(Opposite) Variables such as arrow diameter and fletching size play a huge role in downrange arrow performance. (Below) Easton’s AXIS arrows are a top choice for bowhunters looking to maximize wind drift and energy downrange since they are ultra-small in diameter and weigh about 9 to 10 grains per inch of shaft length. This allows for a total arrow weight well beyond 400 grains.

Identifying certain factors that give hunting arrows improved performance in windy conditions and increased energy downrange. By Joe Bell

Ample front-of-center weight is crucial for top accuracy when an arrow is subjected to a strong crosswind. The more front heavy the arrow is, the greater its steering capability becomes. This lessens point-aim errors and increases accuracy.

he crawl was one of the Eventually, I made it to 45 yards— the arrow to strike. I became ecstatic. longest I’ve ever made on a as close as it was going to get. I felt The caribou ran over the rise and big-game animal. For hours I confident making the shot. I nocked disappeared. My guide and I later had been laying and slithering an arrow, came to my knees, and found the bull lying stone dead in a around in the spongy tundra waited. Several of the cows soon got patch of spruce. Tgrass, doing my best to get inside nervous and rose from their beds, and While soaking in my success, I bowrange of a nice woodland bailed over a small rise. I knew it was a began to reflect, and quickly realized caribou. It was cold, windy, and my matter of seconds before the bull I had totally forgotten to compensate raingear was doing little good keeping followed suit. Meanwhile, a fierce for the wind during the heat of the me warm. Water seeped in from the wind whipped across the tundra, moment. Yet, somehow, my arrow cracks, staying inside my arm and bending frozen grass like wet noodles. struck spot on. How could this be? chest cavities, chilling me to the I wondered how the gusts would affect The wind was easily blowing 20 mph bone. my arrow’s flight and told myself to that day, if not more. I pondered In addition to the frigid conditions, aim off a little, just to be safe. things for a bit and quickly concluded the stalk was tricky. There were some As soon as the bull indicated that I must have just gotten lucky, or, dense spruce bushes to navigate getting up, I hit full draw, and eased my arrow was incredibly effective at through, and the bull had a long string the 40-yard pin ever so slowly just bucking the wind. of cows bedded beside him. I moved above his last rib. He was quartering, After packing the caribou out, I only when all eyes looked away, or with his eyes looking straight away. decided to experiment a bit and took when shielded by ground cover or a When everything felt right, I subcon- some shots near the hunting cabin. A swell in the topography. I had to sciously triggered the release. I saw a strong wind was blowing as I homed remove my hip quiver frequently as glint of arrow flight, followed by a in on a large leaf on a mud bank I tunneled my way through the patch of grayish fur leaving the about 50 yards away. I watched as all tangle-foot spruce. caribou’s side right where I had wanted three of my broadhead-tipped arrows

30 BOW&ARROW HUNTING BOW&ARROW HUNTING 31

Click here to read more Articles tag soup. To avoid this, you must be archers use small-diameter arrows to side-surface area and a faster axis of diligent in equipment selection. Arrow enhance shooting accuracy, so should rotation. choice is one of the most important hunters. The reason, of course, is For example, let’s take three elements, as I found out that day purely mathematical. The cross- different shaft diameters. A large 2315 hunting caribou. sectional area of a skinny shaft versus a aluminum (measures about 11/32- In this article I’ll discuss five key medium-width shaft may not seem inch wide), a typical internal-com - components that give arrows improved like much up close, but when you take ponent carbon (about 5/16-inch 5,>-69 performance downrange in windy into consideration the entire length of wide), and a super-narrow Easton Axis 2009! conditions. Western bowhunters, the shaft, the difference is substantial. Series (about 17/64-inch wide). especially, will benefit from this infor- With inches less of side-surface area, Now, if we were to outfit each of mation, as will any tree-stand hunter the wind has less mass to blow against. these arrows with vanes mounted at a KWIK-3®SS Western big game, especially pronghorn antelope, who occasionally shoots at deer across This lessens the affects of wind drift 5-degree helical, the spin rates would usually require longer shots across expansive, large windswept fields or food plots. and takes the guesswork out of where vary for each shaft. For every one full windswept country. Arrows equipped with aerody- to aim. rotation, the 2315 would have to namic components will fly more true and on target. BENEFITS OF SMALLER ARROW Of course, today’s premium travel forward 8.8 inches, the 5/16- DIAMETER outdoor target shafts are not suitable inch carbon 7.99 inches, and the A few weeks ago, while attending a for using broadheads—the shank is skinny 17/64-inch carbon 6.8 inches! major outdoor 3-D shooting event, I too small to accept a threaded broad- (Due to variables such as wind and had the opportunity to watch several headbody. However, there are some drag, these are not actual numbers, of the nation’s top shooters challenge pretty skinny bowhunting shafts now but relative.) themselves against tough shooting available. One of my all-time favorites This spinning and air drag is conditions. It rained the majority of is the Easton Axis Carbon and Axis known as centrifugal force. Basically, the time during the three-day shoot, Full Metal Jacket series. Such shafts think of a simple tabletop. When you with wind blowing occasionally. Yet reduce surface area values by up to 15 slowly spin it, it tends to wobble. But these gifted bow shots continued to percent or so com pared to normal-size if you spin it faster, it builds up air A heavier, smaller broadhead, such as the New Archery 125-grain Nitron, offer a great combi- 5,,+( 8<0=,9 ;6  lace the small orange “kill” spots on carbon shafts, and up to 20 or 25 resistance or drag and becomes stable, nation, since it will tune easily and fly more true in 4(;*/@6<9 )6>& the targets nearly every time. I looked percent compared to large-diameter all- no longer wobbling. An arrow the wind. Many bowhunters have discovered that some shafts stabilize sufficiently well using smaller-style closely at their equipment, and at the aluminum shafts. This kind of arrow functions similarly; it must spin fast fletching, even those designed for target shooting. end of each shooting day, the top can reduce the wind planing effect and enough so that fletching creates the will fishtail or wag in the direction of Using less fletching and weight reduces flight drag scorers had one thing in common: result in more hits afield. right amount of air drag to make it the crosswind, wanting to follow the and wind drift, and gives arrows more front-of- they were using the smallest, skinniest Another benefit to using smaller- path of least resistance. However, the center weight. This tends to make them faster and stable in flight. more accurate in windy conditions. Pictured are arrow shafts you could buy—similar in diameter arrows is the reduction of In the end, this means smaller- heavy part of the arrow (the front end) AAE Max 2.3 vanes (above). size to coffee straws! fletching drag needed to properly diameter arrows not only give im - keeps the shaft from completely For the same reason outdoor target stabilize the shaft. This is due to less proved flight trajectory downrange somersaulting and tracking true, landed only within 3 inches of the (due to less surface area and drag) but despite the force. leaf! I was aiming dead on. they give the ability to use smaller With physics in mind, the higher Luckily, for this hunt, I switched to vanes or less vane helical without the front-of-center weight, the less a heavier-than-normal arrow (about theoretically sacrificing loss of arrow leverage effect the wind has on fish - 475 grains), mainly for deeper stability or control. tailing or “planing” the arrow. This penetration on moose, another species lessens the degree of point-aim I was pursuing on the trip. It was ARROW WEIGHT AND FOC errors. also small in diameter and constructed Any time you increase an object’s “Heavier shafts drift less in the of both carbon and aluminum. It weight, you increase the amount of wind, and more front of center will measured 27 inches from nock throat inertia or force that is required to move improve your group size,” says Darin to insert and boasted a 125-grain low- it in one direction or another. This is Cooper, a brilliant engineer and pro- profile fixed-blade broadhead and why heavier bullets and arrows are level archer with many tournament lightweight 3 3/4-inch plastic vanes— better for bucking the wind—it takes wins and bowhunting trophies on a combo with a front-of-center weight more resistance to create sideways drift. his wall. “For this reason, I have beyond 12 percent. All in all, it was Generally speaking, choose arrows worked hard to up my broadhead- 2>02,,>0334 (;*/  the ultimate setup for the conditions that provide about 5.5 to 6 grains per point weight to 160 grains or so.” (33767<3(9 5,> )6>: at hand. pound of bow pull weight. This To achieve this, Cooper uses a 125- After years of bowhunting big means, for example, an arrow that grain fixed broadhead and heavier game, I realize how crucial it is to go weighs no less than 385 grains for a inserts. afield with the right shooting setup. 70-pound bow. For best results, choose arrow Made in the USA Accuracy on game is really a matter of For the same reason, the forward- setups that yield a 10 percent or inches—miss one way or the other, Arrow performance is a concern even for treestand hunters, as shots on occasion do require pinpoint accuracy weight of the arrow becomes critical more forward-of-center weight, WWW.KWIKEEKWIVER.COM and you’ll quickly find yourself eating across an open field or food plot. too. As an arrow flies in the wind, it with 15 percent being a maximum.

32 BOW&ARROW HUNTING BOW&ARROW HUNTING 33

Click here to read more Articles The author believes Elk are tough and require stopping heavier, smaller- compact vanes, such as AAE Max power. This is where arrow weight diameter arrows are Hunters, will prove to be much more becomes a critical concern. By upping best for bucking the forgiving and accurate. arrow weight by 50 to 75 grains, you wind and maximizing I guess the key here is to use just gain about 6 percent more kinetic energy downrange. energy at 40 yards. Jeff Anderson This fact really hit home enough fletching, and no more. How shot this bull well beyond the 40-yard during a woodland much all depends on the style of broad - mark and was thankful for excess caribou hunt many head you use, the quality of your arrow arrow energy. years ago, when he used a first-of-its-kind shafts, and how well tuned your bow is. small-diameter, heavy The only way to come up with the aluminum/carbon arrow optimum combination is to fletch up this speed range seems to be weighing about 475 some arrows with different vanes, then 270 to 280 feet per second, grains. He made an accurate shot at 45 shoot and compare group sizes. Start with arrow weights ranging yards, despite a with standard 4-inch vanes and work from 390 to 450 grains. relatively strong your way down. I suggest at least a found many of these heads to group Short-draw users will benefit from crosswind. moderate helical, no matter what kind only slightly less consistently com - some of today’s super-accurate low- FLETCHING SIZE told me he was aiming off about half of broadhead or vanes you’re using. pared to mechanicals—an accuracy brace-height bows. Good examples I was recently out at the local archery that. We continued to compare notes tradeoff I consider worthwhile. Some would include the Hoyt Katera and range, shooting with a group of guys. on the 60- and 50-yard targets with BROADHEAD CHOICE of my favorite heads in this class use Mathews Reezen. Such setups offer We shot from various distances, out to similar results. It became obvious; In theory, one would consider a 1- to 1 1/8-inch cutting diameters, 26- or 27-inch draw lengths the power 80 yards. The wind was howling—so fletching size can have a drastic effect mechanical broadhead the best for which include the Rocky Mountain to shoot arrows weighing around 400 much so, that we all felt like calling it a on an arrow’s performance in the windy-day shooting. With less surface Blitz, G5 Striker, Slick Trick, Innerloc grains out to 280 fps or so. day. But we rode it out and kept wind. Similar to arrow-shaft size, the area, they are less affected by the wind Stainless Extreme, Wasp Boss Bullet, Beyond shooting accuracy, heavier ® shooting in the 25- to 35-mph gusts. larger the fletching, the more side and therefore more accurate. However, American Broadhead Sonic 125, arrows also offer increased energy Three of us in particular were surface area there is and the more the when wind wags the arrow, it will strike Rocket Ultimate Steel 125, Steelforce retention downrange, especially when shooting similar setups, only our arrows wind has to pull against. the target fishtailed. In this case, it must Phathead, or Muzzy 100-grain shooting beyond 40 yards. This is were different. I was shooting my usual Through much experimentation penetrate properly despite an angled 4-Blade, to name a few. another key reason why expert arrow setup: Easton Full Metal Jacket and testing, pro bowhunter Randy impact. In my tests, most mechanicals I will say that on occasion I will archers like Cooper and Ulmer shafts (300 grains, shaft only), 100- Ulmer has found 2-inch, low-profile have proven not to do this well. use the Snyper mechanical broadhead. believe in using heavier arrows for grain stainless steel bullet points, and target-style vanes the ultimate setup in “There’s no question that me - This broadhead’s unique cam-opening, tackling big animals like elk and large 2-inch Arizona Archery Max Hunter the wind when using a mechanical chanical broadheads have the indis- front-facing blades have proven to mule deer. Cooper and Ulmer Penetration Test: vanes. Another archer was using Easton broadhead. (He prefers AAE Max putable advantage when you consider negate the need for straight-line entry. typically shoot arrows in the 420- to Mechanical vs Fixed Blade Shooting them once with a Grim Reaper® is ACCs with low-profile 2-inch target- vanes in conjunction with a Rage wind drift,” said Cooper. “However, It’s a deadly penetrator, regardless of 460-grain range. like shooting them twice with a fixed blade! style vanes, and the other was using two-blade broadhead.) every mechanical broadhead robs some the conditions. Cooper flatly states that 50 grains Ballistic Gel penetration tests confirm Grim Reaper’s superior penetration when com- “fat” carbon shafts with four-fletched With such small vanes, Ulmer portion of the arrow’s penetration to more of arrow weight is actually equiv- pared to a two-blade cut-on-impact head. target vanes. We were all shooting recommends using a high degree of open the blades. They also have a ARROW SPEED & ENERGY alent to shooting a 10-pound heavier Grim Reaper cuts twice the volume of tis- sue! Accuracy, penetration... about the same speed, 275 fps, only helical offset in order to get the arrow tendency to kick the arrow on angled CONSIDERATIONS bow. “I’ve done some en gineering calcu- twice the tissue! my arrows were the shortest. spinning as soon as it leaves the bow, shots. That kick can substantially Arrow speed is important when lations that indicate how critical mass While shooting at the 80-yard stabilizing it better. However, he does reduce penetration. This can make shooting downrange, not only when is to maximizing penetration,” said target, I was aiming off center by warn against the use of target-style vanes them less ethical to use.” shooting at unknown distances, but for Cooper. “My calculations show that a nearly a foot in order to hit the center for hunting if you have a “rough” release. For the same reason Cooper claims, lessening the margin for the occasional 500-grain arrow shot from a 60-pound Every Grim of the 90-meter FITA target. The If this is the case, larger vanes, either I tend to favor today’s smaller compact vertical aiming error. Such speed is bow will achieve roughly the same Reaper® fea- tures patented archer using ACCs and target vanes 3- or 4-inch conventional styles, or tall, heads for high-wind shooting. I’ve especially handy on windy days as penetration as a 70-pound bow with a MAXX EDGE SS™ blades, the strongest well—the faster the arrow arrives, the 450-grain arrow. The key is momentum blade base in the industry that steps down to a blade thickness that allows less time there is for the wind to blow and not kinetic energy.” The formula for razor sharpness. The only blade like it! on it. calculating this factor is: Momentum = 91 East 780 South #3 • Provo UT 84606 Phone: 801.377.6199 • Toll free 877-GRIM REAPER ENERGY RATINGS: LIGHT VS. MID-WEIGHT ARROW But not all speed is equal. A slightly (mass x velocity) ÷ 225,218. www.grimreaperbroadheads.com LIGHT ARROWS SHED ENERGY MORE QUICKLY DOWNRANGE COMPARED TO HEAVIER ARROWS slower setup using a 400-grain arrow Choosing the right arrow setup can traveling at 265 fps is better than a offer great dividends in challenging ™ ™ Speed (point blank)/Energy Speed (40 yds.)/Energy lighter 350-grain arrow at 280 fps, bowhunting conditions. In doing so, ™

Light Arrow (343 grains): 279 fps/59.30 foot-pounds 265 fps/53.49 foot-pounds given the front of center weights are consider the rules of physics, which HADES equal. In other words, heavy, small- indicate that a heavier, smaller- Mid-Weight Arrow (426 grains): 256 fps/62 foot-pounds 245 fps/56.79 foot-pounds Razortip diameter arrows are a better choice over diameter arrow with aerodynamic Razorcut Speed/Energy Difference: 23 fps/2.7 foot-pounds (4.55 %) 20 fps/3.3 foot-pounds (6.17%) faster, lightweight arrows due to components is the best defense against stability factors. shooting in a strong crosswind, Note: All values calculated using the formula for Kinetic Energy: Velocity (squared) x Arrow Weight divided by 450,240 = Kinetic Energy in Balance seems to be the key here— and creates the ultimate choice for foot-pounds. Speed is in feet per second. you want to select a fairly fast rig and a obtaining maximum energy fairly heavy arrow. For most archers, downrange.

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