Rookie Archer Questions

[Rodéo]

Over the past 6 months or so, I've been doing some research and got sucked into the archery rabbit hole.

The main reason I'm looking to add archery to my hunting arsenal is to extend my seasons here in CA for turkey, deer, & small game mostly (some pig in the future hopefully, none yet).

I bought a bare PSE stinger extreme for a steal since I figured it would be a good beginner bow and I'm going to be using firearms mostly for hunting anyway. Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about this bow?

The accessories I have bought so far for it include a ripcord drive rest, black gold widow maker 4 pin sight, bee stinger 8" stabilizer, tightspot 5 arrow quiver, and a carter honey 3 finger for my release.

I'm planning on going to my local archery shop later this week to get the bow set up with all the accessories/tuned to my specs/have them set me up with arrows and target points/ and eventually... shoot a compound bow for the first time.

My main questions for you guys are:

1. How's the setup looking? Anything I should look into changing/adding/subtracting from the overall setup?

2. Any bad habits you guys wish you never got into when you were in my position (i.e never shot a compound bow).

3. How many arrows should I buy when I go to the shop? Am I going to run through this stuff like ammo at the gun range? I plan on practicing about once or twice a week leading up to archery season for Turkey (early May in CA) and throughout the summer.

4. Should I stick with the hinge style release I already have and use it for hunting? Or buy a trigger style release and use the hinge style to practice and then go to the trigger style when hunting?

5. Is there any sense in updating the minor accessories that came on the bow? These items include limb dampeners and the peep sight.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something I wanted to ask so I'll update the post as I questions pop up.

Thanks for your help as always guys, it's immensely appreciated.

Rod

 

[doncarpenter]

Over the past 6 months or so, I've been doing some research and got sucked into the archery rabbit hole.

The main reason I'm looking to add archery to my hunting arsenal is to extend my seasons here in CA for turkey, deer, & small game mostly (some pig in the future hopefully, none yet).

I bought a bare PSE stinger extreme for a steal since I figured it would be a good beginner bow and I'm going to be using firearms mostly for hunting anyway. Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about this bow?

The accessories I have bought so far for it include a ripcord drive rest, black gold widow maker 4 pin sight, bee stinger 8" stabilizer, tightspot 5 arrow quiver, and a carter honey 3 finger for my release.

I'm planning on going to my local archery shop later this week to get the bow set up with all the accessories/tuned to my specs/have them set me up with arrows and target points/ and eventually... shoot a compound bow for the first time.

My main questions for you guys are:

1. How's the setup looking? Anything I should look into changing/adding/subtracting from the overall setup?

2. Any bad habits you guys wish you never got into when you were in my position (i.e never shot a compound bow).

3. How many arrows should I buy when I go to the shop? Am I going to run through this stuff like ammo at the gun range? I plan on practicing about once or twice a week leading up to archery season for Turkey (early May in CA) and throughout the summer.

4. Should I stick with the hinge style release I already have and use it for hunting? Or buy a trigger style release and use the hinge style to practice and then go to the trigger style when hunting?

5. Is there any sense in updating the minor accessories that came on the bow? These items include limb dampeners and the peep sight.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something I wanted to ask so I'll update the post as I questions pop up.

Thanks for your help as always guys, it's immensely appreciated.

Rod

I am no expert but I will try to answer some questions based on my experience.

1. Your bow and accessories are a great start. The bow has good specs for you (forgiving brace height and middle of the road axle to axle) and will do the job. Get some good broadheads and start shooting those as soon as possible since thats what you will ultimately be using, some further tuning may be required.

2. Try and find a coach or someone who will at least take some time and show you good form and posture. It helps the learning curve a lot. You sound like your good with a computer, look up Nock On archery, he has a ton of videos geared toward beginner form and shot execution as well as more advanced build and tuning videos.

3. A dozen arrows should be enough to get started. Don't go cheap on arrows, get a good arrow that is durable. Its the part of the system that actually hits the animal.

4. Try the hinge and see what you think. The hinge is a great teaching tool for combating shot anticipation and punching a trigger. Some guys use it for hunting some don't. You will have to decide.

5. Leave the dampeners and peep on that came with the bow. You won't know what you like or don't like yet, so just see how they work.

Be prepared to get sucked in, shooting bows is just fun.

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[Wellsdw]

Think of your set up like this. If you could go back in time with that bow you probably wouldn't have to go back very far to have something better than anything on the market. So have confidence in your bow and be proud of it. That said the archery rabbit hole" is not archery itself but i would say more so of new guys trying buy accuracy, or constantly changing crap, and not actually shooting. Don't get hung up on tuning debates either. While its important, its more important to practice, with a basic tuned bow 1. Get the bow squared up at the shop. 2. learn some fundamentals. (40 yards max practicing) 3. pick a quality broadhead (For godsake just pick one, someone will always have something against whatever you choose) 4. broadhead tune it. 5. ROLL WITH IT!
Long Range shooting, and super tuning will come with time

 

[wabowman]

Your set up looks great!
The only thing that I would be concerned about would be the hinge release. Hinges are great for teaching shot control. As far as hunting they are slow to manipulate. I would recommend either a thumb or index release for hunting but keep that hinge for shot activation practice.
As far as arrows.
Just starting out you will go through arrows, breaking/losing. I would recommend not spending a ton of money on an arrows. Get your mechanics down and your accuracy good before spending a bunch of money on higher end arrows. I would recommend something like the Black Eagle Outlaw. Under $100 for a dozen and tough as all get out.
Good luck and enjoy the ride
If you have any questions feel free to DM me.

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[joeljenewein]

Welcome to the addiction! I just started over a year ago and love it. My biggest gear regret was not buying good arrows from the start. I bought cheap arrows and have since learned it's best to buy once cry once. My biggest form regret was forgetting to pull through the shot. The hinge release will obviously help you with that but I was shooting a trigger from day one - I can remember the day I realized I needed to focus on pulling through, all of a sudden my groups shrunk significantly and I wanted to beat myself over the head.

 

[BloodAndRust]

3. Start with a dozen arrows. JUST AS IMPORTANT- spend a little extra and get a decent sized target with a lot of different areas on it to shoot at. Big is good because it puts space between your groups and lowers the likelihood of you whiffing the target and losing an arrow. Lots of areas on the target to shoot at is good because you can shoot more arrows between pulls without destroying arrows by shooting them into one another. It's cool the first time, it's really annoying every time after that. I ruined 5 out of the 6 arrows I originally bought between the time I started out and the time I bought a respectable target.

 

[Rob5589]

Looks good so far. The only thing I would re-think is the hinge. I would not recommend one for a beginner, others may disagree. Something simple like a caliper style release is going to be easier to get started with. Curious, what shop are you going to use?

 

[Rodéo]

I am no expert but I will try to answer some questions based on my experience.

1. Your bow and accessories are a great start. The bow has good specs for you (forgiving brace height and middle of the road axle to axle) and will do the job. Get some good broadheads and start shooting those as soon as possible since thats what you will ultimately be using, some further tuning may be required.

2. Try and find a coach or someone who will at least take some time and show you good form and posture. It helps the learning curve a lot. You sound like your good with a computer, look up Nock On archery, he has a ton of videos geared toward beginner form and shot execution as well as more advanced build and tuning videos.

3. A dozen arrows should be enough to get started. Don't go cheap on arrows, get a good arrow that is durable. Its the part of the system that actually hits the animal.

4. Try the hinge and see what you think. The hinge is a great teaching tool for combating shot anticipation and punching a trigger. Some guys use it for hunting some don't. You will have to decide.

5. Leave the dampeners and peep on that came with the bow. You won't know what you like or don't like yet, so just see how they work.

Be prepared to get sucked in, shooting bows is just fun.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Thanks for your well thought out response!
I appreciate your advice and will take it into account.
I've been watching Dudley on youtube for a while now and am hoping the videos stick when I get out there and fling some arrows!

 

[Rodéo]

Think of your set up like this. If you could go back in time with that bow you probably wouldn't have to go back very far to have something better than anything on the market. So have confidence in your bow and be proud of it. That said the archery rabbit hole" is not archery itself but i would say more so of new guys trying buy accuracy, or constantly changing crap, and not actually shooting. Don't get hung up on tuning debates either. While its important, its more important to practice, with a basic tuned bow 1. Get the bow squared up at the shop. 2. learn some fundamentals. (40 yards max practicing) 3. pick a quality broadhead (For godsake just pick one, someone will always have something against whatever you choose) 4. broadhead tune it. 5. ROLL WITH IT!
Long Range shooting, and super tuning will come with time

So should I be practicing exclusively with broadheads since I plan on using the bow for hunting? And I'm assuming practice with the broadheads that I would be using on my forthcoming archery hunts (that would be archery turkey season).

 

[Rodéo]

Looks good so far. The only thing I would re-think is the hinge. I would not recommend one for a beginner, others may disagree. Something simple like a caliper style release is going to be easier to get started with. Curious, what shop are you going to use?

I'm going to try out the hinge this friday when I go to the shop and see how I like it. but I'll take your and others advice into account regarding newbies with a hinge release.
I'm pretty locked in on Lodi Archery. It's about a 40 minute drive for me but I've heard good reviews and don't mind the drive to get set up right and give some business to a small-town (that I all too often find myself driving through on my way to hunting spots) archery shop.
What shop are you using? Have any experience with Lodi Archery?

 

[Rodéo]

This goes to all of you guys:
I'm planning on heading to the archery shop on Friday and getting the bow tuned/buying arrows/buying broadheads/shooting at some targets.
My question is: is there a consensus amongst you guys regarding the arrow material? Haven't looked into arrows or arrow setup much so I'm clueless in this area. Should I just have the guys at the shop set me up with a few different types and go from there?
Thanks again

 

[jmav58]

So should I be practicing exclusively with broadheads since I plan on using the bow for hunting? And I'm assuming practice with the broadheads that I would be using on my forthcoming archery hunts (that would be archery turkey season).

Don't exclusively shoot broadheads. That's a headache for sure. Shoot your field tips to practice, shoot it through paper to tune it in the beginning. Then do some walk back tuning. Then once you feel you've got that arrow flying at its most efficient, screw a broadhead on and shoot. YouTube walk back tuning for reference. It may seem intimidating but it's really easy. Also, a good coach is a great recommendation from above.

 

[jmav58]

This goes to all of you guys:
I'm planning on heading to the archery shop on Friday and getting the bow tuned/buying arrows/buying broadheads/shooting at some targets.
My question is: is there a consensus amongst you guys regarding the arrow material? Haven't looked into arrows or arrow setup much so I'm clueless in this area. Should I just have the guys at the shop set me up with a few different types and go from there?
Thanks again

Arrow material? Carbon. I wouldn't recommend the FMJ's since you're just starting and a couple shots into the ground might bend them. Gold Tip is a really reliable, dependable arrow that I'm sure the shop has. I used to shoot Black Eagle Deep Impact out of my Elite and those arestellar arrows. If you can have an arrow in the 430-500 grain area, you'll do great. I guess I don't know the draw weight or draw length so that'd help.

 

[Rodéo]

Arrow material? Carbon. I wouldn't recommend the FMJ's since you're just starting and a couple shots into the ground might bend them. Gold Tip is a really reliable, dependable arrow that I'm sure the shop has. I used to shoot Black Eagle Deep Impact out of my Elite and those arestellar arrows. If you can have an arrow in the 430-500 grain area, you'll do great. I guess I don't know the draw weight or draw length so that'd help.

Yeah I can't believe I left that info out... But I'm at about a 28.5 inch draw and I plan on shooting 60-70 lbs. I don't have any experience with this stuff but I measured myself to get my draw length (so that might change on Friday) and I said 60-70 lbs because I plan on trying both at the shop and seeing which weight I'm most comfortable at. Don't think 70 should be an issue (but i'm sure that's what everyone says haha).
And thanks for the arrow advice! I'll definitely be looking into carbon arrows. I'll keep an eye out for Gold Tip and Black Eagle.

 

[Wellsdw]

Thanks for your well thought out response!
I appreciate your advice and will take it into account.
I've been watching Dudley on youtube for a while now and am hoping the videos stick when I get out there and fling some arrows!

No I wouldn’t practice with broadheads until right before a hunt, broadheads tuning, or, shoot a couple during practice sessions to ensure everything is still good. You don’t want to hunt with broadheads that that have been used much in targets. Also I wouldn’t worry about buying any iron wills or anything, just a good quality fixed blade. Ramcat, exodus, slick tricks, high end muzzys, there’s lots out there and all work fine. Also What I meant regarding tuning was I tune my broadheads to my field points out to about 70yards. (20 years shooting) not that I would necessarily shoot an animal at 70. If my broad heads hit with field points, then I’m happy. Regardless of what paper, bare shaft, nock, French, or any other tuning systems say about my setup. I’ve done them all and the end result is the same in my opinion.

 

[Wellsdw]

Also I’ll second the other guy on his arrows. I’m gold tip fan bc they are easily accessible at most places and durable imo. I’m sure there are others out there also. liked the black eagles Too

 

[Rodéo]

When you guys talk about the weight of an arrow, are you talking about the total weight of the arrow after setup (i.e with nock,broadhead,vanes,etc), or simply the weight of each bare arrow coming out of the box?

 

[jmav58]

When you guys talk about the weight of an arrow, are you talking about the total weight of the arrow after setup (i.e with nock,broadhead,vanes,etc), or simply the weight of each bare arrow coming out of the box?

Total arrow weight after setup. So that’s with broad head on there


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[BloodAndRust]

One last thing from me...if the arrows aren't already fletched when you buy them, ask the shop to only fletch 9 or 10 of the 12, but set up all 12 identical otherwise. Take those 2 or 3 bareshaft arrows, and set them to the side for a few months. After 3-5 months (depending on how much you shoot), once you think you're really getting the hang of things and beating up the center of your target, pull out those bareshafts and start shooting them with your fletched arrows, starting at 20 yards.

• Watch the bareshafts after you release to see if they're planing mid flight.
• Verify that the bareshafts are grouping with your fletched arrows.
• Verify that they are sticking out of the target at the same angle as your fletched arrows.
• Verify that they are penetrating as well as your fletched arrows.

If you can check off all of the above, there is a good chance that you are utilizing good fundamentals and your broadheads will fly true and group with your field points. I wouldn't start right off the bat with bareshafts because they're pretty unforgiving, however, eventually learning how to accurately shoot bareshafts is both a great training tool and a critical component of bareshaft tuning (when/if the day comes where you want to start assembling your own arrows).

 

[Rodéo]

UPDATE:

Went to the shop on Friday.
Got the bow set up at 62 lbs with a perfect length draw for me (ended up at 27.5 inches I believe), bought some GoldTip hunter 340 grain arrows and some field points + ramcats and got to shooting!
It was a fantastic experience overall. I was shooting at 10 yards and let about 20 arrows fly that day. Safe to say I haven't stopped thinking about shooting that bow ever since. That THUD when the arrow hits the target is as satisfying a feeling as any when it comes to shooting sports and I'm looking forward to getting into this archery thing in a big way.

The hinge release took a lot of practice to get used to and I'm still not very used to it but those last ~10 or so shots I took I really focused on my right shoulder muscle and that made the shooting feel much, much better.
The shop owner gave me a lot of shit in the beginning when I told him I was going with a hinge and I'm new and I plan on hunting, but he told me to stick with it for now and see how it goes in the short term. I was on target on every shot and would say my biggest 3 arrow spread at 10 yds was within 8 inches (as a first time archer I was very happy with that spread and gave all the credit to the bow haha).

I'm already looking forward to buying a target so I can practice at home whenever I have an extra minute.

Question for y'all since you've been so helpful so far... Any recommendations on archery targets for use in my backyard? I'm looking for a larger square shaped target (at least 25'x10'x25 I'm thinking in case I miss horrendously. Also looking to stay away from a game shaped targets for now since they are less forgiving and generally more expensive. Keep in mind that I only have about 14yds of shooting length in my side-yard that I can utilize for target practice if that effects which target you would recommend.

Thanks for your help so far and thanks in advance for your advice in the future! You guys have really been an awesome resource and gave me a lot more confidence to walk into that archery shop.

Rod