Field Notes

Bareshaft Tuning: What the Internet Gets Wrong
A bareshaft landing left doesn't mean move your rest left. Pull the vanes off and you've changed the arrow — lighter, stiffer, faster. Most guys are chasing a spine problem with a hex key. Read more...
The Scent Game: What the Science Says vs What Pros Do
A federal judge ruled "eliminates all odor" was false as a matter of law. An appeals court said carbon blocks 96-99% of odor compounds in a lab. Both are true, and neither one is a doe standing eighty yards downwind on a falling thermal. Read more...
Whitetail Hunter's First Elk: What's Different
Your whitetail rig will probably kill an elk. Your whitetail habits will probably cost you one. Read more...
The Mechanical vs Fixed Debate Is Mostly Wrong
Two camps argue every August and neither one is arguing about broadheads. They're arguing about tune, and they don't know it. Read more...
Close-up of a three-blade fixed-blade broadhead threaded onto the tip of a black carbon arrow shaft, photographed against a white background.
Picking a Broadhead for the Animal, Not the Marketing
Bigger the animal, the smaller the head I pick. Smaller the animal, the wider the cut. Here's why that rule is the opposite of what's printed on the package. Read more...
Orange anodized arrow spinner and squaring tool with two roller wheels and a small abrasive squaring disc, photographed against a white background.
The Real Difference Between Match Grade and Standard
You pay double for Match Grade shafts. Here's what you're actually buying — and the two cases where it's a waste of money. Read more...
A tight bundle of thin black carbon arrow shafts stood upright on a white background, printed spine labels visible along the shafts.
The 4mm Shaft Argument: Why Most Hunters Should Switch
I wrote the neutral explainer on skinny shafts. This isn't that. This is me telling you most hunters should be on a 4mm and aren't. Read more...
Benchtop arrow cutoff saw with a red motor housing, long aluminum measuring track and a red length stop, photographed against a white background.
Building a Hunting Arrow That Costs Less Than $100
The arrow doesn't know what it cost. Six hunting arrows, real component prices, and the one place I will not let you save money. Read more...
Black micro-adjust bow vise with red clamping knobs and a bench clamp screw, photographed against a white background.
Every Tool in The Forge, Part Two — The Bench, the Body, and the Fine Print
Part one covered the seven tools that build and true an arrow. This is the other half of The Forge — the bench wizard, the tools that sharpen the archer,... Read more...
Clear compartment case labeled Basic Parts Kit, filled with sorted archery screws and small hardware in individually labeled cells, on a white background.
Every Tool in The Forge — and the Two Shots It's Built Around
Seven tools, one arrow, two shots — the 20-yard chip shot that happens in a second and the long send that lives or dies on a number. Here's what each... Read more...
Black and white portrait of a bearded hunter in a camouflage cap with binoculars around his neck, looking out over open grassland.
Western Hunter's First Whitetail: What's Different
Your elk skills don't transfer the way you think. The whitetail game is shorter, faster, and a lot less forgiving of movement. Read more...
Orange anodized arrow spinner and squaring tool with two roller wheels and a small abrasive squaring disc, photographed against a white background.
Why Your Quiver Picks the Worst Arrows (Selection Bias on the Bench)
You benched arrow #7 on three shots of evidence. That wasn't data. That was a coin flip with a Sharpie number on it. Read more...
Wrist-strap release aid lying flat on a white background, black leather-and-mesh buckle strap on the right and a sage-green head with a small trigger on the left.
The Practice Routine That Beat My Target Panic
Six weeks, a blank bale, and one drill where you never fire the shot — the routine that rebuilt my release after three years of punching the trigger. Read more...
Hunter in camouflage with a dog on lead examining a red dirt mound in dry bush country under an overcast sky, scouting for sign.
Hunting Pressure: Why You Need a Backup Stand
Deer don't leave when you hunt them. They just stop using the piece of woods you're sitting in. Here's how to keep hunting them anyway. Read more...
Feather vs Plastic: When Each One Wins
Feathers and vanes aren't rivals — they're different tools. Here's where each one wins, and the rear-weight math nobody runs before switching. Read more...
An archery tool kit laid out on white — black carry bag, orange-handled pliers and wrenches, folding hex sets, a small digital scale and a fletched arrow.
The 90-Minute Full Tune: My Bench Workflow
A real tune takes 90 minutes, and most of it isn't shooting. Here's my bench sequence with the clock running, so you can steal it. Read more...
Orange-handled stubby hex key set held in a labeled orange holder, shown beside a set of long black ball-end hex keys on a white background.
Re-Tuning After You Change Anything: The 11-Step Reset
Swap a rest, a peep, a point weight — anything — and your tune moved with it. Here's the order I re-check every time so I'm not chasing a ghost... Read more...
A tight bundle of thin black carbon arrow shafts stood upright on a white background, printed spine labels visible along the shafts.
The Truth About Microdiameter Shafts
Skinny shafts drift less and punch deeper — but the tradeoffs nobody mentions are real. Here's when 4mm is worth it and when you're paying for nothing. Read more...
Arrow prep kit laid out on white — a row of brass bristle brushes and white felt swabs beside a black zip case and two small deburring tools.
Wraps: The Cheapest Tuning Aid You're Not Using
A $12 pack of arrow wraps buys you repeatable fletching, a built-in nock index, and a little rear weight that stiffens your spine. Most guys skip them to save four... Read more...
Black drop-away arrow rest with a braided cord running from the launcher arm, photographed three-quarter against a white background.
Cable-Driven Rest Setup: The Trap Most Shops Fall Into
Cable-driven rests are great until the cord's tied wrong. Most shops time the rise and ignore the part that actually wrecks your groups. Read more...
Bowhunter kneeling behind a harvested red stag with large antlers in dry grassland, compound bow resting nearby, Texas Hill Country landscape under a blue sky.
What 100 Recovered Arrows Taught Me About Shot Angles
I started keeping every arrow I pulled out of an animal. A hundred of them later, the lesson wasn't about broadheads or FOC — it was about angles, and how... Read more...
A tight bundle of thin black carbon arrow shafts stood upright on a white background, printed spine labels visible along the shafts.
How to Read a Spine Chart (And When to Ignore It)
A spine chart is a starting point, not an answer. Here's how to read one — and the four times the chart is flat wrong. Read more...
Articulated-arm magnifying bench lamp with a black jointed frame, round ring-lit lens and a table clamp, photographed against a white background.
The Most Overlooked Tuning Tool: Your Phone Camera
You're carrying a 240fps high-speed camera in your pocket. It catches the nock kick, the rest contact, and the cam lean your eyes never will — and most archers never... Read more...
Black ratchet-style drop-away arrow rest on a white background, launcher arm raised and the mounting block facing the camera.
Shooting Through Your Pegboard: A 5-Minute Tune Verification
A $12 sheet of pegboard and one arrow will tell you in five minutes whether your bow is still tuned. No paper, no draw board, no guessing. Read more...
The Vane Length Trade-Off Most Hunters Get Wrong
Everybody runs 2" Blazers because the pros do. Half of them are shooting fixed heads at quartering elk and wondering why their arrow won't steer. Vane length isn't a fashion choice — it's a steering decision. Read more...
Folding archer's Allen wrench set with a yellow handle and black hex blades fanned open from both ends, photographed against a white background.
Why Your Bow Won't Stay Tuned (And What to Do About It)
You tuned it in July. By October it's tearing left and you swear you didn't touch a thing. You didn't have to. Here's what actually moved. Read more...
Wrist-strap release aid laid flat on a white background — a hinged black buckle strap on one end and a compact trigger head with a small hook on the other.
Buck Fever Is a Symptom, Not a Disease
Everybody treats buck fever like a curse you're born with. It's not. It's the predictable output of an undertrained nervous system meeting a moment it's never rehearsed. Read more...
An archery tool kit laid out on white — black carry bag, orange-handled pliers and wrenches, folding hex sets, a small digital scale and a fletched arrow.
How to Spot a Bad Pro-Shop Tune
You paid for a tune and shot a bullet hole through paper. That doesn't mean your bow is tuned. Here's how to tell the difference. Read more...
Bowhunter kneeling behind a harvested red stag with large antlers in dry grassland, compound bow resting nearby, Texas Hill Country landscape under a blue sky.
The Quartering Shot Math Nobody Does
Everybody knows quartering-away is the money shot. Almost nobody knows where to actually aim — and the closer the angle, the more wrong the crease becomes. Read more...
Handheld bow scale with a T-shaped grip, a blue backlit display showing peak and let-off weight, and a brass draw hook, on a white background.
Why Your Bow Is Slower Than the Box Says — and Why That's Fine
Your bow won't hit its IBO number. Neither will mine. Here's what that sticker speed is actually for, where the speed really goes, and why The Forge shows you both... Read more...
Handheld bow scale with a T-shaped grip, a blue backlit display showing peak and let-off weight, and a brass draw hook, on a white background.
Spine Runs on IBO, Not Your Chronograph — Here's Why
Your measured arrow speed is the most honest number you own — for kinetic energy and trajectory. For spine, it's the wrong number, and feeding it in points the verdict... Read more...
Open black digital grain scale with a lit display and two red calibration weights, a fletched arrow lying across the case, on a white background.
Brass Inserts Aren't Magic
Brass inserts don't add penetration. They add weight — and whether that weight helps you depends on three things almost nobody checks. Read more...
Black machined arrow rest with a raised containment arm and micro-adjust hardware, photographed three-quarter against a white background.
Limb-Driven Rests: When the Timing Is Right
Cable-driven rests fail quietly and ruin your tune an eighth of an inch at a time. Here's why most hunters should be shooting limb-driven, and the two cases where they... Read more...
Red anodized universal tuning gauge — a graduated upright arm carrying two black sliding pointers mounted on a flat base, on a white background.
D-Loop Length: 1/16" Off Will Cost You Groups
Your D-loop is the last half inch of your draw length, and almost nobody measures it. Here's why a sixteenth of an inch matters and how to tie the same... Read more...
Black aluminum L-style bow square with an etched inch scale and brass string clamps at the short end, laid flat on a white background.
Your Center Shot Isn't Where You Think It Is
Measuring center shot with a ruler gets you in the parking lot. It doesn't get you to the door. Here's why your arrow almost never wants to sit where the... Read more...
Bowhunter kneeling behind a harvested red stag with large antlers in dry grassland, compound bow resting nearby, Texas Hill Country landscape under a blue sky.
Thirty-Five Down a Canyon — The Red Stag That Made the Shot-Scenario Matrix
A 700-pound red stag, quartering away at 35 yards, 30 degrees downhill. Hoyt RX9 Ultra at 81 lb. 460 grain arrow with a 100 gr BEAST titanium mechanical. Full pen... Read more...
Black aluminum T-style bow square with an etched inch scale along the arm and two small brass string clamps, laid flat on a white background.
Tiller — The 30-Second Check Nobody Does
Your limb bolts drift, your tiller shifts, and your bow quietly stops being the bow you tuned. Here's the 30-second tape-measure check that catches it. Read more...
Silhouetted hunters field-processing a downed animal at dusk in African bush, backlit by a lantern glow against a darkening blue sky.
Three Feet at Sixty Yards — The Day a Cracked Limb Taught Me About Tune
Most archers read a 36-inch miss at 60 yards and assume the shooter pulled left. The math says otherwise. This is the hunt that built the v140 yaw→drift coupling —... Read more...
Silhouetted hunters field-processing a downed animal at dusk in African bush, backlit by a lantern glow against a darkening blue sky.
My 500-Grain Eland — What Ashby Missed
Two years ago I almost lost an eland to a build the spec sheet said should have passed through a brick wall. The animal lived; the build didn't. This is... Read more...
Black and white portrait of a bearded hunter in a camouflage cap with binoculars around his neck, looking out over open grassland.
Reading a Buck's Body Language Before You Draw
The half-second between deciding to draw and starting to draw is the most undertrained moment in bowhunting. Here's what to look for. Read more...
A standing bundle of black carbon arrow shafts photographed against a white background, with printed spine and size markings visible on the shafts.
The 70-Yard Bareshaft Standard (And Why 30 Yards Isn't Enough)
A clean bareshaft at 30 yards just means your dynamic spine is in the window for fletching to mask the rest of the problem. Dudley calls 70 yards "tuned forever"... Read more...
Black anodized third-axis sight level with a yellow-green bubble vial and two threaded mounting posts, photographed against a white background.
Why You Miss Left From a Tree Stand (And It's Not the Wind)
The 3rd axis is the rotation of your sight housing around the front-to-back line of the bow. Invisible at level ground, brutal from a tree stand. Here's the test, why... Read more...
Benchtop arrow cutoff saw with a red motor housing, long aluminum measuring track and a red length stop, photographed against a white background.
Cut Your Arrows Longer Than the Shop Wants To
The pro shop cut your arrows for speed. That's why your hunting build won't tune. Read more...
Bowhunter at full draw at golden hour in a field of tall goldenrod and grass, wearing camouflage and an orange-logo cap, aiming a compound bow.
The Range You Should Actually Shoot Past in Practice
If your max hunting shot is 40 yards, you have no business stopping practice at 40. Here's the gap you need and why it works. Read more...
Carbon-bar slider bow sight with a black machined bracket, elevation dial and round pin housing, photographed against a white background.
How to Choose a Bow Sight in 2026: Single Pin vs Multi-Pin, Slider vs Fixed
Fixed multi-pin, slider, or single pin — my framework for picking a bow sight in 2026, plus the specific models I run and recommend. Read more...
Hanging bow scale with a large blue backlit display reading peak and let-off weight, hook hanging below, photographed against a white background.
Cold Weather Archery: How Temperature Affects Your Bow and How to Compensate
Cold weather changes string stretch, carbon stiffness, and release fluid. Your November sight tape lies. Here's what changes and how to compensate. Read more...
Bowhunter at full draw at golden hour in a field of tall goldenrod and grass, wearing camouflage and an orange-logo cap, aiming a compound bow.
How to Read Your Group: What Your Patterns Are Telling You
Vertical strings, horizontal strings, random scatter — your group pattern is diagnosing your bow and your form. Here's the field guide. Read more...
A row of black aluminum arrow outserts standing side by side on a white background, each showing a stepped collar and a threaded point end.
Half-Out, Outsert, HIT Insert: What's the Difference and When to Use Which
Half-outs, outserts, and HIT inserts solve different problems. Most archers use the wrong one. Here's the explainer that gets it right. Read more...
A row of black aluminum arrow outserts standing side by side on a white background, each showing a stepped collar and a threaded point end.
Best Arrow Inserts for 2026: Iron Will, Easton Match Grade, Podium Compared
Honest comparison of the inserts I trust in 2026. Iron Will, Easton Match Grade, Podium — steel, titanium, and aluminum. What each is best at and what they actually cost. Read more...
Lighted Nocks for Hunting: Which Ones Actually Work, Which Are Scams
My honest take on lighted nocks. Firenock is the only one I run. Halo is the budget pick that beats Lumenok. Don't buy Lumenok. Read more...