Beginner's Guide To Compound Bow Shooting

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Ever watched someone pull back a compound bow and thought, "That looks way too complicated" or "I could do that easily"? Either way, you're in for some surprises! In this eye-opening episode, we demystify compound bow shooting with former Bass Pro archery department expert Logan Elliott breaking down everything beginners need to know.

The journey begins with finding the right bow for your body - a process that's far more personal than many realize. Logan walks us through how proper draw length, draw weight, and grip can make the difference between frustrating failure and addictive success. We explore the science behind let-off percentages, anchor points, and release techniques that form the foundation of consistent shooting.

Equipment selection becomes crystal clear as we discuss arrow spine ratings, broadhead options, and the great debate between whisker biscuit and drop-away rests. Whether you're considering bow hunting or simply target shooting, understanding these components removes the intimidation factor that keeps many potential archers on the sidelines.

Perhaps most importantly, Logan repeatedly emphasizes that practice trumps price tags every time. "I could still outshoot myself with my $600 bow compared to my $3,500 setup simply because of practice," he notes, highlighting that dedication creates proficiency regardless of budget. For those looking to extend their hunting season, challenge themselves with a new skill, or simply enjoy backyard target practice during summer barbecues, compound bow shooting offers an accessible pathway to outdoor accomplishment.

Ready to pull back that string and experience the satisfaction of perfect arrow flight? Subscribe to our podcast for more outdoor insights, and connect with us on Facebook or email us at [e-mail] to share your archery journey.

Check us out on Facebook and instagram Hunts On Outfitting, and also our YouTube page Hunts On Outfitting Podcast. Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
this is hunts on outfitting podcast.
I'm your host and rookie guide,ken mark.
I love everything hunting theoutdoors and all things
associated with it, from storiesto how-tos.
You'll find it here.
Welcome to the podcast, allright, hey, thanks for tuning in
.
This podcast would not existwithout you listening, and the

(00:34):
great guests we are fortunate tohave on this week is no
exception.
So have you ever thought oftrying to challenge yourself a
little more in hunting?
What about maybe getting alittle longer hunting season or
more opportunities?
Maybe you were looking to addanother hobby or possibly
obsession?
Well, how about compound bowshooting?

(00:54):
Now, for those that knownothing about it, maybe it seems
a little intimidating to getinto the bow itself with
multiple strings looks a bitdifferent from the old ones
we're used to seeing in cartoonsas kids, such as Robin Hood.
So where do you begin?
Well, we have former Bass Proarchery department worker, logan

(01:15):
Elliott, who is going to helpcover the basics in getting
started.
And what's in this greatpastime of many people?
I am also joined by crossbow,not yet converted to compound
bow hunter, ethan Stiles, and byfuture can't get enough of it,
but still hasn't really tried itmuch yet.
But plans to Kyle Gillies, alsospeaking about trying new

(01:39):
things and finding out.
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(02:00):
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Also, if you guys want to get ahold of us, you can follow us
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can email us hunts on outfittingat gmailcom.
All right, let's get to it.

(02:22):
All right, so with you know, alot of places in the world right
now might be nice, might be not, but summer's coming and we're
getting into nice warm weatherand that's going to make you
want to get outside more.
And I thought this would be agreat podcast to start talking
about compound bow shooting,slash hunting.
But we're mainly just going toget into the shooting part of it
and we'll do another one on thehunting.

(02:43):
I find that there's two trainsof thought, like we were talking
about earlier with the bowshooting.
If you don't know about it.
If you're someone that doesn'tknow anything about it, you're
looking at a compound bow.
I find you either think, oh,that's easy, just pull back the
string and shoot.
There are people looking at itlike boy that.

(03:07):
And um, I broughtself-proclaimed expert and I
call him that logan elliott, onto talk to us about it.
Logan's been on quite a fewtimes before.
Logan is the sheep farming farmequipment salesman.
But logan, you also worked wasit three, four years at bass pro
in the archery department.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, so you dealt with a lot of people coming on,
coming in, uh, knowing nothingabout bows yeah, there's a lot,
of, a lot of new people, newshooters, young people trying to
get into it.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
So I mean here where we're at new brunswick, canada
other places too, you'll havejust a bow season.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
We can get out what two, three weeks earlier for
deer season, yep here yeah,three weeks for deer, and then I
mean you still got spring bear,any compound bow shooting like
you want to practice as yourbest friend, as always, like to
an extent, like I've still shota lot of, well, a few animals
with a rifle and right up soon,you say in your scope, and you
can.
Most people can run a riflewithout doing a whole lot

(04:00):
compared to compound bowshooting, like even even to now,
like I have a.
I have a two year old MatthewsV3 now and I would still say I'm
not as good a shot with it aswhen I was back in college.
Oh boy, what was that?
Almost 10, no, eight to 10years ago with the $600 bear

(04:21):
Crocs was my first I'm going tocall it real compound bow.
I picked up and but I was inthere every day shooting and if
I put myself side by side fromseven years ago I'd still be a
better shot with that bear, justfrom practice.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well, yeah, practice.
So I mean we've got some otherpeople on the podcast.
We've got Ethan Ethan Stiles isin, he's been on before, and
Kyle Gillies, who's only been onthe trivia ones.
Your first non-interview onewhere you get your own mic and
everything.
Thank, you kyle, you're lookingat getting into bow hunting
yourself, completely new to it.
So like we're going to talkabout you know someone comes to

(04:52):
you, logan.
They want, like I want, to getinto bow hunting, bow shooting
with a compound.
Where do you begin?
I mean, the first thing ispicking the right bow, would you
say that a lot of people youknow you can.
A hand-me-down good to go,you've got to be fitted to it,
right?
Everyone draws back differentlyArm length, how many pounds?

(05:13):
We've got to talk about thedraw weight.
Most places in Canada and theUS the minimum draw weight is
usually around 40 pounds.
It takes 40 pounds of hole toget that bow back.
But so someone comes in to you,logan.
They're like I've never shot acompound bow before, I want to
buy one.
Where do you begin?

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Uh, basically start where in the bow department.
Well, the hardware too.
One of the main things like iswhat, what's your budget going
to be going forward?
I mean, I'm not going to tellyou to go buy.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
it All right, so their budget's $800.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
$800.
All right, because you canstill get a good and I know a
lot of people and I've shotanimals myself with a $500 to
$800 package.
That comes full kit ready andthey're a really good package.
It just depends too, what'syour ability for?
Draw weight is one.
What's too like.
What's your ability for drawweight is one.

(06:08):
What's your ability?
Well, not what's your ability,but what's your draw length
going to be, because there'ssome bows that are going to be
like a 28 to a 31, if you're.
If you were a younger personcoming into it, I'd say get one
of the.
They call them like a grow withyou bow, and they're very and
it's great for your first bowtoo, to play, be able to play
with weights and get verycomfortable because you don't
want to.
One thing a lot of people do isthey put too much draw weight

(06:29):
on way too fast, right, and youget tired.
You can't hold it back.
They tire themselves out quickand as soon as you tire yourself
out, you're shooting a lot ofarrows.
Your shot gets worse and it'shard to get better when you're
tired, especially when you wantto shoot 40, 50, 100 arrows in
the evening.
You're going to be done after20, and then you're going to be
shaky and tired, right.
So get very comfortable with alower weight first.

(06:52):
And even the bows like theymake bows now.
The technology's crazy that youcan go from five to 70 pounds
on a single bow and not change apart, and from anywhere from
like a 20 inch draw length forsomeone who'd be like four and a
half feet tall, anywhere to a31 inch draw length all in the
same bow, without ever changinga part, just moving around your

(07:13):
modules, which is the parts thatbasically, just when your cam
or your wheels turn, or whenyour cams turn, on the cans.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
So people trying to visualize it at the top and the
bottom of your compound bows,they're those things that when
you pull the strings back theyturn a bit so I guess, well, if
you want to dig into that alittle bit, like you can get it
most bows now you'll see you're90, basically all of them.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
You can either get a most compound bows or a dual cam
bow, meaning top and bottom.
It's more.
Each bow has their own designbut more of an oval shaped or
almost even some are almosttriangle for how aggressive they
are, and those genuinely that'swhat the strings are rested on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the topand bottom.
If you're looking at a compoundbow, the top and bottom it

(07:58):
looks kind of a wheel, but aweird shaped wheel.
If there's two that are more ofan oval triangle shape, that's
a dual cam bow and genuinelythey're a little harder to draw
back, but they tend to have alittle bit more let off and they
tend to shoot a little harderjust because they're working
together simultaneously and theywork a little more.

(08:18):
Just a little more together,and they just work a little more
aggressively.
As soon as they turn theyreally pull that string through
versus a single cam bow.
If you're looking for somethingthat has single cam bows
usually it's a big round cam atthe bottom and then a perfectly
circular wheel at the top youmight not get as much let off
just because there's not as much.
It's more circular, so there'snot as much turn at the.

(08:41):
What do?

Speaker 3 (08:41):
you?
You mean by let off?

Speaker 2 (08:43):
So when you get your compound bow all the way back,
when that cam turns there'sshape, so when it turns over at
the very back it takes weightoff your string.
So like, let's say, like mypersonal bow, it's set at 80
pounds and I have an 80% let off, meaning when I have that bow

(09:03):
drawn all the way back that I'monly going to be holding 20% of
that 80 pounds, which gives youa lot more ability to hold back
for a long time, because holding80 pounds back to shoot a deer
after a minute it's pretty muchimpossible.
But that's one big advantage ofcompound bows over shooting

(09:24):
recurve for sure yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
And then, with bows though, say, we'll say another
scenario too.
Someone comes into you and likeoh my uh brother just gave me
his old compound bow.
You know, am I good to go?
You'd be what you'd say like no, let's get you, let's get you
fitted yeah, you'd have to getlike, let's say like if your
brother's.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
if your older brother handed down a bow and you had
one and he's four inches tallerthan you, the draw length is
probably going to be way back byyour ear and it's just not
going to fit you right.
And when that string's back byyour ear, your front arm's going
to be straight and you willlearn what string burn is pretty
fast.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
I've always been scared of that.
I've never had it done.
No, but done, but like pullingback.
No, I've always been fine,luckily.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
But I've always wondered yeah, I know people
that's happened to and stringburn for anyway, if your draw
length's too long and you extendyour front, you're the arm you
hold the bow with two straightand when you shoot the bow the
string slaps the inside of yourforearm how do you, how do you
size it?

Speaker 3 (10:18):
yeah, tell it.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Do you size it?

Speaker 3 (10:21):
I'm gonna.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
I'm gonna mess this up.
It's been a while since I'veactually tuned one up, but it's
a Measure your wingspan acrossthe back Straight out as
straight as you can go you putyour arms straight out like on a
cross.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Just arms, just basically straight out to your
side, just like a wingspan.
You're measuring your wingspanGo across the back, because
across your back is flatter.
So you get a truer measurementand then you divide it by 2.5
and that's your draw length.
I think it's 2.5.
If I mess that up I'm going tobe mad at myself, but I'm pretty

(10:56):
sure it's 2.5.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
Logan's not really an expert.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
It's been a day or two.
But if you google it it'llobviously tell you the right.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
But that's kind of rough.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Is the bow itself?
Is there different sizes, like,like, say, if you were to set
it on the floor, the height ofit for compounds.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
They're pretty similar, are they all?

Speaker 3 (11:14):
relatively the same relatively the same.

Speaker 2 (11:17):
Usually a taller bow will be for a longer draw length
on hunting bows, just becausejust the way they're built for,
because if you had a verypicture, a very short frame bow
with a string that's reallyreally far back, your, your
brace height, which is yourmeasurement from basically where
your arrow rests on that you'reshooting off of to your string,

(11:38):
is going to be very, very faraway.
So you kind of got to extendthe bow to just kind of keep
everything I don't know what theright symmetrical.
Yeah, more or less so, like,even like, if you're looking at,
I want to, I want to pick onMatthews, cause I own one.
I just know about the more thanother brands, but other brands
are very similar too.
So if you have, if you have twodifferent models, like a 28.5,

(12:07):
like like a 28.5, like I shoot amatthews 31.5, which is 31.5
axle axle, which is center camto center cam, because I have a
fairly long draw length, butthere's also one that's 28.5,
which maxes out at 29 inchdrawing so how would you
determine whether you need a28.5 or 31 or?
that's the measurement of yourwingspan divided by 2.5.
So so whatever that number isat the end, like if you're, how
tall, are you Six?

Speaker 3 (12:26):
Six feet.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Six feet.
So if I had to just guess,you're probably sitting at
around a 29, 29 and a half inchdraw length, just as a rough
guess.

Speaker 1 (12:35):
I'm curious, when you get a bow, kyle, what it'll be
at, what the draw length will be.
Logan might be dead on like I'm.
You gotta let us know I'm six.
Yeah, what did you say?

Speaker 2 (12:44):
it would be 29, 29, 29 and a half, somewhere right
around there usually bows, someof the some bows um, there's
some bows that you can actuallyjust change the module on the
actual cam and the module beingthe piece that sets your draw
length, because picture it whenyou're drawing your bow back and
the whole cam or wheel isturning.

(13:04):
Basically, basically, it's justa way, it's a stopper, so when
it comes around it will hit oneof your strings and that's what
stops for your draw length.
So basically, just a littlebumper that when it swings
around it stops, and then youjust angle it back for longer
draw lengths or shorten it upfor shorter draw lengths, just
basically, whenever you're justsetting, when that stopper hits.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
So when you say, like we were talking earlier about
overdrawing, yeah.
How could you overdraw ifthere's a stopper on it?

Speaker 1 (13:30):
I mean overdraw if it's.
If someone has a bow that theyweren't fitted for, yeah, like
if your buddy was 6'5 and gaveyou his bow.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
You're going to be drawn back to your ear.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
Okay, yeah, it's got to be fitted.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
And I can't tell you where to set up your bow,
because I don't shoot like you.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
Right.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
Because, like my Matthews, even like most bows
are anywhere from 75 to 90% letoff.
Higher end bows you get to kindof, you get to pick like I could
have picked 80 to 90 with mine.
So everyone thinks you'd pick90% let off because, oh, I'm
holding less weight.
So everyone thinks you'd pick90% let off because, oh, I'm
holding less weight.
But just for me personally, Ilike a little bit of tension on

(14:09):
my string when I'm fully drawn alittle more, just because I
find myself I can stay a littlemore stable.
I find if I have a bow that'slike 90, there's some even now
that are 95% that when you drawback your string almost feels
like you could let it go andit's not even going to move
because there's just no weightleft on the string at all, which
some people love and you canhold it for a long time.
But I find my hand just floatsaround because there's no

(14:31):
tension.
I like a little bit of tensionbecause I like having the weight
on my front hand kind of likepulling your rifle snug into
your shoulder when you exactlyversus floating.
You just get that.
It's more of just a firm feelfor me and I've always liked and
I'm going to use terminology ajumpy cam like.
I don't like a jumpy cammeaning that my let off.
There's a little bit of tensionalways there and it's if you

(14:53):
bring your hand ahead a littlebit, it's ready to go.
Yeah, I've always just foundmyself it's a little more steady
, like if you're and that'swhere you're getting to like a
great, very aggressive cam bowswill generally have more let off
, just because when they turn,when they turn up over, it's
almost a triangle shape.
When you get that turned allthe way over, it's almost like
locks in there like they'veactually I remember hearing

(15:13):
about an old when winchesterused to make bows.
They did, they made one I didn'tknow that they made one with a
cam that was so aggressive thatthey had an issue.
And when people shot the stringdidn't move.
Oh really, they had too muchlet off, because when that cam
turns over all the way and itlocks over to let your let off,
people would shoot and thestring wouldn't move.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
So you're stuck.
They didn't test it beforeputting it on the shelf.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
You're stuck there with a string and an arrow
sitting there and you don't knowhow to make it move.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
You just take your other hand and ping it.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
But it's all what you're like.
It's hard to buy a first bow.
You almost just have to like.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
But as far as hand-me-downs, you know, you
should go to a bow shop, get itfitted for you, get your
measurements, get it fitted foryou, and then you know they'll
show you the proper form andtechnique and everything.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, there's definitely form and technique
that I definitely push because,like especially like I always
well, let's get into that.

Speaker 1 (16:08):
So say so, somebody's been to the bow shop or they
got a hand-me-down, but they'vebeen there, they've got it
fitted.

Speaker 2 (16:12):
They take the measurements, yeah, let's say,
kyle came in with a hand-me-downbow.
Okay, first thing we'll do ismeasure his draw length.
Yep, I'm probably going to turndown the weight just to first,
depending what the bow is,because most bows Because Kyle's
not very strong, exactly Somebows are Like the Grow With you
bows.
They're like 5 to 70 poundsAverage bow.
Some are like a 20-pound range,like a 60 to 80.

(16:34):
And some are Most are a10-pound range, so a 60 to 70.
Yep, so I'd probably just findout how many turns I can turn
those, because all you do fortightening a bow is where your
limbs connect to the frame ofthe bow.
All it is is an Allen key andyou just turn it back and you do
them simultaneously, top andbottom, so they're the same.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
But you can't do all of them right, Because my
obsession is 65, and I don'tthink that can be adjusted at
all.
Or can they all be?

Speaker 2 (17:00):
They should be able to.
I don't know they should beable to, I don't know.
That's one bow I'm really notfamiliar with.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
There's not a lot of people that are the Obsessions,
doesn't seem.
I like it a lot.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
I can't see, why not?
But I can't tell you one way oranother.
I'll show you after Every bowI've ever touched.
You can, so I don't know.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
So what kind of maintenance do you do to a bow?

Speaker 2 (17:21):
Okay, well, that's jumped ahead a little bit.
Yeah, we'll get.
We'll get there in a minute,settle down ethan.

Speaker 1 (17:26):
Uh, it's good question, though, I like it,
yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
So like I'm gonna say you're drawing length, I'll
probably turn the pounds down,just because I don't want just
get comp, just draw back.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
You don't want, you don't want to help, kyle say,
and he's pulled back and he'sjust shaking and farting and
going on trying to hold that andyou're just like ease.

Speaker 2 (17:41):
Turn the bow down first just to make sure you're
comfortable with it and then goup from there Like, if you can
jump, if you can pull 70 poundsthrough the hop, great, it's
fine.
Most bow technology nowadaysbetween 60 and 70 pounds, it's
really not going to gain you awhole lot.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
It really isn't they say like?
Is it 60 or 65 with most ofyour modern day arrows and or
broadheads will go clean througha moose draw weight, so you
don't need that.
Most places like I said, statesand provinces are like 40, 45
pounds.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
What is the minimum for New Brunswick?

Speaker 1 (18:11):
I think it's 45.
Yeah, yeah, but I mean, that'syou know you're going to kill
something at that, right, oh?

Speaker 2 (18:16):
yeah, like, like, how sharp broadheads are, like an
arrow.
I'm going to measure your drawlength and make sure your draw
length is right.
A lot of it for me, I found,especially with switching bows,
is finding a grip that works forme on the bow, that's the
hardest part.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
When I've changed bows… you don't want to grip it
grippy, you want to have a bitof lift when you're holding it.

Speaker 2 (18:40):
Not even that.
The fact that the grips aredifferent and they sit different
in your hand.
Oh right, because my first barebow, it was really slim and
that just stuck in the V of myhand, so perfect.
And then I went to a Matthewsmonster used when I kind of
wanted to upgrade into a higherline of bow, and I got an older
monster that I really liked, butit was a very wider old style

(19:00):
wooden grip, oh yeah, so I kindof had more.
I had to turn my hand, take itand put it more on my palm, so
it and put it more on my palm soit would stay flat when I
release.
Because if your hand's sittingtoo tight on the bow, like if
you're gripping your bow way tootight, yes, it's going to sit
straight when you're drawingback because you're holding it,
but as soon as you shoot, ifyou're gripping it too tight,
your hand's going to turn andyou're going to kick your arrow

(19:21):
either to left or right,depending if you shoot it Kind
of going to form your grip.
Exactly, exactly so.
It's just forming, finding agrip that's comfy.
And even if you have a nice bigtarget and you're really close
to shoot at, don't even hardlywatch where your arrow hits.
You can tell a little bit ifyou're real close to which way
your arrow's tailing it might beswinging out of your rest,
because when you think about it,by the time you release that

(19:42):
arrow your hand's going totwitch immediately, so that
arrow might not be out of yourrest by the time you twitch.
Right, so you could kick yourarrow one way or the other.
That's, that's the trouble withit never thought of that so even
one thing I've I've done withmy new bows is even I've got
really close to I mean, I haveaccess to hay bales and
everybody does but even getreally close to your target and
just shoot at it and justimmediate, just stare at your

(20:03):
hand and see what your hand doesas soon as you shoot if you you
twist one way or another andjust find something that's comfy
.
But that's one thing I've found, especially when I've switched
bows, that was the hardest thingto adapt to was finding the
right grip that wouldn't kickevery time.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
So when you buy a bow , if you're a left-hand shooter
or a right-hand shooter, do youchange the grip or you buy a bow
?

Speaker 2 (20:23):
that's, you buy a bow .

Speaker 3 (20:24):
That for a left hand or right hand?
Yeah, you have to.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, there's just, there's no real way around it at
all.
Yeah, it just doesn't line upright.
Nothing lines up right.
Well, like your hand, like allyour strings, because I'm
actually left-handed, I hold thebow with my right hand, so all
the strings are on my left side.
So if you held that with aright-hand bow, all the cable
strings which With a right handbow, all the Cable strings which

(20:48):
run up and down your cams,which basically hold the bow,
balance the bow out With yourwhen you're drawing back it,
that'd be right against your armthe whole time.
So you're you kind of have tobuy For what hand you are.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
Good question though.
Yeah, yep, alright, so he's gotit all fitted and stuff.
So you're teaching him the formand stuff.
So you're teaching them theform and how to shoot form.

Speaker 2 (21:08):
I just always start with grip.
Just find something that's niceand comfy.
Find something that as soon asyou shoot, like it's like a I
always relate it someone who'snever shot before like throwing
a baseball.
Like if you're throwing abaseball in a direct line
straight at something, you'rethrowing it, watch where your
hand finishes.
If your hand finishes to theleft, you're going to throw it
to the left of them.
If your hand finishes to theright, you're going to throw it
to the left of them.
If your hand finishes to theright, you're going to throw it

(21:28):
to the right of them If yourhand finishes, straight at them.
Just, it's like a followthrough.
Like you're like a golf shot oranything else.
It's all follow throughstraight through the target,
kind of push your hand straightat your target.
And then other thing I'vealways, I'll always preach, no
matter who you are, I don't likecause I, I anchor.
Some people anchor more witheven their thumb under their jaw

(21:50):
.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
I've tried it Cause I heard about it.
I've heard that my thumb be onmy neck.
Uh, it was different, it's okay.
I've heard some guys doing that.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah For like and some, a lot of people use this
like even a thumb under theirjaw and their D loop.
Your D loop is what you hookyour release onto or your
trigger, what you draw the bowback and shoot it with.
You can use whatever, but I'vealways praised have two points
of contact.
So for me, I have the top of myD-loop sits in the corner of my

(22:23):
mouth and then I touch mycenter of my nose, I come down
on my string and then it'sperfect with the peep sight.
So like your peep sight's whatyou look through towards your
sight.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
That's right in the string, yep.
The peep sight is tied in thestring Directly through the
middle of your string.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
So for me I always have.
Because if you're like, let'ssay, if you drew back your bow
and you just turn your headsideways and nothing of the
string was touching your face,you're going to be looking
through that peep sight at yoursight, different every single
time, because your head's goingto be floating, your hand's
going to be floating, you'regoing to have no point of
contact.
So every time I get the cornerof that d loop in the corner of

(23:00):
my mouth and I touch the top ofmy nose to my string and then my
peep sights right there.
And always how I've always setup peep sites too.
If you're even trying this athome, you can slide them up and
down your string.
You'll be lucky if it sitsright, but if you do need to
adjust it, the only thing I'veever done to adjust peep sites
is find a two points that arecomfy for you on your face and

(23:21):
then as soon as you open youreye, you're looking directly
through that peep site.
If you're not, the peep site'sin the wrong place.
Because that's the most commonthing I've watched with new
hunters is they draw back andthey start looking for the peep
site before they find a goodanchor point, anchor point being
those two points, whatever'scomfy for you.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
That's one thing I've always watched with people is
they always look for the peepsite and make it adjust to them
not adjust the bow to you andthen adjust the peep sight to
that right, and then noteveryone's anchor point's going
to be the exact same.
No, you'll figure it out whenyou pull the bow back, lock it.
However.

Speaker 2 (23:57):
How you'll know then how you want everything to look,
and then whoever's setting upyour bow for you can yeah, like
I can't tell you to put the topcorner of the d-loop in your
mouth and touch the top of yourstring to your nose, Cause
everyone's no one's face issymmetrical to another.
It's like there's nothing thesame about two shooters.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
Most of the time, Kyle might not want the D in his
mouth, so it might be in a,might be in a different spot but
that's kind of the main things.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
And then and then basically just get arrows on
target and then adjust fromthere Basically, like uh.
And then adjust from thereBasically, like always check the
level of your arrow.

Speaker 1 (24:29):
And start when you're shooting.
I find a lot of guys make thatmistake.
They're like oh, I'll go backto like 50 yards, Starting where
like start close, Start at 10.
And work your way back slowlyreally slow Start at 10.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
Start at 10 yards.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
That's just always been kind of my baseline was
always 10 yards but then so wegot that part out of the way,
with you know getting bow andall that.
So then we're going to look atyou know, some people that don't
know anything about this at allSay like Kyle, what's that
thing that you've got in your,either in your hand, around your
wrist or whatever the releaseright?
There's many different forms ofthat.
How do you get somebody tochoose?

Speaker 2 (25:07):
pick one of them to start, I would suggest a wrist
release being one that's almostjust looks like kind of a belt
buckle strap that goes aroundyour wrist and hangs on to your
wrist, has a bar coming off withlike an actual trigger of sorts
on the side either a straighttrigger or a, and then basically
all it is has a little clamp onit and that's what you clamp on

(25:30):
your D loop to draw back, whichthen from there you'd anchor.
But there's two types of those.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
There's a spring tension one, which means when
you pull that trigger, thetrigger on the gun, like one of
those I've got, the one whereyou just barely look at it and
it goes off.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
Yeah, you can do yeah .
One where you just barely lookat it and it goes off yeah, you
can do yeah that's one stylethat'd be a hair trigger.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
Yeah, I had the other style before.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
I didn't like that as soon as you tap it.
It's style I like too.
Some people die by, some peoplelike the tension for the spring
one.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
I tried that.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
I found there's a hair trigger and one basically,
you just tap the trigger and itreleases open like nothing the
other one's spring tension,which means the more you pull
back your trigger on a gun.
Yeah, the more you pull backyour trigger, that release
you'll you'll feel be able tofeel more tension on your
trigger before the arrowreleases.
So as soon as you let go ofthat trigger, your clamp closes

(26:20):
where the other one you have toflick back to close it yeah so
there's those two styles, butthen you can get into back
tensions and thumb releases andbut someone's starting, what
would you think?

Speaker 1 (26:31):
I mean, I like the hair trigger, what I just barely
touch it.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
I see, I said pull I set more people up basically
with.
It was.
Actually it was, it's a uh,it's, it's made by scott scott
releases.
Scott, I think it's a, not thelonghorn, oh, I can't remember.
It's made by scott releases,but it was bass pros brand
blackout, exact same release andit was half the price and just

(26:56):
a hair trigger.
It was like 65 canadian and I.
I ran that trigger for five orsix years and I loved it yeah
and then I got into a thumbrelease, just my new bow, and I
found it was just comfier and Ilike the tension of the thumb
release versus the trigger.
So there's just, it's just achange for me.

Speaker 1 (27:12):
So there's, you know, get the release part of the way
with, and then, um, yeah, we,we get arrows.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
Well, your air.
I was going to say sites.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
I was going to say like you got you want to talk
about arrows first?

Speaker 2 (27:30):
okay, because you can run with whatever site and you
can run basically whatever restyou want to.
Yeah, but arrows have to bematched to the bow yes, I was
going to say that.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
So they cut them.
So that's the thing too.
Some people might think like,oh, I'm just going to buy a pack
of arrows, screw a broadhead onthe end, good to go, but they,
they need to be cut to the bowthat you're shooting and they
need to be spined right.
Okay, didn't know that.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
So spine being the stiffness of your arrow and
charts can be different, variedon the arrow.
So usually, like You'll seenumbers Anywhere from 250 to 500
Is your arrow spine as yourstiffness.
Usually the higher numbers thelighter On a couple Like yeah,
usually, yeah, usually the lowernumbers stiffer.
There's a couple brands thatare backwards.
I know Carbon Express isdifferent, say you're going out

(28:10):
hunting.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
You're going to go out.
You're going to tell them I'mgoing to shoot deer, I need
arrows.
What do I need?
Well, I mean roughly.

Speaker 2 (28:18):
It's a loaded question.
Depending on the bow, dependingon what you're shooting.

Speaker 1 (28:24):
Say you've got a 55-pound, draw weight on your
bow.
For what?

Speaker 2 (28:30):
you're shooting, so you've got a 55-pound draw
weight on your bow.
I like for me, I like a reallyheavy arrow Okay, I like that
punch and power.
I like slim diameter arrows forhunting, especially because
there's less friction to gothrough an animal, and I found
the penetration with slimdiameter arrows is second to
none after I switched to them.
As far as like grains per inchand total arrow weight, like I'm
using, I'm at 502, which islike very heavy, considering

(28:54):
average arrow Like, if you'relooking at an average shooter
average arrow, you're looking at, oh, around eight to nine
grains per inch.
So, and that's one thing too,if you're shooting a lighter
weight, your spine is going tonot be as stiff, which means
your arrow is going to belighter.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
Because it's taking basically density out of that
arrow.
So if you're shooting a realheavy weight I'm at 80, at 30
inch draw and if you ever wantto go buy arrows and you need
help, on the back of everysingle arrow box there's a chart
and it's just a YX axis and itgoes down, it goes your arrow
length and then it goes arrowlength, draw weight, and then

(29:35):
the squares are all your spine.
So basically just follow thechart down and up until you get
your arrow length and your drawweight, match it up and that's
your spine and that's not yourdraw length, that's arrow length
, because they're not always thesame.
They're usually pretty close.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
They're not always the same you get that cough when
you go to buy arrows.
Yep, what you're looking for.
So what kind of broadhead doyou like?
Oh, that's a little bit of a.
That's a loaded question, ethan, and I like your questions that
you're coming up with, butthey're just wrong time and
wrong question, I like.
I like a kidding.
We're talking about arrows.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
I like a good heavy arrow.
If you were shooting 45 pounds,I probably wouldn't suggest a
super heavy arrow.
Just for fact, if you'reshooting deer, deer can jump a
string pretty quick.
Yeah, and you want a littlemore, I'd say, if you're
shooting anywhere from like 40to 60, 65 pounds, I'd go with a
mid-weight arrow, because you'reprobably going to be shooting
in that like 400 spine area,which means you're probably

(30:29):
going to be, depending on thearrow, anywhere from seven to
eight and a half, maybe nine, ona heavier arrow.
So you're going to max yourweight out pretty quick, unless
you want to get into outsertsand matching your spine and all
that sort of stuff, but for justsimple, simple hunting, simple
arrow setup.
If you don't want to spend $100in arrows, which not a lot of

(30:49):
people do.
But yeah, you want a mix.
You want to look at the shelfand like, okay, my lightest
arrow, my spine option, is sixgrains per inch, my heaviest is
nine.
Eight would probably be a goodbalance for the middle.
It gets you speed, it gets youa little bit of hitting power
behind it.
So that's what I'd recommend Ifyou're shooting, if you got a

(31:11):
long draw length and you'reshooting real heavyweight and
you want to and you're basicallyonly hunting.
I basically myself have ran theheaviest arrow I can possibly
find.

Speaker 1 (31:20):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Like my.
My arrows are set up to be justheavy, hard hitting and the
weight and draw length they justthe bow shoots them pretty
quick.
Like they get to target on time, because even both last two
bears I shot I was shooting ragehypodermic two blade.

Speaker 1 (31:39):
Well with that, though, like Ethan said about
broadheads I think you mean likeyou mean mechanical or fixed.

Speaker 2 (31:45):
Yeah, mechanical or fixed.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
See, that's a loaded question too, because it depends
, but isn't it?
You need a certain draw weightfor a mechanical to go off, or
you don't, do you no?

Speaker 2 (31:56):
There's many different systems and I've
tested quite a few of them justto know what would work.
I like the Rage.
It was funny I swore I wouldnever use Rage.
I never liked them.
And then they went on sale oneday and I said screw it and
bought them.
I've never put anything else onmy arrow when I went hunting.

Speaker 1 (32:11):
I've got the Age Typhoon.
Are they fixed or are theymechanical?

Speaker 2 (32:15):
They're a two-blade mechanical.
Mechanical yeah, and they havea little collar system at the
bottom.
It's a little plastic collarand it's notched is just a grab.
All it is is a friction.
So it has two little front.
It looks kind of Almost lookslike a butterfly.
If you're holding it up itlooks like a butterfly.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
The top two push and they push against each other so
then the blades come out thebottom, but the way it's set up
is that when it hits itbasically has to go off and open
.
Because that's the problem thatyou hear some guys run into
Mainly the older ones, I find isthat the mechanicals, they,
don't go off.
And like I've heard, this isset up to.

(32:55):
It's like 99%.
It's got to go off.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
I've used and seen and like I'm not here to bash
brands or anything because Ihaven't used all their stuff, I
used a set of NAP New Archeryproduct, three blade mechanical
and all they were were frictionopening and they're like they're
the ones that point to the topand the whole thing folds back
over itself.
Oh, they didn't open reallylike the friction of them was
too much friction and they didnot open what was that brand?

(33:20):
nap did you guys hear that andI'm not here to say their two
blades aren't good, or their newstyle is good, but the ones I
used.
I can't remember the name ofthem now.
It was years ago, but I didn'tlike them.
I've used a lot of differentbrands.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
You can bash it if it doesn't work.
That's fair yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:37):
But I have NAP stuff and I like some of their gear.
It's just those mechanicalthree blade broadheads.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
Do you always use mechanical, or or do you use
some fix?

Speaker 2 (33:45):
I've never put a fixed in.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
Never no.

Speaker 2 (33:47):
I don't know Fixed it's all preference.
Fixed are rugged yes.

Speaker 1 (33:52):
It depends what you're hunting to maybe.

Speaker 2 (33:55):
Fixed are rugged.
Fixed will go through.
Fixed will work All the time.
What I do not like about fixedis shooting them in wind and I
don't like tuning them, becauseyou do have to tune broadheads
to your arrows and your weightand veins, like you think you
have to play with your weightsand how the broadheads sit on
your bow to make them mechanicalis not quite as finicky it's

(34:17):
not because they're just not asmuch stuff like those little,
like those, any or my rage shootlike I haven't even played with
them and I shot them identicalto my field tips, at whatever
range, doesn't matter yeah.

Speaker 1 (34:29):
so let's talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 2 (34:30):
So say, you have a 100-grain broadhead, if you're
practicing on your target, youneed to use a 100-grain field
tip to mimic that, unless you'rereally trying to go for weight
on a lighter-pound bow usually100-grain is very, very standard
, like for probably 80% of thetime Some people go in for real
heavy or trying to get, orsomeone that's like right

(34:52):
between spines, because aheavier tip will make the arrow
flex more.
So you can kind of play withweights that way on the front of
your, on the front of yourarrow, for your arrow, spine and
weight.
But for standard, most 90% ofthe time, you're probably just
going to be running hundreds andthat's what's most available.
Yeah, but you're probably justgoing to be running hundreds and
that's what's most available.
Yeah, but yeah, as far as likeI don't, I've never seen, I'll
never say anything bad about afix, but you have to know how to

(35:14):
tune your broadheads and it is,it's kind of an art to do
because some like to like.
I remember I don't know ifanyone ever remembers them they
had toxic broadheads.
Looks like the toxic symbol ona barrel yeah, it was like three
circles.
And I tell you what I did shoota bear at 20 yards.
I've never seen a blood traillike that in my life.
You could not tune those.
I could not tune thosebroadheads.
I tried for hours and hours totune those and like every single

(35:37):
shot I'd shoot 20 yards.
I'd try it two inches high left, 30 yards, three inches high
left, 40 yards, four inches highleft, and I couldn't get them
to move.
But as far as mechanicals likethose two blade systems like
that or slick trick, any thatare just like forced to open
from the front, I find they'repretty tried and true and

(36:00):
especially for shooting too.
Wind doesn't affect them, theyjust fly straight and I just
basically set my blades exactlyhorizontal and they've always
just flown right for me yeah, soplay around with them.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
But you know, like you were saying yeah because
your because your arrow spinscoming off yeah like your arrow
spinning through the air.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
So if your front isn't matching up to your back,
it's not going to want to do theright thing.
Yeah, and you can go in to allsorts of other depths with
building your own arrows andveins, and which way, your arrow
naturally spins, coming out,cause if you put your veins the
other way, it's fighting againstit Fletchings.
Yeah, there's, there's.
You can go into depth for hourson that.
But as far as just getting intobow hunting medium weight,

(36:43):
medium weight arrow if you'rerunning 46 pounds, if you're
shooting 70 pounds and want togo for something a little
heavier, or if you're shootingif you know you're going to be
shooting fairly close range, I'dsay go for heavier all you want
, but if you have somethingwhere you might be trying to
make eventually, like a 40, 50yard shot, you need it to get to
that target on time too.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (37:01):
So it's, it's flex.
Is that mostly what your bow isset for, or?

Speaker 2 (37:06):
is it?

Speaker 3 (37:06):
does it have any effect with what you're putting
on it for a broadhead?

Speaker 2 (37:11):
No, as long as you keep the grains the same, as
long as you have like yourpractice tips, as long as
they're a hundred and your andyour uh broadhead is going to be
a hundred, you're good to go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it doesn'tmake any difference on the arrow
.
That way, it's that way, it'sgoing to be the same weight,

(37:33):
same everything.
They usually give you apractice tip in the pack just to
make sure it's shooting, finewith your arrows, but besides
that, it's seems.

Speaker 1 (37:37):
Yeah, it's always good to go, yeah, so then you're
putting your arrows on a rest.
And then do you want to talkabout these dropaways?

Speaker 2 (37:41):
there's whisker biscuits yeah, I'm, I mean
whisker biscuits, very tried andtrue.

Speaker 1 (37:47):
So what a whisker a whisker biscuit is very tried
and true.
So what for people listening?
What is it A?

Speaker 2 (37:49):
whisker biscuit is basically?
It's a round circle with onespot where you can insert your
arrow on the side.
Looks like a biscuit andbasically, yeah, it's basically
just a dead circle and it's justbrushes or whiskers you might
say yeah, but it's basicallywhiskers all the way around the
circle.
Your arrow sits right in themiddle of it.
They're pretty non-fail becausethe arrow just sits in there.

(38:10):
The veins glide through thebrush.

Speaker 1 (38:12):
It's nice, Like I used one for a couple years, but
they can get worn out thoughthey can get worn, that's the
thing they can freeze they whatyou're waiting for.
Yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
But on most of your time, like the whisker biscuit,
is a good rest, for the price ofit, for an entry level, just
getting used to it.
I will never knock a whiskerbiscuit.
They're great, Like they don'tand they take a long time to
wear out.
Because if you ever look at awhisker biscuit there's black
whiskers on the bottom and thecolor goes around.
You can get whatever color youthe whole thing.
But the whiskers on the bottom,the black ones, they're

(38:46):
actually stiffer so they lastlonger to hold up your arrow and
basically you set up your veins.
So when it goes through thatyour bottom two veins spread so
it doesn't hit the stifferwhiskers, so it's less friction,
obviously.
And then there's a couple sitesI really don't like on stock
bows.
I don't mean to pick on bows,because I've used them, I like
them.
But diamond bows, they have athree-prong whisker and it's

(39:09):
very short, short, very firmwhiskers held by plastic.
If you get that on your bow,put something else on it please.
They wear out so quick and thenyour arrow's tipping down and
then you're wondering why's mybow?
You're just getting used toarchery and then all of a sudden
, your bow's shooting down.
It's not shooting like where itshould be and you're getting
frustrated, and yeah, but for medropaways are the king, once

(39:34):
you get them set up.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
So that's one where it's hooked to the string you
pull back.

Speaker 2 (39:38):
Yeah, you can get it lifts up with your arrow, then
when you shoot yeah, there's twodifferent styles of dropaway
and dropaway meaning you setyour arrow in the rest and as
soon as you shoot, that dropsaway.
So it's completely no friction.
So it basically stays up longenough to get your arrow going
on the right path and then dropit for zero friction.

(40:00):
And that even helps too.
If you have a little bit offlinch.
It might even be able to takethat out of it a little bit,
because your arrows picture awhisker biscuit.
Your arrow has to get all theway through that whisker biscuit
before you can move amillimeter, because what you do,
that's a quarter minute, yourhand three inches down range.
So drop ways are good for thatand I just how does a drop away
work?
so basically it's a littlemechanism.

(40:22):
Inside it's almost just likepicture, like a little latch on,
like even like a uh, like acrank something, so you get past
one spot and then as soon as itdrops away quickly, it bypasses
that and then it just dropsaway.
So it's basically like I'venever actually opened one up and
seen the inside.
But it basically happens realfast.
So you can click your most ofthem.
You just pull it up a littlebit or there's some sort of rest

(40:43):
for your arrow to sit, and thenwhen you draw it back it's
either mounted on your limbs oron your cable string the cable
string that pulls down, so itpulls the rest up and as soon as
you're released it drops away,so it's like a mechanical rig
then it's a mechanical rig.
yeah, exactly, but I've used,but even for an entry level,
like QAD makes the HunterEdition, which is good for bows,

(41:04):
I think, below 310 feet persecond, which, on the spectrum
of that, that's 310 feet persecond is fast yeah.

Speaker 3 (41:15):
What is your?

Speaker 2 (41:15):
average, oh, average hunting, probably like 250, 260.
Realistically, yeah, because,like, if you are going to a bow
shop, you can, and you can seethem every year.
They put out their top tens forclosest to what they actually
claim.
So if you go to a bow shop,your ibo rating for speed, let's
say it's 310 feet per second.

(41:38):
That's what it says on the tag.
Like your bow is advertised,this bow will shoot 310 feet per
second.
That is, with that bow maxed outdraw length, maxed out weight,
with the lightest possible error, you can throw through that bow
.
So perfect, perfect.
Draw length, maxed out weight,with the lightest possible error
, you can throw through that bow.
So perfect, perfect scenario.
You'll get three, 10 out ofthat.
You add 20, 30, 40 grains tothat arrow.
Take two inches of draw lengthoff and 10 pounds off, you're
probably shooting two, 50.

(41:59):
Like the closest I've ever got.
Like the closest I ever got,cause I tried it on my old
monster and that bow and andthat my bow was years old at
that time too.
And uh, usually the top bowsare the closer ones.
There's some that like, and howthey test and they buy every
brand new series of bow.
They put the same arrow throughall them at an average weight
that works with all them, andthen they see who's actually

(42:21):
closest to what they're sayingon a real, real world scenario,
and some brands are definitelyknown for better ones than
others.

Speaker 1 (42:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
But the closest I've ever got was my Matthews Monster
and it was at rate of 336 and Igot 332 out of it.
That's pretty close, but I wasthrowing through a light arrow
that I would never hunt with.
I just wanted to see for fun.
My hunting arrow 302.
About a hundred grainsdifference.

Speaker 1 (42:47):
Also talk about shooting too.
A big thing that people gettingto bow hunting, bow shooting,
even need to know is that youdon't ever dry fire your bow.

Speaker 3 (42:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
Yeah, Cause, you know , some people like oh, just
practicing, you know dry likeshowing, yeah, showing showing
your girlfriend, or showing yourwife, or showing your boyfriend
your new bow, and then youshoot.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
Cause, what is it?
The arrow takes that?
What kinetic energy, orwhatever you want to call it?
It holds it right.
Because if you're pulling back,and dry firing, like, I've seen
videos where, like yeah, thebow explodes, yeah, and it'll
happen a lot too on cheap bows,like you see the videos now of.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
Especially like Hoyt was the first one to do it, they
added in a machine 500 dry,fire straight really that was
their advertisement, I think itwas.
I think that was for their rx3or their carbon spider, I think
when that came out I can'tremember which one a few years
back, but no, they did a dryfire test and it was a video of
that bow getting dry, fired 500times straight at 70 at like 80
pound, 32 inch, like full maxedout really yeah, like they can

(43:45):
handle it.
But if you get into the cheaperlines like well, don't do it, I
don't say cheaper lines, becauseI still say, if I line myself
up with that Bear Crux versus myMatthews, that I have quite a
bit of time and money investedinto yeah I could still out
shoot myself my crux simplybecause I practiced yeah and
that bow was.

(44:06):
I bought that bow on clearancefor like 580 bucks and I had the
stock.
I think it went from a threepin, four pin trophy ridge site
for 120 bucks and I did put aq80 hdx.
I did have the upgraded dropaway rest on it but besides that
but, but was like the wholepackage arrows, everything that

(44:27):
cost me 750, 800 bucks and Icould still shoot neck and neck
with my three and a halfthousand dollar matthew setup so
practice, getting practice,getting to know your equipment.
Does that matthew shoot smoother?
Is it quieter?
Is it comfier?
Hell no.
Is everything better about it?
Yeah, definitely, but I you gotto put in the time, that is

(44:51):
yeah you got, you got to put inthe time well, that's the thing
with this.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
It's not like rifle shooting.
I mean you should practice yourrifle, but there's there's a
lot more time and dedicationthat needs to be put in with
compam bow shooting, but therewards, would you say, are
worth it.

Speaker 2 (45:05):
I mean I don't know for me, like I, and I probably
will at some point, I always, Ialways say every year like I'd
still love I still haven'tactually harvested a buck with
my bow yet and I definitely wantto.
But I'm saying like for myselfor bear.
Unless I'm out somewheresomeday, I don't where, but like
, if I'm going on my propertywhere I always bear hunt, I will
never take a rifle with me,I'll always have my bow in my

(45:27):
hand.
There's just something aboutbears at 30 yards of the bow.
It's one of my favorite things,even compared to a big
white-tailed buck or a big flockof geese coming in like white,
I don't know what it is, nomatter what size bear, it just
it's just different.
It's definitely different toowhen you yeah, when you see that
first shot go through and thereaction it's just, it's
definitely different yeah, thenshooting some of the rifle and

(45:49):
we'll get more into on anotherpodcast.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
All of it like hunting with them and stuff.
But then, ethan, you know is alittle early of a question, but
it was a good questionnonetheless is that's why I quit
.
I quit asking questions.
Well, you can ask more, Ethan, Idon't want to keep you away
from it, but is the, like Ethansaid, the maintenance of them?
Give us the maintenance.
So you got your side stuff foryour bow, you got the arrows,

(46:13):
you got the broadheads, you gotyour sights are pretty standard
with them and stuff.
You got the release drop way orwhisker biscuit you know, and
stuff like that.
What's the maintenance on thesethings?
as far as maintenance wise, theyour best friend, string wax
because, say you're taking out,it's pouring rain, it's pouring
rain out there's not a whole lotto go on them in the rain, like

(46:35):
there's no real metal to them.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
It's a lot of fiberglass or aluminum now and
even carbon fiber.
So as far as that, like, unlessyou want to wash up your bolts,
real good, you're fine.
Yeah, you're, you're prettymuch fine with rain and stuff.
Like I always come home drymine off Cause, yeah, that's my,
my baby.
But but as far as string wax,basically like that string is
either is usually like an 18strand string all twisted

(46:58):
together.
So all twisted together.
So you have either.
I always recommend it.
It's just tight string wax.
Get a Bass Pro Cabela'sCanadian tire Pretty well
wherever.
Sorry for us folks, canadiantires ours, but Us folks.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
anywhere is any sporting, any sporting good
store that has a bow?

Speaker 2 (47:14):
You would have like I always just use the bow string.
I like the natural wax.
I find it a little bit softer.
You can get the artificial wax.

Speaker 1 (47:21):
I find it a little bit.
Could you use these?

Speaker 2 (47:22):
wax you could That'd just be weird, I don't know.
I just use natural string wax.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Some sort of natural.
These wax is natural yeah it'svery natural, but some sort of
natural wax.
I find it's a little bit softerand what you want to do is
basically put some on yourstring and then rub it in with
your fingers, really get it intothe fibers, because and one way
to tell that your string's dryis look at it, if you see little
frays, or even you can feel iton your fingers that it's just
dry, like you want to basicallyjust rub your fingers on your
string and you want to be ableto feel the residue of the wax

(47:53):
on your fingers.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
If you see frays is it time to replace the strings.

Speaker 2 (47:56):
If, if it's like little hair, hairline frays that
you're just seeing in the light, give it a good wax.
If you're starting to seeactual single strings break, you
should probably look at gettingyour string replaced.
All right, but besides that,and on a bow, there's spots with

(48:18):
string that's called serving,that goes around your cam and so
on your bow string.
The serving is, it's all.
It's usually always well, notusually you can get custom
strings that aren't black, butmost stock bows are just black.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
It's wrapped around it and that's just for longevity
of the string.

Speaker 2 (48:29):
That's usually the parts that are going through.
Other parts like your slidersfor your cable strings and
around the bottom of your cams.
You can't miss it if you arelooking at a bow.
That where it's served around,it's just reinforced.
It's hard black string that'sreinforced that's going through
parts to last.
So any parts that aren't thatand you can see the two-color
string that's woven wax that Donot wax the serving Don't.
Don't wax it.

(48:49):
Why?
Because it's going throughother parts and you don't want
it to slide off anything.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
Oh, yeah, I guess yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:02):
But no, don through something with a purpose.
Yeah, and it's that size for apurpose, right?
So only wax what's open on thestring and that serving will
never that serving is almostplasticky.
Yeah, so it's just, it's justfine yeah and it's basically
keeping all the other stringfull yeah, you can see it quite
easily.

Speaker 3 (49:13):
But yeah, yeah so only why, how often would you,
would you wax it?
I guess when it, when it looksgreat, or yeah, I'm pretty
religious about it.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
Like I'll even I put a little bit on every time I
shoot it.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
Yeah, I'm not that excessive, but pretty much not,
far from it.
Like even especially if I'mshooting it a lot, even when it
actually does get dry is whenit's just sitting in the case
over winter.
If you just walk by it inwinter, take it out of the case,
give it a little wax, andwinter take it out of the case.
Give it a little wax, give it alittle love and your string
will last.
You can have a string last along time if you treat your
string right.
That's the main thing forstring maintenance.

(49:48):
Besides that for maintenance,it's just like don't go out in
spring and try to go shoot abear with your first shot.
Practice up again, because it'sfunny, even if you don't shoot,
even if you don't shoot for amonth, when you come back, how
bad you are, everything startsto come back.
But when you're in the standyou have one shot you owe it to
the animal to practice.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Yeah, you know there's a lot of practicing and
everything, but it's it's worth.

Speaker 2 (50:12):
You know, I found it's really rewarding like could
I, like most people that I didset up bows for, and probably be
in the hundreds.
But it's and I'm not saying I'ma professional at it, but like
if, if someone came in, likeusually you could get them
shooting at 10 yards and a 12inch circle in the matter of 10,
15 minutes.
It's just how picky do you wantto be?

(50:33):
Cause, like real realistically,to make a kill shot, kyle, if
we spend enough time.

Speaker 1 (50:43):
I could get you ready in a week to make it like 20
yards.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
No, this is 20 16 hour days at least yeah, I'm
expensive, yes, but butrealistically to make a ethical
kill shot in a six inch radiuscircle at 20 yards.
I could get you ready for thatin roughly a week.
I get mad when I miss it.
I get mad when I miss a dime at30.
So it's just how bad do youwant it?

(51:06):
Like guys, I'm picky with thatstuff.
I just, I just am, always havebeen.
I take a lot of time on it.
I just like to be good at itkind of pride yourself in
accuracy.
Well, exactly like I.
I like I've always spent moneyon what I've always done that,
always spent money on what I'mshooting the animal with.
I don't really spare much tothat side of it and I practice

(51:29):
to make sure when I have thechance it's ready.

Speaker 1 (51:34):
Any other questions?
Ethan, I won't say anythingthough.
No, I'm just listening.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
You're taking it all in.
He's taking it all in.
He's buying a compound thisyear too.
No, I'm anti listening.
You're taking it all in.
He's buying a compound thisyear too.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
No, I'm anti.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
What are you Anti-compound?
No, he's not.
He's a crossbow guy, it's kindof weird.
We're trying to convert him.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
I'm the only one in this room that's killed a nice
buck with a bow family, yeahcompound.
I don't know if I'd call that abow family compound.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
I don't know if I call that.
Oh, did you say both family?

Speaker 1 (52:04):
uh, here we go.
We could have a whole notherpodcast extended family that no
one talks to but yeah, ingeneral, if, like, if you're
going out for your first bow,it's not that intimidating
though, do you?

Speaker 2 (52:13):
feel a little better, kyle oh yeah, I was never
really that intimidated, but hewas, and and now you're not yeah
right yeah, but the fun partabout a bow too, like once you
have your bow and you have yoursetup and you have your arrows
if you aren't breaking arrowsall the time, which it's pretty
cheap to shoot yeah once youlike you could go spend.
You could go spend eight, eighthundred bucks, get a pretty

(52:35):
good setup and then all summeryou can just shoot in the
backyard, have a barbecue, like,like.
We do it all the time.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
It's not like rifle or shotgun shooting.
Where you're going to buy ashell, you got to go buy $80 for
20 minutes.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (52:48):
You buy one pack arrows from 75.
Like even like arrows, like 75bucks anywhere up to 200 for a
six pack.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
Like well, even higher than that, like you said,
unless you're losing them andstuff.
You got them, yeah, unless,even higher than that, like you
said, unless you're losing themand stuff.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
You got them.
Yeah, unless you lose them.
If you're just shooting target,don't shoot at the same spot.
Like obviously, when you startshooting and I always recommend
too if you're practicing you seepeople shooting their whole
dozen arrows at a target.
Don't Shoot groups of threes.
Shoot three arrows.
Go get your arrows, Come back,because if you're shooting 12 at
a time by number six, you'realready too tired.
You're already going to beshaken.
Like, just go shoot groups ofthrees.

(53:24):
If you're starting off, youmight not break a couple knocks
once you're getting talented,but you want to see where your
groupings are.
Like that's the bigger thingwhen you start two.
If you shoot three arrows andthey're all six inches from each
other, you don't know whichone's the true, True arrow.
Shoot at 10 yards until you geta good group within.
I'm going to be a little harsh,but like a toonie, Because when

(53:44):
you're at 10 yards, that's yourmost important.
Like you want to be just tack,tack, tack, tack at 10 yards and
then you can move back and thenyou can start like if you're to
the right, if you shoot likethree groups of three, an inch
to the right, your bow isprobably shooting to the right,
so then you can adjust yoursight over and with your sight
too.
I'll still do it to this day.

(54:05):
I get all confused, but ifyou're looking at your target
with your sight, it's backwards.
What you think it's follow yourarrow.
So if you're shooting to theright, you move your sight to
the right.
If you're shooting high, moveyour sight up.
If you're shooting when you pullit.

Speaker 3 (54:24):
Your peep sight is.
When you move that peep sight,does it adjust your sight?
Yes, it does.

Speaker 2 (54:27):
Yeah, because you're moving that up or down, you're
moving the whole angle, you'relooking at that sight.
So either if your peep sight'shigh picture that You're looking
up at your pin, so your arrow'spointing down.

Speaker 1 (54:41):
Why don't you talk about the sights a little bit?

Speaker 2 (54:42):
So you've got your peep sight, which is on your
string, and then you have youractual sight, which is hooked to
your bow, and peep sights comein different sizes, the one that
goes in your string, so youhave anywhere down to like a
64th for competition, shootingall the way up to.
I think you can get them up tolike a quarter of an inch.
So basically, what you wantthat peep site to do is match

(55:06):
the size of the ring of youractual site at the end of your
bow.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
So if you move your peep site, do you have to adjust
your, your foresight?

Speaker 2 (55:14):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (55:15):
You do.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
Yeah, basically, once you get your basis, don't touch
your sites.
If you get a new bow or you'resetting up your buddies for
yourself or your brothers orwhatever, don't touch your sight
at all.
Close your eyes, find youranchor points, find where your
peep sight's lined up.
So as soon as you open your eye, your peep sight's there.
Then adjust your sight to thatand then just adjust your sight
to that because obviously you'regoing to be shooting somewhere.

(55:36):
You just have to find out howto bring it down or where to.
But, yeah, adjust your.
Get your draw length set, drawlength set first, then adjust
your.
Then get finding some of thiscomfy for your anchor points,
adjust your peep site down tothat and then adjust where your
arrow is going from there.
All right.
But yeah, so, different sizepeep sites, what, realistically,

(55:57):
what you'd like to do is findif you have a peep site that's
like, let's say, you're closerto the bow, smaller peep sight
is going to be too small becauseit doesn't have enough room to
open up to get to that sight.
So I'm shooting, I think.
What do I have?
I can't remember I'm shootingeighth so that just works for me

(56:18):
, that like I have a single pin,I'll get in that in a second,
but I have a single pin.
So my peep sight when I drawback is the perfect size of the
ring of my sight.
So I know if I'm moving, if Ican see the right hand side of
my sight.
I'm not looking at it straight,so my ring matches my ring and
my dots in the middle, whichthose sites are good.

(56:39):
They're easier to shoot becauseyou can't you're able to do
that.
So it's just another one ofthose things that you can match
up to make sure you're the sameevery time.
Your fault with those ischanging them on the fly because
you need you can't be drawnback to change them because
basically a single pin sites ona slider.
It's just a dial that raisesyour whole site bar up and down.

(57:00):
So that's what adjusts yourdistance distance exactly,
versus having five pins like 10,20, 30, 40, 50 or whatever.
Excuse me, um, so, but 10, 20,30, 40, 50, if you draw back and
you spook a deer at 20, itjumps to 30 and you know what 30
yards is out there becauseyou've been playing in your

(57:21):
range finder for the last 14days ranging stuff for fun.
You can go from 20 to 30 on thefly in your sight for hunting,
which is handy.
But but if you got a picture attwo, you're 10 yards going to
be high, your 50 is going to below.
So you can't match circle tocircle anymore because you're
going to be cutting half yoursight off to get at your bottom
pin.
So there's advanceddisadvantages to both.

(57:43):
I use a single pin because mostof my stuff I don't know.
I feel my setups are prettygood for ranges and I can adjust
a little bit on the fly, like Ieven practice a little bit too
with my long range.

Speaker 3 (57:56):
So with a single pin you adjust it.
Is there like an indicator orsomething on there?

Speaker 2 (57:59):
Yeah, it's basically on the side it's a white tape,
and either you can get them,there's a, there's a math
equation for each one, not evena math equation, but there's a.
It comes with basically like300 different site tapes, from
usually like 20 to 100, andbasically you shoot at 20, you
basically put something on there.
There's a, like a dummy, youput 20 and 60 yards.

(58:21):
Once you get it ranged in, thenyou just go find the according
tape.
What I like to do is I just geta blank piece of something
white that I can tape on thereand I do all my marks myself,
like I just go 20, peg, peg, peg, peg, 20, go to 30, make a mark

(58:42):
30 and just keep working my waydown until however far I feel
like shooting.
Where the other ones?
They're a fixed sight, fixedframe, fixed sight, usually 3, 4
, or 5 pins, depending on whatyou think for range.
Most bows 10 and 20 are thesame.
Honestly, don't waste a If youhave 3 pins.
Don't waste a pin on 10 and 20,because if you're shooting at
20, if you ever do get thechance to shoot something at 10

(59:04):
yards which is very rare,honestly, it's not going to make
enough difference from 10 to 20to miss that animal or make an
unethical shot.
You're looking even on a slowerbow or later poundage heavier.
You're only looking at like 10to 20.
You're looking max, maybe twoinches.
On a very slow bow Like mine'snot even a quarter of an inch at
that range.

(59:24):
So just always, once you get 10sight in just 20s you should
just down just a hair and thenjust leave it there.
But all sorts of differentstyles and sights you can use
With practice.

Speaker 3 (59:35):
you would see, I guess, or you'd know, kind of
like your fine lines.

Speaker 1 (59:39):
Yeah, yeah, well, you know, logan, that has helped.
Kind of like your fine lines,yeah, yeah, Well, you know,
logan, that has helped, I think,people looking to get into it
it's not that hard.
There's a little bit to it.
It's not as simple as a rifle.

Speaker 2 (59:54):
I mean you can make rifles quite complicated too, I
guess.
I mean, if you can only draw 50pounds and you buy a 60 to
70-pound bow, it's probably notthe one for you and for.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
But if you're looking to get into bow hunting, bow
shooting and then bow hunting,you know it's doable.
Just the big thing is practice,get it fitted.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
Get it fitted properly to you.
Get it fitted first thenpractice and don't let someone
tell you how to shoot because itmight not be comfortable for
you and you might not like itbecause of that.
Everyone's got their own style.
Everyone's got their own style.
Like.
I can't tell you to anchor whatI do and do what I do because

(01:00:28):
you aren't me.
Or I can't tell you that you'lllike matthews bows like I like
matthews bows, like the way theyshoot, like the way they feel.
I like hoists too.
They kind of shoot the same I'm.
I don't like shooting elites.
Elites, a great bow, great madebow.
A lot of great people use them.
I've shot them before.
They just aren't for myshooting style, which is fine
and that's fine.

Speaker 1 (01:00:46):
So try a lot, yeah, if you get the chance to go to a
bow shop.

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
Try a dual cam, try a single cam with one wheel on
top, try a couple differentstyles and try to figure out
what you like.
Don't buy the first, unless youget a good hand-me-down deal
and you just want to try it andyou can get it set up for you.
Go ahead, great, that's great.
Just get into the sport.
See if you like it, that's fine.
But if you are going, if youwant to go to a shop and buy one

(01:01:13):
brand new off the shelf, try afew different styles and see you
and what you like.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:19):
They'll let you test drive.

Speaker 2 (01:01:20):
Yep, yeah, most, most places have a spot you can
range, and even if you havebuddies that hunt too.
Just some guys are picky, butask them if you can try their
bow.
They refuse you.
Pretty good about it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
I won't let you shoot , no, I might.

Speaker 2 (01:01:34):
No, but yeah, just just try some different bows,
just try different things.
You got to find what's comfyfor you.
Like I still, I still go outand shoot some days and I find
something that I want to changeand I just, yeah, just find
something.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
You still always find something you want to change as
long as it's not your gender,you know, that's the fine.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
Like you get a good you get a nice bow you get a
nice bow frame that you like onthe bow, then you can work on
upgrading to either a single pinslider or an upgraded sight,
upgraded release, stabilizers,releases.
Then you can get playing withall that.
But yeah, try a lot of bows,see what's comfy for you and
then just yeah, go from there, Iguess, to what be a bit of a

(01:02:15):
bow whore.
You might say try them all trythem all feel no shame no,
exactly, but yeah, that's kindof the rundown, logan thanks for
coming on.

Speaker 1 (01:02:25):
You can tell that you were very handy when you worked
at Bass Pro and we'll have youon again to talk more, probably
bow hunting, get more into that.
So until next time.