Minute of Arrow

Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,510
Location
Washington
I like to shoot a fixed blade broadhead from 30 yards as the first arrow of the day. That is my evaluation tool. I can stack groups when I get warmed up but that cold, first bh shot is my bowhunting test.


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Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Messages
1,240
Location
Great Falls, MT
Here's the deal... move back until EVERY shot you put in a group or individually is in a TIGHT kill zone. Take that number of yards, and cut it in half. That is your approx ethical range. I feel like you should plan on your group size doubling when you add hunting clothes, hiking, being cold, wind, bad position, adrenaline etc. Most of us think our effective range is the range we can put "most of them in a pie plate." Also the reason there are so many wounded animals each year. I can shoot as well as most. I can shoot 10 inch groups MOST of the time at 100... sometimes better, sometimes worse. I have many field and target archery wins to show for it... I would NOT shoot that far at an animal. I limit myself to 60 in good conditions even if i think i can do better.

be true to yourself... the animal deserves it. You are taking his life, the least you could do is do it ethically.
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
315
Location
Western OR.
Ya squeekis that a good idea.
This is one thing I can do as I work from home.
I have my bow already in hunting mode, full quiver, BH tipped arrows, all of it.
I will take a quick work break, jump up from the computer, run into garage, grab the bow, put on release, head out back, jogging to target area, stop off at some unknown yardage in front of my BH bale, nock up and shoot one shot standing up, and then shoot one more on my knees or left knee down. Aiming at a different spot each time.
Doing this "two cold-shot" thing I can simulate hunting as best I can with a cold shot no warm up and a simulated stress situation.
If I can hit within 4" of my 2" aim spot center Im satisfied. I usually shoot from anywhere from 35-60 yards. If I'm off I usually hit a bit high on that first shot. Second shot is usually a dead bleeder! This is as real as I can get it at my house.
I will also do the same thing with my "in the woods bale target" with an elk photo cover but with field tips. I can shoot anywhere from 10-80 or so yards at that bale. Its on a side hill so I can shoot off balance and odd angles up side or down hill a bit. Its fun and challenging.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,618
Location
Colorado Springs
The worst shot I've ever put on an animal was from 17 yards. The second worst shot was from 35. All my animal shots from 55+ have been spot on.
 

Brandon Guitierez

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
117
Location
Susanville, California
HA HA ya, reminds me of that one country song that I think brad paisley sings about "being online", cant remember it right now though.
If everyone shot as good as they say they did on line, REO, Morgan and Broadwater would have won alot less tourneys.

A while back I shot what I considered great 5 shot group at 60 (sub 4") pulled my arrows, then went back to 80, and the first shot was so bad I just stood there dumbfounded. I had completely missed my 4x4 bale target and sent my arrow 2' high and left, fletch deep into the plywood backstop I have. I just hung up the bow for the day after that. Still cannot think of HOW the heck I missed that shot so bad. It felt perfect too. It was just one of those days where your feeling good, but really ya suck something aweful. LOL

LMFAO!!!
I can relate brother!
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,618
Location
Colorado Springs
There is one thing I've discovered in the last two days.......I felt pretty good about this bow being my first that had bare shafts absolutely perfectly touching with fletched shafts and perfectly parallel to each other from 20 yards. But even with this I've been pulling my hair out for the past couple months trying to figure out why all the arrows are inconsistently in no pattern at all past 20 yards. Still not sure on that one........however, being summer now I pulled out an arrow with my 125gr Shuttle T. At 60 yards it was a good 10" right of my field point arrows.

So I did a quick modified walk back with the broadhead arrow and made a slight adjustment to my rest to get them lined up vertically at 10 yards, 40, and 60. Reset the sight and pulled out four field point arrows and shot from 40. Two were touching, another was almost touching, and the fourth was 1/2" away from those. Best group I've shot with this bow in months. So much for any bare shaft tuning in my future.
 
OP
Brandon Pattison
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,829
Location
Michigan
There is one thing I've discovered in the last two days.......I felt pretty good about this bow being my first that had bare shafts absolutely perfectly touching with fletched shafts and perfectly parallel to each other from 20 yards. But even with this I've been pulling my hair out for the past couple months trying to figure out why all the arrows are inconsistently in no pattern at all past 20 yards. Still not sure on that one........however, being summer now I pulled out an arrow with my 125gr Shuttle T. At 60 yards it was a good 10" right of my field point arrows.

So I did a quick modified walk back with the broadhead arrow and made a slight adjustment to my rest to get them lined up vertically at 10 yards, 40, and 60. Reset the sight and pulled out four field point arrows and shot from 40. Two were touching, another was almost touching, and the fourth was 1/2" away from those. Best group I've shot with this bow in months. So much for any bare shaft tuning in my future.

Is your bow carbon fiber? I think bare shafts would have shown the same thing. That is weird though. Are you left-handed and did you move your rest out?


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5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,618
Location
Colorado Springs
Is your bow carbon fiber? I think bare shafts would have shown the same thing. That is weird though. Are you left-handed and did you move your rest out?

No....PSE Freak. Haven't shot a bare shaft after the broadhead walk back. Yes to LH, no I moved the rest in just a tad. At 10 yards the BH arrow split my tape, but 10" right at 60. So it needed to go left just a bit.

Before I ever tried bare shaft tuning, this was always my methodology for tuning the bow.......doing a modified walk back with my fixed blade BH's. In every case FP's have always been on with BH's after doing that.......at least windage wise.
 
OP
Brandon Pattison
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,829
Location
Michigan
Okay. So, I'm shooting under MOA but my 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 yard groups are 1.5 MOA low. What happened?


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jmez

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Messages
7,426
Location
Piedmont, SD
D loop, peep or rest could have moved, cable/string stretch. Anchor changed a little.

How long have they been low? I've learned the hard way that when I have a bow set up and tuned and I go out and I'm a little off all of a sudden, I put the bow away for a couple days. It is most always something I'm doing.
 
OP
Brandon Pattison
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,829
Location
Michigan
I wondered if something moved the peep. Been busy. Haven't shot in a month. But its typically dialed as if laser-guided.


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Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
3,721
Location
Utah
I can do sub MOA at 30-40. My 50 is incredibly weak, but my 60,70 and 80 have consistently gotten better than my 50.
I feel it is cause the 50 is the only yellow pin, harder to see- not confident as it is in my mind now and I try to force stuff harder at 50.
My plus 50 yard shots are all at MOA. My 80 was all on the Rhinehart insert which I think is around 8-10" ?

5MB- sounds like switching bows is where I'd start if the old faithful worked. If it is the same with the old as it is with the new, I'd get eyes checked or move the pin housing closer to your riser (shows up better). Maybe even a bigger peep for more light.

Sometimes we just get old, muscles wear down and cant hold steady (like when we fatigue after 75 arrows at the end of the day).
 
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