growingsegmentofthedeerhuntingindustryrightnow.Thegrowthremindsmeofhowthepopularityofmuzzleloaderhuntingsimilarlyexplodedintheearly1990swiththeintroductionofthefirstin-linerifles.Thereasonsforthisgrowtharemany.Perhapsmostimportantisthefactthat
morestateshavelegalizedcrossbowhuntingduringarchery-onlyseasons.Tiedtothisuptickinregulationchangesisthefactthatmanyarchersbecomecrossbowhuntersastheygetolderandfindtheycan’tdrawacompoundbowanymore.Withmoreandmorehuntersreachingretirementage,that’satrendthatwillcontinue.Crossbowsarealsoeasiertolearntoshoot—andshootaccurately—at
archeryhuntingdistancesthancompoundorrecurvebows,makingthemanidealwaytointroduceyoungstersandspousestobowhunting.Ifyou’repartofthegrowingcorpsofbowhuntersthinkingaboutgiving
crossbowhuntingatry,hereareafewthingstoconsiderbeforeyoumakeapurchase.
ASSESSINGTHEOPTIONSThefirststepinpurchasingacrossbowshouldbeavisittoadealertoshoot
severaldifferentmodelstoseewhichoneyoulikeandshootbest.Crossbowsareexpensive.Theyareasmuchormorethanaqualitycompoundbowwithaccessories.Takeyourtimehandlingandshootingasmanydifferentmodelsaspossiblebeforemakingafinaldecision.Whiletherearestillsomecrossbowssoldwithrecurvelimbs,thetechnology
hasadvancedandmosthunterschooseacrossbowswithcamsandcablesystemssimilartothosefoundoncompoundbows.Makesureyoutrycockingthecrossbow.Therearetwobasicwaystodoit.
Themostcommonistousesomesortofrope-cockingdevice.However,morecrossbowsarenowbeingmanufacturedwithabuilt-incrankcockingdevice.Thesebowscostabitmoremoney,buttheyaremucheasiertocockconsistently,andyouneverhavetoworryaboutlosingthecockingrope.Parkerrecently
releasedacrossbowthatcocksitselfwithacanisterofcompressedair.Asfarassightingdevicesgo,huntersshouldchoosesomesortofscope.Most
ofthesecomeineitherzeroorveryloworvariablemagnification—4Xmagnificationwouldbethetop-endpoweryou’lleverneed.Therearemanydifferentreticleconfigurations,fromastandardplex-typereticletocrosshairswithmultiplehorizontalstadiathatcanbedialedinforspecificdistances—muchlikebowsightpinscanbeset.Alsopopularareelectronicred-dotscopes,whichemploybothsingleandmultiplereddots.Theseareexcellentchoices,especiallyinlowlightconditions.Aqualitycrossbowwillalsohaveareliableandeasy-to-usesafety,justlikea
rifle.
WHATABOUTARROWS?Theshortenedarrowsacrossbowshoots(sometimescalled“bolts”)arebeing
madebyseveraltop-endarrowmakers.Theyhavethesameplasticfletchesusedbymostcompoundbowshooters,andemploythesamescrew-inarrowpointsystem.
Manyarchersbecomecrossbowhuntersastheygetolderandfindtheycan’tdrawacompoundbowanymore.Withmoreandmorehuntersreachingretirementage,that’satrendthatwill
continue.
Somecompanieshavebegunsellingbeefyheadsdesignedspecificallyforcrossbowhunting.Theyareworthcheckingout.However,regardlessofwhatweight(ordesign)youselect,makesureyoutestyourarrow/broadheadcombinationontherangeforaccuracyandconsistency.Then,sightthecrossbowinusingthisidenticalcombinationbeforeheadingafield.Becausecrossbowslaunchtheirarrowsatfasterinitialspeedsthanmost
compounds,mechanicalbroadheadsareverypopularwithmanycrossbowhunters.Justhowfastwillcrossbowsshoot?Itishardtofindaqualityhuntingcrossbowtodaythatlaunchesanarrowatlessthan300feet-per-second.Manysurpassthe350fpsmarkandsomeexceed400fps.Becauseofthesespeeds—andthecrossbowdesign—itisveryimportant
thatyouregularlylubricatetherailstoreducefrictionasthestringsizzlesacrossthemetalrailsandtohelpimpedestringwear.Testinghasshownthatnotlubricatingtherailsafteraslittleasfiveshotswillsignificantlyreducerawarrowspeed.Youshouldalsoregularlywaxyourstringandcablesystem,justasyoudoonyourcompoundbow.
OTHERNECESSITIESThereareacoupleofaccessoriesworthconsidering.Oneisasling.
Crossbowscanbeheavyifyou’retravelingfartogettoyourstand.Aslinghelpsalot.Anothernecessityisatop-qualitybroadheadtargetsoyoucanpractice
diligently.Athirditemtogetisalaserrangefinder.Crossbowsmightbefasterthan
compoundbows,buttheirarrowsstillflywithadeeply-arcingtrajectory.ForthatreasonIneverhitthewoodswithoutmyNikonArcher’sChoicelaserrangefinder.Anothergooditemtopurchaseissomesortofshootingstickormonopodthat
canattachtothecrossbowitselfandcanbeusedbothonthegroundandwhenupinyourtreestand.You’llfindthatcrossbowsarebeefy,heavyandoftenabitunwieldy.Aresthelpsimmensely.That’swhymanycrossbowhuntersusetreestandsthatemployshootingrailsonallsides.
HERETOSTAYDespitecontinuedgrumblingfromsomecompoundandtraditional
bowhuntersthatcrossbowsarenotbows,thesetoolsareheretostay.Bothverticalandhorizontalbowshavetheirplusesandminuseswhenitcomesto
hunting.Tofairandopen-mindeddeerhuntersIsay,whydon’tyoucheckoutcrossbowsanddecideforyourself?
resources
MeasuringYourDrawLengthUnlikeatraditionalrecurvebowthatcanbedrawnbacktovirtuallyany
length,acompoundbowwilldrawbackonlyaspecificdistancebeforeitstops(thewall).Compoundbowsaredesignedtobeshotfromthefull-drawposition.Ifa
compoundbowissetfora29-inchdrawlength,itshouldalwaysbeshotfromthefull29-inchdrawposition.Thebowcannotbeover-drawn—to30or31inches,forexample—withoutmodifyingthesetuponthebow.Thedrawlengthonyourbowmustbesettomatchyoursize.Tomeasureyourdrawlength,determinethelengthofyourarm-spanin
inches.Standwithyourarmsoutandpalmsfacingforward.Don’tstretchwhenmeasuring.Juststandnaturally.Havesomeonehelpyou,andmeasurefromthetipofonemiddlefingertotheother.Then,simplydividethatnumberby2.5.Thequotientisyourproperdraw
length(ininches)foryourbodysize.Mostcompoundbowownerssettheirbowsfortoomuchdrawlength,which
resultsinpoorshootingform,inaccuracyandapainfulstringslapontheforearm.Youwillbetterenjoy—andbemoresuccessfulwith—yournewbowwhenitisfittedproperlytoyourbody.Andifyouareindoubt,gowithalittleshortdrawlengthratherthanalittlelonger.
Arm-Span÷2.5=DrawLength
Also,ifyouplantoshootastringloop,generallysubtract1⁄2inchofdraw.
resources
PaperTuningPapertuningisarguablythebestmethodtofinelytuneabowandarrow.Itis
alsooneofthemoststraightforward.Topapertuneyourbow,standabout4to6feetfromasheetofpaperheldina
framewithabackstopbehindthepaperrack.Beforehand,itisimportantthatyouverifythecorrectarrowshaftisbeingused.Usinganarrowshaftthatistoostiffortooweakcanpreventpapertuningfrombeingfullyeffective.Itiswisetostartwiththenockingpointsetat1⁄8-inchabovecenter.Itisalso
importantthatthearrowrestisproperlysettoensurethatthefletchingdoesnotmakecontact.Startwiththecentershotabout3⁄4-inchoutfromtherisertothecenterofthearrowshaftandtherestheightsettobecenteredintherestattachmentholeintheriser.Theseareforright-handedshooters.Left-handedarchersshouldusethereverse.
Tearleft
TearLeft:(Oftenindicatesaweakspinedarrow)
1. Decreasethedrawweight.Turnthelimbboltsoutequalturns.(Nomorethan5fullturns.)
2. Decreasethepointweight.Alighterpointwillhavesomeeffectonincreasingshaftstiffness.Toolightofapointhowever,mightcauseunstablearrowflight.
3. Ifsteps1and2don’treducethelengthoftheteartoyoursatisfaction,youmightneedtochangetoastiffershaft.
4. Somesmalltearscansometimesbeimprovedbymovingthearrowrestawayfromtheriser.Youmayalsoneedtoaddatwistortwototheyokesystemontheoppositesideofthetear.(Foralefttear,addacoupletwiststotherightsideoftheyolk.)
Tearright
TearRight:(Oftenindicatesanarrowthatistoostiff)
1. Increasethedrawweight.Tightenbothlimbsboltsinatequalturns.2. Increasepointweight.Aheavierpointwillhavesomeeffectondecreasing
shaftstiffness.Arrowspeedmightbereduced.3. Ifsteps1and2don’treducethelengthoftheteartoyoursatisfaction,you
mightneedtochangetoashaftwithlessspine.Smalltearscansometimesbeimprovedbymovingthearrowresttowardtheriser.Youmayalsoneedtoaddatwistortwototheyokesystemontheoppositesideofthetear.(Foralefttear,addacoupletwiststotherightsideoftheyolk.)
Hightear
Tocorrectahightear:
1. Movethenockingpointdowninsmallincrements,orraisetherestheight.2. Ifusingalauncherorshoot-throughtypearrowrest,movethearrow
supportarmup.Increasingspringtensioncanalsobehelpful.3. Checkforfletchinginterference,andadjusttherestpositionasneeded.
Lowtear
Tocorrectalowtear:
1. Movethenockingpointupinsmallincrements,orlowertherestheight.2. Ifusingalauncherorshoot-throughtypearrowrest,movethearrow
supportarmdown.Reducedspringtensioncanalsobehelpfulforevenfineradjustments.
Ifnothingchanges,youcanalsoseeifyouaregettingnockpinch,orifusinganaftermarketstring,checktheservingsize,asitmaybetoothick.
Copyright©2011F+WMedia,Inc.
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopy,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinacriticalarticleorreviewtobeprintedinamagazineornewspaper,orelectronicallytransmittedonradio,television,ortheInternet.
Publishedby
KrausePublicationsadivisionofF+WMedia,Inc.700EastStateStreet•Iola,WI54990-0001
715-445-2214•888-457-2873www.krausebooks.com
Toorderbooksorotherproductscalltoll-free1-800-258-0929orvisitusonlineatwww.shopdeerhunting.com
ISBN-13:978-1-4402-3082-0
ISBN-10:1-4402-3082-X
PrinteditiondesignedbyAlWestEditedbyBrianLovett
Thise-bookedition:September2012(v.ep.1.1)