I've been bowhunting and target shooting for about 18 years. I've always gone to my local pro shop and bought what they have recommended. Now that my kids are grown I have some time to start learning and tinkering with my bow. Maybe like building my own arrows and learning more about my bow, ect. Is there a book or video that will get me started in the right direction? Or does anyone have a suggestion?

kyner,
First welcome to the board!.....
I can't suggest any specific book or video that I know of, but what I can suggest is that you take advantage of this resource and feel free to ask what will seem like the "Million and 1 stupid questions" that you might have.
NOBODY will think anything you ask is stupid, and you will have the ability to learn about whatever floats your boat without pouring over a book or being droned at by a video.
Just ask away and if we can't help you , you will most certainly be sent in the right direction where you can get the information you are seeking.
Good luck!

For arrow building, go to the Easton website (http://www.eastonarchery.com/) and download their free arrow building and bow maintenance guide. This is a great, free resource. For tuning and tinkering, check out Larry Wise's book called 'Tuning & Silencing Your Bowhunting Shooting System.' It is available through Cabelas and other stores. Have fun!

HuntingNet Member since Spring 2001

Edited by - The Mouse on 12/13/2002 20:47:58

kyner, welcome to the board!
Like Matt/PA said, feel free to ask any and all questions here.

Another suggestion would be to try and find a good archery club in your area.

All archery clubs I go to have several people that can and will take the time to show you how to properly perform any type of building/tuning/repair that you can think of!

If you can`t find a good club, just keep asking here.
For example, Matt/PA can show you how to build the ugliest bow on the planet! Free of charge!<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

Welcome, Kyner! As already stated above, you can learn alot here, especially if you weed out the brand-loyalty rubbish, remain open-minded, and simply try to learn from a technical level. Easton has some good info as stated above, www.bowjackson.com also has some links that could help you, along with www.merlin-bows.co.uk in their &quot;tec talk&quot; section. There are many books by many knowledgeable authors written about basically every archery subject ever thought of, so the choices are up to you. Ipersonally find some very informative, and some a waste of money and totally contradictory to other books on the same subject, so I tend to listen to those whom I KNOW are great techs--Norb Mullaney, Emery Loiselle, Larry Wise, Chris Jones, Frank Pearson, and a few others. I also try not to put much faith in the &quot;hood ornaments&quot; of our sport when it comes to technical aspects of archery--for example, Dave Watson is a great guy, but is a country singer, not a bow technician, he is paid by certain sponsors and is simply promoting a product. Same way with Ted Nugent. Great guy and rock an roller, hunter, and sportsman, and one of the greatest spokesmen and intense individuals IMHO archery currently has speaking, but I don't think I'd want to talk to him about the technical aspects of a bow that he chooses to shoot at a 30 degree angle all of the time.

You also have to weed out the ones on the messageboards that THINK they know everything from the ones that actually have a pretty good handle on things because they've been around the industry awhile and they work with it every day. I've found this is very easy to determine once you get them talking some, but for beginners or those coming back into the sport after a number of years it can be perplexing listening to two different so-called &quot;techs&quot; and not knowing whom to believe. Generally, the older guys that are either still working within the industry or have been around the sport and industry many years will be better references technically, but at the same time we all must remember that everyone can learn a tidbit of info from even the greenest of rookies at times, so it all must be put into perspective and given a &quot;rating&quot; based upon who stated what. Keeping the open mind is one of the bigggest aspects and keeping brand-loyalty OUT when it comes to technical aspects of equipment is paramount to a great knowledge base. (I've even had to be reminded of this over the years a few times and check myself on occasion! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>)

Hope this helps you get started, and hope to see you around the boards.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Good shooting, Pinwheel 12

Thanks guys. I've already got a start. I've downloaded the Easton Arrow Tuning Guide an am digesting the material. I'm sure I'll be posting more questions as I go. Thanks

I'm glad I saw this on here Kyner. I was thinking about how much money I could save over the long haul, the personal satisfaction, and the knowledge I could gain if I started learning some of the technical stuff like string building, arrow building, basic maintenance, etc. I really love bow hunting, and have been at it for about 12 years now. But it astounds me at how little I know about the equipment I use, and why I use it. I guess I just want to have a deeper understanding of the tools of the trade. I have gotten lots of good info here, as I'm sure you will too.

One thing I'd like to know is how expensive is it to buy some of the basic equipment for assembling arrows, making strings, etc.? I know you can put as much into it as you want, but I'm talking bare bones equipment.


Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!

slee, Boy did you hit the nail on the head. I have just started researching some of the info and I feel like an idiot. I still want to learn more about the sport I enjoy so much, but I didn't have a clue on how much there is to it. I keep watching the postings and continue to learn. I don't plan on investing a lot of money until I get a better understanding of my equipment. Then, I'll rely on opinions from this board. As I learn more and start getting equipment I'll keep you informed. Thanks