# That's it! I'm done! No more tweaking!



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

No, not that kind of tweaking, guys! I'm done tweaking on my bow. For the past little while I have been broadhead tuning, then re-sighting, obsessing, contemplating, pontificating, "ponderizing", and basically driving myself mad trying to get everything just right on my bow for the hunt. Tonight I went out and did a little shooting and I've finally reached a point that I can't take it anymore. I told myself I was going to take one last shot between now and the hunt and call it good. I set the block target out at 40 yards, and made a very conscious effort to make a very well-executed shot with an arrow tipped with a 100 grain slick trick standard. The arrow hit bang on with the elevation of the bullseye and about 3/4 of an inch to the right. Good enough for the girls I go with. The next arrow that flies out of my bow is going to sink into something furry!


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

I shot two arrows at 20 yards with my broadhead tipped arrows today, hit the bulls eye with both and am also satisfied. I will shoot through the chrono and double check the sight tape and then re-sight in at camp elevation (8,000 feet) when I arrive. Other than that, I too am ready. Looking forward to a week long camp of cooler temperatures.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I will continue to shoot just about every day. The bow shoots fine with field tips and broadheads but since I’m new to this I feel the more shooting I do the better.

Good luck to everyone.


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

I'm in the same boat and good to 60 yards. Good luck guys.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Last year I took one last shot a few days before the hunt started and had a wild flyer (me pulling the shot) by trying to concentrate and make a good, all ready to go shot. 

Knew the bow was ready to go from the past few days and weeks, so put the bow down. Next time it was shot was sinking an arrow into the lungs of a 6x6 bull at 27 yds.

Moral of the story, if you're confindent up to the last few days or weeks of the hunt, all will be good on the hunt. Don't let a wild flyer get you shook up just before a hunt ir even shooting at camp during a hunt.

Good luck this weekend to everyone chasing critters via stick and string!


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

My bow is in tune. My sight tape is on. My arrows are straight. My broadheads are sharp. This I know.

So - *If I screw it up I know it's me* lol. Brand new bow this year and my goal is to get to where I know the equipment is working how it should. Sometimes I shoot too many arrows, or go in low light after a day at the computer screen, or shoot with a tired arm. This doesn't tell us the truth.

Last week up scouting I set up "real" scenarios. Bedded bucks behind a bush, uphill, downhill, between trees. She was letting em rip!

So - This week I am leaving her be!


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

I find I'm pretty much dialed in but once the hunt starts I seem to quit practicing and it doesn't take long for my form to start suffering. Now I try to shoot a few arrows every other day or so to stay sharp.

Be sure to post some pictures of your successes!


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## kdog (May 4, 2015)

I too am finally ready, broadhead tuned at 40 yards, and grouping pretty good (usually) still have a flier here and there.

photo is my regular target, shots taken saturday, all field tips at 40 yards


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

I thought I was ready to go. Bu just realized that I will need to adjust my pins for altitude. Going from sea level to 10k +/-.-O,-


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

Steve G said:


> I thought I was ready to go. Bu just realized that I will need to adjust my pins for altitude. Going from sea level to 10k +/-.-O,-


Lol... I think you will be good


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

"I thought I was ready to go. Bu just realized that I will need to adjust my pins for altitude. Going from sea level to 10k +/-."

Good thinking... I always shoot and do the final sight adjustment at camp... this is one of the most overlooked final tweeting items. You will be surprised how high you will hit. The faster and lighter the arrow the higher it will be. Not so much a concern with a stick bow.


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## cdbright (Aug 24, 2016)

do you guy sever adjust your pins after you get up to 10,000 ft as the air is thinner and you will shoot high? I assume we all typically sight in around 4500-5000 as we are at home or at the range. We always do some practice shooting at camp and this year we were right at 9700 so we knew we were a little high, but I did not change anything, just figured I would use that to compensate when the time came, but do you ever really do an altitude adjust or assume it is not enough to make a difference?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Here is Randy Ulmers take on the subject as well as a quick fix while in camp.

At high elevation the air is thinner and gravity loses a small percentage of its pull. Every projectile slows more gradually and takes a flatter line. While baseball’s power hitters love the thin air of Denver’s Coors Field and professional golfers enjoy 10% more distance at Castle Pines just south of the city, this phenomenon is not a bowhunter’s friend. Sure, elevation flattens trajectory, reducing the effects of misjudged shot range, but all too often the knowledge comes as a surprise to the hunter at just the wrong time. If you hunt more than two thousand feet above the elevation where your bow was sighted in you will begin to notice that your arrows impact higher than normal. This can be a serious problem for bowhunters heading for the timberline from eastern states. 

The difference can be fairly large, several inches for arrows fletched with vanes and even more for arrows decked with feathers. Left unchecked, such a built-in accuracy bias can produce an outright miss, or worse.

Of course the real key to remedying the problem is first understanding that it exists. After that, the physical solution is simple. Because the gap between the pins is affected, you can’t simply gang-adjust your entire sight head upward to account for the flatter trajectory. And, resetting every pin individually is too problematic in the constraints of most hunting camps. Instead, focus on one of your longest pin settings. Assuming it is 40 or 50 yards, set out a target at that distance and shoot until you are comfortable that you are executing good shots. Then simply turn your limb bolts out (reducing draw weight) in small increments until you are hitting dead-on at this range. Make sure to turn both bolts an equal amount in order to preserve the bow’s tiller setting.

After making these adjustments move up and check your shorter-range pins just to be sure everything is still tracking. Your 20-yard impact point may be slightly below the intended target, but the difference will be so small that it is insignificant.

Not only is elevation an important consideration when preparing yourself physically for the mountain hunt of a lifetime, it must also be considered when preparing your bow. Adjusting your draw weight is a
step that can make a big difference in the outcome of the hunt.

Caption: Hunting at altitude will affect your arrow’s point of impact. A small adjustment to your draw weight can quickly fix the problem.


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

I practice all year at the 4,400 elevation, then a week or so prior to the opening of the hunt, I drive up on top of the mountain to a 9,000 ft elevation and sight in. After the hunt, I will re adjust to the 4,400 ft elevation of home. Few people take the altitude adjustment serious. In my opinion, Randy Ulmer is a good authority on this subject and from the text quoted by BPturkeys, it is well worth considering.


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

RandomElk16 said:


> Lol... I think you will be good


Turns out - I am wrong. Some friends from back east came out... Almost a foot off at 40 yards! Elevation has wayyy more effect then I could imagine. Which is weird since I go from the wasatch front to 10k and seem to be right where I want to.... But, it happened with them.


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

Random...That is huge. I have experienced 1.5 to 2 inches at 20 yards with a 5,000 ft elevation change but a foot?? I have noticed arrow weight and speed play into the difference as well. Faster and lighter arrows are affected more than the slow heavy arrows we used to shoot years ago. Most hunters only worry about hitting something the size of a bread box and feel they are shooting "close enough". Randy Ulmer once put into print, "close enough is not good enough..." I have to side with him on that one. Perhaps that is why he consistently takes those great trophy animals every year.


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

I definitely ended up shooting high on my elk. Angle played a big part but at this point pretty hard to tell if the rest was elevation adjustment or excitement. All that ends well goes well and another thing learned on the hunt.


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