Backcountry Bow handling and care

Dave0317

Lil-Rokslider
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Mar 22, 2017
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258
Location
North MS
I’m relatively new to bow hunting and archery so I may be overthinking this.
With rifles, backcountry care is fairly simple, and even if you don’t do it all right, rifles are durable enough it probably won’t hurt much. Everyone knows to keep some type of scope cover on, maybe some electrical tape on the barrel, etc.

With a bow, I feel like there is much more to worry about. Strings, servings, D loops, dainty little sight pins, limb driven arrow rest string, nocks, fletching, etc. Lots of easily damaged items on a bow. Or at least that is my perception at the moment.

So, to the question, what do you do to mitigate risks to those items? Do many people use something like the bow slicker? Do you sleep with the bow inside your tent? Wrap it in a spare jacket overnight? When you are hiking and stop to glass, do you set your bow on the ground? Quiver up, so the sight is on the ground? Or do you lay it quiver side down so the sight stays protected, but your arrows are in the dirt? Or do you use one of the stabilizers that has little feet on the end so it can rest on that?

I’m sure these are dumb sounding questions to the more experienced guys out there, but it just doesn’t seem to be discussed much like it is with rifles.

Thanks for any input.
 

SteveCNJ

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Jul 1, 2017
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I'm sitting here thinking the same thing. Was just looking at the goHunt slicker.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk
 

OR Archer

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Feb 29, 2012
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Mesa,AZ
Before the hunt your loop, servings etc should all be taken care of so that they aren’t a ticking time bomb. You should carry extra loop material and some serving to make small repairs.
As far as general care I use a bow sling to protect my bow packing in and out. I’ll throw it on at night when I get back to camp. I have a big enough shelter I keep all my gear inside including my bow. Other than that there isn’t anything i do special. Just protect your strings as best as you can while out hunting.
 
Joined
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I mark everything with a sharpie. Including the serving around the peep on the string so I can see if it slips.

Just try to be careful with it, I have fallen and landed on my bow a few times without issue. Buy durable components.


I have carried a bunch of extras, slowly have trimmed things down. Don't know that you can be prepared but so much. Seeing lost e-clips and small bolts it's hard to have that stuff. I have gone to usually having a backup bow around.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
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hawai'i
If you use a marsupial gear harness they make these bow hanger clips which make glassing and still hunting with a bow a lot easier. helps keep your bow from getting dinged or chipped every time you have to set it down glassing. probably one of my favorite new pieces of gear.

 

Jethro

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Mar 2, 2014
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If you're set up with quality components, you don't have to worry about it nearly as much as you are thinking. There is one thing I do every time. Whenever stopped for a breather but not long enough to sit down, I set my cam down on top of my boot. Just to keep dirt out of the cam/string groove.
 

MattB

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Sep 29, 2012
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Make sure you serve over your peep and not just above and below. A buddy learned that the hard way past week.
 

WMag338

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Apr 11, 2020
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SC
I mark everything with a sharpie. Including the serving around the peep on the string so I can see if it slips.

Just try to be careful with it, I have fallen and landed on my bow a few times without issue. Buy durable components.


I have carried a bunch of extras, slowly have trimmed things down. Don't know that you can be prepared but so much. Seeing lost e-clips and small bolts it's hard to have that stuff. I have gone to usually having a backup bow around.
Same here. I always bring a backup bow instead of a bunch of random parts to fix my primary bow.
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2021
Messages
339
I subjected my bow to hell last fall. Elk were being quiet so I decided to focus on my bear tag for a few days. Lots of thick, nasty cover I hiked through. My base layer had several holes in it that the old lady had to mend. My favorite was finding blueberries in various pockets or my hood.

I had to pick stickers out of my strings at one point.

I went to double check broadhead flight and they flew exactly with my field points.

My point is that your bow will take more abuse than you probably think it will.
 

Meshnasty

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 19, 2018
Messages
127
My bow gets set down quiver up if on it's side or else its bottom limb pocket/stabilizer (no feet) on the ground and then leaned up against a rock or bush.

I used to carry a kuiu string cover, but I lost it. Then I got a neoprene one, but didn't like dragging it around with me. I rarely put my bow on my pack so when I carry it I can take a bit more care to not bash it on stuff. To be honest if I'm busting brush my bow normally leads the way.

Not sure on your rest, but with the Hamskea I have one can literally cut the rope that goes to the limb and replace it in less then five minutes. I only carry extra serving and d-loop cord in my pack.

I tie in small nock points with serving above and below my nock point. If my d-loop were to break I would just tie a new one in.

I only buy rests, sights, etc. that can handle some abuse.

I did have to make my first field "repair" this year though. I forgot to replace the O-ring that holds the cords tension in place so I served the cord together right below it.

Rest Cord.jpg
 
OP
Dave0317

Dave0317

Lil-Rokslider
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Mar 22, 2017
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Location
North MS
Thanks for all the insight. This is exactly the type of stuff I was hoping to learn.

I have a used bow (Ross Cardiac) and I am slowly upgrading components as needed. I did get a Hamskea Primer, which I can already tell is a good durable item and the cord can easily be repaired and re-timed in the field.

The sight and quiver are next.

As far as the in the field habits, I figured it should mostly be common sense. Interesting to hear many of you prefer to not lash a bow to your pack. That’s where I envision accidents happening the most. If it’s in my hand, I can control where it goes better. That’s what I do with a rifle, never have lashed one to a pack. Even on a hike in or a pack out when I’m not really hunting, I still prefer to carry it in my hands. I’ll do the same with the bow.

Glad to hear I’m probably over thinking most of it.
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
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W. Wa
I don’t, and could not see myself using a bow sling or other similar stuff like the covers that cover the string and cams. It would be such a massive PITA to get it off mid hunt if animals showed up… that would relegate me to using it only during pack in/pack out which is a fraction of the time the bow is out, and probably the easiest going miles anyway.

As others have said, use a sharpie to mark the position of your cams, rest and sight.

As far as your limb driven rest, I’d rather have one of those than a cable driven rest break in the field. Limb driven rests are stupidly easy to time.

With all of this said, if you’re doing out of state hunts it probably wouldn’t hurt to bring a backup along. If something catastrophic happens you’ve got a bow ready to go back at camp/the truck. Not a big deal if you’re just hunting locally, but if Im burning PTO and hunting $$$$$$ tags, the last thing I want to do is lose a day or more waiting on a bow shop to fix my shit if it’s even fixable.
 

43.6N

FNG
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Jan 1, 2021
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74
I will echo what has been said above. Bring spare arrows, d loop, serving, and an archery tool/portable cable press. Then do your best to bomb proof your rig and mark all bolts, peeps, loops, and timing marks.

Some examples: I had the misfortune to have my brother drive over my bow with his truck while getting camp set up.

Arrows were busted, and the riser looked like a bear had mauled it. But by some bit of luck the sight and cams were untouched.

I verified everything was in spec with my sharpie marks. It all checked out. I then checked and double checked that the bow was mechanically sound. Then I got my spare arrows out, restocked the quiver, and did a test fire. It held zero out to 80 yards.

On another hunt I fell down a short waterfall and busted some arrows. All my timing marks were rock solid, and the bow still shot true with the backup arrows.

On yet another hunt I nicked the lower cam on a granite boulder. It was unsafe to draw the bow because of some spalling on the cable track. I took my diamond knife stone and filed down the sharp edges until it would not abraid the cables.

In all the cases above the bow and the hunt were salvageable. I was lucky enough to harvest animals with my rig after the incidents. Now go let your inner mountain man free.
 

jpmulk

WKR
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
332
For me the prep is before i go out. I make sure everything is wired tight. Once im out there, not much to it. I dont recommend falling and smashing your limbs into a boulder though. My bow said no to that when my limbs starting coming apart.
 

Elkhntr08

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Nov 3, 2016
Messages
1,078
Been bow hunting for 35 years, give or take. I’m sitting here trying to remember a situation where my bow was out of commission and I can’t think of one.
I don’t baby my bow, but I don’t abuse it. Make sure everything is properly installed and tight, tied in correctly and string waxed.
Took a backup bow to Africa and never got it out of the case.
I do bring along a few parts and tools and I’m the person who set up and tuned the bow. I feel comfortable that if something happens, I can fix it. Self reliance and knowledge is power. Learn to work on your own bow.
 
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