Bow Maintenance - Archery Equipment Tips

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All compound bows have axles which the cams and wheels turn on. As your bow is exposed to the elements, the axles can a will develop rust and corrosion. This will severely impede the speed and accuracy of your bow. A good rule of thumb is to take your bow to an archery shop and have the axles cleaned and lubricated at least once a year. Caution...do not use lubricants such as WD-40 to lubricate the axles. These lubricants attract dust and dirt. What you want is a high tech Teflon or synthetic based lubricant

You should check your arrow nocks regularly for cracks or any type of damage. A nock breaking at the point of release will cause a partial or complete Dry Fire.

Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach 150 degrees. Extreme hot temperatures will warp your bow limbs, and that can only be fixed with a set of new limbs.

Both aluminum and carbon arrows will wear out. The shock and vibration caused from shooting over and over again will cause stress fractures along the grain of the aluminum or carbon arrow material. These cracks are very hard to see with the naked eye, but they can weaken the spine of the arrow and cause it to fly funny, or even break while in use. A good rule of thumb here is to replace your arrows every year. Unfortunately, we here archers bragging about shooting the same arrows for 4 and 5 years! These people are shooting time bombs!

Replace them annually...strings and cables wear our and loose their performance a lot faster than you think. Also, the bow wax that we use to keep moisture out of the string, collects dust and dirt which acts as an abrasive on the string material.

if your release was to slip, you would Dry Fire the bow and a Dry Fire is not good for any bow! Routine Equipment Inspections

Check your string and cables and their servings, check the limbs for tiny cracks or splinters, and make sure that all the moving parts are moving correctly.

Take a few practice shots. It will loosen up your muscles and ready the bow for that "BIG" shot. This is specially good when hunting in cold weather.

Over the years we have heard of this on many occasions. Most of the time the people doing this think they can slip through the woods to their stand a little quieter by leaving their bow and arrows in the stand. However, due, rain, cold temperatures, and wind can damage the bow overnight...this is a real bad idea!

The release of the arrow is that split second where, no matter how steady your aim is, everything can go wrong. In that split second over 100 mechanical and physical movements all take place between you and the compound bow, and they all happen so fast that most of us never even know what went wrong. Control is the answer and using a Release Aid will give you control, instantly making you a better archer. Traditional shooters should release the arrow with their fingers, but for some strange reason there are still compound shooters that are seriously handicapping themselves by not using a Release Aid. Yes there are some people that can release a compound with their fingers and achieve very good accuracy, but becoming a good "fingers shooter" will take years and a lot of regular practice time.

A quick, humane harvest of the game should be the object for all bowhunters, so we owe it to the game in our sights to be the best that we can be - as accurate as possible. We all lead busy lifestyles, but if you don't have time to invest in serious practice, please get a Release Aid and learn to shoot it. The Release Aid is more accurate and will make you a better, more consistent archer instantly. This is why archaeologists have dug up Release Aids made of bone, wood, and leather that date back several thousand years. That's right...Turkish Archers, Japanese Archers, Chinese Archers, and the King's Archers of England used Release Aids hundreds of years before Columbus set sail for America.

When choosing a Release Aid, remember that it's a mechanical device that is a crucial element in how accurate you shoot - get a good one. Choose one that feels good in your hand, and one that is well designed and made of quality materials. Hands Down...the best Release Aids for bowhunting are manufactured by Scott Archery. This manufacturer focus their efforts on the design and manufacture of quality release aids, and only on release aids.

Now learn to work the Release Aid properly - it is not a trigger and it should never be used the way most people "pull" a gun trigger. Release Aids were designed to be squeezed gently until the string is released. The actual release of the string should surprise you. If you hit, whack, smack, or pull the trigger you will torque the string - a gentle squeeze is all it takes. Let your finger make a gentle contact with the trigger and then squeeze when you are ready to release the arrow. Practice this until it becomes second nature, and watch your shooting become more consistent.

If you shoot a compound bow and don't have a Release Aid, get one. If you have one, learn to squeeze it and become a better archer instantly.

Setting up a new site is a common problem for people when first trying to set up a bowsite. The answer is fairly simple, but not easy to come by on your own. When you shoot your bow, shoot enough arrows so that you are getting a consistent group. By that I mean that your arrows are hitting the target consistently in the same spot. Without a group, you can't know which way to move your site. If you are unable to group your arrows, you may need to get some help from someone concerning your shooting form.

Once you have established a group you can start moving your pins to compensate for your sighting errors. This is fairly simple - move your sight pin in the direction that your arrows are grouping from the bullseye. In other words, if you are shooting high, move your pin up, if you are shooting left of the bull, move your pin left. All left and right movement, should move all your pins if you have multiple pins. Yardage will be moved one pin at a time.