DEER&DEERHUNTING’S©

GUIDETOBETTERBOWHUNTING

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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.

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ISBN-13:978-1-4402-3082-0

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PrinteditiondesignedbyAlWestEditedbyBrianLovett

Thise-bookedition:September2012(v.ep.1.1)