Bow Hunting Safety Tips When Repairing The Bow

Bow hunting is an old practice that involves hunting wild animals by archery. Traditionally, most people from indigenous communities used this hunting technique to bring down game for centuries. Today, bow hunting has become a contemporary sport that involves hunting in the wild.

If you you’re a fan of bow hunting, you know the value of having a bow in a hunting expedition. The most common type of bow available today is a recurve bow. This kind of bow comes with a bow hand on either side of the finger. Recurve bows come in two designs. The reserve design is considered more comfortable compared to the normal crossbow.

A crossbow tends to be longer in size. The head is designed at an angle with the rest of the body. In hunting, crossbows are used when the target is at the peak condition. They are made using different types of wood material, the most common being cedar, oak, and spruce.

The bowstring is made of the best material. This ensures the bow is strong enough to attract the target. There are two main materials that are used to make the strings. One is synthetic fiber, while the other is actual deer hair.

Recurve bows can either be lightweight or heavyweight, depending on the kind of hunting you want to do. The lightweight bows have more power and are able to shoot at longer distances. Irrespective of the type of bow you’ll use, you should always be alive to the fact that it can break down.

It is, therefore, important to bring the basic repair tools with you whenever you go bow hunting. You also need to familiarize yourself with the safety tips you need to observe when repairing your bow. If your hunting bow breaks down and you need to repair it right away, here are some tips on how you can do so safely:

1. Consider The Weight Of The Bow

How heavy is your bow?  If it weighs more than 12 pounds, you need to start paying more attention to your safety. As the weight surpasses the 12-pound mark, it becomes more difficult to handle. Weight also determines how powerful the bow will be. A light weight bow is more powerful than a heavy arrow. If your bow weighs more than 12 pounds, you’ll find it challenging to shoot long distances effectively. If you’re a hunting enthusiast, you’re better off getting a light bow that enables you to shoot accurately with high precision.

2. Check How Balanced Your Bow Is

Before repairing a hunting bow or even using it, you need to check how balanced it is to ensure your safety. If you are not able to do this by yourself, get a professional bow handler to help with this. To determine how balanced your bow is, ensure that it’s not in contact when you’re using it. When no parts of the bow are loose, you can be sure it will remain stable in one place.

3. Avoid Dropping The Bow

While not all hunting bows will get damaged as a result of being dropped, you need to be more careful when repairing a compound bow. If you drop this type of bow when repairing it or using it, you are likely to cause serious damage to it. Such a drop could make it more costly to repair.

4. Pick The Right Broadhead Blade

A critical step in repairing a hunting bow successfully is to find the right broadhead blade. In simple terms, broadheads are used to bring down large games. Since they’re sharp objects, you’ll need to use different tools to screw on broadheads without causing injury. 

In picking a broadhead blade, you’ll need to choose between the fixed blade that’s common among traditional bowhunters, mechanical blade that takes a lot of force to work, and a detachable blade that can be replaced with ease.

5. Always Separate The Strings In The Bow

When repairing a hunting bow, ensure to take the string apart. As a general rule, never try to repair the bow without doing this because if the strings get entangled in the bow, you won’t be able to reassemble the bow back together. Even if you manage to put it back, it’s difficult to do so properly, and you run a high risk of breaking it. If you’re not able to reassemble the bow correctly, it could mean that it will not be able to shoot the arrow properly after the repair, or the arrow will fly out at a speed that isn’t natural.

6. Ensure The String Remains Dry

As you repair your hunting bow, you need to ensure that the string is dry and clean. If you keep your hunting bow wet, it will most likely develop rust that’ll cause it to malfunction. To prevent this from happening, ensure that you clean the string thoroughly and dry it well once you’re done repairing it. If you take a hunting trip with your repaired bow, ensure that you don’t place a sharp object against the trigger. Doing so could cause the bow to shoot too far or make your arrow to fly at an unnatural speed.

Final Thoughts

There are numerous reasons why hunting enthusiasts engage in bow hunting. From enjoying the adventurous nature of the game, challenging themselves, getting fresh air or exercise, enjoying solitude, or game meat, there is no single dull day for bow hunters. But, even as they step out to the wild, bow hunters must always prioritize their safety. That means having a reliable, well-maintained bow as well as safety gears like the best rated hunting spotlights.

While majority of security threats may be coming from the environment that bow hunters find themselves in, a broken bow can pose an equally serious threat. Whether your bow malfunctions before you go hunting or when you’re already out in the wild, repairing the hunting bow becomes a priority. Due to the security threat that repairs can pose to bow hunters, knowing how to repair malfunctioning bows is paramount. Follow the six tips discussed above to repair your bow safely and bounce back to the hunting game immediately.