Deer hunting season is almost upon us.
You’re probably itching at the chance to pull back on your bow and let fly at an eight-point buck.
But if you run off to a field without giving your bow a broadhead tune, you’re going to have a heck of a time getting your arrows to go where you aim them.
A broadhead tune is absolutely essential before your first hunt of the season. But a lot of hunters have very different ideas about how to tune your bow.
In this article, we’ll walk you through our tips for the perfect broadhead tune.
1. Check the Strings
Now matter how much you spent on your compound bow, your strings are not going to last forever. Even the best bows will require occasional restringing.
Your bowstrings are under constant tension. And when your bow sits unused for months at a time, that tension stretches the strings.
This can rotate your cams, move nock position, or even bent limbs.
This won’t only affect your aim. A string break can turn things ugly fast.
Check your nock and cams. Your strings might not need to be replaced just yet, but twisting and pressing them back into position can help immensely. If your cams are out of sync, adjust this as well.
Keep in mind that bow strings need to be replaced every three or four years. If you can’t remember the last time you replaced your string, it’s probably time.
2. How’s Your Draw Length?
A lot of people use a bow that’s just a little bit too long for them. While this might give them a faster draw, it can damage your shooting form and cause your arrows to fly incorrectly.
You might also be using arrows that are too long for your draw length.
When you give your bow a broadhead tune, make sure your draw length is correct. The simplest way to do this is to measure your arm span and divide by 2.5. Then adjust your bow accordingly.
If you need help finding or adjusting your draw length, your local archery shop will be able to help.
3. Find the Center Shot
In a perfectly tuned bow, the arrow rest and the nock will be perfectly aligned. This is called the center shot.
If it’s been a while since your bow has gotten any use, your center shot is probably askew. If you let this go without giving it a broadhead tune, you’ll aim won’t be as true as it could be.
Using a laser guide or bow square, find the center shot and move your nock into position.
4. Peep Alignment
Once your center shot is in order, the next step in a broadhead tune is to align the peep.
While you don’t necessarily need a peep to aim your bow—archers survived for centuries without them—a straight peep can make aiming much easier.
To align the peep, close your eyes and draw the bow to a natural position. When you open your eyes, you should be looking right through the peep.
If that isn’t the case, move the peep until it meets your natural eye line.
5. Choose the Right Arrow
Bowhunting isn’t simply a matter of the right bow. You need the right arrow as well.
Spine
Many bowhunters spend hours giving their bow a broadhead tune only to choose the wrong arrow spine, or stiffness.
When you shoot any arrow out of a bow, it will flex. The arrow will then snap back to a straight position and fly toward the target.
Depending on the speed of the bow, you will need a different amount of flexibility of your arrows. Faster bows exert more force, so they need a less flexible arrow.
If an arrow flexes too much out of the bow they will not fly straight after recovering their position.
Choosing the wrong arrow will make it impossible to get a proper aim out of your bow.
Fletching
The spine isn’t all that matters. You will also need to choose the right fletching. The right fletching will be able to counteract the weight of the bowhead and survive repeated firings.
Front of Center
The fletching does a lot to help the arrow’s stability, but it can only do so much.
The arrow must also be weighted properly. For a stable arrow, most of the mass should be at the front of the arrow. This factor is called the FOC or Front of Center.
To calculate an arrow’s FOC, find the point where the arrow is balanced. Measure from that point to the nock groove.
Subtract the center of the arrow from the balance point. Divide the sum by two.
A good arrow will have an FOC between 7-10%.
6. Test Your Arrows
Once you have the right arrows, take a moment to test them. Weight each on a scale to make sure there isn’t too much variance.
Hold the arrows from each end and rotate them. This will show you if there are any problems with the arrow’s straightness.
A broadhead tune means nothing if you are using faulty arrows. Testing them will ensure that your aim will be true.
7. Test It Out
Once you give your bow a broadhead tune, it is time to test your bow.
The Paper Test
Hang a sheet of paper about eight feet away. Make sure you have something to catch the arrow behind it!
Shoot a few arrows through the paper. Make sure you are using the proper form.
Look at the rips left in the paper. The way the broadheads tear through the paper will tell you a lot about your aim.
Take a note of the problems revealed by the paper test and adjust your bow accordingly.
The Field Test
After the paper test (and any additional tune, if you need it), it’s time for the field test.
Fire several arrows at a target from ten feet away. Then, fire again from twenty.
Do the same at thirty, forty, and fifty feet.
If your adjustment was correct, there should be very little variation in your shots. If your shots are inconsistent, go back to the beginning and troubleshoot where you went wrong.
Get Shooting!
Once your bow has been tuned, it’s time to use it!
Head off to the deer blind or archery range and let a few arrows fly.
If not even a proper broadhead tune can get your bow in working order, you might need to buy a new one.
Any questions? Contact us!
