Bow Basics by Mark Burton
If your buying your first bow or relatively new to bow shooting, then there are some basic things you need to now. First, you have to know the proper draw length for you (your bow will have the draw length marked on the bottom limb, ex. 29 inch or 29-30 inch). This is best done by going to a pro shop and let them determine that for you. If you want to determine your draw length on your own, first determine the length of your arm-span in inches. Stand with your arms out and palms facing forward. While doing this stand naturally and don't try to stretch your arms. You'll need someone else to help you, and measure from the tip of one middle finger to the other. Then simply divide that number by 2.5. You can also take your height in inches and divide by 2.5. This will give you a very close starting point, but some minor adjustments may have to be made. Without having the proper draw length set, your bow experience will never be very good. Overdrawing or underdrawing your bow will cause bad form and or cause your bowstring to hit your arm alot. The next step is determining a draw weight you are comfortable with (your bow will have it's draw weight marked on the bottom limb, ex. 50-60 or 60-70 pounds). Most bows have a ten pound draw weight range. A pro shop can also do this, or you can adjust it yourself by turning the limb bolts (with the proper allen wrench) increasing or decreasing the weight until it is comfortable to you. Each complete turn of the limb bolt is equal to 3 - 4 pounds. Make sure to turn each limb bolt exactly the same (example if you add 1/2 turn to the top limb bolt, you must also add 1/2 turn the bottom limb bolt). Next, you have to have arrows to fit your draw length and draw weight (using an arrow chart, you can quickly find the correct arrow for your bow). If you are going to shoot carbon arrows, (and you don't have an arrow chart) most carbon arrows are marked 4560 or 6075 on them or on the box they come in. What this means is 4560 = 45 to 60 pound draw weight on your bow, or 6075 = 60 to 75 pound draw weight on your bow. So if you know the draw weight of your bow then you can pick the arrow accordingly. If the arrow is not marked 4560 or 6075 then it will be labled in grains, such as 250, 300, 350, or 400. How you determine the right arrow in this situation is = if you are shooting 45 - 60 pounds then use either a 250 or 300 grain arrow, and if you are shooting 60 - 75 pounds then use a 350 or 400 grain arrow. Your arrows should be 1/2 to 1 inch longer than your draw length. Next you have to pick the weight of the field point you want to use ex. 75, 90, 100, or 125 grains. The lighter the arrow, use a lighter field point. I find that the 90 or 100 grain field tip does well with any arrow. Always use the same weight on each arrow you shoot, because it will affect your impact point between arrows if you use different weights among your arrows. Once you have picked the arrow rest you are going to use, it has to be installed and properly aligned. This process can be tricky but it doesn't have to be to difficult.
Most people these days shoot a whisker biscuit, a shoot through rest, or a hostage style rest (which is similar), a prong style rest or a drop away rest. For a drop away rest, I suggest you go to a pro shop and let them set it up for you. But any other type rest, you shouldn't have any problem doing it yourself. When installing your rest, it has to be properly aligned up and down, and left to right. The up and down placement is easy, just align the part of the rest that the arrow sits on, evenly wih the bolt hole that holds your rest in place on your bow. For instance, the whisker biscuit has a whole in the middle of it (in which your arrow is placed), align this hole with the bolt hole on your bow. If it is a prong style rest, align the top of the prongs (where the arrow sits), with the bolt hole on the bow. To get the left and right, I suggest, holding the bow perfectly straight and align the bowstring up dead center of the limbs and follow the string down to the rest. Position the part of the rest that the arrow sits on in line with the string and let this be the starting point for your rest left and right (this can be changed once shooting has begun). To make adjustments to your rest, it will require either the loosening of screws and manually adjust the rest in small increments or the rest will come with knobs that are used to make the adjustments. When you do make adjustments to the rest, make only minor ones at a time. In most cases it doesn't take much of an adjustment to have your rest where it needs to be. (This will all be done once shooting has begun) The next thing is to set your knocking point. This is done by putting a string knock on the string, then use a bow square to determine the proper placement of the knock on the string ( I suggest starting 1/4 inch above even with the rest, this also can then be changed once shooting has begun) and lightly tighten the knock with knocking pliers. Now it is time to pick the sights you are going to use and install them (this process is usually very easy). Your sights will come with screws to attach your sights to the riser of the bow. The sight pins are usually already installed into the sight bracket, but if they are not, simply unscrew the pin in half and put it in the bracket and screw it back together so that it holds on the sight bracket up and down bar. Another important accessory to use is a stabilizer bar. This product will help to take the vibration out of the bow when shooting. One other very important accessory for your bow is a kisser button and or a peep sight. Either one of these will ensure you draw your bow to a consistant release point. Installing a peep sight and or a kisser button does not affect the performance of the bow, only the performance of the shooter. At this point, if you are a new shooter, you have to decide if you are going to shoot a mechanical release or not. I highly reccomend that you do. Either way if you shoot a release or fingers, you have to have a consistant hand placement. Most people use the corner of their lower jaw as a consistant place to put their drawing hand. But each person has to find what is most comfortable for them, and use that point everytime you draw your bow. Using a release will usually give you a more consistant release of the arrow and add speed to your arrow. If you are installing a kisser button, it will come with small clamps to tighten the kisser to the string. To set the kissers' placement, first put the kisser on the string about 1 1/2 - 2 inches above the string knock and lightly tighten it. Next draw your bow to find where your hand anchor point is and move the kisser button on the string until it fits right into the corner of your mouth. Your mouth should stay closed and the kisser tucks into the corner of your lips. If you choose to use a peep sight, this usually requires that you go to a pro shop. A peep sight has to be put into your string, and that requires the use of a bow press. The bow press takes the stress off the string so that the peep can be installed.
You are now ready to begin shooting your bow. Proper knocking of the arrow ia an important thing to know. For shoot through rests, such as Whisker Bisquits or hostage style rests, face your odd color fletching upwards. For drop - away rests, face the odd color fletching upwards. For prong style rests, such as TM Hunters, face your odd color fletching downwards to go through the middle of the prongs. For the older style rests, such as flipper rests, face your odd color fletching outwards away from the bow. If you are unsure of your rest type, put the arrow on the rest and see which way the fletching needs to be turned to avoid contact with your rest. Always make sure you are in a safe place to shoot and have an adequate target that will stop your arrows. I suggest that you shoot 15-20 arrows just to get the feel of the bow. At this time, do not worry about accuracy or arrow flight to much, because that process comes next. While taking your practice shots you may notice that your arrow doesn't fly perfectly straight,( this is because your arrow rest is not in the exact spot it needs to be in) and it is now time to make minor adjustments. The easiest way to determine which way your rest needs to be moved is to use a paper tuner. A paper tuner can be made by making a stand and a frame that will hold a thin piece of paper. Set the stand in front of a proper target and you get back from the paper and shoot through it into the target. If your arrow is flying straight it will have left only a small hole and three fletching marks (but this is almost never the case on your first try to set up your bow). If your hole was torn then there is a simple method to follow and adjust your rest. If your hole has an upward tear then your knocking point is too high -Slightly lower your string knock and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper upward. If your hole has a downward tear - Slightly raise your string knock and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper downward. If your hole is torn to the left - Slightly move your rest to the right and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper to the left. If your hole is torn to the right - Slightly move your rest to the left and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper to the right. You should now be able to shoot a perfect hole through the paper. If you are not able to make a paper tuner, then you need a buddy to stand behind you and watch your arrow flight to tell you which way your arrow is wobbling. This is a much more time consuming process, but you can still achieve good arrow flight if you use the same principles as the paper tuner. If your arrow is wobbling up or down, then move your string knock accordingly - Arrow knock appears higher than point = lower string knock, Arrow knock appears lower than point = raise string knock, Arrow knock appears left of the point = move rest to the right, Arrow knock appears right of the point = move rest to the left. Repeat these processes until you have achieved good arrow flight. Having proper arrow flight is essential in the accuracy of your bow and it's effenciency. It is now time to tighten down the string knock because all adjustments have been made. Now that your arrow is flying well, I suggest making a mark on the rest with a dab of white paint, so you will always know if your rest has moved out of place or not. This does happen from time to time, if your screws become loose from shooting the bow, or just carrying the bow from place to place. By having it marked, it saves alot of time getting it set back to it's proper place.
We will now move to the next step - setting your sights. If you are using a sight that has multiple pins, I suggest that you set them at 20, 30, 40 yards, this will cover most of your hunting and target shooting situations. Setting your sights is a very east process, Follow your arrow. What that means is move your sight pin in the same direction that your arrow missed the target. Start with your top pin as 20 yards and move downward, the next pin would be 30 yards and the next pin would be 40 yards. Mark off 20, 30, 40 yards and start your shooting at 20 yards. Once your 20 yard pin is set, move to 30 yards and set that pin and then to 40 yards and set that pin. If your arrow hits high = move the sight pin slightly upward and repeat process until the correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits low = move the sight pin slightly downward and repeat the process until correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits left = move the sight pin slightly to the left and repeat the process until correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits right = move the sight pin slightly to the right and repeat process until correct arrow placement is achieved. In archery consitantcy is everything, so do everthing the same way every time you practice. Next shoot, shoot, shoot and you will be better in no time!!
One quick thing I will touch base on is shooting from a deer stand. Most of us do all our practicing from the ground to get ready for hunting. If you hunt from the ground, you don't have to worry about this, but from a stand things are different. First thing to consider is gravity, since you are shooting downward the force of gravity is less and your arrow will not drop as much as it would shooting on the ground. The thing that gets most of us is our form. When we practice from the ground, we all typically learn descent form, which is basically a T. Our arms are horizontal to our waist, and our body is straight which creates a T. Now think about what we do in a deer stand, we get nervous or anxious and we typically rush our shot at the animal or target and we never think about our form. Even if you know the exact distance, most people will shoot high on the animal or target. First consider gravity, and then bad form, that's what makes us do it. The part of that we can fix, is our form. When shooting from the stand you still need to make the T with your form, and most people don't. What they do is lower their arm, (that holds the bow) to get the sight pin on the target. By lowering the arm, this changes everything and causes the arrow to hit significantly higher for that yardage (than from the same yardage on the ground, in which the sight pin is set). The proper way to shoot from a stand, is to bend at the waist to keep your arms horizontal to the waist. This will ensure that your sight pin hits almost exactly as it did on the ground. You will still shoot very slightly higher than you did on the ground due to gravity, but as long as you know this, you can aim just slightly lower (bottom 1/3 of the animal) to compensate for it.
If your buying your first bow or relatively new to bow shooting, then there are some basic things you need to now. First, you have to know the proper draw length for you (your bow will have the draw length marked on the bottom limb, ex. 29 inch or 29-30 inch). This is best done by going to a pro shop and let them determine that for you. If you want to determine your draw length on your own, first determine the length of your arm-span in inches. Stand with your arms out and palms facing forward. While doing this stand naturally and don't try to stretch your arms. You'll need someone else to help you, and measure from the tip of one middle finger to the other. Then simply divide that number by 2.5. You can also take your height in inches and divide by 2.5. This will give you a very close starting point, but some minor adjustments may have to be made. Without having the proper draw length set, your bow experience will never be very good. Overdrawing or underdrawing your bow will cause bad form and or cause your bowstring to hit your arm alot. The next step is determining a draw weight you are comfortable with (your bow will have it's draw weight marked on the bottom limb, ex. 50-60 or 60-70 pounds). Most bows have a ten pound draw weight range. A pro shop can also do this, or you can adjust it yourself by turning the limb bolts (with the proper allen wrench) increasing or decreasing the weight until it is comfortable to you. Each complete turn of the limb bolt is equal to 3 - 4 pounds. Make sure to turn each limb bolt exactly the same (example if you add 1/2 turn to the top limb bolt, you must also add 1/2 turn the bottom limb bolt). Next, you have to have arrows to fit your draw length and draw weight (using an arrow chart, you can quickly find the correct arrow for your bow). If you are going to shoot carbon arrows, (and you don't have an arrow chart) most carbon arrows are marked 4560 or 6075 on them or on the box they come in. What this means is 4560 = 45 to 60 pound draw weight on your bow, or 6075 = 60 to 75 pound draw weight on your bow. So if you know the draw weight of your bow then you can pick the arrow accordingly. If the arrow is not marked 4560 or 6075 then it will be labled in grains, such as 250, 300, 350, or 400. How you determine the right arrow in this situation is = if you are shooting 45 - 60 pounds then use either a 250 or 300 grain arrow, and if you are shooting 60 - 75 pounds then use a 350 or 400 grain arrow. Your arrows should be 1/2 to 1 inch longer than your draw length. Next you have to pick the weight of the field point you want to use ex. 75, 90, 100, or 125 grains. The lighter the arrow, use a lighter field point. I find that the 90 or 100 grain field tip does well with any arrow. Always use the same weight on each arrow you shoot, because it will affect your impact point between arrows if you use different weights among your arrows. Once you have picked the arrow rest you are going to use, it has to be installed and properly aligned. This process can be tricky but it doesn't have to be to difficult.
Most people these days shoot a whisker biscuit, a shoot through rest, or a hostage style rest (which is similar), a prong style rest or a drop away rest. For a drop away rest, I suggest you go to a pro shop and let them set it up for you. But any other type rest, you shouldn't have any problem doing it yourself. When installing your rest, it has to be properly aligned up and down, and left to right. The up and down placement is easy, just align the part of the rest that the arrow sits on, evenly wih the bolt hole that holds your rest in place on your bow. For instance, the whisker biscuit has a whole in the middle of it (in which your arrow is placed), align this hole with the bolt hole on your bow. If it is a prong style rest, align the top of the prongs (where the arrow sits), with the bolt hole on the bow. To get the left and right, I suggest, holding the bow perfectly straight and align the bowstring up dead center of the limbs and follow the string down to the rest. Position the part of the rest that the arrow sits on in line with the string and let this be the starting point for your rest left and right (this can be changed once shooting has begun). To make adjustments to your rest, it will require either the loosening of screws and manually adjust the rest in small increments or the rest will come with knobs that are used to make the adjustments. When you do make adjustments to the rest, make only minor ones at a time. In most cases it doesn't take much of an adjustment to have your rest where it needs to be. (This will all be done once shooting has begun) The next thing is to set your knocking point. This is done by putting a string knock on the string, then use a bow square to determine the proper placement of the knock on the string ( I suggest starting 1/4 inch above even with the rest, this also can then be changed once shooting has begun) and lightly tighten the knock with knocking pliers. Now it is time to pick the sights you are going to use and install them (this process is usually very easy). Your sights will come with screws to attach your sights to the riser of the bow. The sight pins are usually already installed into the sight bracket, but if they are not, simply unscrew the pin in half and put it in the bracket and screw it back together so that it holds on the sight bracket up and down bar. Another important accessory to use is a stabilizer bar. This product will help to take the vibration out of the bow when shooting. One other very important accessory for your bow is a kisser button and or a peep sight. Either one of these will ensure you draw your bow to a consistant release point. Installing a peep sight and or a kisser button does not affect the performance of the bow, only the performance of the shooter. At this point, if you are a new shooter, you have to decide if you are going to shoot a mechanical release or not. I highly reccomend that you do. Either way if you shoot a release or fingers, you have to have a consistant hand placement. Most people use the corner of their lower jaw as a consistant place to put their drawing hand. But each person has to find what is most comfortable for them, and use that point everytime you draw your bow. Using a release will usually give you a more consistant release of the arrow and add speed to your arrow. If you are installing a kisser button, it will come with small clamps to tighten the kisser to the string. To set the kissers' placement, first put the kisser on the string about 1 1/2 - 2 inches above the string knock and lightly tighten it. Next draw your bow to find where your hand anchor point is and move the kisser button on the string until it fits right into the corner of your mouth. Your mouth should stay closed and the kisser tucks into the corner of your lips. If you choose to use a peep sight, this usually requires that you go to a pro shop. A peep sight has to be put into your string, and that requires the use of a bow press. The bow press takes the stress off the string so that the peep can be installed.
You are now ready to begin shooting your bow. Proper knocking of the arrow ia an important thing to know. For shoot through rests, such as Whisker Bisquits or hostage style rests, face your odd color fletching upwards. For drop - away rests, face the odd color fletching upwards. For prong style rests, such as TM Hunters, face your odd color fletching downwards to go through the middle of the prongs. For the older style rests, such as flipper rests, face your odd color fletching outwards away from the bow. If you are unsure of your rest type, put the arrow on the rest and see which way the fletching needs to be turned to avoid contact with your rest. Always make sure you are in a safe place to shoot and have an adequate target that will stop your arrows. I suggest that you shoot 15-20 arrows just to get the feel of the bow. At this time, do not worry about accuracy or arrow flight to much, because that process comes next. While taking your practice shots you may notice that your arrow doesn't fly perfectly straight,( this is because your arrow rest is not in the exact spot it needs to be in) and it is now time to make minor adjustments. The easiest way to determine which way your rest needs to be moved is to use a paper tuner. A paper tuner can be made by making a stand and a frame that will hold a thin piece of paper. Set the stand in front of a proper target and you get back from the paper and shoot through it into the target. If your arrow is flying straight it will have left only a small hole and three fletching marks (but this is almost never the case on your first try to set up your bow). If your hole was torn then there is a simple method to follow and adjust your rest. If your hole has an upward tear then your knocking point is too high -Slightly lower your string knock and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper upward. If your hole has a downward tear - Slightly raise your string knock and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper downward. If your hole is torn to the left - Slightly move your rest to the right and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper to the left. If your hole is torn to the right - Slightly move your rest to the left and shoot again, repeat this process until the arrow stops ripping the paper to the right. You should now be able to shoot a perfect hole through the paper. If you are not able to make a paper tuner, then you need a buddy to stand behind you and watch your arrow flight to tell you which way your arrow is wobbling. This is a much more time consuming process, but you can still achieve good arrow flight if you use the same principles as the paper tuner. If your arrow is wobbling up or down, then move your string knock accordingly - Arrow knock appears higher than point = lower string knock, Arrow knock appears lower than point = raise string knock, Arrow knock appears left of the point = move rest to the right, Arrow knock appears right of the point = move rest to the left. Repeat these processes until you have achieved good arrow flight. Having proper arrow flight is essential in the accuracy of your bow and it's effenciency. It is now time to tighten down the string knock because all adjustments have been made. Now that your arrow is flying well, I suggest making a mark on the rest with a dab of white paint, so you will always know if your rest has moved out of place or not. This does happen from time to time, if your screws become loose from shooting the bow, or just carrying the bow from place to place. By having it marked, it saves alot of time getting it set back to it's proper place.
We will now move to the next step - setting your sights. If you are using a sight that has multiple pins, I suggest that you set them at 20, 30, 40 yards, this will cover most of your hunting and target shooting situations. Setting your sights is a very east process, Follow your arrow. What that means is move your sight pin in the same direction that your arrow missed the target. Start with your top pin as 20 yards and move downward, the next pin would be 30 yards and the next pin would be 40 yards. Mark off 20, 30, 40 yards and start your shooting at 20 yards. Once your 20 yard pin is set, move to 30 yards and set that pin and then to 40 yards and set that pin. If your arrow hits high = move the sight pin slightly upward and repeat process until the correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits low = move the sight pin slightly downward and repeat the process until correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits left = move the sight pin slightly to the left and repeat the process until correct arrow placement is achieved. If your arrow hits right = move the sight pin slightly to the right and repeat process until correct arrow placement is achieved. In archery consitantcy is everything, so do everthing the same way every time you practice. Next shoot, shoot, shoot and you will be better in no time!!
One quick thing I will touch base on is shooting from a deer stand. Most of us do all our practicing from the ground to get ready for hunting. If you hunt from the ground, you don't have to worry about this, but from a stand things are different. First thing to consider is gravity, since you are shooting downward the force of gravity is less and your arrow will not drop as much as it would shooting on the ground. The thing that gets most of us is our form. When we practice from the ground, we all typically learn descent form, which is basically a T. Our arms are horizontal to our waist, and our body is straight which creates a T. Now think about what we do in a deer stand, we get nervous or anxious and we typically rush our shot at the animal or target and we never think about our form. Even if you know the exact distance, most people will shoot high on the animal or target. First consider gravity, and then bad form, that's what makes us do it. The part of that we can fix, is our form. When shooting from the stand you still need to make the T with your form, and most people don't. What they do is lower their arm, (that holds the bow) to get the sight pin on the target. By lowering the arm, this changes everything and causes the arrow to hit significantly higher for that yardage (than from the same yardage on the ground, in which the sight pin is set). The proper way to shoot from a stand, is to bend at the waist to keep your arms horizontal to the waist. This will ensure that your sight pin hits almost exactly as it did on the ground. You will still shoot very slightly higher than you did on the ground due to gravity, but as long as you know this, you can aim just slightly lower (bottom 1/3 of the animal) to compensate for it.
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