Author Angelo Nogara practices shooting his Mathews Conquest II hunting bow. Photo by Cathy Nogara

As bowhunters, we constantly check, adjust and re-adjust our equipment over and over again trying to achieve perfect arrow flight from our bows. Few of us are ever completely satisfied, or should I say, few of us are ever successful at achieving this, especially when it comes to shooting fixed broadheads. As with most archers during the off-season, we become comfortable with the performance of our bows while shooting field points. Then hunting season rolls around and it's time to adjust our sight pins to compensate for the strange flight of a broadhead-tipped arrow. Some archers become so frustrated they just give up on fixed broadheads and shoot mechanical broadheads to solve their problems. Hence the phrase, "They fly just like my field points." If this sounds like you, you're not alone.

I've heard many archers say that before every hunting season, they have to adjust their sight pins to enable them to shoot their fixed broadheads accurately. If this is happening to you, don't touch your pins -- tune your bow!

A properly tuned bow shooting a perfectly spined arrow will place a field point in the same spot as a fixed three-blade broadhead. I spend hours tuning my bow to achieve the performance I expect from it during hunting season. As bowhunters, it is our responsibility to be able to place an accurately shot arrow while pursuing wild game.

"Most bows brought into my shop are not even close to being properly tuned," said Joe Snell, owner of Pacifica Archery. "Even if you're an accomplished archer, it's pretty hard to accurately shoot a bow that's in this condition. Most archers are too hard on themselves, becoming frustrated when the problem could actually be the bow and not the shooter."

The following five steps will not only aid you in correctly tuning your bow and arrows but will also increase your chances at harvesting that trophy buck during the upcoming deer season.

STEP ONE
Adjusting Bows For Optimum Performance
Most compound bows perform best when they are at maximum draw weight. Listed below are a number of tests for your basic bow set-up, which if done correctly can enhance the optimum performance of your bow.

The simple act of replacing or twisting a cable can affect your idler wheel and cam alignment. Your bowstring may be rolling off the idler wheel at an angle, affecting not only the cam, but producing limb stress and poor arrow flight.

You will need a bow press and a laser alignment tool for this procedure. The laser alignment tool I use is produced by Spot-Hogg and is placed on the cam, aligning the laser to the idler wheel. Once you have safely compressed your bow limbs, either twist or untwist the cable attached to one side of the idler wheel to align it with your cam. Then remove your bow from the bow press and check with your laser alignment tool. You will probably have to do this more than once to achieve proper alignment.

Adding or eliminating a few twists in the cable can adjust the cam's height. Check with your bow's manufacturer for proper cam height specifications. For my Mathews Conquest II, I slightly over-tune my cam to allow for any stretch in the string. This process may affect the angle of the idler wheel, so be sure to check it, too.