Don’t short-change your bow-tuning process. Small tweaks here and there can yield a lot of extra shooting forgiveness and accuracy — just what you need to boost your bowhunting confidence! (Photo courtesy of Hoyt Archery)
March 04, 2025
By Joe Bell
Nerves on edge, I sat motionless in my treestand. After waiting most of the day, it was now primetime, and several Coues deer began shuffling out of the woodwork. Most were does, but there were two bucks in the mix. After two days of getting busted from my ground blind setup, I switched it up and positioned my lightest, most compact stand further away from the remote waterhole I was hunting in hopes of avoiding the superb eyes, ears and noses of these ghost-like creatures. The tradeoff was a potentially longer-than- average shot if I was fortunate to get an opportunity.
Two does drank from the water’s edge, but the bucks hung back in the shadows. There were maybe 15 minutes of shooting light remaining, and I felt my odds dwindle with every second that passed.
Then, one of the bucks simply materialized. I never saw or heard him, but there he was, broadside at 42 yards. I drew slowly and settled the 40-yard pin dead center on his lungs. Despite an intense adrenaline rush, I held solidly and waited for the shot to break. Soon, I saw the flash of an arrow bisect my aiming spot perfectly. The buck bolted but fell a short distance away. I couldn’t believe it; what an intense, dream-like moment, followed by an amazingly quick kill.
By no means is a shot like that a chip shot, especially when bundled up in layers of cold-weather gear. But when your bow is consistently spitting tight groups with fixed-blade broadheads, it gives you confidence to act fast and deliver with precision. With that in mind, here’s a proven plan for dialing in your bow. Follow these steps and you’ll be amazed at the results.
Advertisement
Cam Tuning To operate properly, a bow’s top (left) and bottom (right) cams must rotate in perfect unison, with the draw stops reaching the cables and/or limbs at exactly the same time. If you don’t have a draw board to check cam timing yourself, you can do it with a friend by having one person slowly draw the bow while the other watches cam rotation for any inconsistencies. When I get a new bow or need to retune an old one after replacing a bowstring or arrow rest, the first thing I do is examine the cam system to ensure perfect timing. In other words, each cam should rotate in unison, so the draw-stop pegs collide with the cables or limbs at exactly the same time. This is crucial to ensuring the arrow cycles smoothly and remains in the vertical center path of the bowstring as it launches.
There are two ways to check cam synchronization. One is to draw the bow back slowly while a friend looks at each cam’s roll-over position. With this method, there can be a lot of trial and error, but it works relatively well.
The second method, and the one I use, is to use a bow-drawing device, such as the Last Chance Draw Board. The draw board allows you to draw the bow back very slowly as you turn a locking crank. You can move back and forth slowly as you examine cam orientation and how the draw stops impact the cables/limbs. The process is extremely precise, so you can dial in cam settings exactly.
Advertisement
To fix improper cam rotation, start by adding twists to the buss cable that strikes the draw stop first. Of course, you’ll need to press the bow and pull the buss cable out from the string peg located on the side of the cam. To begin, add one full twist to the harness. This will reduce the cam’s string intake, bringing it closer in line with the other cam. Once you add the twist(s), reset the cable and un-press the bow carefully, then repeat the process as needed.
Set Center Shot and Arrow Height Even slight contact between your vanes and your arrow rest will ruin downrange broadhead accuracy. Applying a spray-on powder to your vanes offers an easy way to check for contact after the shot. Center shot is important because it places the arrow directly behind the center of the bowstring, allowing the arrow to be pushed straight forward upon string release. You can “eyeball” the center shot by visually aligning the arrow with the bowstring and string grooves in the cams. To do this, place an arrow on the bowstring, hold the bow out at arm’s length while resting the bottom cam on a table or your leg, then line everything up. When everything is aligned correctly, the arrow should be dead center with the bowstring and the cam’s string grooves. If not, adjust the arrow rest left or right until the correct alignment is found.
Note: If you notice each string groove is slightly off-center when lining up the bowstring (i.e., top cam vs. bottom cam), then place the bowstring between the grooves or slightly left of center of the bow’s grip when using a right-hand bow (opposite for a left-hand bow.) In most cases, center shot will be .625-inch to 1-inch out from the threaded rest-mounting hole in the bow riser to the centerline of the arrow.
The next step is to adjust the height of the arrow rest and nocking loop so the arrow sits at a 90-degree angle to the bowstring. Generally, you want to adjust rest height so that your arrow is centered with the threaded rest-mounting hole in the bow riser. You can then adjust your nocking loop as needed. A small bubble level can be a helpful tool during this step. I find that putting the nocking loop at a height where the arrow is square to .0625-inch above square is a good position to begin tuning.
Adjusting Draw Length and Weight I believe having your draw length set just right is critical for top accuracy. Most of today’s top bows feature cam systems that allow you to easily adjust draw length in increments as small as a quarter inch. And you can make even finer adjustments by adding/removing twists in your bowstring and/or adjusting the length of your nocking loop. (Photo courtesy of Mathews) I consider ensuring that your draw length is set just right, based on the nocking loop length and release aid you’re using, one of the most important steps in bow tuning. Remember, you can micro-tune draw length by twisting or untwisting the bowstring a couple times to shorten or lengthen your draw length. You can also change draw length by altering the length of the nocking loop.
Many of today’s new cam systems have built-in micro- adjust settings. For example, Hoyt ’s new HBX Xact Cams allow for half- or quarter-inch changes in draw length — making small draw adjustments a breeze.
With draw weight, never overdo it. Try shooting a paper plate at 15 yards while sitting down. If you can’t hold your 20-yard sight pin on the paper plate while drawing and aiming, you’re probably overbowed. Reduce draw weight until you can draw smoothly and remain fully in control from this seated position.
After making draw-length and/or draw-weight adjustments, shoot the bow several times. Then, re-check the positioning of the cams, since altering the weight-adjustment bolts can potentially change cam timing.
Begin Arrow Tuning Paper tuning is the simplest, most effective method for analyzing and correcting arrow flight. When paper tuning, begin shooting from 6 feet away, then 10 feet, and even 20 yards to confirm straight arrow flight. With the bow now set, begin paper tuning. For this step, use a dedicated paper-tuning rack or a simple cardboard box or sheet of plywood with a large hole cut in it. I like to use painter’s paper for paper tuning, stretched tightly across the opening using clamps, tape or staples.
Position the paper-holding device several feet in front of the target, so the arrow can exit the paper fully before impact. The paper should be perpendicular to you and high enough that you can shoot straight into it — not at a downward angle. From about 6 feet away, shoot an arrow through the paper and examine the tear. The goal is to tune the flight of the arrow so it creates a “bullet hole” tear, showing only the footprint of the shaft and vanes and nothing else.
I like to begin paper tuning using an arrow without fletching. I wrap about three inches of electrical tape around the shaft where the vanes usually glue on. The weight of the tape will produce the same front-of-center balance as a fletched arrow. With an unfletched arrow, you eliminate the chance of vane contact with the arrow rest and reduce the shaft’s footprint to the smallest size possible — factors that improve tuning precision.
When paper tuning, attempt to tune out vertical tears first. For a tail-high tear, lower the nocking loop slightly on the bowstring or move the arrow rest up. For a tail-low tear, raise the nocking loop slightly or move the arrow rest down. Try to keep downward arrow-rest adjustments to a minimum to allow for proper vane clearance.
Once you’ve addressed vertical issues, fix horizontal tears. For a tail-left tear, you’ll move the arrow rest very slightly to the right. For a tail-right tear, you’ll move the arrow rest very slightly to the left. I say “very slightly,” because any large tears will have to be resolved by following the next step — tuning the bow’s limb harness.
Next, shoot the unfletched arrow from 10 yards away to confirm arrow flight. A clean tear should still exist. If not, the tune is not perfect. Go back and double check tears from 6 feet, 12 feet and then 10 yards.
Once you get the unfletched arrow flying perfectly, shoot a fletched arrow through the paper. If you suddenly get an irregular rip, you’ll know vane contact is the culprit. You can troubleshoot by spraying the fletching area with aerosol foot powder, then shooting the arrow into a firm backstop (not through the paper tuner). Look for contact smears on the powdered vanes, then try rotating the arrow nock to eliminate the vane contact or switch to lower-profile vanes. You may also be able to address vane contact by tuning your rest so that the arrow launcher drops out of the way a bit more quickly upon bowstring release.
Troubleshoot Difficult Tears The paper-tuning process can take some time, and you may have to yoke tune your bow or shim your cams to correct difficult tears. In the end, however, the result should be perfect “bullet holes” indicating your fletched arrow is moving straight through the paper. Sometimes, despite relentless paper-tuning effort, poor arrow flight persists. When this happens, yoke tuning and/or cam-shimming are the next steps. With large left or right tears, “shimming” one or both cams will eventually eliminate the tear. However, I prefer to yoke-tune first before altering the cam’s position along the axle.
If your bow doesn’t have string yokes (string harnesses that “V-out” and attach to the outer edge of the cam axles), then skip this step and move on to cam-shimming. Regardless, you’ll need to press the bow and relax the limbs to perform either of these procedures.
Yoke Tuning: This method is effective because it alters the vertical position of the cam’s string grooves, bringing them in line with the bowstring’s path. This improves nock travel and arrow flight. Most bows are equipped with one split yoke, while others have two. Either way, start adjusting the top-limb yoke first by making one or two twists to one side of the yoke at each juncture, while untwisting the other side in equal fashion. This will keep the harness length consistent and the bow’s timing and draw length the same.
With a left tear, twist the left side of the string yoke and untwist the right side in equal amounts. With a right tear, twist the right side of the yoke and untwist the left in the same fashion. Once the adjustment is made, un-press the bow, then begin paper tuning. If the tear is still ragged, re-press the bow and make another adjustment, repeating the process. Do this until you achieve a perfect arrow tear.
On a bow with a top and bottom yoke, the top yoke tends to yield the most significant tuning change, since the arrow’s position is closer to the upper axle. The bottom yoke can be adjusted as well, using the same tuning procedure as with the top yoke. Experiment as needed.
Cam-Shimming: When repositioning the cam on the axle, always move the cam in the direction of the tear. If the tail-end of the arrow rips to the left, move the cam to the left. If it rips to the right, move the cam to the right. With cam-shimming, all you’re doing is adjusting spacer thickness on one side of the cam relative to the other side. Remember, only move one cam at a time, then recheck arrow flight. If a poor tear persists, move the other cam as well. If your bow doesn’t allow easy spacer swapping, contact the bow’s manufacturer and request an assortment of spacers.
Broadhead Tuning Broadhead tuning is a critical component of your overall bow-tuning process, helping ensure you’ll get results in the field that are as good as you enjoy on the practice range. By comparing where your broadheads hit the target relative to fieldpoints, you make small adjustments to your rest and/or yokes to bring the two impact points together. Once your fletched arrows are cutting through the paper perfectly, the next step is to shoot downrange while examining accuracy. For this step, equip three shafts with fieldpoints and three with broadheads, ensuring all spin true.
Start shooting groups at 30 yards, then compare impact points. If broadheads group to the right of the fieldpoints, move the arrow rest to the left. If broadheads hit left, move the arrow rest to the right. If broadheads impact high, move the arrow rest down slightly. If broadheads hit low, move the arrow rest up. Make very small (just a few hundredths of an inch at a time), incremental changes until your fieldpoint and broadhead groups come together.
Now, repeat the process but extend the shooting distance to 40 and then 50 yards. If impact points don’t change much after adjusting the arrow rest, or if the arrow groups are more than four inches apart to begin with, revert back to yoke tuning to bring the groups closer together.
If broadheads group to the right of the fieldpoints, make a twist to the left side of the yoke and untwist to the right. If broadheads group to the left, twist the right side of the yoke and untwist the left. Continue to do this until the arrow groups merge. To micro-tune further, you can make half-twists to the yoke or go back to making small rest adjustments, depending on the results.
Tuning your bow doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Simply take it one step at a time and work through the process slowly. Most of today’s bows will tune exceptionally well, producing a level of shooting consistency you’ve never seen before. That’s exactly what you need to increase your effectiveness in the woods this fall.
