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Fletching the Perfect Hunting Arrow for your Bow Hunting Setup

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Bow Hunting | Fletching the Perfect Hunting Arrow

There are several components that make up a hunting arrow, but none more critical to its flight than proper fletching. Vanes on the back of an arrow steer the arrow during flight, keeping the front and back end in correct alignment. Mass-produced and fletched arrows are not always tuned properly and are subsequently the reason for inconsistent shooting. Accurately tuned and fletched arrows can greatly improve your shooting performance. Believe it or not, you don’t have to take your arrows to a pro-shop to achieve this!

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Chances are, you have experienced the result of shooting an ill-tuned arrow. Arrows that aren’t properly tuned can cause the vanes to graze the arrow rest, which in turn causes the arrow to fly erratically down range. Another likely scenario could play out like this: you have worked hard on form, you are consistently nocking at the same point, and executing a smooth release, but have a couple shots outside your group each time you shoot. Rather than an error on your part, the reason for this inconsistent shooting may be a couple bad arrows out of your practice batch. Properly tuning and fletching your hunting arrows takes a little extra effort, but will result in consistently tighter groups on target and better accuracy in the field.

Hunting Arrows 101

Fletching Applications

There are three fletching application styles popular with hunting arrows:

  • Straight fletching is applied straight with the arrow shaft. This type of fletching results in the fastest arrow flight and is recommended for close range shots. Straight fletching can cause slight arrow drag and is at a higher risk of the flight being affected by the wind.
  • Off-Set fletching is applied straight with the arrows’ shaft, but are turned at a slight offset from front to back without twisting the vane. The off-set is comparable to the rotation of a bullet shot from a rifled gun barrel. This rotation offers arrow stability with the weight of a broadhead and is recommended for long distance shots. Off-set fletching will result in a slight loss of speed due to air resistance.
  • Helical fletching is applied with a slight curve or helical twist in the vane, often two to five degrees, depending on the arrow stability desired. Helical fletching offers the most stability among other applications and is ideal for shooting broadheads. The rotation of the fletching will decrease arrow speed at a greater amount than the other style fletching but offers great accuracy at longer distances.

Vane Styles 

The style of vane that you apply to your arrow shaft can affect arrow flight and should be taken into careful consideration. There are pros and cons to each style of vanes, but tuning and matching your hunting arrow vanes to your style of broadhead can greatly improve your shooting consistency and accuracy. A variety of vanes are available in different shapes, lengths, thicknesses, and colors.

Vane types vary, from small, long, and low profile vanes to short, high profile vanes. Higher profile vanes have more surface area and will offer more correction of arrow flight than low profile vanes. However, more surface area will slow an arrow down slightly. If you are shooting fixed broadheads, a higher, larger surface vane will offer the greatest stability for that style broadhead.

Smaller, low profile vanes offer less flight stability of an arrow but offer more clearance with the arrow rest and bow shelf. Lower profile vanes have less surface area allowing minimum wind drag for more speed.  Low profile vanes offer more stability of arrow flight with mechanical broadheads, blunts, or field points.

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Vane Adhesion

Secure adhesion of the vane to the shaft is critical to the proper flight of an arrow. Not all adhesives are the same. Taking into consideration the typical weather you plan to hunt in will give you some guidance as to which type to use. There are quick-set glues, thicker gel type glues, and glues that are similar to epoxy. Solvent based adhesives will take longer to bond and dry but offer a durable adhesion that can withstand varying degrees of weather and temperatures. Cyanoacrylate glues are fast setting, however, the brittleness of the glue is more susceptible to the vane breaking free of the shaft in different weather conditions.

Hunting Arrow Nocks

Nocks will often need to be removed to use some styles of fletching jigs. It is important to use the correct nock for your arrow diameter and the style of nock that works best with your bow string. Press-fit nocks will be labeled by common size, for example: G and F nocks fit shafts with a .166-inch inside diameter, X and A nocks fit shafts with a .204-inch inside diameter, H and H.E.  nocks fit shafts with a .234-inch inside diameter, S nocks fit shafts with a .244-inch inside diameter, and G nocks fit shafts with a .246-inch inside diameter. Smaller pin nocks are snapped onto a small pin on the nock end of an arrow. This allows for damaged nocks to be replaced with minimal effort in the field. The pin nock is mostly used in target competition because its purpose is to protect shafts from being damaged by other arrows.

Lighted nocks are favored by many hunters and are legal to use in most states, with the exception of a few out west. Not only do lighted nocks help you tune your bow before the hunt, they also make it easier for you to see your bow shot placement on game animals. Gone are the days of frustrating lighted nocks that came off in your quiver, were difficult to turn off, or added extra weight to the back end of the arrow. Nock Out Lighted Nocks are lightweight, extremely bright, and feature an easy off and practice mode. Each pack of Nock Out Lighted Nocks come with bushings to fit the five most common carbon arrow diameters for a custom fit.

 

The Fletching Process

The supplies you will need to self-fletch your arrows:

  • Fletching Jig
  • Denatured Alcohol
  • Lint-free Rags/Paper Towels
  • Vane stripper
  • Fine grit sandpaper or scrub pad
  • Bare arrow shafts
  • Vane adhesive
  • Fletching
  • Nock Tool
  • Wraps (optional)

Fletching your Hunting Arrows

  1. Spine tuning arrow shafts is one step many archers don’t complete when self-fletching their arrows. Spine tuning helps you to find the weighted side of an arrow, allowing you to adhere the vanes in the same way on all of your arrows, making for a more consistent grouping. A small variance in shaft weight is common and normally does not make a significant change in the point of impact on the target. Matching the configuration of vanes on each shaft, identical to the other, will greatly improve consistency.

Using the float method is the easiest way to do this from home. Fill a bathtub up with about 6 inches of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent to make a few suds for buoyancy. Place a bare shaft in the tub, making sure that the point and nock ends are not touching the side of the tub. Spin the arrow with your hand once, allowing it to stop. Then spin one more time and mark the top side of the floating arrow with a grease pencil or marker. This will be the light side of the arrow; you will place your cock vane on the opposite side of this mark.

  1. Prepare your arrow shaft by wiping the entire shaft down with a lint-free cloth saturated in denatured alcohol. One of the main reasons vanes do not adhere to the surface properly and pop off easily is because the shaft and vane surfaces were not clean at the time of application. Denatured alcohol is fast drying, however, you should still make sure the shaft is completely dry by wiping the shaft down with a dry, lint-free cloth. Never use a cloth that was washed with water softeners or dried in a dryer with anti-static/fabric softener dryer sheets.
  2. With the broadhead you will use in mind, select your ideal style of fletching in your preferred colors for your shafts and place them aside in groups of three. Make sure not to get body oils from your fingers on the adhesive edge.
  3. Your next step will be the actual fletching application.
  • Load the vanes into the fletching jig that you have chosen, making certain that you don’t touch the portion of the vanes that you will add glue to.
  • Place a thin, solid line of adhesive known as a bead along the base of the vane from end to end.
  • Place the shaft into the jig as instructed by the jig’s manufacturer, keeping in mind the correct tuning of the cock vane; in alignment with the heaviest side of the shaft.
  • Close the jig, placing the vanes against the shaft. It is important that you be patient and wait for the proper set time for the adhesive you are using before opening the jig.
  • Once the adhesive sets, carefully release the jig revealing the newly fletched arrow. Clean off any excess glue. Add a droplet of glue on the leading and trailing end of each vane for a strong, secure adhesion to the shaft.
  • Always wait several hours before shooting freshly fletched arrows.

Ultimately, choosing the style of vane and the application of those vanes will vary among archers. Some archers are more concerned with higher accuracy than faster speed because while speed may matter in the equation of kinetic energy, it is not as forgiving as accuracy. Deciding on what is good for your bow hunting setup will depend on what you are trying to achieve. By fletching your hunting arrows, you have the opportunity to experiment with different style vanes and fletching applications, giving you the advantage of having the best hunting arrow for your bow hunting setup.

How Many Arrows?

What You Should Know About Your Hunting Arrows

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The Importance of Knowing the Anatomy of Your Hunting Arrows

 

Knowing your equipment is the first step in trusting that you can get the job done, no matter what that particular “job” is. Nowhere is this statement more correct than when it comes to hunting equipment designed to take an animals life. However, the common misconception is that the bow is the object doing the killing. It’s not…it’s the arrow, the object that delivers the final blow. So an ethical question is this…”do you know the anatomy and important features of your hunting arrows?”

There are five basic parts that make up your hunting arrows: the point, the insert, the shaft, the nock, and the fletching. Hunting arrows have these five things in common, but that is the only similar features among arrows. Every arrow is going to have a specific weight, spine tolerance, and length that is important to the optimal use of an arrow with a particular bow’s specification as well as the game the hunter is pursuing. Ethical bow hunting is knowing what you are slinging towards another living thing, and being confident that this object is set up for the most effective, quick, and painless death it can deliver.

 

 

 

Point

There are a variety of points that can tip an arrow: field points, broadheads, judo-points, or blunt-tips. Field points are available with longer tips or more blunt tips. Broadheads can be fixed or expandable blade. There are broadheads customized for specific game animals such as small game or turkey with a variety of tips and cutting diameter. These points are available in a variation of styles made of a variety of materials. The point, regardless of style, is weighed in grains and commonly available in 75, 100, 125, and 150 grain. You should always practice and sight your bow in the same grain weight of the broadhead that will be used for hunting.

The Insert

Inserts are aluminum, brass, or plastic sleeves which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft and has a slightly larger rim to keep it from going completely into the arrow shaft. The insert is placed into point end of the arrow shaft and glued in. The insert provides a threaded end to insert and screw on points.

Some brass inserts, having a little more weight than plastic or aluminum, can assist in adding front of center weight for weight forward accuracy and penetration.

 

 

Lock-n-Load® Inserts make the job of installing inserts quick and easy! Now within seconds, you can install, index and lock your inserts in place without glue.

Precision, self-centering design improves concentricity by aligning to the center of the shaft resulting in better overall flight accuracy and arrow to arrow consistency. Easily index your blades to your vanes before locking the insert into place.

 

 

Arrow Shaft

The shaft is literally the backbone of the arrow and consists of two important components; weight and spine deflection or tolerance. The most commonly used arrows for hunting these days is carbon or a carbon-aluminum blend shaft. Some aluminum arrows are still being shot but are few and far between. Wood arrows are used by primitive-style archers but will not be covered in this writing.

 

 

Aluminum shafts are durable and more affordable than carbon. Carbon shafts are a little more expensive but are favored for the lightweight design that comes in a variety of diameters. However, carbon shafts can be damaged easier than aluminum shafts. Aluminum-Carbon blend shafts incorporate an aluminum tube and a carbon outer layer or just the opposite, a carbon tube with an aluminum outer layer.  For all practical purposes, the carbon and carbon blend arrow will be within this article.

Arrow weight is more critical than most archers realize when it comes to optimal shooting performance. Ultra-lightweight arrows, such as those used by competition archers, will typically travel in a straighter line and group more tightly. There are lightweight hunting arrows designed for hunting that have similar characteristics. Heavier arrows will deliver more kinetic energy for better hide and flesh penetration on game animals while still retaining a good grouping.

The arrow weight for hunting is recommended of a total weight of 6 to 8 grain per pound of draw weight. It is important to never use an arrow with less than 5 grain per pound of draw weight with any bow; doing so could cause damage to the bow and injury to the archer similar to that of dry-firing a bow

Every arrow is going to have a certain stiffness referred to as the spine deflection or spine tolerance of the shaft. Arrow weight and arrow spine deflection are often confused as being the same thing; they are not. The spine deflection is technically the most important trait of an arrow but probably the most misunderstood characteristic of an arrow. This misunderstanding is often a result of different manufacturers using different spine numbers for each shaft tolerance; there is no standard as to labeling. There is, however, a standard to measuring the spine tolerance.

Ultimately, it is important to make certain that you purchase arrows that have a spine tolerance for the draw weight of the bow being used. Often the arrow manufacturer will advertise that an arrow is “suitable for bows up to a 70-pound draw weight” or “suitable for bows up to a 50-pound draw weight.”

Arrow length is also critical to optimal shooting. Typically, a bow hunter will want the arrow shaft to extend out at least two inches from the rest contact at full draw. This measurement can be affected by the type of rest that is on the bow. It is important that the broadhead has proper clearance from the bow and the archer’s hand/fingers.

 

Fletching

The three vanes on arrows are known as fletching and can be made up of feathers or pliable plastic material of varying length and height. To allow optimal arrow flight, the fletching can be tuned to the arrow shaft by weight. The three vanes have a cock feather, or index feather, of different color which is used to indicate how the arrow is loaded onto the bow string to allow arrow rest clearance.

Feather fletching is still popular with many archers, but they are not as durable as plastic vanes especially during wet weather or storing. Plastic vanes adhere easier to the arrow shafts, offer more durability, and a more consistent flight. Target archers typically use smaller vanes for less drag, but a small vane will not offer stability with a broadhead. Longer vanes, or shorter, high profile vanes will offer better control for broadheads. Remember, the taller the vane, the more drag the arrow will have in flight.

 

 

For the most accurate and consistent flight among arrows, weight tuning is recommended. The easiest way to weight tune a shaft without a professional tuning device is to place a single shaft in a tub filled about a one-quarter full of water that has some soap suds. Place the shaft in the tub and let it spin until it comes to a halt. Roll it once more, making sure the ends are not touching the sides of the tub. Make a mark on the arrow shaft close to the nock on the side facing up. This is the lightest side of the shaft. The cock feather needs to be affixed to the opposite side of that mark; on the heavy side of the shaft. Doing this for all of the arrows will help in the consistency of the arrow groupings.

Fletching is normally affixed to arrows with a two or three-degree helical offset in the vane. Helical offsets have been proven to offer a more stable, tighter pattern with both field points and broadheads. If a bow hunter wants to make certain that the arrow and broadhead are tuned, they can take a fletch tuned arrow, place the insert in the end of the shaft with epoxy cement, screw on a broadhead and match the blades to the vanes.

If a bow hunter walks into a big box store and grabs a handful of pre-fletched arrows, they will find the arrows will shoot down range and hit the mark on the target. More often than not, one or two arrows will shoot consistent every shot. Often, those few are the arrows that are the closest to being tuned. There is nothing wrong with this method of purchasing arrows preseason. For optimal shooting, imagine the advantage a bow hunter would have when they have taken the time to make sure that the arrows are properly tuned, not only for the draw length and draw weight of the bow, but also that the vanes are tuned to shaft weight. Not only would this allow for consistently accurate shooting, but it also goes a long way in building the confidence of the bow hunter.

 

The Nock

The nock of the arrow is available in several designs and can easily be removed and replaced. It is important to use the correct nock for the diameter arrow and the right tension on the bow string to prevent it from falling from the bow string when being drawn. A nock that is too tight or too loose can affect the accuracy of an arrow.

The proper fit of the nock will result in a click of the bow string but still allow the nock to turn freely on the serving; not allowing the arrow to torque the bow string when the string is pulled back to full draw. If the nock is too tight, it can result in a late release of the nock from the string, causing the string to pull forward resulting in an erratic arrow flight. Or, if the nock is too loose, it can cause inconsistent arrow flight or can result in the arrow falling off prematurely.

The press-fit nock is the most common nock used on arrows. The design allows the nock to be easily turned so that it can be positioned in alignment with the fletching to clear cables and rests. Nocks are available in diameters to fit snugly in the shaft. These diameters range in increments from .166-inch to .246-inch in diameter and are marketed in common sizes of G, F, X, A, H, S and GT. A bushing can be added to ensure that the nock will not damage the arrow shaft.

 

Lighted Nocks

Another popular nock among bow hunters is the lighted nock. This nock incorporates a lighted end when it is shot from a bow, allowing the hunter to have a visual representation of the shot and assists hunters in being able to retrieve the arrow for inspection on a pass through, or for finding downed game in the dark. Using a lighted nock during practice can also assist the archer in seeing the arrow’s flight to the target.

 

 

 

A lighted nock will affect arrow accuracy, just like adding a new broadhead would. The fact that a press-fit nock weighs 11-16 grains depending on brand; whereas a lighted nock such as Nock-Out Lighted Nocks weighs 21-24 grains, means there is a significant difference.This also does not mention the fact that you may be adding more length to your arrow, shifting FOC. When adding a lighted nock to your setup be sure to install and tune the lighted nocks correctly.

Nock Out Lighted nocks feature a practice mode. This mode allows a hunter to shoot the nocks without having to waste the battery life. This allows the bow hunter to ensure his/her hunting arrows are hitting their mark with the lighted nocks attached.

Knowing the anatomy of your hunting arrows will provide you a foundation to build from. This will inevitably lead to a more accurate arrow build, tighter groups, and an effective arrow that can punch through the game it is designed for.

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