If you are a bow hunter, there’s nothing better than the anticipation of opening weekend. For some, the anticipation comes much sooner than for others. A hunter who lives solely for archery season may tweak and modify their bow several times throughout the year. They might practice all year long and can’t wait until July and August to get into the woods and do some early scouting. Then there are those hunters that love to chase big topwater bass or migrating crappie in the fall or maybe do a little squirrel hunting leading up to opening morning. Either way, one thing is certain: your bow and your shooting need a little attention before hitting the woods.
Check Your Bowstring
Be sure to check your bowstring before heading to the archery range. An aging bowstring is not only a safety concern; it can also cause a decline in consistent accuracy. Shooting a bow obviously puts a lot of stress on the bowstring. What many bow hunters don’t think about is the stress that’s always on the string while in the bow case.
Maintaining your bowstring isn’t that hard. Inspect your bowstring and cables for any undue wear or fraying. The serving area tends to get all the focus when inspecting a bowstring. Be sure to look at the areas that may have unseen wear, like the upper and lower cams, cable glide area, and the peep. An easy way to inspect these areas is to draw your bow or have a friend help you out, and visually inspect them. Drawing the bow will sometimes uncover a bowstring problem that warrants replacement.
Replacing your bowstring should be a part of your preventative maintenance program. When to replace your bowstring is determined by a few factors, like how often you shoot, whether you shoot in a dusty environment, or where it rains a lot. Using a quality bowstring wax, like Papes String Snot, and keeping your string covered will get you at least a couple of years, maybe more, out of your bowstring. I use the Primos Bow Sling to carry my bow in the woods and when in storage. Briars and tree limbs can cause premature bowstring wear, and if you hunt the thick stuff, it could shorten your bowstring life considerably.
Keep Your Bow Clean
Keeping all your archery gear clean is a good idea but keeping your bow clean is crucial to a trouble-free season. Dirty limb pockets, limb bolts, cable glides can all squeak and creak at that moment of truth and ruin an otherwise perfect hunt. Why take a chance on this happening when a couple hours at the work bench or a quick drive to a good bow tech is all you need for that piece of mind come opening morning.
Having your bow cleaned after each season, or before, will keep everything working smoothly and quietly and it will keep your bow functioning like new for many years. A little bow wax on the threads of the limb bolts will not only keep it quiet but also make it easy to adjust the poundage when needed. Dirty cam groves will place undue wear on the end servings. Have a friend draw the bow and use a dampened Q-tip to clean the cam grooves. Your bow technician should cover all these items for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Checking Arrow Flight
Tuning your bow after each season will keep it shooting consistently year after year. Again, a bow technician can do all the checks for you, and you can get everything done at once. If you think your bow is still tuned from last season, maybe you didn’t shoot that much, then at least shoot a few arrows through paper.
Paper tuning is something you can do at home. Paper tuning is easy to do at home and can tell you a lot about your bow's condition. If your bow is shooting true, you will get hardly any tear in the paper. The smaller the tear, the more accurate your bow will shoot broadheads, especially fixed heads. Most of the time, all you need to do is adjust the rest or knocking point to get a perfect hole or bullet hole. If the arrow is leaving a significant tear in the paper, then the arrow is not leaving the bow straight. Even though you might hit the mark down range, a less than perfect arrow flight will affect grouping and penetration.
Time to Practice
Now that your bow is clean and tuned, it is time to hit the range or your backyard target. I believe that the phrase "practice makes perfect" was coined on the archery range long ago. Shooting a few downrange, at least a few days a week leading up to the season, will make that shot opportunity seem routine. This is also the time to get a feel for your bow again and work out any little bugs you might encounter. One thing that helped me be more accurate when shooting at the actual deer was shooting 3D targets when I practiced. You might have heard or been told to "pick a spot". I always had trouble picking a spot on a live deer. My range accuracy was fine, but my field accuracy, not so much. My shot placement improved dramatically in the field after I started shooting 3D deer targets.
Bow season is fast approaching, so be prepared. Getting your bow out to inspect and shoot has always been a great lead into deer season. Hanging out with friends, checking out the pics from trail cameras, and shooting your bow is a great way to prepare technically, mentally, and physically, for another bow season. Good luck and enjoy your season.
