Please buy a broadhead target (and use it)
09-01-2015, 03:25 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 921
Please buy a broadhead target (and use it)
Had two young hunters over to my shop yesterday to have their gear “DIY_guy'd” in preparation of the season opener. Both are in their early 20’s. One guy has never killed a deer with a bow and the other had wounded 3 and has yet to recover an archery hit deer. A few weeks earlier I had their father and grandfather over to my shop to get them ready for the upcoming season and the elders were happy enough with what we did that they sent the younglings over.
These guys arrived frustrated and unhappy with their gear/setup and how they were shooting. Young/new bowhunters have a lot of ideas and misconceptions based on advertising. It was interesting to listen to them and how powerful advertising can be. Both came with 2 year old PSE Bargain cave bows from Cabelas and cabelas arrows. Both had Whisker biscuits. One guy’s blazer vanes were so destroyed by the biscuit I told him to run over to Buck rub and by a Rip cord and to pick up a new release while he was there.
The other fella was using a PSE lower profile vane that was fletched straight and they showed less wear from the biscuit. Not a fan of that rest. I keep expecting to have a bow arrive at my shop with a biscuit without issue but none so far. Not a fan of that rest.
We spent the day adding new items to the bows, tightening loose items that were already attached, paper tuning, walk back tuning, broadhead tuning (with a few different heads), chrono’ing and sighting them in with broadheads out to 40 yards. They left with big smiles and load of confidence. They asked if there was anything they should buy that would help them. A lot of people ask me, if there was any one thing they should buy they would help them or make them better bowhunters. I tell everybody that there is one single items that they should invest in above everything else.
A broadhead target.
Until yesterday, neither had ever shot broadheads at anything except deer. The fella that had 3 wounded and unrecovered deer arrived with 75 grain practice tips on his arrows but had 3 different broadheads that were all 100 grain. He had never shot any of the broadheads in practice. The main reason I hear from young guys that don’t have much disposable income (except for beer) for them not shooting broadheads is that.
1. The heads they bought were advertised as having field point accuracy
2. Broadheads are expensive so buying extras just for practice was not something they wanted to do
3. They don’t have a broadhead target to practice into
I ended up selling the 3 time wounder a bunch of slick trick magnum 100’s after struggling to get consistent flight from the one Toxic, Muzzy and Allen heads he had. We got the other fella grouping very well with G5 Montec.
When we wrapped up the day’s event I had each of them shoot a single arrow at my broadhead target from 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards. Each of them hit the 3 inch circle from those ranges leaving them brimming with confidence, full of smiles and eager for the season opener.
I wonder what percent of bowhunters these two guys represent? Annually I test and evaluate a lot of guys setups and make adjustments and recommendations and help them become a bit more lethal. These guys were perhaps the least prepared for opening day. They were from the grouping that accepts advertisers claims, buys pre-assembled bow packages, sight in with field points and hit the woods only to be frustrated.
These guys arrived frustrated and unhappy with their gear/setup and how they were shooting. Young/new bowhunters have a lot of ideas and misconceptions based on advertising. It was interesting to listen to them and how powerful advertising can be. Both came with 2 year old PSE Bargain cave bows from Cabelas and cabelas arrows. Both had Whisker biscuits. One guy’s blazer vanes were so destroyed by the biscuit I told him to run over to Buck rub and by a Rip cord and to pick up a new release while he was there.
The other fella was using a PSE lower profile vane that was fletched straight and they showed less wear from the biscuit. Not a fan of that rest. I keep expecting to have a bow arrive at my shop with a biscuit without issue but none so far. Not a fan of that rest.
We spent the day adding new items to the bows, tightening loose items that were already attached, paper tuning, walk back tuning, broadhead tuning (with a few different heads), chrono’ing and sighting them in with broadheads out to 40 yards. They left with big smiles and load of confidence. They asked if there was anything they should buy that would help them. A lot of people ask me, if there was any one thing they should buy they would help them or make them better bowhunters. I tell everybody that there is one single items that they should invest in above everything else.
A broadhead target.
Until yesterday, neither had ever shot broadheads at anything except deer. The fella that had 3 wounded and unrecovered deer arrived with 75 grain practice tips on his arrows but had 3 different broadheads that were all 100 grain. He had never shot any of the broadheads in practice. The main reason I hear from young guys that don’t have much disposable income (except for beer) for them not shooting broadheads is that.
1. The heads they bought were advertised as having field point accuracy
2. Broadheads are expensive so buying extras just for practice was not something they wanted to do
3. They don’t have a broadhead target to practice into
I ended up selling the 3 time wounder a bunch of slick trick magnum 100’s after struggling to get consistent flight from the one Toxic, Muzzy and Allen heads he had. We got the other fella grouping very well with G5 Montec.
When we wrapped up the day’s event I had each of them shoot a single arrow at my broadhead target from 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards. Each of them hit the 3 inch circle from those ranges leaving them brimming with confidence, full of smiles and eager for the season opener.
I wonder what percent of bowhunters these two guys represent? Annually I test and evaluate a lot of guys setups and make adjustments and recommendations and help them become a bit more lethal. These guys were perhaps the least prepared for opening day. They were from the grouping that accepts advertisers claims, buys pre-assembled bow packages, sight in with field points and hit the woods only to be frustrated.
09-01-2015, 04:51 AM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,745
Good advice. There is probably a lot more like that than we really know. It's just too bad because it's guys like that that give the sport a bad name. I shoot pretty much all year long except for a break during gun season. My bows are perfectly tuned but I still shoot my broadheads about a month before the season right along side my field tips just to be sure my bow doesn't need a bit of tweaking I normally go through a BH target about once every 2 years.
I just can't seem to find one that last any longer.
I just can't seem to find one that last any longer.
09-01-2015, 08:10 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
You seem to get the same kids into your shop as I do mine DYI! There are so many ad's out there with "flies identical to field point" or "field point accuracy" it's almost comical. Reality is, most don't. Especially if your bow isn't spot on tuned. ANY tailing whatsoever and that broadhead is picking up air flow and throwing the shot to never never land. No matter what broadhead you are shooting (fixed blade).
Also, glad to see another shop man that points out the realities of the WB rest. Absolutely the stupidest design I think I have ever seen for a compound bow rest! Yet thousands of bowhunters are sucked in to it every year.
Also, glad to see another shop man that points out the realities of the WB rest. Absolutely the stupidest design I think I have ever seen for a compound bow rest! Yet thousands of bowhunters are sucked in to it every year.
09-01-2015, 09:00 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: IL./Iowa Boarder
Posts: 1,621
Unfortunately, we have this in many hunting sports. I see DIY, part timers show up at 3-Ds & wonder how they think they are qualified to hunt. Hell, it's tough enough when you can drill the target over & over at 30 & less yards.
09-01-2015, 12:59 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 202
I see the same thing DIY,commercial hunting shows are to blame for a lot of this.
Archery range finder is a good thing for the hunting pouch as well. A guy (or gal) can pick these up relatively cheap (under $200) I wouldn’t be without mine now. At least you were able to help out 2 young fellas. Good job!
Archery range finder is a good thing for the hunting pouch as well. A guy (or gal) can pick these up relatively cheap (under $200) I wouldn’t be without mine now. At least you were able to help out 2 young fellas. Good job!
09-01-2015, 06:39 PM
#7
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,745
And the sad part of guys like this is it is not limited to archery hunting. When I worked at a sporting good shop I'd get things like a guy asking me for 150 gr 30-06 cartridges. I would oblige and grab a box of Remingtons off the rack and get a response like "I can't use them - I have a Winchester rifle"!!!!.
Or put a scope on a rifle and bore sight it for a customer a week before the season only to have him come back yelling that he missed a buck with the rifle I bore sighted!
My first response was - didn't you shoot it and sight it in? The answer was always NO!!!
Point is there are always going to be guys that are too lazy or ignorant or too stubborn to listen to sound advice and don't take the sport we love seriously.
Or put a scope on a rifle and bore sight it for a customer a week before the season only to have him come back yelling that he missed a buck with the rifle I bore sighted!
My first response was - didn't you shoot it and sight it in? The answer was always NO!!!
Point is there are always going to be guys that are too lazy or ignorant or too stubborn to listen to sound advice and don't take the sport we love seriously.
09-01-2015, 06:55 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 921
These guys were just kids that didnt grow up with the mentorship they needed for thoughtful and proper bowhunting. They were not too proud to seek out advice but the local shop charges $75 and hour to tune and test and these guys spent 7 hours with me so we could try lots of things and experiment and young guys today dont have the income to afford that sort of thing and a shop (this time of year) isnt staffed to go into the level of detail we went into.
09-02-2015, 02:48 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,926
the problem with archery
It's never easy for a newbie. And a newbie will usually never have all the equipment needed to shoot accurately. Or spend the time.
I was lucky and older. I had a place to shoot arrows alone. I had previous training in another sport, how to shoot accurately. In fact when I got back into archery after some years, I would shoot ten shots at my diy archery target and then shoot ten foul shots at a basketball basket.
The problem is a lot of newbies and archers are only part time archers.
My next step after my first 20 yard practice, was to go to 3D archery contests. It wasn't just practice, it was judging distance. Back then the arrows were slower and the drop off faster. Got so, my archery practice became a new hobby.
That's a problem. Shooting a bow was l lot like shooting foul shots. It takes time to become good. I had no illusion about that. To many, everyone is a born archer.
I was lucky and older. I had a place to shoot arrows alone. I had previous training in another sport, how to shoot accurately. In fact when I got back into archery after some years, I would shoot ten shots at my diy archery target and then shoot ten foul shots at a basketball basket.
The problem is a lot of newbies and archers are only part time archers.
My next step after my first 20 yard practice, was to go to 3D archery contests. It wasn't just practice, it was judging distance. Back then the arrows were slower and the drop off faster. Got so, my archery practice became a new hobby.
That's a problem. Shooting a bow was l lot like shooting foul shots. It takes time to become good. I had no illusion about that. To many, everyone is a born archer.
Last edited by Valentine; 09-02-2015 at 02:51 AM.
