what would be a good way to set the pins, 10,20,30,40? or 20,30,40,50? or something in between. i am pretty new and have not been actually hunting with a bow yet. i have only been practicing up to 40 yards right now but not too accurate at 40. thats from the ground i don't have a treestand yet.
Pete, What bow are you shooting, and what is you're draw-length and weight??? That will give me an idea of what kind of speed you're getting, and you can "guestimate" from there what might be the best set up for you. Most modern bows with the archer pulling at least 55#, I think it's pretty safe to start with the first pin at 20yds, then work from there. A 10 and 20yds pin with MOST bows would be stacked so tight that you wouldn't be able to see between them. Give a little more info and I'm sure we'll give some more answers. Welcome to Archery and BOWHUNTING, my favorite ADDICTIONS!!! :d
Hey Pete. I'm still new to bow hunting myself, but from what I understand, its all about preference. Whatever range you plan on shooting is what you want to set your pins to. Out here, I don't have to shoot more than 30 yds, so my 20, 30 yd pins are the most important. I can gauge anything under 20 yds from my 20 yd pin. If your environment enables you to make longer range shots, maybe do the 20-50 yd set up. Some guys like 70 yd pins. Whatever you feel comfortable shooting.
i am shooting a bear game over with a 29" draw length and its about 73# draw weight. i have about 3/4 acre in my backyard so i have room to go beyond 50 yards. i have only walked it off to 40 though.
I would suggest 20-50. If you want to improve 40, then shoot 50. Eventually, 20 will seem like a chip shot. The longer distance practice will make your confidence soar at the closer ranges and this is how you want to feel when you make a shot at normal eastern whitetail range(s) 20-23 yds.
i can get a pretty good grouping at 20 right now, 30 is a little worse though, and 40 is pretty bad. should i be using a longer stabilizer? i have a 8" one right now.
Assuming you have a 400-450gr arrow, I'm gonna bet you're looking at 265-275fps. Now make sure you are SPINED right, which means you should be shooting a .340 spine arrow, Carbon Express 6075/350 series or the sorts. The groups are worse at longer yardages naturally for most of us. A lot of it probably has to do with the shooter, not the bow or equipment to some extent. But that's why you practice, to get BETTER. If you're putting a fair amount of effort into drawing it, one thing I've seen a LOT of guys do is drop weight 5-7# from what they've been drawing, and practice moreso on FORM, than anything. You should be getting the "surprise" release, meaning, you settle the pin, and ever-so-gently squeeze on that trigger until it fires, all the while holding that pin steady on the pull. Try to watch the arrow make it's mark while still holding that bow in the position you just shot from. It will help a LOT!!!! For your set-up, I'd recommend a 340 spine arrow at 29.5" with a 125gr tip. The little longer arrow actually helps balance out your spine, and the heavier tip will allow that arrow to "follow" the point a little better. Good Luck, and keep us updated, lots of good guys that can help you here, all you've got to do is ASK!!!
well started off at about 58# and worked my way up from there. i am using a beman 340 with 100 gr. tips. i think i have those are 28 5/8" without nock and tip. i also have some goldtip 5575 at 30.5". i have no problem drawing it back it almost doesn't even feel like 73#. i will try the 125 grain tips on the bemans and see how that works.
125's on the Bemans should help a little. Have you done a Walkback or BH tune with the bow??? If not, do a simple walk-back tune, which is shooting your 20yd pin at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40yds, make a spot near the top of your target, and aim for that spot every time. If your pattern looks like this " / " then your rest needs adjusted to the right, if it looks like this " \ " then your rest needs moved to the left a little. Once it looks like this " | " You're good. You still should do a BH tune, but a simple walk-back can solve some of your problems. Don't shoot those GT's unless you back that bow out to say 66# or so.
yeah i have noticed that the goldtips tend go be a little higher the farther out i go. i am about to go out and try doing a walkback tune. what is a bh tune?
"Bh" tune stands for broadhead tune, it's where you tune your broadheads to achieve field point accuracy. Am I right veteran bowhunters?
Find a setup that you are comfortable with, typically one that allows for enough room between pins to gap shoot when you are at an in between distance. For most, 10 yd increments are fine, for whitetails since I don't shoot very far(and had a slower bow) I've used 8 yd increments. Just make sure you are used to it for when the time comes.
