PAST COLUMNS

SEPTEMBER 2008 -- It's 3-D season with hunting right around the corner! Take this time to fine-tune your set-up.

IF YOU ARE SHOOTING WITH YOUR HUNTING RIG:

1. Take note of any arrow flight irregularities that may indicate a tuning problem and adjust your tune. I'll come to this later.

2. Number and shoot all your arrows to make sure they group together. Try to fine-tune the ones that don't by turning your nocks. Put aside those that fail to group.

3. Really fine-tune your pin settings. As you warm up for 3-D, don't just shoot at bulls-eye targets to adjust your yardages. Shoot instead at the bottom edge of the target, at a bar code or at something else that makes your adjustment very precise.

4. Always shoot for the "X", the "12" ring or the center of the 10 spot. That will get you used to shooting at a spot on the deer and not just shooting at the whole deer. As the saying goes, "Aim big, miss big, aim small, miss small."

5. If not using a back tension release, try to shoot the trigger (THUMB OR FINGER) still using the back tension method. That is, get your pin on the target and float there for a second or two before executing the shot. The finger or thumb should be curled over the trigger while pulling by squeezing your shoulder blades together (get the feeling by holding an arrow with both hands in front of you and try to pull it apart). The release will slowly pull a bit in your hand, triggering the release. If it surprises you, you did it right.

Good shooting and have fun.

OCTOBER 2009 -- Well,  hunting season is here. Is everything set? Stands, packs, calls, scents, boots, binos, rangefinders, camo, scent elimination, bows and broadheads?

Quite some list!

But the last two are the most important. That is, if your broadheads don't fly right from your bow, you miss, or worse wound the animal you are shooting at!

The norm for many bow hunters is to re-sight for the flight of the broadhead-tipped arrow. The problem for  with that process is the fact that the broadhead flight is different from a field point-tipped arrow. The bow is out of tune. If everything is not exactly the same, arrow to arrow, the flight of each maybe different.

Result? Again, a miss or a wounding. (I also believe that the reason mechanical broadheads have a bad name is that many archers use them because they shoot like a field point.  In some cases there is poor arrow flight and penetration will suffer. With a properly-tuned bow, a broadhead-tipped arrow will fly the same as your field-pointed arrow.

I don't care if you are shooting a long bow, re-curve, an old whitetail II or today's fastest speed bow, any broadhead can be made to fly the same as a field point -- two blade, three blade, four blade, long or short) any broadhead.

It is usually easy to do! First, I will assume your bow is at least partially tuned. That is, arrow flight is pretty good. If not, look up the various tuning processes and get the arrow flight "good.' Now shoot a field-point arrow and then a broadhead. Different point of impact? If so, move your arrow rest, not the sight, in the direction that will move the broadhead arrow to match the field point arrow. Usually, I will start with a 1/8-inch move. Continue this in both vertical and horizontal directions until the impact points are the same (sometimes it is easier to move nock sets or loops to adjust the vertical component. This will be in the opposite direction... up for down downwards movement and down for upward movement.

If there is no discernible improvement or it it gets worse, try the moves in the other direction. This occurs sometimes and is usually due to a rebound effect from the rest or from the fact that the bow is way out of tune.

Once the impact point is the same, fine-tune your sights. The process may require some re-sighting.

The final result will be a setup that will shoot all arrows to the same spot. Now there is no reason to stop practicing as both field tips and broadheads shoot the same. Better yet, your hunting confidence will soar and penetration can be optimized because of great arrow flight.

If you cannot or don't think you can achieve this level of tuning, stop by your favorite shop for help.

 Also, if you get close, but still aren't satisfied,  try an offset fixed blade style broadhead like the Rocky Mountain Blitz  or NAP Nightmare. I sell these with money back guarantees!

Also, the slip- back mechanicals like the Rage, Rocky Mountain Gator and Snyper and Primos Undertaker are good choices.

Now, stop by and join our buck Pools. Good luck and good hunting.

Spring 2009

It's 3-D season again! Getting ready to shoot 3-D or just practice for summer? Make sure you check your equipment thoroughly before you drive yourself crazy on the course or at the target butts.

First off, how are your arrows? Are they all matched? Same fletchings on all of them? Same weight and field points? Same length? Same spine? Even the same nocks? Any variation in any of these items can cause minor or major changes in the points of impact. A hit or a miss.

Now is the time to put on the new strings and cables if you need them. With the summer of shooting ahead, everything has time to stretch  and settle in and setups can be fine-tuned for comfort, repeatability and ultimately, accuracy.

Here are some more tips to help you get thru 3-D courses, or just practicing this summer getting ready for this hunting season. It is very important that you go through your set-up and check your equipment thoroughly, so you don't drive yourself crazy because of inaccuracy due to bent arrows, loose sights or rests or anything else in your set-up that you did not check.

Sight in precisely. Don't just aim at a bulls eye. For yardage settings, aim at a horizontal black tape across the target.  Keep adjusting the pin until you consistently hit the tape.  As for windage adjustments, you may realize as you read the process why you may have had left and right accuracy problems in the past.

For windage adjustments, start close then make adjustments as you move back. If you don't hit the tape, when you move back in, then you may need a tune adjustment (you have just discovered wack-back tuning). To double check, use the vertical tape again. At 10 yards, aim and shoot at a spot on the tape. Move back to 20 yards and 30 yards and shoot at the same spot still using the10-yardpin. All shots should hit the tape only lower at farther yardage.  If they don't, they probably move a little farther from the tape at each longer yardage. To fix this problem move the rest in the direction required to make all the arrows hit the tape or at least be exactly above one another. Start with 1/16 to 1/8 adjustments when shot at all the yardages. Adjustments to the sight windages must be done to set the final windage when the tuning is completed.

Now you are ready to hit the course. Or are you? When sighting in, did you practice studying what extra yardage looked like? Do you have a method to estimate yardage? To be accurate, you just can't guess.

Next, aim small, miss small. Always aim at the "X" not just the whole animal.

One more thing. If you are primarily a hunter, I feel it is better to shoot at the maximum poundage you can to shoot the 40- to 60 arrows required to practice and shoot the course. This way, you will be constantly building your bow muscles. Come hunting season you will be in shape to shoot the peak weight or if you turn down the bow, the draw will seem effortless.  You may drop a few points here and there if you get tired, but you will  be rewarded come hunting season.

Here are a few more things to check

- arrows...should all be the same; fletching, nocks, length, weight of field points and even the brand and size (spine of the arrow). Change any of these and the point of impact might change. you think that you are not shooting well , but it is just your arrows not being matched!

- if your strings and cables are worn, change them now so they have a chance to stretch and settle in. The best ones hardly change at all, but it is better to find out now instead of just before or during hunting season.

- sight in precisely. don't just aim at the bulls eye. Set your yardages.

Shoot well and have fun!

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MARTY