Learn Some Archery Tips from T-Bone

When it comes to setting up a bow or tuning an existing one, we’re not all experts. In fact, we might be downright novices. But no matter how long you’ve been hunting or shooting a bow, you could probably always learn a thing or two from T-Bone. This guy knows his stuff. So to help you out with your own bow setup, here are some archery tips from T-Bone himself.

Archery Tip 1: Center Shot Point

If you’re not used to working with bows, you may not even know what a center shot is. Basically, it comes down to where you place or set your nocking point in relationship to the arrow rest so that when your arrow is nocked, the arrow will be sitting in a level position. If the nocking point on the bowstring is higher or lower than the rest, your arrow could wobble as it leaves the bow, causing an inconsistent trajectory and numerous accuracy issues.

According to T-Bone’s archery tips, you can find your bow’s center shot by using the following process. If using a drop-away rest, start by laying your rest down flat (in the lowered position) to see where it will drop to. When the rest drops away, it ensures your arrow will have enough clearance to fly well. Nock an arrow and level it out. Try to keep the arrow and the launcher as close to the top of your hand as possible. This helps minimize or even eliminate any torque problems (if you have them).

Archery Tip 2: Offset Stabilizers

Offset bow stabilizers have been popular in archery tournaments for many years, but they are picking up popularity for hunting scenarios too. Why? Whether you’re right- or left-handed, you naturally tilt or cant the bow inwards (rather than straight up and down), especially when using a heavy quiver on that side while hunting. Using an offset bracket, you can point your stabilizer off to the outward side to offset that natural cant inwards. This will help keep your bow aligned up and down for a level shot.

Figuring out how much weight to use on your stabilizer and how severe an angle it should be offset is an experimental process. T-Bone recommends starting by pointing it more or less at the axle and then offsetting it 2-3 inches to the outside. Take a few shots and hold the bow up to naturally see where you gravitate towards and see if you need to adjust it further.

Archery Tip 3: Drop Away Rest Cables

Drop away rests utilize a cable to lift the rest into position when the bow is drawn. The shorter the cable, the less stretch it has and the less likely it is to get caught on something while navigating the woods, or even change the timing of the drop, which would affect your arrow flight too.

If your bow utilizes a drop away rest, you need to determine which kind it is. There are two types of drop away rests: limb-driven and cable-driven. T-bone prefers the cable-driven drop away rest because it has a shorter cable and doesn’t interfere with the arrow flight as much. Some Hoyt bows (such as the Hoyt VTM) have a built-in hole in the back brace for this cable to go through, which also keeps it tucked in and helps reduce the chance of it snagging on something.

Using these archery tips, you should be closer to having a very functional and fully dialed-in bow that will be deadly for you whether you’re hunting or tournament shooting.