Arrow Selection: "Good things come to those who shoot straight"
Growing up in Michigan there were a few traditions we had at Deer Camp, but one of which had a deep impact. Either throughout the day or at night after dinner, someone would put on the movie Escanaba in Da Moonlight starring Jeff Daniels. Daniels plays Rueben Soady, a hunter heading to deer camp with his father, brother, and close friend. his annual inability to "bag a buck." If Reuben, now 43, doesn't manage to shoot a buck by the end of the season, he will become the oldest Soady in recorded history not to have achieved this task. The film is known for its spectacular usage of upper peninsula language and slang along with quotes like:
“My chevy shook a shit”
“It’s like Christmas with guns”
“You couldn’t hit a house if you were standing in it”
But one quote from the movie that really stood out was “Good things come to those who shoot straight”
As archery hunters, we know that if you're shooting straight and hitting the target, you must be doing something right. If you're missing the target, you’re probably doing something wrong. Having your archery equipment in tune with each other is extremely important to achieve success. While bows are the more glamorous pieces, the arrows are the real stars of the show and are often overlooked. If neglected and not properly matched, they will fly erratically and affect your downrange results. Or even worse, wound an animal.⠀
The material, spine weight, and fletching are all variables to consider when choosing an arrow.
Material
photo: archerybull.com
The shaft is the primary structure of the arrow to which the other components are attached. Arrow shaft material has a long history beginning with wood. According to new world encyclopedia, the history of arrows can be traced as far back as the Paleolithic ear between 8000 and 9000 B.C.E. and appears that wood from trees like cedar, pine, and spruce were used for making arrows. Finished arrows were fletched with bird feathers and were sometimes brightly painted. Wooden arrows are preferred by many archers who shoot a traditional recurve bow or longbow and are not suitable or safe for use with modern compound bows or crossbows due to their spine weight. Wood arrows are flawed in the fact that they are inconsistent and lack uniformity. The inconsistency of wood arrows lead Doug Easton to investigate Aluminum.
In 1939 Doug Easton began manufacturing aluminium arrows in Los Angeles, California where he sent shock waves into the archery industry. With arrow shafts now made from formulated aluminum alloys, these shafts could be shaped into a wide variety of sizes, colors, and spines. One of the benefits of aluminum shafts over wooden shafts is that new aluminum shafts were equipped with internal bushings, called inserts, that can accept screw-in points. One of the only downsides to aluminum is that they bend/warp easily causing inconstant shooting once again.
In 1982 Easton originated the first carbon fiber arrow, and again changed the game in arrow material. There are three main types of carbon-fiber shafts:
100% Carbon
Carbon Composite
Carbon/aluminum.
Carbon is by far the fastest and most accurate. They are extremely strong and lightweight. They are available in a variety of diameters, each with specific options for inserts and points and may be fletched with feathers or plastic vanes, depending on the archer’s personal preference. Carbon style arrows are presently the shaft of choice for most compound and crossbow hunter/shooters.
Spine
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Stiffness ”
photo: archerytopic.com
The stiffness of the shaft is known as its “spine”, referring to how little the shaft bends when compressed. When an arrow bends less, is said to have more spine. Most traditional bows need to deflect the arrow shaft around the riser to allow proper flight. In this case a lower spine arrows works better. Higher draw-weight bows, like compounds, will generally require stiffer arrows, with more spine (less flexibility) to give the correct amount of flex when shot. Every arrow manufacturer, most of the time, has their own Arrow Spine Selection Chart to help customers match a specific spine to their current archery setup.
Fletching
photo: archeryreport.com
An arrows fletching helps stabilize the arrow during flight an allows it to travel straight, but at the same time, it also slows the arrow down. Throughout time arrow fletching have been made from many different materials, but the most well know historical material is the feather. In the past, feathers were collected from birds, like turkeys and geese, to be used as arrow fletching, but there are still some traditional archery enthusiasts today who still use real feathers.
In today’s archery world, the most commonly used material is a plastic fletching. As you can see above there are many different styles, colors, and sizes of fletchings to choose from. Some fletchings are designed for a fast spinning arrow, while others are designed for speed. It all depends on the shooters preference and how much weight is up front.
There are also different variations for installation or “ turn arrangements” of the fletchings.
Straight - The vanes are glued in a straight in line along the arrow shaft.
Least stable, used for short distances and can be greatly affected by wind
Offset - The vanes are glued on a straight diagonal line on the shaft.
Better stability for long distance, but creates drag and loss of speed.
Helical - The vanes are glued with a slight curve.
Best of stability, greatest loss of speed.
Vane size also plays a large role in the amount of stabilization your arrow has. The more fletching you have (surface area) the greater the stability will be, and vice versa. But when you increase surface area, you decrease speed due to friction.
In the end, if you asked me what I prefer, I prefer an arrow that shoots straight. If that means loosing a few Mph of arrow speed to have a more stable arrow flight, then Im all in. To me, there needs to be a happy medium. And it really all depends on what you’ll be doing. So make sure to do your research, and never be afraid to ask other hunters about their setup. Most of the time they’ll geek out about everything. So ask, listen, and learn. #strengthenyourhunt