“IDIOT-PROOF
YOUR BOWHUNTING”
Check the Tube and the String
EDITOR’S NOTE: "Yes!" I exclaimed as
the arrow I released from my bow hit the bull's-eye
30 yards from my backyard deck. Well, I still seemed
to possess my bowhunting magic from the previous year's
season. Later, feeling confident after a week's worth
of practice in my backyard, I packed all my equipment
into my bow case and left my house in a last-minute
frenzy for a bowhunting trip to Montana. When I arrived
at the famous Milk River in Montana near the Canadian
border, I took a few practice arrows out of my bow case
and started shooting. Although my arrows did hit the
target, they wouldn't consistently fly straight. I asked
Ralph Cianciarulo, an archery pro from Lanark, Illinois,
to check out my equipment and my shooting form. I wanted
to know what changes he thought I should
make in my bowhunting tackle. I realized that when you
hunted with a master hunter, you needed to learn all
you could from him to idiot-proof your bowhunting. He'll
enable you to hunt better, shoot straighter and take
game more efficiently.
Although I hadn't noticed before, Cianciarulo saw that
the tubing holding my peep sight in place showed signs
of wear. "UV rays from sunlight will deteriorate
the tubing," Cianciarulo commented. "Every
season, you should replace the tubing that holds your
peep sight in place before you go hunting. And always
carry an extra piece of tubing with you when you're
hunting. If a piece of brush catches and cuts that tubing,
you'll lose your sighting system because your peep sight
won't turn properly as you draw back your bow."
As
I shot before the hunt, Cianciarulo's keen eyes noticed
problems with the string on my bow. "Your string
seems to have a little fuzz on it and is slightly frayed,"
Cianciarulo mentioned. "The string also appears
to be somewhat white, showing that the string is drying
out. All these things tell me that your string needs
to be waxed." Luckily, the string in the Fast Flite
System shows signs of wear that let you know when to
wax it. Apply bow wax to the string, and use a piece
of cut leather to rub the wax vigorously into the string.
As you rub the string with the leather, the wax will
heat up and penetrate the places in the string where
the string needs the wax the most. Many archers overlook
the portion of the string that goes over the wheels
or the cams when they wax their strings. "A lot
of wear and tear occurs where the string goes over the
wheels or the cams," Cianciarulo said. "So
make sure you wax this area of the string when it begins
to show wear." To wax this section of the string,
pull the bow back. Then have a friend or a hunting partner
wax that part of the bowstring for you.
To learn more about bowhunting, order John E. Phillips’
book “The Masters’ Secrets of Bowhunting”
for $13.50, which includes shipping and handling, and
his “Jim Crumley’s Bowhunting Secrets”
(Crumley is a longtime, avid bowhunter who created Trebark
camouflage) for $15.50, which includes shipping and
handling, by sending a check or money order to Night
Hawk Publications, 4112 Camp Horner Road, Birmingham,
AL 35243, or using PayPal, account – john7185@bellsouth.net
. You can see more information at http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/hunting/hunting.htm
To order both bowhunting books, pay only $25, which
includes shipping and handling.
TOMORROW: HAVE A CLEAN RELEASE
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