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4 Fundamentals for Bow Hunting Food Plots

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Early Season Bow Plot Strategies

If you’re obsessed with bow hunting, we know you like a challenge. After all, hunting with a bow is much harder than hunting with a firearm – you need the animals much closer and more can go wrong with an arrow’s trajectory than a bullet/slug. But if you have private land and can plant early season food plots, you can make your life just a little easier (without totally giving up the challenge). Early season whitetails can definitely be very predictable, but they can also be very frustrating when they don’t play the game. That means early season bow hunting can fluctuate a lot depending on the weather conditions, hunting pressure, and natural habitats. By planting a few bow hunting food plots, you can bring deer in right where you need them and increase the chance of filling your tag. Here are four things that you need to consider for planting early season food plots.

Video: TJ Unger is plotting for the season. A new bow hunting plot has him excited as the 2018 deer season approaches. With a hit-list buck in the area, and a new fully thought out kill plot in the works, TJ might have just aligned his assets right for a successful year in Indiana! 

1. Early Season Attraction

If you’re primarily bow hunting in the early season, your deer plots obviously need to be most attractive in the early season, right? It’s surprising how many people miss that fact. You can control that aspect a few different ways.

Food Plot Seeds and Time of Year

You definitely need to make sure you plant the right species/seeds in an early season food plot. For example, if you planted corn or beans in the middle of the summer, thinking they would be prime for an early season hunt, you might find that a bad summer drought wipes your plot out before you can hunt it. Similarly, planting cereal grains too early in the year may mean you have dry grasses in your plot, which aren’t very attractive to deer. Here are a few seeds and strategies that can be very effective for early season food plots.

 PHOTO: The Virtue TV 

  • Clover/Chicory – planted in the prior fall, perennial clover and chicory plots are a good drought-resistant and browse-tolerant combination to attract deer. Annual clovers planted in late summer are very attractive to deer by the early season time period as they are young and full of nutrients. 
  • Brassicas/Turnips – depending on where you hunt, brassica and turnip seeds can be extremely attractive to deer. The young green tops are greedily eaten and deer may even crunch a small bulb or two if the plants get large enough by the early season. As far as when to plant turnip seeds and brassica seeds, mid-summer plantings work well if timed before a rain event or in lower areas that stay a little bit wet throughout the summer. 
  • Cereal grains – wheat, oats, and rye can all be very attractive in early season food plots. If planted before a rain event, they should germinate and grow quickly, and they are very nutritious and sought after when they reach six to eight inches in height. 
  • Soybeans/Peas – this is an odd one, but hear us out. If you don’t care about producing mature plants with beans/pods on them, young beans and peas are very sweet and attract deer like crazy – until they are browsed out, which will happen quickly with large deer herds and small bow hunting kill plots. Be ready to hunt when these plants are a few inches tall! 
  • Combination plantings – the best food plots for deer may combine all of these plants in a single plot. The higher-growing plants can act as a nurse crop and protect the lower-growing ones until they get established. Plus, planting several species in one plot helps increase the odds of attracting deer if one of the seeds fails.

2. Deer Travel Strategy

If you build it, they will come, right? That’s not always the case, unfortunately. For maximum attraction and a better chance of encountering a mature buck, food plot placement is critical.

  • Location – try to locate your bow kill plot along natural deer traffic routes. Find a spot between a destination feeding field/large food plot and a bedding area. Deer will naturally take trails between them, so plant your early season food plots somewhere to intercept them. Small food plots in the woods can be dynamite in the early season. 
  • Staging areas – just off of larger fields (50 yards or so), try planting small kill plots. Deer (especially mature bucks) tend to stage up in these areas during daylight hours prior to entering larger fields. 
  • Size – when you’re bow hunting, you don’t want to be sitting on a 5 acre field – it’s hard to shoot across that distance. Make your hunting food plots around a tenth of an acre so you can shoot from one side to the other. Smaller plots will also make deer more comfortable to enter it during daylight hours.

3. Shooting Opportunities

The danger with smaller food plots is that deer can sneak up on you, feed, and be gone before you have a chance to grab your bow, get in position, and take a shot. Here are a few ways you can try to maximize the time that deer spend in these small bow hunting plots, simply by distracting them or increasing the attraction.

  • Distraction – by scratching out a mock scrape, sinking a sapling tree trunk (i.e., rubbing pole) into the ground, or hanging a licking branch on the edge of your early season food plots, you can keep deer interested and occupied a little longer. While they’re focused on the distraction, you can move into position and watch your lighted nocks disappear behind their shoulder. 
  • Waterholes – if you’re located in a relatively dry area, waterholes for deer can be particularly attractive in the hot early season weather. Sink a small basin or tub into the ground and try to keep it filled as often as possible. Before and after eating, deer will likely stop to get a drink, which can allow you to take a shot. 
  • Other food – if you have any apple, persimmon, pear, or oak trees on your property, try planting small food plots adjacent to them. Many of these trees produce soft or hard mast precisely when the early hunting season starts. And when these trees produce, deer will hit them hard, often ignoring other food sources temporarily. It will help buy you some time for a shot, and it’s also added insurance that deer will still come there even if the plots fail.

4. Tree Stand Access

Of course, if you can’t stealthily access your tree stand consistently, even the best early season food plots will fail you. Here are some ways you can improve the access to the stand sites and plots on your bow hunting property.

  • Screened access – you can use existing vegetation (e.g., thickly growing spruces, dense brush, hinge-cut trees, etc.) to hide your access trail by planting food plots on the other side of the direction you approach. Or you can plant your own seasonal screen using tall sorghum grass species or Egyptian wheat. 
  • Play the wind – make sure your plot is located upwind from your stand site and access trail so deer wouldn’t normally smell you while approaching or sitting in your stand. 
  • Access trail – before hunting season, take some time to clear the vegetation away from your access trail so that you won’t spook deer in the area on your way in. You may even want to rake the debris off of it. Take your time walking in and use binoculars to scan your food plot as you approach to make sure you don’t bump a mature buck off of it.

This season, try a few of these methods out to increase the attraction of the early season food plots on your hunting property. If you have existing food plots, try tweaking them a bit to adopt a few of these strategies. And if you’re planting brand new food plots, take these design and placement considerations seriously. Under the best early season hunting conditions, you might not need all this help. But under the worst conditions and luck, it’s nice to have an ace in the hole.

Bow Hunting Property Setup

How to Install Nock Out® Lighted Nocks

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Installing Lighted Nocks | Nock Out® Contender Nocks

Nock Out® lighted nocks has developed an impressive lighted nock for compound shooters that is durable and accurate while being simple and easy to use. The Contender vertical lighted nocks fit X,H,S/GT shafts with the included universal bushing kit contained in each package, making them the perfect fit no matter what size arrow shaft is in your archery setup.

Nock Out® includes the needed bushings to make the Contender lighted nocks truly a universal fit for any arrow in the industry from 5mm all the way up to 6.5mm shafts. Installing the nocks at home is an easy process that requires few tools. Some items you will want to have on hand include bowstring wax, a pair of needle nose pliers, and possibly a universal nock tool for inserting and indexing nocks. Organize your arrow shafts, tools, and Contender nocks on a clean level work surface, and follow these few steps to smoothly install your new Contender lighted nocks by Nock Out.

Lancaster Archery Supply – Lighted Nock Contender Install

Steps to Proper Lighted Nock Setup

  • Remove the orange C clamp located midway on the nock body with needle nose pliers. This clip is used strictly for packaging purposes.
  • Identify the arrow shaft size and the appropriate bushing for your arrow shaft.
    • Contender nocks fit 5mm or X shafts directly from the package with no bushing required.
    • 6mm (H) and 6.5mm (S/GT) shafts require the use of the included appropriate bushing.
  • For 5mm or X shafts at .204” ID the Contender Nocks are ready to install after the removal of the orange C clamp. Simply apply a liberal amount of bowstring wax to the lower nock body and insert the nock into the shaft. Take care to index the nock to the arrow fletching according to your arrow rest. Never force your Contender Nocks into the shaft by forcing the nock and shaft down onto a hard surface without a nock tool.
  • When installing the Nock Out® Contender nocks into 6mm (H) or 6.5mm (S/GT) arrow shafts, first remove the orange C clip on the lower nock body. Identify the appropriate bushing for your arrow shaft from the packaging. Insert the nock into the bushing before pushing the bushing into the arrow shaft. After installing the nock into the appropriate bushing with the orange C clip removed, apply liberal bowstring wax to the exterior of the bushing and insert into your arrow shaft. Take care to index the nock to the arrow fletching according to your arrow rest. Again, never force your Contender Nocks into the arrow shaft by forcing the nock and shaft down onto a hard surface without a nock tool.
  • Key takeaways to installing the Contender lighted nocks are to be sure and utilize bowstring wax on the nock body during installation, do not force the nock into the arrow shaft by pressing the nock down onto a hard surface, and remember to index the nock according to your arrow’s fletching and bow rest.

The Contender lighted nocks are activated by string pressure at the shot. During the installation process it is easy to pull back on an installed nock that has been activated to turn off the illumination. Be sure your lighted nocks are not activated when you finish the installation process to conserve battery life.

Tuning Nocks

Setting Up a New Property for Bow Hunting

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Creating a Bow Hunting Property From Scratch

Picture this, you’ve just purchased your dream hunting property. It’s exactly like you pictured, two-thirds of it is wooded and the other third is in AG production. The previous owners haven’t done anything too fancy in terms of deer management, but that didn’t stop your mind from racing with ideas on how to improve the property for deer hunting for the first season of hunting it. Since then, you’ve scoured the aerial maps, jotted down ideas, bought trail cameras, and planted food plots. The property is yours and you’ve got a blank canvas. It is time to turn this property into a deer hunting and more importantly bow hunting masterpiece that even Picasso would envy!

As you begin this process it’s important to realize what is realistic, and what is/can be the most effective in terms of delivering bow hunting opportunities for the first year of hunting a new property.

Creating a Plan that is Realistic

Like any great architectural design, it starts with a vision. From there you will start to develop a plan, then change the plan, then change the plan some more until finally, you’ve got something tangible to work with. The canvas may be the physical landscape, but the blueprints happen on maps first. Many websites and hunting map apps offer incredible aerial imagery with a few clicks and scrolls of the mouse allowing you to focus in on your property. One such asset is the free version of Google Earth Pro – it’s a major step above the standard version and offers just about all the features a land manager and hunter could ask for. You can mark trails, food plots, sanctuaries, tree stands, trail cameras, and even figure out acreages and distances. Perhaps the best part is that Google Earth Pro turns everything you add into a layer that can be clicked on and off allowing for easy altering. Check out the photo below to see an example of a strategic layout of a hunting property done using the free Google Earth Pro.

Maps will always be the lifeline and center of discussion when it comes to doing anything on your property, be it hunting, managing, or just plain strategizing. It makes sense to use a variety of apps and maps to get as much detail on paper as possible. Now onto the fun part, setting the stage for successful bow hunts.

Bow Hunting Food Plots

Let’s start with what’s usually first on everyone’s mind when it comes to habitat management – food plots. Plant it, and they will come…right? Wrong! Often times we are so anxious to get something in the ground, we hurry and plant a food plot wherever it might be convenient for us, not the deer. These spots often include power and gas line openings, field edges, old grassy spots, or just about any place that’s on our hunting property and void of trees. While there is no harm in this, these spots are not always ideal bow hunting locations. This is where those maps come in handy. Mark the bedding areas and physically draw out how the deer are moving about your property. There will be hidden clues lying in the topo lines and habitat edges as to how deer will likely travel across the area. A well-placed kill plot along one of these travel corridors might create the opportunity you’re seeking for your first year of hunting the property.

PHOTO: The Virtue TV

Plan your attack carefully and remember, bigger is not always better when it comes to creating killer bow hunting plots. There’s a big difference between a destination feeding plot and a bow hunting plot. The two main differences are usually size and location. It’s not to say a destination plot can’t be a killing plot, but generally speaking, a feeding plot is usually more than two acres in size, while a killing plot is typically under an acre. It’s often closer to ¼ acre to promote close encounters for bow hunting.

Additionally, a network of food plots will create bottlenecks for deer movement. Often times, bucks will travel just inside the cover on the downwind side of the food plot while scent checking for does or danger, especially during the rut. Deer and big bucks especially will stage up in a well-placed food plot that’s tucked back in the cover and within one hundred yards or so of their desired feeding field. Use these tactics to layout and install food plots in the best locations possible – it’ll save a lot of time, money, and headaches down the road.

Bow Hunting Food Plot Tips

Waterholes for Deer

Food plots are usually top-of-mind when it comes to improving the deer habitat, but let’s face it, the majority of hunters don’t have the time, money, or effort for exceptionally productive food plots. This is where deer waterholes come in. They are cheap, easy to install, and can be placed just about anywhere. The simplest designs include 50-gallon barrels cut in half, kiddie swimming pools, cattle tanks, and holes lined with plastic. The cool thing about water holes is you can place them just about anywhere. Placing them on ridgetops and funnels may slow up cruising bucks for a quick drink during the rut, allowing you to get off a perfect shot. Placing them in open timber or along field edges can also help bring deer in range. Once the deer get conditioned to this new source, it may even shrink their range if water is the limiting resource on your hunting property.

Hinge-Cutting

After food plots and waterholes for deer, habitat is usually the next asset to look at for a new hunting property. One of the first things that comes to mind when discussion deer habitat management is hinge-cutting. Not too long ago hinge cutting was once a relatively new and foreign topic, but now it’s a household term amongst deer hunters and managers. For those that are unfamiliar, hinge cutting is simply cutting a tree three-quarters of the way through and approximately 3-5 feet off the ground. Ideally, the tree will fall in the direction you intended and the portion of the tree you didn’t cut through will continue to provide water and nutrients to the rest of the tree which is now laying on the ground. There’s plenty of articles that cover this topic more in depth, but the point is to provide living and growing browse and cover at a height beneficial to deer.

There are three basic management outcomes that hinge cutting will achieve depending upon how it is implemented: bedding, browse, and transitional cover.

  1. Hinging for bedding purposes can be done in two ways: creating individual bedding locations and creating overall bedding areas. Basically, the difference is whether you will be doing select individual trees or an entire area.
  2. Hinging for browse is similar to hinging for bedding areas, but is done at a higher frequency. Browse areas should be done in areas with little to no future timber value or areas that are extremely crowded and choking each other out.
  3. Feathering the edges with hinge cuts is also an effective management practice. Feathering edges around food plot openings will increase the security cover and can provide a soft edge between hardwood stands and food plots or field openings. This is an important factor to consider, as these denser edges will often lead to an increase in daytime deer movement, especially mature buck movement.

Along the same line of creating soft edges, is the practice of creating barriers with hinge cuts or other downed trees. In essence, you’re creating a semi-natural fence to alter deer movement in your favor. You can cut or stack a tangled mess around food plots so the deer can only enter in certain areas or even lay a line through a big chunk of timber to concentrate the often-erratic deer movement to certain pinch points. There’s a lot of fun to be had in the woods with a chainsaw, but just remember you can’t uncut a cut tree. It’s always a wise idea to consult a forester first or at least take the less-is-more approach.

Strategically Placed Scrape Trees

When it comes to creating bow hunting opportunities on a new hunting property mock scrapes are often overlooked. Planting scrape trees or creating mock scrapes in October and November in certain areas is a super simple and effective project to steer deer into bow range. All you need to do is to cut down a scrape worthy tree or branch within bow range of your stand, scrape a patch of dirt in below the branch, add some scent to the ground and branch, and wait for the right buck to start using it frequently. Like any scrape, these are perfect trail camera locations and once a pattern is developed, hunting locations! If you don’t want to physically place a tree, another strategy is to selectively trim branches along field edges, making sure to only leave one or two perfect scrape branches in the perfect spot.

And there you have it – a quick guide to creating an ideal bow hunting property from scratch. While this barely scratches the surface of some techniques and improvements, these simple enhancements can drastically alter a bow hunting property’s productivity with the realistic effort needed to produce results. Remember though, it’s crucial to start with a vision and map out your plan before you go in with time and money. Be strategic in your approach and remember less is usually more if it is done properly.

Early Bow Season Tips

Nock Out® Field Journals Ep.2 | Post-Season Inventory with Flatline Whitetails

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Episode 2 Post-Season Inventory

For the second installment of Nock Out® Lighted Nocks Field Journals, we join Nick Kravitz of Flatline Whitetails. In this episode, Nick shows us how he keeps tabs on which bucks survived the year and which have shed their antlers so far. He walks us through a couple trail camera tips as he sets up a quick post-season inventory trail camera survey!

The trail camera tips Nick shares with us include:

  • Use large capacity SD cards (16gb)
  • Use fresh batteries especially in the cold winter months
  • Use photo mode (rather than video) to keep the capacity from filling up and the batteries dying
  • Use deodorizing scent spray or foam to kill scent on the trail camera
  • Clear the camera’s field of view from debris and brush

Stay up to date with more bow hunting tips, tactics, and information from Nick and the other Nock Out® pro staff at the In Action Blog.

Shed Hunting

Post Season Scouting
NockOut-FieldJournals-One-min (1)

Nock Out® Field Journals | Off-Season Planning with The Virtue’s TJ Unger

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Episode 1 Off-Season Planning

For the first installment of Nock Out® Lighted Nocks Field Journals, we join The Virtue’s TJ Unger for a quick entry on some of his off-season planning for the 2018 bow hunting season. Bow hunting tasks never stop, not even in the dead of winter. With snow on the ground, fresh deer sign, and plenty of time until the season opens, the off-season creates the perfect time to scout and plan.

While TJ scouts the property he starts his supplemental feeding program. He explains that the recent temperatures and snowfall have created a need to start a bit earlier than March, his normal supplemental feed start date. This also helps TJ in his post-season inventory efforts. Attracting deer to the feed, a perfect opportunity is present for post-season inventory. This not only confirms which deer survived the season, but which bucks are still shedding. TJ also explains that this is in an effort to keep his number one hit-list buck on the property and away from neighboring properties that receive high hunting pressure.

With this info TJ can plan when to shed hunt, but also has more intel available to reaffirm strategies like bow hunting plots. He mentions plans for a perfect early season bow hunting plot. A 5-acre waterway that feeds from a large crop field into the small 60-acre parcel.

Stay up to date with more bow hunting tips, tactics, and info from TJ and the other Nock Out® pro staff at the In Action Blog.

Shed Hunting

Early Season Bow Hunting

 

Understanding Arrow FOC and Applying it to Bow Hunting

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Arrow FOC | What is It and Why is it Important?

Bow hunters know and understand arrow speed. Today’s bow manufactures market speed as one of the factors that relate to a better bow. Speed, however, is only one aspect you should be focused on as a bow hunter. More importantly, arrow FOC is a factor that affects arrow flight and penetration, which is critical for any bow hunter.

What is Arrow FOC?

Arrow FOC – which stands for “front of center”, is the percentage of an arrow’s total weight that is located in the broadhead end of the arrow.

FOC is not as appealing as speed, but it is important when it comes to bow hunting. The more weight towards the broadhead end of the arrow, the more forward an arrow’s center of balance is and the higher its FOC will be.

FOC is a factor that comes down to balance. Arrow balance is important in bow hunting because it affects the shape of the arrow’s trajectory. Trajectory is critical for any bow shots out past 20 yards. The further your shot is, the more arrow trajectory matters. For long-range shots, or if you are using a low poundage bow, trajectory is a big factor.

High FOC arrows will shoot straight but lose trajectory (nose-dive) faster than arrows with less FOC. Shooting a low FOC arrow will gain back trajectory (flat shooting farther) but will be unstable and less accurate in flight. FOC also relates to penetration. Getting your arrow there with speed and trajectory is irrelevant if its penetration qualities are not enough to adequately take down your target. Outlining your potential bow hunting shooting scenarios helps to decide what the right FOC should be for your arrows. The most accurate arrows have a FOC range of 10 to 15% recommend by most arrow manufactures.

Calculating Arrow FOC is Easy

Unlike calculating arrow speed, which requires a chronograph, arrow FOC can be calculated with a few measurements and some simple math. You will need the following tools to calculate your FOC of an arrow; measuring tape, pencil, permanent marker, and calculator.

 

There are 5 simple steps in calculating arrow FOC.

  1. Choose an arrow that is completely put together, which means all components are attached such as inserts, broadheads, fletching, and lighted nocks.
  2. Use the pencil to balance the arrow on. Once balanced on the pencil, mark the balance point with the permanent marker so you can measure to that point.
  3. Measure from the bottom most point of the nock (the point where string touches nock) to the end of the shaft. This is measurement #1.
  4. Measure from the bottom of the nock to the balance point you marked in step number 2. This is measurement #2.
  5. Finally, calculating arrow FOC is done using the measurements and this formula: [100 X (measurement #2 – (measurement #1 / 2))] / measurement #1

 

Recommended FOC

The best FOC for hunting arrows ranges between 10-15%. Larger FOC arrows will carry with them more power and penetrate better than those with less FOC. Extreme FOC has rare hunting applications, those higher than 18% may pack a greater punch but become heavy and lose their aerodynamic properties quickly with increasing distance.

Why Arrow FOC Matters to Bow Hunters

Speed is a great thing but it only goes so far when you are a bow hunter. Speed should not be your only focus in the woods. But rather your objective as a bow hunter should be penetration and how well your arrows are set up to harvest game.

Two factors are at play when talking about penetration. The first factor is Kinetic Energy (KE), which is the energy your arrow has from being in motion. Momentum, the second factor, is the energy your arrow maintains as it meets the target. Both factors impact your arrow’s penetration ability. A lightweight arrow with low FOC has high KE but lower momentum at impact. Whereas a heavier arrow with higher FOC may have lower KE but packs more momentum, which penetrates more effectively through flesh and bone. High KE means you have plenty of energy in flight but without adequate momentum, an arrow has little ability to penetrate when meeting resistance. The higher the FOC, the more efficiently an arrow will transfer KE into momentum. Kinetic energy can be calculated by the equation below.

KE=(mv²)/450,240

M= total mass of arrow (grains)

V= velocity of arrow (fps)

So how much kinetic energy should you aim for? The table below is a general recommendation of kinetic energy by type of game

There is a tradeoff, however. You have to compromise with FOC and its ability to penetrate. For example, you can setup for extreme FOC to something like 25% with a heavy broadhead. It would pack a heck of a punch, but it would have little KE (fly slower) and have terrible trajectory past 20 yards. The other extreme is to make a super light arrow with a low FOC. The arrow would have fast speed but almost no momentum energy for penetration. Bows today have such speed producing qualities that there is room to manipulate FOC to increase penetration without sacrificing distance and trajectory.

Techniques to Raise or Lower Your Arrow Weight and Arrow FOC

Obtaining preferred arrow weight and FOC and balancing it with speed can be done a number of ways. First, you can add weight to the point end of the arrow. For example, bump up your broadhead to 125 grains if you are shooting 100-grain broadhead. Also, different inserts like the Lock-n-Load® inserts from Nock Out® can help to change the dynamics of FOC. You may be reluctant to change the business end of your arrows so another way to up your arrow FOC is to lighten up the back end of the arrow. If this throws your FOC over the ideal percentage you can add more weight to the back of the arrow by dropping in heavier fletching, heavier nock, or lighted nock.

If you are comfortable with your total arrow weight, you can adjust FOC without adding weight by switching out fletching (style, length, and material) or switching out nocks, shaving weight off of the backend of the arrow and increasing your FOC.

Video – Lock-n-Load® inserts from Nock Out®

In contrast, you can decrease your arrow FOC by reducing your broadhead size or reducing weight to the front end of the arrow. Switching to a lighted nock (adding more weight to the back of the arrow) will add a few grains that can help to achieve your preferred arrow FOC.

Focusing on FOC rather than speed is tough for most bow hunters who have been trained on the premise that faster is better. Speed has its advantages in archery but when the time comes to make that kill shot, arrow FOC is just as important. Understanding FOC, kinetic energy, and building your arrows to maximize its properties makes for a highly stable, bone and muscle splitting arrow that will drop game in its tracks.

Like this article? Make sure you check out the blog on Building Hunting Arrows and Tuning Your Bow with Lighted Nocks!

Building Hunting Arrows

Tuning Lighted Nocks

Arrow Buying Guide | What You Need To Know

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Nock Out® | Guide to Buying Hunting Arrows

Being an informed bow hunter is part of our ethical code. This includes buying equipment that we know can do the job and do it well.  Buying hunting arrows that fit our setup is essential. Unfortunately, hunters often end up purchasing the first set of arrows that they lay their eyes on. This quick decision can be costly when arrows don’t fly right and game is lost. Therefore, it should be known that finding the right arrow can be just as important as finding the right bow. There are several elements that every hunter needs to know before purchasing hunting arrows. This ranges from the basics to the finer details of a shooter’s form.  Knowledge truly is power in bow hunting.  Our “Guide to Buying Hunting Arrows” is the perfect solution for making an informed purchase.

 

Remember, purchasing the correct arrow for your setup can make or break your next hunt.

Hunting Arrow Basics

An arrow has four main parts: a nock, fletching, a shaft, and a tip.  You can purchase arrows assembled, or you can assemble them on your own. All four parts come in different sizes, weights, and have unique features.  All of these differences will impact the arrow’s flight.

Arrow flight is also dependent on numerous other factors including arrow weight, shaft length, draw length, draw poundage, bow accessories, speed, and the environmental conditions.  Once these concepts are fully understood, you can utilize a system of measurements and charts to find your perfect setup.

Draw Length

One of the first things to consider when going through the arrow purchasing process is measuring your bow’s draw length. The draw length will directly influence the performance of the arrow you will purchase.  

Many times, hunters shoot too long of a draw length.  Whether it be by mistake, or the desire to gain speed, having too long of length can cause serious form issues. Keep in mind, no equipment can fix poor form.  

If you aren’t sure what your draw length should be (or you simply forgot), you can find it by measuring your full arm span and dividing it by 2.5.

Draw Weight

The next important factor to consider is draw weight. The greater the draw weight means higher speed and penetration (all else being equal).  However, don’t increase weight at the cost of your form. When archers have too high of a draw weight, they become over bowed and their shot becomes negatively affected. 

You’ll need to know your draw weight to determine your arrow spine. However, remember to keep your weight comfortable and don’t get too caught up in the speed factor.

Photo: Flatline Whitetails

Hunting Arrow Length

Many people will use their draw length as a standard for their arrow length.  Although this works, there is a better way.  

Because different rests have different specifications, it’s better to measure arrow length by drawing your bow with a nocked arrow.  Make sure to have somebody assist you with the measurement.  When most people think of arrow length, they consider the following: 

  • Shorter arrows are faster 
  • Longer arrows are safer 

To find your proper draw length, pull back your arrow to full draw and have an assistant measure a distance between 1-½” and 2” from the rest. Keep in mind, an arrow that falls too short can cause you to shoot through your hand.  

Some experienced archers prefer a shorter length for speed. Don’t cut your arrows for this reason unless you fully understand the repercussions of a short arrow.

Hunting Arrow Weight

As a general rule of thumb, medium to heavy weighted arrows serve hunters better for two main reasons.  

  • A heavier arrow will penetrate the deer better 
  • Heavier arrows reduce noise and vibration  

However, many archers still choose to shoot lighter arrows because they are faster. Below are some general guidelines when considering arrow weight. 

  • Lighter arrows are sufficient for competition 
  • Heavier arrows are better for hunting 
  • Hunters should use between 6 to 8 grain per pound of draw weight  

Never shoot an arrow lighter than 5-grains per pound of draw weight.  Shooting too light of an arrow can harm your bow and potentially void your warranty. Also keep in mind that weight measurements include your entire setup (shaft, vanes, nock, tips, and insert). For archers shooting a lower draw weight, say 50# or less, it’s recommended to shoot an arrow on the heavier side of that range.

Shopping hunting arrows online at eastonhunting.com. Easy, fast, and great arrows!

Arrow Spine Rating

The spine rating could be considered the most important aspect of an arrow.  By definition, it’s considered the “stiffness.” However, it’s much more complex than that. Using the wrong chart or an unfamiliar setup can result in having an arrow that doesn’t shoot straight.  

Spine rating is complicated for a few big reasons: 

  •  It’s dependent on numerous variables 
  • Charts and ratings differ between manufacturers 

Unfortunately, the lack of a universal chart makes things very difficult for new archers.  There are two common ways to look at stiffness: dynamically and statically. Static spine rating is a standard method for determining arrow stiffness.  It is done by taking an 880-grain weight and using it to bend a 28” arrow. 

However, everybody shoots different length arrows, variously weighted bows, and have entirely different setups.  All of these various factors will impact the desired stiffness of the shaft.  This is considered the “dynamic” aspect of stiffness. 

Despite the differences in ratings, there is usually a general pattern between arrow stiffness ratings: the smaller the number, the stiffer the arrow.  For example, a 400-grain arrow will be stiffer than a 500-grain arrow according to the static standards.  However, this isn’t always the case when shooting a bow with different weight to different length ratios. Other factors such as bow speed, string type, and rest also can influence dynamic spine ratings.  Don’t forget that a 400-grain arrow from one brand is different than a 400-grain arrow from another.

Photo: Flatline Whitetails

Although there is no perfect method, be sure to always refer to your manufacturer’s spine chart.  This will take into account your draw weight and draw length as mentioned above.  This can help assure that you make the most appropriate purchase for your setup.

Arrow Fletching

There are three common types of vane lengths.  These are 2”, 3”, and 4”.  Although you could find vanes sized between those measurements, these are considered the standards. Picking a vane will depend on your broadhead setup (or perhaps picking a broadhead will depend on your vane setup), so pick carefully.  Here are the biggest considerations: 

  •  A longer vane allows greater broadhead stabilization.  
  • A shorter vane is more forgiving in the wind. 
  • Longer vanes work better with large, fixed blade broadheads.  
  • Mechanical broadheads will allow you to shoot nearly any vanes.  

Also, note that how an arrow is fletched (how it is turned on the shaft) is just as important as the type of fletching itself. There are three standards:

Straight

A straight position allows for an arrow to have the least resistance during flight. This will yield the highest speed but also the greatest variance of the three positions.  A straight position is best for competition shooters where environmental conditions are irrelevant, and the bow is perfectly tuned.  

 Helical 

The helical position is the most forgiving.  It allows your arrows to rotate during flight, improving arrow stabilization and accuracy at greater distances. Although this would be the ideal setup for most hunters, it isn’t always appropriate.  

Some arrow rests won’t allow the arrow to be cleared when positioned helically.  

Offset 

An offset is a mix of the two. It’s the most common for this reason. 

You can learn more about fletching arrows by referring to our Fletching the Perfect Hunting Arrow for your Bow Hunting Setup article.

 

Fletching the Perfect Arrow

Arrow Nocks

There are many different features to consider when purchasing nocks.  They not only come in all different sizes and varieties, they also differ in quality.  However, there is one thing you can do to improve every shot:  buying lighted nocks. This not only helps when fine tuning your bow, but it can eliminate the chance of losing arrows and losing harvested game. Thankfully, Nock Out® has you covered. Nock Out® Lighted Nocks are lightweight, bright, and reliable. They are a perfect all-in-one solution when you are looking for that nock for your perfect setup. 

Best Lighted Nock Color

Other Hunting Arrow Tips and Considerations

As most of you are aware, you will need to purchase two types of tips. One type to practice and one type to hunt. They should be the same weight to assure proper tuning.   

Broadheads  

There are two types of broadheads: mechanical and fixed blade. 

Mechanical 

These broadheads expand during the shot.  The compacted point reduces surface area and increases speed and accuracy. However, you risk the chance of them NOT growing, which is particularly common with low poundage bows. 

Fixed Blade

Fixed blade broadheads have greater surface area and more weight.  Therefore, their flight isn’t as accurate, but they are more reliable for those shooting lighter poundage.  

Also, don’t forget the relationship between the broadheads and fletching that we discussed earlier. Smaller fletching works better with mechanical and small fixed blade broadheads.  The heavier the broadhead, the larger the fletching. 

Field Tips

The biggest key to purchasing field tips is shooting the same grain as your broadheads.  Also, make sure that you shoot the same arrow and the same setup during practice.  Doing this will improve your odds of executing the shot when it matters the most.  

Final Considerations

Having a strong understanding of your archery setup and your goals can not only improve your accuracy but completely modify your shooting experience. It will change the way you make purchases.  Not every shop owner is going to treat you right, and far too often hunters are convinced to buy a setup that isn’t good for them. However, now that you know what to look for when purchasing your arrow equipment, you can make the best possible purchase for your performance and your wallet.  

For a more in-depth review on arrow anatomy, be sure to check out our article “What You Should Know About Your Hunting Arrows.“ 

Hunting Arrow Anatomy

Tracking a Deer Blood Trail 101

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Bow Hunting 101 | Deer Blood Trail Tracking

If you’ve shot a deer before while bow hunting, you’re probably familiar with the general sequence of events. Going from shot to recovery can take mere minutes or days, depending on several factors. It’s always a possibility that we could lose sight of a deer blood trail, which is guaranteed to result in sleepless nights. Here are some tips for blood trailing deer so you can improve your recovery rates and become a better hunter! 

Stages of Tracking a Deer   

Hopefully, for your sake, you are reading this blog before you make the shot. Ensuring that you know and follow each step of the blood trail tracking process is extremely important. With that said, this blog will take you through each step of the deer blood trail tracking method from directly after the shot, to the point where you recover your deer.  

Replay the Shot 

The moments directly after you release an arrow are some of the most critical seconds of a hunt that can influence the end result.  Assess the shot and replay it in your mind several times. After that, you should be able to answer each of these questions:

  • Which way was the deer facing? 
  • Was there any quartering that could have affected what organs were hit?  
  • How did the deer react when the arrow made contact?  
  • Is there a noticeable landmark (dead snag tree, spruce tree, etc.) in the area you shot it?  
  • Which direction did the deer run? 
  • What is the last landmark you remember the deer running by?  
  • Did you hear a crash?  

Burn these details into your mind before you even think about packing up to start blood trailing deer. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least 15 minutes while you replay everything unless you watched the deer drop within view. 

Many times, you can learn the most useful information by watching how the deer reacted and where your lighted nock disappeared. One of the benefits of using lighted nocks is that you can pinpoint exactly where the arrow strikes a deer. Regardless of which color nock you prefer, you can literally watch the LED light trail from the Nock Out Contender nocks and see precisely where it blinks out as it enters a deer’s chest cavity. Pay attention to how the deer behaves at this stage. If it jumps into the air and kicks its hind legs (oftentimes almost losing its footing), it’s very likely a heart, lung, or liver shot. If it hunches up its back and runs for a short distance before slowing down and walking away, you may have shot them in the paunch area in another place considered “no man’s land”. 

Stage 2: Look for Evidence 

After replaying all of these details in your mind, climb down and navigate to the landmark where you believe you shot the deer. This is where many hunters go wrong with tracking deer. Many hunters mistakenly just take up the trail immediately. Even if there is obvious blood, this action can ruin your recovery efforts quickly in the wrong situation. You’ll obviously be looking for blood, but also pay attention to hair, disturbed leaves, and broken branches. Lots of white hair means either your shot was low on the stomach or it exited the deer low.

Looking at the arrow

Hunting arrows can tell you a lot too. Examine the blood on it and give it a sniff. You may even have an indicator section or white wrap that can clearly show the blood. We’ll look at the blood types below for different shots, but if it smells rotten, it’s likely you made a paunch hit. 

Stage 3: Deciding on the Type of Deer Blood  

Knowing when to track deer after shooting is very important. Now for the real investigative part of the deer recovery process: the blood. Deer blood sign will be different depending on where you hit them. Look for this kind of blood evidence in the immediate vicinity of the shot location before proceeding with blood trailing deer.

Heart/Lungs

Blood from a heart and/or lung shot will be very distinctive. It will usually be bright red and frothy (lots of small bubbles) because blood in these organs is full of oxygen. Depending on the entry and exit wounds, you may also notice spurts of blood on the ground and even on the tree trunks and shrubs periodically, as the heart pumps it out. 

Liver 

Whitetail livers are tucked behind the lungs and higher up from the heart. Blood from these shots will usually be darker red or purplish, and may be thicker in consistency. It also may only drip from the deer after a while, producing a harder blood trail to follow. 

Paunch (Stomach/Intestines)

The dreaded paunch or gut shot is something no hunter wants to make, but it does occasionally happen for a number of reasons. Blood from these hits will usually be thin and watery-looking, and may even contain green/yellow bits of undigested food in it. The blood will also smell foul, like stomach contents ought to.

Stage 4: Blood Trailing Deer 

Knowing how to track a wounded deer is a critical skill you need to have. Depending on what you find at the arrow site, you’ll have a few different choices to make. Obviously, the sooner you recover your deer, the fresher and safer the venison meat will be. You may also be contending with coyotes and other hungry scavengers who would happily steal your kill. So knowing how long to wait and ultimately how far a deer will travel will help you know when you can start tracking a deer.

Tracking Heart/Lung Hit Deer 

Unsurprisingly, the heart and lungs are vital organs, so a deer shot in either of them won’t last long or travel far. If you find frothy bright red blood at the shot site (and assuming you waited at least 15 minutes before getting down), you should be able to take up the trail immediately. It’s unlikely for a heart/lung-shot deer to travel more than 100 yards unless you only clipped one lung.  

Tracking Liver Hit Deer 

While a liver shot is always fatal, it will take longer for a deer to expire. If you find the thicker, dark red blood, wait at least four hours if possible before you start tracking. Liver shot deer will usually bed down within 200 yards to rest. If unpressured, they will usually bleed out and expire in these first beds. But if you rush in, you may jump the bedded deer. Since they may only produce droplets for a blood trail, every further inch you push them makes your tracking job much harder. 

Tracking Paunch or Stomach Hit Deer 

A paunch shot is usually also a death sentence for a deer, but it could take days to happen. The blood trail may also be sparse enough for you to lose the trail before you find the deer itself. If you notice a foul smell on your arrow or thin watery blood, quietly back out of the area. If there is no rain forecasted and if it’s a cool night, you can leave a deer overnight to track it in the morning. If it’s going to be hot in the early season, rainy, or you’ve got lots of predators on the property, try to give it at least four hours before blood trailing. Similar to the liver discussion, you don’t want to jump them from their beds. A gut-shot deer can run for miles before expiring, which could potentially push them off your property. 

Stage 5. Employing Helpful Blood Trailing Tips and Tactics 

Slow Down! – When blood trailing deer, you need to move slowly and pay attention to everything simultaneously. You’ll need to move three to five times slower than normal so you can scan the ground and trees for blood and glance ahead to look for the deer. Stop often to listen and scan ahead with binoculars.  

Walk to the Side – As you walk along, make sure you don’t destroy the blood trail by walking on it – walk to the side of the trail. When you lose track of the blood, leave signs at the last spot you saw it. You can use flagging tape, toilet paper, or even your Nock Out lighted nocks! Start by walking in small circles around the last spot, and you’ll usually find where the blood trail picks up again. If you can’t find more blood, as mentioned above, pay attention to upturned leaves, rushed deer tracks, and broken branches, as this indicates a deer moving through the area at a fast pace.  

Keep One Nocked – Keep your bow nocked with another arrow in the off-chance you can make a follow-up shot, if needed. This is harder for archery than it would be with a firearm, but sometimes you might spot a bedded deer and get a shot before it bolts again.

Hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity this fall to put these blood tracking tips to good use. If you haven’t already check out the NEW Contender Lighted Nocks from Nock Out®.

Contender Lighted Nocks

 

Nock Out® Pro Staff Spotlight | Shelby Arman’s 2017 Buck

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Bow Hunting Spotlight | Shelby Arman’s 2017 Buck

By: Shelby Arman of Ultimate Outdoor Adventures TV

I had just driven the 250 miles back from college, making it just in time to head down to our Ranch with my Dad for the weekend. The winds were out of the South East, so we headed across the river to a stand we hadn’t hunted yet this season. This was a cool little setup that was overlooking a kill plot back off the main food plot, nestled in the trees about a hundred yards away. We had trail camera pictures of several nice deer throughout the summer on this food plot, but the only problem is that we hadn’t seen them in a month. Needless to say, my hopes were not real high. The only thing that was in our favor was that the neighbors had just combined all of the corn where we thought the deer had moved to. After about an hour in the stand, I figured that my chances of seeing a good deer, let alone any deer, were slipping away.

Just as that thought had entered my mind, a little doe appeared in the food plot. I sat and watched her nibbling on the turnip leaves for several minutes before she lifted her head and looked behind her. As I sat with anticipation and thought of what may or may not come in…a buck appeared! It was “Charlie, the big 8 pointer that we had watched grow over the last two years. It took everything I had in me to keep it together as “Charlie” walked by me at 25 yards. I settled my pin behind his shoulder and released my arrow.

I watched my arrow find its mark. With the help of the Nock Out® lighted nocks, I found my arrow and it was a short tracking job to this massive 8 pointer! Big thanks to my Dad for always being my best friend and hunting partner!

Shelby’s Bow Hunting Equipment:

· Hoyt® Carbon Defiant

· Beman® ICS Hunters

· Apex™ Gear sights, rest, and stabilizer

· NAP® Kill zone broadheads

· Nikon® Optics

· Hawk® Tree stands

· Nock Out® lighted nocks

 

Nock Out® Pro Staff Spotlight | Flatline Whitetails’ Nick Kravitz

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Early Season Bow Hunting Success | Nick Kravitz

By: Nick Kravitz of Flatline Whitetails
Photos by: Darton Harwick, Tyler Kravitz, & Nick Kravitz
“Finally I can say that I’ve wrapped my hands around the antlers of a Mature Pennsylvania Whitetail Buck!”

Tyler and I had photos of this deer as a 2.5-year-old buck 3 years ago on a trail camera. After the bear destroyed two of our cameras this year, we didn’t have many photos of deer on this property. However, we knew the potential that the property had just from summer scouting, so I was actually after a different “Shooter Buck”.

A cold front was pushing through on October 16th and I knew it was going to be a good night for deer activity in the tree stand. It was a beautiful October evening.. I remember thinking to myself, “This is the perfect day for hunting”, and sure enough, at around 4:30 I already had eyes on a young buck up on his feet and again, at 5:30, two more young bucks walked by at 20 yards.

As the sun began to set, I was admiring the view with my camera and snapping photos. As I set my camera back in my Sitka Gear tool bucket, I peered over my left shoulder and caught a slight glimpse of antlers through the corn stalks, swaying in the wind. All that I could see were Big G2’s and Big G3’s so I immediately knew this was a shooter buck. Slowly I started reaching for my bow.. My first thought was that he was going to walk away and I was going to have to shoot him where I first saw him. I drew back my Mathews Archery, Inc. Halon 32 and watched him walk right out of my shooting lane but towards another. I held my bow back for what seemed like an eternity, which in reality was about 3 minutes. I thought about letting down twice but I knew that I needed to be ready when the opportunity presented itself.

As I began to see his rack appear through the corn stalks and branches, I knew this was the moment of truth. He stopped walking and turned toward me slightly. This was it, now or never. It was not a shot that I particularly like taking but I knew this was my only opportunity to try. So with a slight squeeze of the TRU Ball Archery and Axcel Sights Glory Release, the last thing that I witnessed was my Nock Out Lighted Nocks disappear directly behind his front shoulder.

Luckily I had my safety harness on or I surely would have fallen out of the tree! With plenty of daylight left, I ran all the way to the truck and called Tyler and Darton to tell them the news! We met up and reviewed the footage and decided it was best to just let him lay for a few hours given the cool temperatures would keep him through the evening. After we got done tracking and finding Brooke Williams and Tyler Kravitz bucks, it was about midnight. We decided to go in and look at the blood and see if we could locate my buck.

After 75 yards we started seeing blood. Tyler looked up and said “there he is!” As we ran up to him, we couldn’t believe it. The emotion and feeling that I felt right then was something I will never be able to put into words. It was an absolutely amazing moment in my life that I will carry with me forever! Thanks for all the help and knowledge you have passed on to me Tyler Kravitz and Darton Harwick  and thank you for being there to share the moment with me.

One of the reasons that the Nock Out Lighted Nocks really helped me out with this hunt was after I made the shot on film, I was able to go home and review the footage to see exactly where I hit. With the ability to see my entry, we were able to make the decision to give this buck 5 hours since it was cold that night. Turns out he only went 75 yards, but the theory I have is it’s better to be safe than sorry because once you bump a wounded buck it’s NEVER good!

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