Field Notes
Notes from the bench and the field. What actually held up, what turned out to be wrong, and why.
12 June
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 shouldn't.
11 June
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 loop every time.
7 June
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 manual says.
4 June
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 + offside joint shatter....
4 June
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.
4 June
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 — and the bareshaft-tune signal...
3 June
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 the hunt that built...
3 June
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.
2 June
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" — the upper bar...
2 June
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 most archers skip it,...
2 June
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.
1 June
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
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.
31 May
How to Read a Paper Tear: Every Pattern Decoded
Tail high, tail low, tail left, tail right — every tear pattern decoded with the FIRST thing to check, not the textbook answer.
31 May
Arrow FOC Explained: What It Does, What It Doesn't, What to Actually Shoot
FOC is a tool, not a religion. Here's what front-of-center actually does to arrow flight, when it matters, and the real number to shoot for each game.
31 May
Best Broadheads for Elk 2026
My picks for elk in 2026: Iron Will Wide, Bowmar Beast Titanium, Bowmar Beast COC Mechanical Hybrid 2", and Annihilator. Why placement beats point weight.
31 May
Best Broadheads for Whitetail 2026
My ranked picks for whitetail in 2026. Bowmar Beast and Speed Broadheads are my current top two mechanicals. Iron Will Wide and Toulou for fixed. The brands I avoid — SEVR, G5 Montec, anything...
31 May
What Size Arrow for My Draw Weight? Real Spine Chart 2026
The Easton chart is a starting point. Your actual setup beats the chart every time. Plus my take on let-off and which cams really are aggressive.
31 May
How to Walk-Back Tune Your Bow
Walk-back tuning is the second-most-misunderstood tune in archery. Most published methods give wrong answers. Here's the 20/60 yard test that actually works.