What are the Common Arrow Problems and Solutions You can Get

Using arrows in common ground for hunting looks very easy, you just have to pick one, set it in the bow and then shoot. But is it as easy as it looks? As a professional hunter, I can say that nothing is as simple as it may seem from outside. There are some common arrow problems you should know of before starting to learn bowhunting.

Using many arrows with the bows can be a little tricky if you cannot manage it properly. the wobbling, falling down, attachments loses are some of the common problems of arrows and bows.

What are the Common Arrow Problems and Solutions: The Ultimate List

The common problems are the ones, which normally occurs with your arrows and can be solved rather simply. We will be discussing this in the below section.

Porpoising Problem of Arrows

If your arrow tears a vertical rip in the paper, you know your arrow is wobbling up and down like the tail of a swimming porpoise, or “porpoising,” a problem that should be corrected first.

Porpoising is caused by improper nocking point height. To correct it, move the nockset down if the arrow is fletching high, or move the nockset up if the arrow is fletching low.

Fishtailing; Wobbling of the Arrows Side to Side

When an arrow wobbles from side to side, it is said to be “fishtailing.” The amount of wobble is affected by the arrow spine, the lateral position of the arrow rest, spring tension in the cushion plunger, and possibly other variables. Fishtailing is indicated by a horizontal tear in the paper.

If the arrow is fletching left, it is weak in the spine. To correct it, increase spring tension of the cushion plunger, move the rest to the left, decrease bow draw weight, use a lighter head, use stiffer arrow shafts, increase the amount of fletching, shorten the arrows (if possible), or switch to a mechanical release.

Decrease the Spring Tension to Reduce Stiffness of Arrows

If the arrow is fletching right, it is too stiff. To correct it, decrease the spring tension of the plunger button, move the arrow rest to the right, increase bow draw weight, use a heavier head, use weaker-Spined shafts, use less fletching, or shoot longer arrows.

Continue to make these adjustments until your arrows are flying well at five yards, then move back to ten or fifteen yards to check them again. You should still be getting clean tears. (Do this on a calm day. Wind nullifies your testing.)

Improper Aim: Perfecting the Bullets Holes

Sometimes, the arrows do not hit the target. Don’t worry if you can’t get perfect bullet holes through the paper every time.

If you can reduce the tear in any direction to an inch or less, your bow is shooting better than 90 percent of the bows in the field – and good enough to kill deer cleanly.

This testing is simply a way to eliminate major errors and ensure good arrow flight. If the result doesn’t come positively, you need to tune the bow and arrows to get a perfect result.

Perfecting Fletching Contact: Proper Steps Needed

If you’ve followed these steps and still get lousy arrow flight, check for fletching contact. Bad arrow flight often results from arrow contact with the bow. Arrows must clear the bow cleanly to fly well, especially if they have plastic vanes.

If vanes smash into the rest or the side of the bow, the erratic arrow flight will be obvious, and you won’t be able to correct it with the above tuning steps.

If fletching contact is your problem, you’ll see plastic streaks (from the vanes) on the bow window or arrow rest.

Judge the Contact and then Clean the Arrow Areas

To judge contact, spray your bow window, arrow rest, and vanes with dry-powder deodorant. (Sprinkle-on powder doesn’t work; it just blows around.) Now shoot the sprayed arrow and inspect the sprayed areas on the bow and fletching.

Check for the Contact of the Arrow and Adjust It if has any Marks

Any contact will produce very clear marks in the powder. If there are no marks, count your blessings. And don’t worry about minor contact. You could spend weeks on this and never get perfection.

If you see only slight marks where a vane brushed the rest, and your arrows are flying well through the paper, don’t worry about it. You’re ready for hunting.

If there are severe marks, your arrows or rest needs some adjustment. Make sure your rest is set for maximum clearance. On a shoot-through rest, adjust the arms as far apart as possible without letting the arrow fall through.

How to Adjust the Arrows for Better Performance

With a flipper or springy rest, cut off as much of the arrow support arm as possible without having the arrow tumble off the rest. Also, check you other items that are involved in bow hunting, like the arrow rest, bows, archery arm guards etc. Overall cleaning and adjustment is a good idea to have better hunting performance.

Checking the Vanes Lie and Solve the Problem

Then sight down your arrows to see how the fletching lines up. To do this, place an arrow on the string and sight down the arrow to see where the vanes lie closest to the side of the bow or the rest. The vanes should be tilted in just the right direction for maximum clearance.

If they aren’t, the best solution is to remove the nocks on the arrows and replace them with new nocks, glued on at the right angle for maximum clearance. If your bow and arrows are well matched and tuned, you should be able to achieve nearly total clearance just by turning the nocks.

Once you’ve found the right nock position, glue all your nocks in the same way.

Get Total Clearance of the Arrows Is Important

With modern arrow rests and cutout risers, getting good clearance should not be a major problem. If you shoot a bow with a thick wood handle or a solid plastic rest, getting total clearance can be nearly impossible, and feather fletching may be your only salvation. The feathers will still hit, but they won’t throw the arrow off course.

Following these simple procedures should help you get excellent arrow flight and shoot tight groups. Good tuning allows you to make the most of your shooting ability.