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Well folks, this week some spooky things are happening.
First of all, you know that Pumpkin Spice Virus that’s been popping up in all the shop windows lately? Well, it's gotten worse.
New strains of it include fake spiderwebs and black glitter... and sometimes even those little plastic bats that are supposed to cling to the windows.
Thankfully, we have managed to avoid most of that strain, except for two symptoms. Candy wrappers and skeletons. And by skeletons, we don’t mean decorations. (We’ll talk about the candy wrappers later 😉)
This far into bow season you can’t help but expect it. The numbers increase every day of bows that come to us looking a little more like bony, stringy, skeletons. Mistakes are being made and accidents are starting to happen.
We are always happy to help you flesh out your skeleton-of-a-bow or fix any issues that you may have. We'd hate for you to have to bring in a skeleton due to a silly mistake that can easily be prevented!
So, we made this list of SCARY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR BOW and HOW TO AVOID THEM!
Imagine this. You see a doe walk out while hunting in one of our Tethrd saddle stands. Your release is on the bow and you're ready. You draw back and let it go right on target — but a horrible sound follows and your arrow skids down yards in front of where you shot it.
You watch the deer run away for a second and wonder how on God’s green earth she isn’t shot through with your arrow... until you look down at your bow. The bottom cam was pressed right against the tree and there is a little gouge in the bark for evidence.
You forgot to check your cams or limbs...
Most archers know that if your cams (or really, any part of your bow) are too close to another object, it can be problematic.
It's also very important to check your limbs. Something that may look like a small problem could end up compromising the integrity of the bow in the end. You really don't want that.
The cam and limb system on a compound bow is really an innovative feature that allows pounds of power to be thrust into your arrow — but it also recoils very quickly, and if there is something keeping it from moving, all that power can go back into your bow.
That's when it gets detrimental.
When you are shooting, check your cams before you even draw back. Make sure they are a foot away from any object. Remember, when you draw, the cams will move so you really need every inch you can get away from other objects.
Make sure nothing is caught inside the inner workings of your cams — remember they are kind of like the exposed gears of your machine. Get them caught up in something and you can only expect to have severe problems... don’t let your bow blow up like that.
Simple.
Ever shot your bow a good amount of times, after a hunt, after it has traveled, or after leaving it in a box for a few years? Chances are, you'll have issues after one of these, but a common one is one you can fix if you just give your bow a listen.
Just takes common sense.
If you draw back your bow and it screeches, pops, or makes a ripping sound... DO NOT TRY TO SHOOT IT. Do not pull the trigger. Your bow needs to be examined by an expert before you go shooting a screeching, popping, ripping, weapon.
Like we said before, your bow has a lot of power in it so even if there is a slight mistake with one of the cams or limbs, it can eventually lead to dangerous situations. Most of the time, those issues you can hear make an easy fix.
Even if they don’t, you can almost always hear what you can’t see with a bow — there is virtually no excuse to not knowing there is a problem before you let go of that release.
If your bow sounds like “it's alive!!” don’t hesitate to bring it to us. Don’t try to Frankenstein your own fix either — that is just plain dangerous and, remember, we are always here to help!
Bowhunting is something that seems to come and go in people’s lives. Whether it is just between seasons or between years of changes in interest, time not spent shooting your bow (hopefully) generally means one thing.
Your bow is trapped in a case.
This is the best way to store your bow, actually, but no matter how you store your bow, it is going to need a check-up before you shoot it after a few months of a break.
If you hear the issue or not, it is always a good idea to bring it in so the experts can take a look before you shoot. New strings are commonly needed after a bow has been sitting for a few years, and the cams will no doubt need to be checked as well.
Make sure you are giving your bow the maintenance it needs — maybe even shooting it every once in a while out of season. It helps to catch problems while you are ahead no matter how detrimental - and it will make you a better shot too!
If your strings are frayed.
If they are sticky and unraveling from their tight twist.
If they are becoming a little slack or getting thin and flat, come by and let us check them.
It's probably time for new strings.
It's as simple as that — but this is something you want to make sure of long before you have a hunt or competition.
Strings can take a week or two to come in and get on, and you’ll want to practice with them too.
Just don’t neglect to bring them in if your string has a cut anywhere or if it's subject to one of these symptoms.
Or if it's dry-fired... which leads us to our next point!
Listen, we won’t over-complicate this one.
Just don’t do it.
Don't shoot your bow without an arrow on the string. Don’t even pull it back unless there is an arrow or you are using a no-trigger practice release.
If it has an arrow on it, make sure you have something to shoot at and then shoot. WITH THE ARROW IN IT.
If we haven't said it enough... that bow of yours has a lot of power. It's no fun having a bow explode because of a silly mistake.
If you do dry-fire your bow, bring it in to us so we can fix it — even if there aren’t perceivable flaws (which is very rare, there should be very obvious problems) still bring it in. It is dangerous enough to dry-fire a bow, so don’t continue to use it afterward.
Oh, and speaking of arrows... a cracked arrow can be extremely dangerous as well. It can look like no big deal, but don't shoot a cracked arrow.
It's dangerous.
Just come get some new ones.
Here's another one that is pretty easy but if you don’t do it, it can get scary quick.
Stay clear of your string.
And for that matter, your arrow too.
And your cam.
Since your bow is so powerful and can do a number on a tree and make all of that noise, it's probably not a good idea to get your body parts involved.
Make sure you know how to shoot without sticking the soft part of your arm out by the string. Do NOT hold your fingers out in front of the arrow (stop by and ask one of our guys how that works out).
Don’t try to support your cam on your knee — or anything like that. The only part of the bow your hands should touch is the handle which gets pressed loosely to your palm.
Your other hand should be touching the release, not the string and otherwise, your nose is allowed to just barely touch the string.
That's it.
Don’t push it.
Stay clear.
Finally, we come to another point that we have mentioned nearly every time up there, but it deserves its own number to be reiterated (and 7 is better than 6).
Don’t work on your bow by yourself.
Whatever you did to it that can't be fixed unless it's compressed in a bow press, needs to be left to us. If it's making noises, we at least need to take a look.
Like we mentioned above, Frankenstien-ing your own bow is up there with the just plain scary.
And remember, we are always happy to help!
Hopefully they are helpful when you're out on the range or in the stand.
Do whatever you have to do to make sure you observe these precautions. Otherwise, it can get scary.
Oh, and about the candy...
Don’t forget to come by today and pick up some candy from our store! We have it all rounded up for you at the front, so you can bring the whole family by trick-or-treating today (October 30th) from 9AM to 2PM!
We need your help getting rid of both symptoms of the Pumpkin Spice Virus - the candy and the scary bow-skeletons!
Now you know how to do both!
The weather isn’t the only thing that can change in a matter of minutes in Georgia — each shot is different from the last one and they just keep getting more epic!
