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Bowhunting Equipment Tips:
Keep your bow axles lubricated - All compound bows have axles which the cams and wheels turn on. As your bow is exposed to the elements, the axles can a will develop rust and corrosion. This will severely impede the speed and accuracy of your bow. A good rule of thumb is to take your bow to an archery shop and have the axles cleaned and lubricated at least once a year. Caution - do not use lubricants such as WD-40 to lubricate the axles. These lubricants attract dust and dirt. What you want is a high tech Teflon or synthetic based lubricant.
Nock Check - You should check your arrow nocks regularly for cracks or any type of damage. A nock breaking at the point of release will cause a partial or complete Dry Fire.
Don't leave your bow in your vehicle on warm or hot days. Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach 6 degree Celsius. Extreme hot temperatures will warp your bow limbs, and that can only be fixed with a set of new limbs.
Replace Arrows Annually, both aluminium and carbon arrows will wear out. The shock and vibration caused from shooting over and over again will cause stress fractures along the grain of the aluminium or carbon arrow material. These cracks are very hard to see with the naked eye, but they can weaken the spine of the arrow and cause it to fly funny or even break while in use. A good rule of thumb here is to replace your arrows every year. Unfortunately, we here archers bragging about shooting the same arrows for 4 and 5 years! These people are shooting time bombs!
Bow Strings & Cables - Replace them annually - strings and cables wear our and lose their performance a lot faster than you think. Also, the bow wax that we use to keep moisture out of the string collects dust and dirt which acts as an abrasive on the string material.
Never draw a bow without an arrow knocked - if your release was to slip, you would Dry Fire the bow and a Dry Fire is not good for any bow!
Routine Equipment Inspections - Check for loose parts, check your string and cables and their servings, check the limbs for tiny cracks or splinters, and make sure that all the moving parts are moving correctly.
Warm-up the bow and the archer before you go to your stand. Take a few practice shots - it will loosen up your muscles and ready the bow for that "BIG" shot. This is especially good when hunting in cold weather.
Do not leave your bow in a stand overnight. Over the years we have heard of this on many occasions. Most of the time the people doing this think they can slip through the woods to their stand a little quieter by leaving their bow and arrows in the stand. However, due, rain, cold temperatures, and wind can damage the bow overnight - this is a real bad idea!
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