The Blacktail Coach Podcast
We're here to share tips, strategies, and stories of hunting the Pacific Northwest.
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, we'll help you turn preparation into achievement and passion into results.
So gear up and get ready, because SUCCESS IS NO ACCIDENT!
The Blacktail Coach Podcast
Beyond the Trigger: Discovering the World of Bow Hunting
Thinking about making the leap from rifle hunting to bow hunting? This episode is your essential roadmap to getting started on the right foot. Aaron, traditionally a "gun guy," picks Dave's brain about everything a beginning archer needs to know before heading into the field.
The conversation begins by demystifying bow selection, with Dave explaining that "it's hard to get a bad bow anymore" thanks to significant technological improvements over the past two decades. We explore how brands like Hoyt, Matthews, Bowtech, and PSE compare, while breaking down the real differences between flagship models and more budget-friendly "second-tier" lines that offer excellent value for beginners. Rather than pushing expensive options, Dave emphasizes matching your equipment to your physical capabilities and hunting goals.
We dive deep into the technical aspects of archery equipment, from understanding arrow spine and weight to the crucial differences between mechanical and fixed broadheads. You'll learn why most hunters should aim for arrows in the 450-500 grain range for optimal penetration, and why statistics consistently show mechanical broadheads providing higher recovery rates on game animals. The discussion covers essential accessories, practice targets, and how to set up your arrows for maximum consistency and accuracy.
The episode wraps with perhaps the most important element of bow hunting success: dedicated practice. As Dave explains, "Muscle memory is everything when it comes to that final moment," highlighting why regular shooting sessions are non-negotiable for ethical and effective bow hunting. Whether you're completely new to archery or a casual bow hunter looking to improve your success rate, this episode provides the foundation you need to approach the upcoming season with confidence.
Bootcamp & Coaching
Welcome back to the Blacktail Coach Podcast. This is Aaron and I'm Dave, so this week we are going to do an intro to bow hunting. For several years Dave has tried to get me into bow hunting and I know with the system it works, as you say, best during late season, late archery, although there is a late muzzle loader for some people, as well.
Speaker 1:But I'm a gun guy. I've always stuck with with guns. But for guys who are interested in learning how to bow hunt, that's what this episode is for, and maybe give some new information for guys who have been casual bow hunters. Okay, possibly, if there is such a thing, well as far as to be successful.
Speaker 3:You can't be be a casual.
Speaker 1:Casual. Yeah, yeah, it's real hard. Okay so, starting off, what kind of bow? And I think this falls under the category of when I'm researching something to buy. I read five articles and whatever the consensus is, that's what I go with. So if someone is looking into starting out with bow hunting, what bow do they need for hunting? What are great brands versus good brands versus just don't buy these particular bows, in your opinion?
Speaker 3:Well, in my opinion, it's hard to get a bad bow anymore. So 15, 20 years ago that wasn't the case. There was a handful of manufacturers that were top of the line and then there was a lot of subpar bows that and I hate to use the word subpar, but they were lesser simply because they didn't have all the bells and whistles or the bow wasn't balanced as well as it could have been and there was just a bunch of little stuff that would take away from it. But anymore, with the innovations that have come with risers and cam systems and everything like that, it's hard to get a bad bow. When I see somebody that's getting into it and wants to take up archery, the thing that I advise them to do before they even go and look for a bow is to figure out what they're wanting to do with archery, because there's so many different things. Are you wanting just to have something just to plink around with? You know, is this something that you are serious and you want to get into hunting as far as the archery side of it and you feel like you're going to put years into it and stuff? Or do you want to just do target? You know some guys just like do target shooting? You know, yeah, stuff. Or do you want to just do target? You know some guys just like do target shooting, you know yeah, and you don't want to spend the money on all the the bells and whistles for hunting, that you would for target and vice versa, and and then after that it would just depend on your physical ability. Um, and what I mean by that is is that as we get older, you know our muscles they tend to shrink and our joints tend to hurt a little bit more and you know we get arthritis and bursitis and all this stuff going on in our body.
Speaker 3:You want a cam system or a bow that has a cam system that is a very smooth, easy draw, versus a younger guy who probably somewhere late teens, twenties, you know, all the way up into maybe early forties is going to draw like 70 pounds, the way up into maybe early 40s is going to draw like 70 pounds, you know. Well, then you probably want something that is just a not necessarily a smooth draw, as much as you want it dead in the hand. You want it to be. What does that mean? Dead, dead in the hand. What I mean by that is is the shock, the hand shock, okay, after you release the string and it goes off, you want something that's just you know going to be as dead as possible. There's not going to be a lot of jump or vibration in that riser, and so I think it's just you know. What do you want it to do? What are you expecting the bow to perform as? Do you want something that's fast or light, or, you know, there's just a whole mess of stuff.
Speaker 1:So, when we're thinking about bow brands, what are, what are, some of the I would say better brands that people should be considering?
Speaker 3:so some of the better or more popular brands that are on the market yeah, we'll go more, more popular.
Speaker 3:I guess would be uh, I'd say the top two are probably hoyt and matthews, and then you've gottech, which is right up there with them. It's very close. Pse has been in the game a long time. You've got Prime, you've got Expedition, you've got I mean. There's just a whole plethora of bow manufacturers out there now, and some have been flashes in the pan that are no longer on the market. You still see the bows out there, but the manufacturer's not out there anymore.
Speaker 1:Now could that become a problem if someone were to pick one of those up because they can't get replacement?
Speaker 3:parts they can't get.
Speaker 1:yeah, okay so replacement parts, would you say are they fairly proprietary, meaning you can't swap between a Hoyt and a Matthews?
Speaker 3:Bowtech, between a Hoyt and a Matthews bow tech. So as far as the bare bow itself, every bow manufacturer has its own cam system and with that cam system, whether they're running modules or whether they're running any kind of tunability or anything like that, it is particular specific to that brand of bow.
Speaker 1:Okay, it is particular, specific to that brand of bow. Okay, now are there, would you say, of of those particular brands. Are there any of them that are better for beginners? And I'm thinking of this, of from from this aspect that sometimes, if you're a beginner, you want something that's more forgiving to mistakes. Right, right, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so there are certain brands that have a flagship line and then a entry-level line. Okay, for instance, matthew Matthew is the top line that they have, so they would have all their Matthew bows and then their entry-level or their second-tier bow brand is Mission. Okay. For Bowtech it's Diamond and there are a couple more that have those particular ones and typically that's what you find. If you're a beginner, you'll find your package deals in those particular lines, in the second tier line. Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 3:And it'll come with a rest, a quiver, sometimes a sight and maybe a half dozen arrows, which is a really, and it'll be discounted, you know. So it's a really good way to enter into this, especially as a kid, because I know that when my kids were young, the problem was buy a bow for them and in six months, eight months, they'd grow out of it. They've grown out of it yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and a lot of the benefit now is the cam systems are made adjustable so that you can go from a draw length of 24 all the way to 31. The problem is is that, you know, as a kid grows, I mean he starts pulling more and more poundage and stuff. You buy the bow, typically it's of a lighter poundage, so it's not that he outgrows it physically for the draw length, he just outgrows it physically as far as poundage. It peaks at 35 or 55, and he wants to pull 60 or you know what I mean? Yeah, and so in that sense they outgrow it that way.
Speaker 1:Okay, what would be the entry price for one of those bows, would you say?
Speaker 3:Oh, it'll run you anywhere between. It depends on the time of year. Yeah, you know, because obviously there are sales, better sales at certain times of year than others, but typically between five to 800 bucks. Okay.
Speaker 3:You know you can find a deal and stuff. And if you're really smart and you want to get into this and you say, hey, I want to go down to the archery shop, look at a couple bows, have them, help you set one up so that you can shoot it, just to feel what it feels like. And then, once you've figured out a brand that you want or a bow that you want, come home, get on eBay.
Speaker 1:And look it up that way.
Speaker 3:Get on Facebook there are buy, sell, trade, archery stuff all the time and type in your bow and you're going to get not just the bow, bow, but you're going to get somebody that's selling a whole packet. At me, I see it all the time. You know a dozen and a half arrows, a bow. Barely been shot. You know, had shoulder surgery, can't do it anymore. Got in a car wreck. Don't have time. Not what I liked, not what I expected. You know all this other stuff.
Speaker 1:Well, they're selling it dirt cheap so you can go to a range and they have various bows that you can either they'll set up they'll set up brand new bows.
Speaker 3:Some ranges have bows that you can borrow, but those are typically like recurves and that kind of stuff. Okay. But you can go pull one off the shelf, say, hey, you know I'd like to shoot this. You know I'm thinking about getting into this. You know I want to buy it. You know I'm thinking about getting into this. You know I want to buy it. You know I'm thinking about buying it or whatnot. And they'll set it up for you and you can shoot it. Oh, okay, I can think of a friend of mine. We were on vacation over the holidays over in Bend and we went into the store archery shop over there. They set one up for him to shoot and a week later he's walking out of the store with a compound and out of the store with a compound.
Speaker 3:And you know it, I mean it. It's a great sport. As far as that goes. It's very much a uh, competitive in nature, but it it's. It's competitive with yourself. You're not competing against other people, you're competing with yourself. This is what I shot last time. Can I beat that? Can I try and beat that? Yeah, you know I work on my form and all this stuff and it's very relaxing. Some people are competitive, though yeah, some people are just you know, they want to.
Speaker 1:They want, that's fine and that's there too.
Speaker 3:That's there too if they want to, but it's very much a very fun and relaxing sport in that sense and I know there's lots of opportunities.
Speaker 1:You go to the 3d shoots that you can head down to the the archery range, you know the archery shop that has our indoor range, so there's lots of opportunities to go shoot. I would say even more than if you're shooting rifles or yeah, we've got an outdoor range.
Speaker 3:Our club does and we go shoot that throughout the summer, Anytime we can go. In the winter we can go in the dead of night if we want. We've held spook shoots or flashlight shoots and stuff and those are always fun, and then even some archery ranges that are indoor. They're starting to give you a card key and it allows you into the range portion of the store, not the retail portion, but the range portion. Yes, and so you can go there 24-7.
Speaker 1:Well, we have a friend Aaron.
Speaker 3:Who does that?
Speaker 1:Another, aaron, who bought a bow, but he gets off at like 4 in the morning and he would go out immediately after work. Right.
Speaker 1:And, yeah, let himself in shoot for a half an hour, an hour and then head home after that. So there are things when you're I know, when you're setting up a bow, and this is one of the things I was wondering Is there a break-in period? So when you buy a rifle you have to break in the barrel? Right right or pretty much any gun, but you're breaking in the barrel. Is there a break-in?
Speaker 3:period. For a bow. For the string, yes. For the bow, no. Okay, you always want to. And not that you can't shoot the string right away, you can. But if it's going to stretch, it's going to stretch typically within the first 100 shots. So you want to get 100 arrows through it before you really start dialing it in and getting it set up.
Speaker 1:Okay. And so when you talk about setting up a bow, you're dialing in like how much poundage it would have.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, so getting a bow is just like getting a rifle. You want something that's comfortable, something that feels good in your hand, something that you like to draw, something that you like how it. You know when it shoots, like I was saying, is it dead in the hand, is it jump? Is there a lot of vibration, a lot of hand shock? It's always good to try out three or four bows and then pick the one you like. You know, and when you set it up, you're going to find a poundage, especially when you're first starting. You know you're going to find a poundage that's comfortable, that you can draw multiple times and still stay steady. You know it's a lot of muscles that you've never used before. It's a lot of back muscles, contrary to what you know, a lot of people think. Well, you're always pulling it with your arms. It's more shoulder and back than it is anything else.
Speaker 3:And so those muscles build up quickly and, and uh yeah, you find yourself climbing in poundage and then you set up for draw length and all that.
Speaker 1:Now can draw length change the more comfortable you get, or is that just a always kind of a set?
Speaker 3:well, once you stop growing, it's always a set thing, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and one other thing I was wondering they probably make left-handed right-handed bows. Oh, yeah, okay. Are there any of them that are better for left-handed versus right-handed, or is it just test them all out and just see what works?
Speaker 3:for you. Well, if you talk to my little brother or bud, our pro staffer, they're both left-handed. Okay, and they tell you, everything is better left-handed. Okay. But no, they're good bows. Just some particular brands are easier to find in left-hand than other brands. Yeah. And so I've noticed that Bud and my brother have had problems in that way.
Speaker 1:Okay, and I know it's like guns. I mean you can spend a lot of money on bows and getting them all set up, but are there any aspects to models, brands, accessories that you would suggest avoid when someone's getting started?
Speaker 3:Yeah, the expensive stuff.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:And it sounds funny to say that, but honestly, avoid the expensive stuff. You know, and like arrows and stuff, you know that first dozen arrows you're going to go through the quickest. You're going to lose them, You're going to break them, you know. You're just going to mistreat them because this is something that is brand new to you. You don't know all of the little idiosyncrasies of what it is to be an archer, and it sounds funny to say that, but you don't know how to take care of that weapon and it's a weapon.
Speaker 3:So you're going to break things on it, You're going to treat it roughly in times when you shouldn't, just not knowing the durability of your equipment. And then there's always. There's so much on the market with so many little tweaks here and there. You need to figure out what you're going to like before you start spending money. Like sights, for instance, Sights man, they can start 120, 180 bucks and climb all the way up to 500, $600. So it's like no, do the cheap stuff first. Find out what you like, Find out what you want. It's like buying a shotgun. So if I'm going to go, say, grouse hunting and I go buy a 20 gauge, am I going to be able to use that same 20 gauge if I decide to go goose hunting? Yeah.
Speaker 3:You see what I'm saying. But, the thing is I don't know that I want to go goose hunting until I get into this whole shotgun world and start seeing what this does and you know what gauge is better for which and that kind of thing and what gun fits me really good, and so there's a whole world out there that you have to become acquainted with before you really start dropping some serious cash on bows and everything like that, you know.
Speaker 1:So this is true for the gun world and I don't know if it's necessarily true in our true world. I imagine it is to some extent. So there are some shops you walk in and, to use your example, I want a 20 gauge, cause I want to go grouse hunting, okay. Okay. So I walked into a particular store over in Portland and who? They shall remain nameless I wanted a basic bare bones. I don't have to care about getting dings on this 20 gauge, all of that, right, I'm just using it to go grouse hunting. And he pulls a $2,000 Benelli off the rack to show me and I'm like, dude, that's not what I want, right? You know if.
Speaker 1:I'm going to drop two grand on this. I'm going to be concerned about getting a scratch on it. I want something that and I have Right right. It slipped and fell over and it's got little dings on it. I don't care, right, you know, it still functions just fine. Now are there shops that?
Speaker 3:That's the thing, too, is knowing what you want that bow or that weapon to do, okay, and how you're going to treat it. That's a great example right there. If I'm thinking you know what? I'm not sure if I'm going to get into this. I don't want something that. I mean, I know guys that have taken their bows and they've been out shooting carp and the motor dies and all of a sudden they're using that bow as a paddle, pulling themselves through the you know lily pads and crap like that, and it's like, well, you got to know yourself enough to know that this is how I'm going to treat it, yeah, so you don't want to drop a lot, and the guy's going to come up and say, hey, you need this $1,500 bow.
Speaker 1:So are there archery shops that, would you say? Are they mostly trustworthy as far as steering you towards what you're describing? Or are there archery shops that, no matter what you say, they're going to hand you the, the high-end product right off the bat and try to sell you that?
Speaker 3:I think that that most of the time archery shops are pretty honest. Okay, in my experience, in my experience and and I've worked in a few uh, I, you, I've gotten to know owners of a lot, I know a lot of archery shops, been to a lot of them and stuff, and I feel like archers are a little different. And I don't mean to sound judgmental or critical of anyone, but it just seems to me the pattern is that archers seem to be more serious about the hunting aspect of everything. So they really get into their weaponry, they really get into the performance of it, not that gun guys don't. But there's another level, that archery guys, because a lot of them are getting into the archery target, tournament stuff, and so they're really breaking it down and it's like every point that you drop in a tournament is critical, whether it's indoor or outdoor, and guys are really getting into that and knowing their weapon.
Speaker 1:And I would say that that's definitely true. They would probably be the equivalent of guys who long-range hunt Exactly, who are shooting 500-yard shots or above because they want to know every detail about their bullet, about their rifle, about their barrel, about their optics. They're getting all real top-of-the-line stuff. I went out with a .44 Magnum lever action and then finished with my .44 pistol to go out hunting because it's in close and I had to tweak the ammo, but I didn't have to necessarily dial things in. I'm shooting something at 12 yards away.
Speaker 3:Right and, like the average rifle guy, if you said, hey, can you dope the wind for me, they're not going to have a clue as to what you're talking about. And I'm not saying because there is those guys that do that, but that would be in the rifle world.
Speaker 3:I think that's probably 10% of all rifle owners, Whereas I feel like in the archery world because you are closer, you have to get closer. There's so many aspects as to what can go wrong that most guys are spending more time with their weapon and getting to know that weapon to a greater extent than the average rifle hunter.
Speaker 1:Okay, and we'll get more into arrows and broadheads and everything like that in a minute, but would you say that you might want to be looking at a different type of bow or different equipment, depending on the type of hunting you want to do? So if you're going to primarily elk hunt versus black-tailed deer versus mule deer versus bear, versus, you know there's and I and I'm sure there's a lot with the arrows that you're using, but does it matter with the bows, would there be something that, if you know you're going to be doing 40, 60 yards and correct me if I'm wrong about 80 is about your, the limit that you want to take a shot with a?
Speaker 3:bow, or that's a personal thing, okay, you know. I mean, I know Cameron Haynes. He practices at 100 to 120 yards. You know which is incredible you know, but that's Cameron Haynes, and I know some guys you know Blake Jerome and some other guys that practice like that also, but that's not the average guy. Yeah. You know what I mean. And kudos to those guys because they're very good at it and stuff but I know my limits. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I can push my limits, but I respect that animal enough. Not that those guys don't, because they do. They're very good long range shooters. I am not and just being honest with myself, it's like okay, so 60 yards is probably my max. Could I hit the animal at 70, 80? Yeah, I could, but I'm not guaranteeing that it's going to be a kill shot and I want to have that. I want to be ethical about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, going back to the ethical yeah, knowing my limits and stuff.
Speaker 3:But I think, more than the bow, I think it's more the broadhead and the arrow when you start changing the species of game that you're after.
Speaker 1:Okay. So before we jump into that because I do have that on my notes to talk about that what accessories? So you've bought your bow and you bought your bow with the intent to go hunting with it. What are the accessories that you are going to need when you're going out hunting?
Speaker 3:Okay. So obviously, a sight, okay, a quiver, a rest and a peep and a release, that's it, that's all you need. Okay, as far as bare bones, essentials, that's what you need. And then obviously, arrows and broadheads, but I mean accessories on the bow, that's what you need.
Speaker 1:Okay, now let's talk about arrows and broadhead. You're obviously not practicing with broadheads. In fact, you can't practice with broadheads as far as at a public range, can you?
Speaker 3:Not at a well like our range. Our club range has a broadhead pit, Okay, and so you can shoot broadheads at the broadhead pit, but that's it. It's solely excluded to that area right there not to be used on the range, out on the course or anything like that. It's strictly in that broadhead pit, okay. And then you can practice with broadheads, you know, at your leisure, on your own property or at your house, whatever, but those, when I practice with those broad, I don't use those broadheads, because every time you shoot it into your target you're dulling that blade. Yeah, you know, and so I won't use those broadheads. I'm just going to say, okay, here's the arrow flight, do I need to tune something? And whatnot? And I change that broadhead as I tune all the arrows to my broadheads. I just rotate that broadhead from arrow to arrow to arrow to arrow so that I get it tuned, okay, and then and I was wondering about that.
Speaker 1:So if you were to try new broadheads, you would buy some, basically some throwaways to go practice with. That's exactly right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know with buying self-defense rounds for my pistol. Anytime I buy new rounds, except for if they're just straight plinking rounds, I'm putting a magazine or two or a cylinder or two through my handguns of self-defense rounds. I buy a couple boxes with the plan to shoot one of those boxes so that I have a feel for what that's going to do. So you do the same thing with arrows and broadheads when you're trying out new stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so there's always guaranteed that there's going to be a. I buy a pack with the intent that these will never be used hunting. These are strictly for sighting in tuning my arrows and sighting in my bow to the broadheads.
Speaker 1:Okay, and do you find that different arrows, everything those can there's a big variance on how those react when you shoot them? I would imagine. Yeah, different weights and.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I mean it's funny. You say this because when I first started, you know, when I was younger and getting into big game hunting, archery, you know it was just buy the arrows, put the broadheads on there, didn't check to see how they spun, didn't check the spine or anything like that, and hey, let's go out and shoot some deer or elk or whatnot. And the longer I've been in it, the more I realize there's a lot more to it than just that. You know you want to spine, check your arrow shafts, you want to spin them, you know to make sure that they're all spinning really good and tight. And you want to find the spine on that shaft so that you can put your cock vein the same on every shaft on, so that it's on the spine of every, so that every arrow comes out of that riser the same.
Speaker 3:You want to use the same nocks. All nocks don't come off the riser the same, they come out differently. Guys will shoot regular, their regular no knocks, practice, and then when it comes to hunting they'll throw on some kind of lighted knock. Well, I was shooting gold tips and man all summer long shooting them great, and they're just flying like darts and I'm just hitting everything, and then I put on the nocturnal, which is a lighted knock, and it was eight inches of difference at 20 yards.
Speaker 3:Because, of how that arrow came out of the riser with that knock on. Yeah.
Speaker 3:How it gripped the string and all that. So it all plays a role in how that arrow flies and that's why there's a whole old saying in the sports world that you practice how you play. Well, it's the same with archery. When it gets time, that last month, so if season starts in September, all of August it's working on my broadheads and tuning my arrows and shooting them with those practice broadhead tips and the real deal. Everything I'm going to use when it comes to game time is on that arrow and it's go time Okay.
Speaker 1:What do you mean by so? We'll get into some definitions here.
Speaker 3:So spine that is the stiffness of the arrow. Okay, and so the way arrows are made is that everything is graphite or carbon. Now, okay, when I first started it was aluminum and that was pretty much all you had. There was a small run of fiberglass or whatnot, but now it's all carbon or graphite arrows.
Speaker 3:And how they make it is they have a stencil or they have a round disc with a bunch of holes in it and they push these stencils through it and they can't maintain, they can't monitor how many of those stencils go into each hole. So one may have, you know, let's say, 15 of the stencils or the fibers in there, and the other one over here may only have 12., and then the one next to it on the other side might have 13. You know what I mean? Well, the one that has 15, that's going to be the stiffest part, okay, running down that shaft and so the way that it's all bound together and how they push that through there and stuff not being able to monitor how many of those fibers go into each, or the stencils go into each hole. It changes the spine on the arrow, but every arrow will have at least one stiff side, okay, and so you want to find that stiff side and typically I like to make it so that my cock vein or my odd color vein is right on that stiff spine. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And so that if I put the arrow in the riser and attach it to the string, with that stiff part pointing to the same spot on every arrow.
Speaker 1:It's going to have the same performance. It's going to hit the same spot down range.
Speaker 3:Theoretically yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how do they the spine, that's the 300, 400, 500? Correct?
Speaker 3:Correct the numbers on there 350, 400,. Yeah, okay 500?
Speaker 1:Correct, correct the numbers on there 350, 400. Yeah, okay Now.
Speaker 3:Arrow length is that a thing? And weight of the arrow itself? Yep, and the trueness of the straightness of the arrow. So every arrow just like bow manufacturers has a line like gold tip, has a whole line of arrows. Okay, and they've had their best, their platinum pierce, they've got their just regular gold tips and they have all these different arrows in all these different arrow lines and gold tip, and some, the cheaper end of those are going to be the ones that aren't as true, don't have real good trueness as far as compared to the ones that are at the top.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. And they're all going to be a different amount of weight per inch of the arrow they're going to have a certain amount. So it'll be like 8.9 grains per inch of arrow, or some will be 7. Such and such per inch of arrow, and that's how you start adding up your arrow weight. So then you find out how many grains your arrow is according to your draw length, and the shop should be able to set you up accordingly. Okay.
Speaker 3:So that's something that the first couple you want somebody that knows what they're doing to get you set up with your draw length and then to have the arrows cut to your length now do they come pre-cut, or is that because they assemble the arrows?
Speaker 3:for you. You can buy them assembled as far as the veins and the knot, but you always get them cut to you. Okay, yeah, and that's why, when you go in to get arrows, always take your bow. It's an arrow that's got the measurements on it and stuff, and they can say, okay, this is where we need to cut.
Speaker 4:So when you draw, back, they would place that arrow on there and then get the exact measurement, right, okay, okay, that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Now for broadheads. Okay, that makes sense Now for broadheads. So those would go by weight. So there's a lot of discussion between mechanical and fixed. Okay, so we'll get into that, because we've had a lot of those questions recently and stuff. But there's also weight is a consideration for your broadheads.
Speaker 3:So weight is always a consideration. Weight is a consideration for your broadheads, so weight is always a consideration. So everything that has to do with the arrow and the broadhead and the weight and all that is always in grains, okay, so your veins are typically five to 15 grains for each vein. You know, guys will weigh them out. So your target shooters, your serious hunters, they're going to weigh every component of that arrow individually. So they add it up and once they get it, it's like with reloading a bullet. Reloading yeah.
Speaker 3:Your powder. You're going to get it right down to the exact grain of what you're putting in it, because you want that same hot load. You don't want it any hotter, you don't want it any less. Yeah. You know, so that that bullet hits the same spot every time.
Speaker 1:I have a friend who he will go with tweezers to load the powder into the casings so that they're exactly the same. Yeah, and I think he goes down to like not just the 10th of a grain but 100th, yeah, yeah, he wants them to be exactly the same for the exact same performance.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and if you look at these guys that are professional target shooters, I mean they do that with every arrow.
Speaker 3:They'll get a dozen arrows and they'll find the you know.
Speaker 3:They may go through three dozen to find, you know, a set of what they consider really good straightness or trueness, and then they'll shoot those at a tournament and once that tournament's over, they don't shoot them anymore, they just throw them away and they'll get another two or three dozen and do the same thing over again. Yeah, yeah. So it as far as the weight of the arrow, you you want something and this is this has kind of burned me in the past because I I got on a speed kick, and when you get on a speed kick, it's so that you don't have to worry about guessing wrong on the yardage. You can use the same pin from 20, even out to 40 yards, with as fast as the bows are today, and so you could guess it at 22 and it's at 30, but that one pin is going to cover that. So even if you guess the yardage wrong, you're still hitting kill zone, whereas the slower bows if you guess it at 22 and it's at 26, you could miss the animal completely. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So I got on that speed kick, went with a lighter arrow and it cost me a couple really nice bucks, and it was just basically because I lost penetration. I didn't have any weight behind that arrow to retain that kinetic energy to push through that animal. And so that's the important part, and typically about 450 to 500 is a good weight to be at for hunting.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, we've talked about that, not only with regular ammo, but with arrows is you have this setup and you have a shot. You don't get to try that shot on an animal for another year. Right, yeah, it's not like you. Well, it didn't work on this deer, so I'm going to change it up and go get my set Now. Granted, there's some parts in the country you could, because you get three deer per day, but that's not here in the Pacific Northwest.
Speaker 1:We get one and that's it, so you don't get a whole lot of in the field practice with what you're doing. So it's one of those. Yeah, I would think it through before you get into the middle of it and think about that. So last thing we want to cover is practicing, because I would imagine it's a skill that can atrophy. You don't shoot your bow, it's just not going to be there. And also, with archery, it's building up those muscles too. So what is really the importance of creating a plan for practicing?
Speaker 3:The muscle memory portion of it. Like you said, the atrophy and whatnot With archery. When you develop good form you want to keep practicing's. Funny because we had a seminar yesterday at Cross the Divide and I was telling the guys you know I've got tons of stories of guys that don't think they get buck fever and then I put a record book buck in front of them and now all of a sudden they're shaking and they didn't get back to their anchor point or they didn't get the rifle all the way up to their cheek or they weren't even looking through the scope, you know, or the sights or whatever.
Speaker 3:So muscle memory is everything when it comes to that final moment, that one chance that you got that season for that target buck or that bull or whatever, you want to be able to erase anything that you don't have to think about. As far as you want that to be second nature, it just naturally you're going to go right to where you think about. As far as you want that to be second nature, it just naturally you're going to go right to where you need to. As far as your anchor point, looking through your peep, you're ready to go. Or whatever weapon you're using, you want that muscle memory so that you eliminate all of the liabilities that could happen. That won't if you go to that so that you can focus on what you need to do to seal the deal.
Speaker 3:Pick a spot, squeeze the trigger, stop looking at the antlers. You know what I mean. Stop. You know. Work on your breathing. A lot of guys need to calm down. Gotta get my breathing under control because they can hear their heartbeat. You know it's up, it's in their ears, they can just it's just pounding, you know, know and they just the adrenaline's going and everything. So, yeah, the muscle memory is is everything as far as practice. So how often do you practice as much as you possibly can? Okay, there's never.
Speaker 1:You can never practice too much and we talked about how a lot of the ranges will be the 24-hour access. And there are a lot. There are actually quite a few ranges, uh, especially if you're in a larger city. Now, if you're in a smaller city, it's going to be a little harder. Right right, but one of the nice things archery versus rifle hunting is you can practice in your yard.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you're talking about a 40 yard shot, you might be able to set up you know your target in your yard, yeah, and pull that off. So if you were to set up and I know you've got a permanent target set up- in the backyard, but you also have just the carry around and like when it's raining I know you or DJ will stand in the garage and have on a card table set up in the driveway where you're shooting at it, but what kind of targets are you using?
Speaker 3:I really like the bulldog targets.
Speaker 3:Okay, just because the lifetime warranty on them oh perfect two finger, you two finger pull out of the arrow and it's no joke, it only takes two fingers. You'll never shoot through that target. You never shoot through that target. And then when it gets all shot up as far as the cover and stuff, you just call them and they send you a free cover out. Oh nice, and you just replace it. I mean, it's just like it's the one target that you could potentially have forever and what was the name of it?
Speaker 3:bulldog targets they're fantastic not a sponsor, not a sponsor, that's. That's what I use for field points but for, like, uh, broadheads and that kind of stuff. Um, I don't think that it really. I don't think there's one out there that I would say is better than the other, because they all, when you start shooting broadheads, it all gets shot up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're going to shoot everything up it just they're doing what they're designed to do and you just need something that stops, you know, and the block is always a good one, but it's, you know, instead of pulling the arrows out, I typically take the broadhead off on the backside and then pull the arrow out. Okay, yeah, that would probably, you know, because it'll pull the inserts out or it'll pull the blades off. You know, on some mechanicals, yeah, it's a tough target. Okay, that's where that goes.
Speaker 1:And you mentioned mechanicals. So mechanicals versus fixed, and we'll end here. Okay. Give us your thoughts on all of that. The big debate which is better the big debate which is better mechanicals or fixed broadheads.
Speaker 3:I'm going to tell you whatever you like, whatever you have confidence in, that's what you need to use. That's what I'm going to tell you. Statistically speaking, mechanicals have a higher harvest rate, a higher recovery rate than fixed broadheads. That's not me putting any emotion or feeling into it. That is just the numbers. That's statistics. You can look that up, you can read it anywhere you want. Statistically speaking, you have a better chance of recovering your animal with a mechanical broadhead.
Speaker 3:I know everybody wants to say well, my bow is so fast, the blades didn't open up or this didn't happen. And the reality is it's okay. You need to be honest with yourself. Did you put a good shot on that animal? This is a sport filled with egos and just divas, and a lot of guys will start pointing fingers elsewhere instead of pointing fingers back at themselves and say you know what? I didn't make the shot. I thought I did. Yeah, the broadhead is going to do what it is designed to do. Very, very, very seldom Do mechanicals go through an animal and not deploy Very seldom. And so they have a larger cutting diameter. They fly better because they don't have the surface area to plane like a fixed broadhead will. Okay.
Speaker 3:That's not to say that fixed broadheads aren't good. Again, whatever you have confidence in, that's what you use. But statistically speaking, mechanical broadheads have a higher recovery rate than fixed. Yeah, and you've used both.
Speaker 1:I've used both. Yeah, and you've killed with both. Yes, I have. So there you go, I like mechanicals myself.
Speaker 3:There you go, but for several reasons. I mean my form isn't the best. I torque my bow. I cant it because I dislocated my shoulder and broke my collarbone and the way it healed it's really uncomfortable for me to hold my arm straight up under pressure like that, and so my bow tends to be canted. Pressure like that, and so my bow tends to be canted, and so it's easier to get a mechanical to fly better, to fly good enough, than it is for a fixed broadhead with my situation.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, there we go. We've covered the basics. Hopefully, enough of the basics of archery. I'm sure this is one of those that you can talk a lot about, because there's so much to talk about. It's like with guns and anything else like that. So thanks for tuning in, thanks for listening, and we will talk to.
