LittleChief

Atlas,
Where'd that come from? I never told a shop owner what to do. I was asking him simple questions. When the one guy told me that I was being too scientific, I stopped asking him questions and let him finish setting up my bow. Granted, to those of you who have been doing this for decades, they were probably the same questions you've rolled your eyes about time and time again. This is my first time around, and I promise, you won't see the same questions from me.Youwill see others, but not the same ones. Those of you who want to roll your eyes now, feel free.

archer58

L/C,
I went back and read your question again. My answer would be Yes and No.
You can have too much technical knowledge in respect to tuning / arrow set-up. However one thing is true , a basic knowledge of things like spine/foc/fps for YOUR setup is most of the time all that is necessary to know what's happening w/ your equipment and keep you shooting well.
You don't need to know what can get you 3fps more, or how to eek out 4 more Ke., unless you are a tournament archer.
You will pick up information as you go, some technical , some not.

I suppose the NO, would be my answer if you had some problems w/ your set up no one can explain. This rarely happens and ends up being a simple solution anyway. Again, these technical items may only be of use if you are a tournament shooter.

As GMMAT said, "have fun". And if you are having a technical issue , I'm sure with knowledge ofthe guys on this forum , it will get figured out.

Paul L Mohr

It never hurts to be well informed and know what is going on. However some tend to psych themselves out before they even start. I have seen people have a set up that shoots just fine with field tips and broad heads, and they had no trouble killing deer. Then on a whim they decide to shoot through paper or something else and they have a slight tear or some other minor flaw. Now they think something is wrong with the bow and they can't hunt with it and all of a sudden they don't shoot worth a darn.

The mental game is a HUGE part of archery. Target archery is the same way. You don't need to be tuned perfect to shoot well, you just need good form, follow through and a positive attitude. If you took a guy, or girl for that matter and showed them how to shoot and let them go at it for while. Practicing proper form and getting better as they went. Eventually they would become a pretty decent shot. Show them there bow is not tuned and let them think something is wrong and I be their scores start to drop. They forget that the day before the bow shot just fine.

I have done all kinds of crap to my girlfriends bow. She doesn't have a clue what I'm doing. She just trusts I know what I am doing[]. Nothing I have done effects how well she shoots at this point. Didn't make her any better or worse, and I have done some seriously messed up stuff as far as tuning goes. It changes her impact points, but she still shoots as well. She just didn't know any better. Some times being oblivious is a good thing.

I had a buddy that was having trouble holding steady and keeping his groups consistent. I think he was starting to get target panic (ok, I KNOW he was). For starters he was drawing too much weight and his draw length was a bit long, but he didn't want me to change it. So I told him I could make an adjustment that would help.

I fed him some line of crap I don't even remember about physics and how the bow settled at full draw. I took his bow and adjusted one limb a half a turn up, then turned it back down to where it was before. Basically I made no adjustment at all. I handed the bow back and said "Try that a few times, I think you will like it". Sure enough he was impressed. Said it was easier to hold and after a few arrows his groups came back together.

Then I got him to let me adjust his weight down a bit and fix his draw length and peep height. Then he really was happy. In a matter of an afternoon I shrunk his groups in half. And all I did was make his bow fit him and tell him what a good job he was doing.

When I first started in archery I got crazy way technical with everything, trying to learn as much I could. I went a bit overboard at times I think, but I did learn a lot. Now the biggest thing I have learned is to not worry so much.

The best tuning method I have found is encouragement. Tell someone they are doing good and give them constructive criticism and they learn faster and have more fun. Tell someone they suck and there set up is crap and they will go down hill fast, and probably just give up at some point.

My opinion anyway.

Paul

LittleChief

Archer/Paul,
Thanks. Actually, all of the questions I was asking were on the spine and FOC of the arrows. I still fail to see how that's too scientific. Anyway, to all who've responded, don't worry... I'm having a blast shooting. I just wish that I had someone to shoot with more often. Thanks again.

PreacherTony

if it stresses you out, yes, it's too scientific .... if you get scientific for fun and tinkering .... no ..... all in all it needs to be fun

atlasman

I just meant that is what some guys will think when you come in tossing around a bunch of "high tech" questions........especiallyif they are old school.People feel like you are questioning their knowledge sometimes even when you are not. I never meant you did anything wrong.

Diesel77

I trust the all the bow manufactures to deliver a good enough product that will have enough speed, KE and whatever else it takes to get the job done, the rest is up to the hunter and his ability to make, and take, a good shot. Im not sure a bow that shoots 5, 10 or even 20 FPS faster, or has a little more KEthan another bow really makes that big a difference anymore as fast as most of the bows are shooting nowdays. Im just glad we have such a huge selection of bows/arrows, broadheadsto choose from. Like I said before, I'd love to own any number of manufacturers bows.

Outdoor writer

Hey Harvey, Outdoor writer will argue with you all day over those junk broadheads! ha ha ..Good to see you posting on this site but I have to warn you, there is a guy on here that is worse at making new internet friends than you and I will ever be! I think he is the professor of that class we have been thinking about taking - "Making Friends on the Internet - 101". I will just keep quiet and see if you can figure out who he is.

harvey261

hey it is nice to be on here!! ive been soon busy doing papers that i havent had a chance to do anything. found around 20 sheds this year i think its because i missed it pretty badly and shed hunted about every minute i was home!!!How many pope and youngs and booners are we going to have to shoot before you believe in them

Outdoor writer

How many deer will you lose before you quit using them?

Sounds like you did pretty good with the sheds. I didnt find too many and none off of the big bucks that I know were out there. I think it is easier to kill a mature buck than it is to find his sheds.