Q
My nine-year-old daughter will be hunting deer with me this year in North Dakota. She shoots a Mission Menace set at 35 pounds with a 21-inch draw. Her arrows are 24 inches long, weighing 7.3 grains per inch. I hope to have her pulling 40 pounds by the season opener. What weight and type of broadhead would you recommend for her setup, and, is her current arrow weight adequate? Her shots will be limited to a maximum of 20 yards. Thank you.
–Tom L., Jamestown, ND

A
Your daughter will be dealing with relatively low kinetic energy, but it’s plenty to kill a deer (draw weight in North Dakota must be at least 35 pounds for compounds and arrows must be at least 24 inches long). Of course, our goal is always two-hole penetration, and once that is accomplished it doesn’t matter how far in the dirt the arrow goes, the job is done.

To ensure your daughter’s arrow makes two holes for better blood trails, I would suggest a Magnus Stinger. A 100-grain Stinger comes razor sharp and is a two-blade broadhead that will penetrate with very little energy. Another option is the new Rage 40KE, a two-blade mechanical with a 1.5-inch cut diameter. It doesn’t require much energy to deploy the blades, and the cut size is reduced from the original Rage’s two-inch cut, so there is less drag.

As long as your daughter uses a cut-on-contact, two-blade broadhead that is really sharp and hits where she’s aiming, she should be fine. A dead broadside shot would be her best bet as well.
–Curt Wells, Equipment Editor

Q
I’m a high school student looking to pursue a career in wildlife management, particularly of whitetail deer. What pointers can you give me to get me headed in the right direction?
–D.J., via e-mail

A
Of all the questions I receive on deer, this has to be one of the most commonly asked. My best advice is to take all the math and science courses you can in high school. Even if you don’t do well, when you go to college this will give you a big advantage. If you are a “deer-a-holic,” universities such as Mississippi State, Georgia, or Texas A&M (Kingsville) would be good choices.

Because of the intense competition within the profession, plan on going for a Master’s degree in Wildlife Management/Biology. Sure, you can get a job with a four-year degree, but nowadays most folks are looking for advanced degrees. You should know that the wildlife profession does NOT pay very well. In fact, you can plan on eating pinto beans and cornbread for years.

But, if you want it, and I mean really want it, the job as a wildlife biologist has many benefits. Once you get a job, your next challenge is convincing your spouse that your work is not only your hobby, but your hobby is your work! Good luck and keep the fire burning!
–C.J. Winand, Contributor

Q
I’m going to New Mexico in 10 weeks on a guided hunt for elk. I’m 48 years old and am in decent shape. I do calisthenics a few days a week as well as some jump-roping, and I just started biking and jogging. My current exercise routine consists of a half-hour of biking and jogging on alternate days with sit-ups, squats, and pushups mixed in. Is there anything else you recommend to help me be in the best shape possible, given the short time left before my hunt? Thanks.
–Dave, via e-mail

A
Get a pack with 20-30 pounds on your back and find your nearest hill. Bring your bow along just to get used to carrying it. Over the weeks, increase your frequency of hill climbs per session and per week. Log onto www.crossfit.com and investigate cross-training that entails amazing amounts of effort for relatively short durations (5-25 minutes). Gradually increase the weight you are packing, record your loads, and always time your workouts so you measure your efficiency and efficacy. Routine is the enemy. Constantly vary your workouts, and ALWAYS incorporate a thorough warm-up before you train or hunt.
–Dan Staton, Contributor

Q
I’m considering lighter arrows for my whitetail deer hunting. Currently I’m shooting 27-inch Carbon Express Terminator Hunter arrows weighing 12 grains per inch (gpi). I want to go with a lighter setup for flatter trajectory, but I don’t want to go too light for fear of poor penetration. My bow is a Mathews Switchback XT set at 70 pounds with a 27-inch draw, and my broadheads are Rage two-blades. If I decide to go lighter, what arrows do you recommend?
–Stephen Johnson, Surry, VA

A
This is a great question and one that causes great debate among fellow bowhunters. A couple shafts that I’ve used and that will work very well with your equipment include Carbon Express Maxima Hunter 350s weighing in at 8.9 gpi, Easton ST Epic 400s at 9.3 gpi, or the Beman ICS Hunter 400s at 8.4 gpi.

Using these arrows with your current setup should produce speeds in the 265 to 280 feet-per-second range, producing kinetic energy values between 67 to 73 foot-pounds — more than enough for your Virginia whitetails. Have a blessed fall bow season.
–Jeff Frey, Contributor

Q
I am currently shooting four-inch plastic vanes on my arrows and would like to switch to Bohning Blazers. I now use an Arizona EZ Fletch jig and Fletch-Tite Platinum adhesive and was wondering if I could use this same jig for the Blazer vanes without any problems? Any information or recommendations you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
–Dennis Bathurst, via e-mail

A
As long as your Arizona EZ Fletch is the model that installs fletching in an offset configuration you should be fine. The shorter, stiffer, slightly taller vanes like the Bohning Blazer or the AAE Max Hunter do a great job of stabilizing your arrows.

Because they are so short you won’t see as much offset as you might be used to, but it doesn’t take much. If you’re not already using arrow wraps, you might consider it. They enhance adhesion of the vanes and increase visibility as well. I should also mention that Bohning’s new Blazer Helix Fletching Jig is super easy to use and will put three degrees of helical on those two-inch vanes.
–Curt Wells, Equipment Editor