Crazy arrow flight path

[hwy1strat]

So I was out shooting 3D this weekend and it was getting towards the last few targets. Well there was a cougar target at a steep incline at approx 50 yards. I aimed at him and when I released my arrow it flew about 15 feet over the target. I felt like it was a good shot at the release and I've shot this target countless times. My buddy thought that I might have held my 60 yard pin instead of my 50 yard pin on it but I'm fairly certain I did not and it shouldn't have missed by that much. I was able to recover the arrow and after thorough investigation we couldn't find anything wrong with it. So, we started to assume that I had screwed up the shot. I am by no means an excellent archer but it's rare for me to completely miss a target and especially miss it by so much. Well, at the next target, a deer at 35 yards at a similar incline, I used the same arrow. Perfect arrow flight. So now we haven't found anything wrong with the bow and we are starting to really think it was me. Well, we moved to the next target which was a turkey at 45 yards and fairly level. I used the same arrow once again and when I released my arrow went out of my at about a 45 degree angle up into the air. I felt like it was a good shot on the release and all I saw was the fletchings flying straight up in the air. At this point I became very confident that it wasn't me. We were unable to find the arrow and it probably flew over 200 yards away. We called it a day at that point because we needed to figure out what was wrong. We walked back to the field range and I shot the bow about 10 more times with the other arrows I had and all of them flew perfectly. Neither my buddy or I have ever seen anything like this. We are assuming that something about that arrow's spine had gotten messed up. But needless to say I'm a little less confident in my bow right now. I will be shooting it some more today just to check and see, but I leave this Wednesday for my elk hunt. Have any of you seen or had a problem like this?

 

[mfllood3800]

The first couple shots that went high, on a steep incline probable due to the needed adjustment of yardage change due to the angle, often referred to as a cut chart for steep angles. Less distance is equated when shooting up or down at steep angles. Sometimes, depending on total distance, of up to 7-10 yards needing to be nocked off.

There is a good chance with the misses that the arrow received damage.

I had an arrow that was funky. I looked at it, couldn't figure it out. I spin tested it, and seemed ok, but I still Took the outsert off, put another one on, spin tested it was perfect, shot it, and still funky.
I looked more carefully and discovered the fletching was loose in one area. Refletched that one, it flew perfectly

 

[Btaylor]

That was a welfare arrow...didn't work. Good riddance in my book. Have a good hunt and shoot confidently knowing you got that free loader out of the quiver.

 

[hwy1strat]

The first couple shots that went high, on a steep incline probable due to the needed adjustment of yardage change due to the angle, often referred to as a cut chart for steep angles. Less distance is equated when shooting up or down at steep angles. Sometimes, depending on total distance, of up to 7-10 yards needing to be nocked off.

There is a good chance with the misses that the arrow received damage.

I had an arrow that was funky. I looked at it, couldn't figure it out. I spin tested it, and seemed ok, but I still Took the outsert off, put another one on, spin tested it was perfect, shot it, and still funky.
I looked more carefully and discovered the fletching was loose in one area. Refletched that one, it flew perfectly

So, my rangefinder compensates for angles and it was 50 yards compensated for the steep angle.

 

[Superkodiak38]

I number arrows just like magazines for a pistol /rifle. Sometimes you just have a bad one. Did your buddy also range that target at the same distance and hold the same pin ? Just curious ??

 

[jmez]

Two most likely explanations would be something is intermittently malfunctioning on your rest or you just punched the trigger badly.

 

[Northernpiker]

^^^^Very possible. What kind of rest are you using?

 

[mfllood3800]

Sometimes the angle compensation in the range finders isn't enough.
Maybe I misunderstood, but the 2 times you shot and went high, were both steep angles and the arrow flew just fine, other than high ???

But then after hitting the ground twice, you shot it at a level target and first noticed the crazy flying for the first time ??

 

[hwy1strat]

Sometimes the angle compensation in the range finders isn't enough.
Maybe I misunderstood, but the 2 times you shot and went high, were both steep angles and the arrow flew just fine, other than high ???

But then after hitting the ground twice, you shot it at a level target and first noticed the crazy flying for the first time ??

I got long winded in my explanation so it might have been confusing. I shot at two targets at a steep angle and it flew high on the first on and then perfect on the second one. My third target, which was level, it flew high again.

My buddy ranged the target with his rangefinder, also with angle compensation, and got the same range. He runs a slider and dialed to 50 and shot fine.

My rest is a limb driven rest, so from my understanding, it can't really get stuck up. However, we still looked it over and checked it out and everything seemed fine on it.

I shoot at this range atlas once a week and I've been doing this for close to a year now. In addition to verifying with my rangefinder, I know these targets pretty well.

Is there anything other than the rest or the arrow that could have caused this? I was thinking that one of the cams could have come way out of time, or one of the cam bearings is seizing up. I'm not sure if those could be reasonable explanations or not. I'm really leaning towards that arrow having had something wrong with it at this point.

 

[mfllood3800]

Gottcha

There are days my groups are off. I check wind to find the cause, I look at timing marks, inspect the arrows, and in the end it is minor changes in my form.

I doubt the cams are your issue if after a good visual inspection they appear normal.

Do you shoot back tension, hinge or index, or thumb type release.

 

[jmez]

I follow the general rule, if my arrows are consistently not hitting where I'm aiming I start checking my equipment. If my arrows are inconsistently not hitting where I'm aiming I put the bow away for the day.

 

[Boreal]

Wouldn't be surprised if there was a break in your arrow that you didn't see. The force from the release could have bent the arrow enough to knock it way off. In any event, glad you're not shooting that arrow, and glad you don't have an armful of carbon fibers.


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