Fletching and Rest Type
 

I use a Fuse drop away (Basically a QAD) and I have the majority of my arrows fletched with a right Helical.

when I had a Whisker Biscuit, I was using straight or offset fletching - seemed like Helical was causing problems with the WB.

Switching to helical and a drop away rest made a huge difference in my shooting.

what do you guys use for fletching and rest set up?

I use an Arizona EZ Fletch to fletch my arrows in a RW helical and use NAP Apache drop away rests on all my bows.
I'm sure that your accuracy dramatically improved once you switched over to helical fletching. A straight fletch with a Whisker Biscuit and shooting broadheads would likely have given you inconsistent results at best.

Helical aids in faster recovery for an arrow. Straight or 1 degree offset fletch have much slower recovery so your tuning has to be absolutely perfect. Helical lends to a much greater forgiveness. But it also slows your speeds a bit as well. Not so much that it really matters on close range but it is a fairly significant loss down range in comparison to straight. It does make me glad to see that more hunters are actually waking up to the sheer stupidity of the whisker biscuit design.

The whisker biscuit was an excellent hunting rest in its time. Now there are better options.

I shoot helical flecthing and a ripcord rest and offset broadheads.

Rock I remember the very first time I saw one of those things when they first came out and thinking "what a retarded design, that won't last". I can never truly figure out what anyone is thinking when they buy them. A rest designed in such a way that it ruins your fletch, slows your speeds, wears out if you shoot as much as one should shoot to stay sharp. All just because some can't figure out to put a finger over their arrow when moving or drawing :confused: Just never could get that. Hard to remember how many folks have come to me asking why their bows aren't consistent and I see that big old brown eye staring at me from their bow. I'd just point at it and say "there be your problem". And 99.9% of the time it was.

Yet there are still some guys that swear by them while others swear AT them

Oh come on now. Putting your finger over the arrow with a compound bow? Not mine.

There are better options but that is a huge exaggeration. Ive never seen a WB cause inconsistency at hunting ranges let alone 99.9% of the time.

Are you sure you are not replacing improperly installed/tuned WB with another properly installed/tuned rest then saying "see I told ya"?

I mean come on like it or not we have all seen hundreds of WB shoot just fine. If its not there is something else wrong.

The only problem Ive ever seen regularly that you mention is having to change the Biscuit as it wears out.


There are others I prefer but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go hunting with a WB.

I've used the whisker biscuit for about 6 years now (on my second one) and have no complaints so far. I bought a new bow this year and contemplated going with a QAD drop away rest, but in the end, I stayed with the WB with my thinking being "if it's not broke dont fix it." Also, I've always shot fixed broadheads, except one year I shot Rages. In my experience, i've come to the conclusion that the fewer the moving parts, the better.

OK I didn't express my opinion/experience with the WB. I will tell you that at one time I did use one. It was tuned to my bow and I shot pretty good with it and harvested several deer using one. But from day 1 when I switched to a NAP Apache drop away my groups improved I would estimate 50%. Shooting 2"-3" groups was the norm with the WB. Once the Apache was tuned groups at 20 yards were now well under 2" and busting nocks and ruining vanes was now the norm until I got smart and started shooting at different dots on the target for each arrow.

Yes Rock, having come from a traditional background I keep a finger over my arrow out of years of habit. Now as far as the inconsistency question, as Bronko stated, I consider when someone smartens up and replaces a Biscuit with something better (dang near anything) and I see their groups improve dramatically then yes I have to assume it was the part. When using most all carbons, those bristles get worn if you are shooting as much as one should. Not to mention the fletch problem. Wrinkled up fletchings cause poor flight as well. Same thing with "horizontal wear" of those bristles. No way they could wear evenly so you have one side weaker than the other which will turn an arrow. Again, all this is based on shooting as much as one should shoot throughout the year to remain on top of your game. Sadly there are too few people that actually practice that much.

Maybe what you and many others call "shooting fine" is quite a bit farther from my definition of "fine". If I'm not busting nochs at 20-40 yards my equipment isn't tuned properly. Call me a perfectionist (it's actually quite accurate) but I am of the same mind with my firearms and my archery equipment. If I can't tune a round to at LEAST MOA for a firearm then I work on it till it can.

As much as I like NAP products, about the only rest I've found worse that a whisker biscuit was then NAP Quik Tune rest. The one with the lower prong and the brushes 60* either side of it. With 4" helical vanes it was dang near impossible to shoot through that thing without some type of fletching contact. At least the WB contacted ALL the fletching ALL the time!

Yeah that thing is really bad and I'm also a NAP fan.

Well I think its one thing to say its not as perfect as you want it to be. I would agree with that. That is where the hunting part comes in. Everything is relative. For example I can shoot more accurate at a target with a 3/8 peep but it is terrible for hunting IMO.

I don't shoot deer over 30 yards because after that the deer start moving between the release and the impact which is a much bigger deal than a 1-2" inconsistency.

I personally think the hunting equipt is favoring target shooting way to much these days.

Perfection is very relative.

I personally think teaching people to compromise their grip on the bow by drawing with their finger on the arrow is way more problematic than the WB at what I consider hunting ranges for whitetail.

To me down in the timber at last light shooting deer at 20 yards a WB, 1/4" peep, and 2" sight aperture is a pretty good combination.
The setup that gets you the best consistency at a lit shooting range or target is far from the best equipt for that situation

I don't really teach to hold the finger over during the draw as much as keeping a finger over while moving the bow. Like when bringing it up to draw, begin the draw and dropping the finger to relaxed half open position compromises nothing. It's such an ingrained habit to me, I have one of those hold down dohickies and I STILL hold a finger over. Sad aint it :D

Ive never really had a problem with an arrow falling off myself personally with any rest Ive used on a compound bow but yeah I reckon there have been times ive carried bows with my finger holding the arrow on.

Of course I draw my bow straight back with relative ease rather than waive it around in the air while trying to draw too much weight.

What rest do you shoot?

QAD on my BowTechs, A Ripcord on my older Hoyt, off the shelf on my traditional's (with moleskin on the shelf of course :D ) Have some other compounds with TM hunter style from various makers. Those that want to learn finger draw with compounds rather than using a release are the ones that have the most difficulty with arrows falling off the rest during draw. Usually because they have picked a bow that is too short (Axle to axle). Or, as you said, pulling more than they should be and shaking like an epileptic on crack during the draw cycle.

I absolutely fell in love with drop away rests though. So much less tuning issues with them.

I'd bet they would vote for Hillary, too. LOL.

Seriously, I coach a girl that was shooting a WB when I first started with herat 9 years old. Three weeks into her lessons I removed the WB and put on a $20 GWS drop away on that had been given to me. Shooting Vegas (600) round she immediately went from a score of 320 to 385.

So much for the great WB and shooting around 550 now (11) she's way beyond the WB.

Me personally? I shoot a Code Red on my bows. I still have the WB in my junk box for those who don't know how to back the weight down to something they can control.

Yeah the drop away is no doubt better.

Let me ask you this though.....Can you shoot with a WB? I bet you can. I know I can destroy my own arrows just fine with a WB.

Well I would imagine I probably could considering I'm always screwing up and destroying arrows even with my traditional equipment shooting off the shelf and instinctive. The problem I have with WB's isn't so much how they perform INITIALLY but with their lack of longevity as well as the way they destroy fletchings.

When you stated earlier "I personally think the hunting equipt is favoring target shooting way to much these days. Perfection is very relative" it irritated me a little until it dawned on me what your point was. And I can agree with it somewhat. My belief is that we owe it to the animals that we hunt to be UTMOST in our skills and abilities to deliver the cleanest and quickest kill shot that we can. To that end I practice to the extent that I have to replace strings every year. It's also why I'm sitting here on my butt instead of out there cracking on a deer from a blind because I didn't get much practice this summer. Sucks when my rules get in my own way! But when my kids were growing up I always made them get out there and practice at MINIMUM 2 times a week all year long with a minimum of 100 arrows per practice. I've never been one to propose the old "do as I say not as I do" thing to my kids. I missed about 9 weeks of practice and still have a little difficulty drawing even 65# so me no git to smackum deer this year :( But back to the point, my equipment is top tear for a reason. Not for bragging rights or any type of advertising. I test LOTS and LOTS of archery products throughout the year to make absolutely sure that when that opportunity presents itself, I can lay the smackdown on a deer with no worries about anything. Precision equipment and diligent practice make that possible. Putting a piece of junk on my bow that I have absolutely NO confidence in it's longevity and precise accuracy makes no sense. It seems many more people are actually starting to wake up to the poor design of the WB. Granted yes it serves a purpose but there are so many other ways to eliminate the arrow falling off the rest without hindering accuracy it's just too hard for me to figure out why anyone would use one.

Maybe it is time to think about a cross bow permit. I have lots of nuts and bolts in my body and could get a crossbow permit. I'm not yet because I want to bow hunt not cross bow hunt and I'm sure you feel the same way but at some point(when its keeping you from hunting) isn't it time? To at least have the permit/option?

You better get used to "do as I say not as I do" because it is inevitable. At some point(maybe now) you are simply not going to be able to do the things you want/expect your kids to do. Like shoot 200 arrows a week all year long. I have no disc left in my back my spine is bone on bone. I have some bones fused together but they can't fuse them all and there are lots of things I can't do any more that I still expect my kid to do.

We only have so many hunting seasons.....get out there and hunt.

Eh, after this surgery on my knee and get back up on my feet well where I can plant and use my back more I'll be okay. At least for a couple more years I hope. My poor old shoulder has been busted up and dislocated so many times it has become a routine procedure just popping it back in. Me and the kids have already discussed the crossbow option and I am not against it. But I've been shooting stick and string of some form since I was in diapers still. (Helps having a Native American as a Great Gramps :D ) Old man had me chuckin arrows and my pops had me chuckin bullets about as soon as I accomplished upright mobility. Hard to set down a lifetime of practice and passion.

Oh I get it but better to lose one passion than 2 passions right?