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By John Sloan
I never put my bows completely away. I shoot a little year-round. I am constantly trying out new "stuff" and I just like to shoot.
My friend, Mickey Pope, puts his archery equipment away as soon as gun season opens and he doesn't get it out until late summer the next year. If you are that way, this column is for you.
With today's new technology, you could probably come home from your last bowhunt and just hang your bow in the closet. Probably it would be fine when you took it out the next August.
Probably, but maybe not. Why take the chance? If I am putting a bow in storage for any amount of time, I do some things to extend the life of that bow. The first thing I do is clean and lubricate the moving parts. I make sure the wheels or cams are clean and free of debris, and then I give them a shot of lubricant.
I inspect this bow from one end to the other looking for signs of wear or damage. It's amazing how you can damage a bow and not even realize it. A few years ago, after a full hunting season, I was putting a bow up -- trading it in for a new model -- and in the post-season found a major chip in one wheel. I have no idea how long it had been there or how it got there. I also have no idea how the string stayed on the wheel. It was a bad chip. I do recall dropping the bow out of a tree stand, but that surely wouldn't be the cause. Or would it?
If the string is in good shape, I give it a healthy coat of string wax. If it isn't in good shape, I put a note on the bow to replace the string. The strings I use today are usually good for about a year and a half. But why would I want to be replacing strings in July? If I have shot that bow for a full season and the string is showing any wear, I replace it. I shoot my bows an average of 6,000 times each year. I inspect the nocks and arrow rest and feel the cable slide for any roughness.
When I am satisfied the bow is ready for storage, I back the draw weight off. I don't know how many pounds I reduce the weight. I turn the bolts four full turns on each limb and I make a note to that effect and tape it to the limb. That way I know to tighten the bolts four full turns each before shooting next spring.
I do not store my bows in cases. I don't have that many cases and if I did, I wouldn't have any place to put them. I have one wall that is just for bow storage. On it are a series of screw-in hooks, two for each bow. The bows are hung horizontally instead of vertically. Maybe it makes no difference but I like this better. I also have the same setup for the three bows I will continue to shoot.
In addition to my bows, the arrows also get a going over. I spin each arrow, tipped with a broadhead to make sure it is straight. The "good" ones go into a box marked hunting, the slightly crooked ones go into a box marked practice, and the really bent ones make tomato stakes.
Since my bow season really never quite ends, I keep three bows in rotation at all times. That means I have three that are hunting ready. I also have eight or 10 that I have in storage and may take out to shoot for particular occasions. I don't mean I have a bow for carp and one for deer and one for bear. What I mean is, if I am doing a video sponsored by Jennings, I shoot a Jennings bow. If I feel Browning has some "space" coming, I shoot a Browning bow.
By making sure all my bows are in great shape before I put them up and by making notes as to what needs to be done to have the bow at hunting weight, it takes me only a few minutes and some practice arrows to be ready to head for the woods. My friend, Mickey, just about re-tunes and sets his bow up every year because he can never remember what it was like the year before. However, he sure kills a lot of deer.
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