In the best whitetail bowhunting scenario, you might find a trophy buck to hunt and put your tree stand in the best possible place to get the shot. You might pull the buck to within less than 30 yards, broadside to you with its head down. But if you haven't properly tuned your bow prior to bow season or the day's hunt, you will likely negate whatever other wise ideal shot opportunity is before you. Out-of-tune bows are a common culprit of missed shot opportunities.John Stiff, a Hoyt pro-staffer for many years, manages the archery department at Mark's Outdoors in Birmingham, Alabama. During the course of his career, Stiff has set up and tuned between 5,000 and 6,000 bows. Stiff follows a 10-point checklist every time he tunes a bow - before and during bowhunting season.
1 Timing
Stiff says it is important to check the timing if you're shooting a double-cam bow to ensure that both cams roll over in unison. "You can draw the bow back to see if one cam rolls over ahead of the other. You also can feel one cam rolling over before the other when you draw the bow To solve this problem, simply add some twist to the string and cables to get the bow back in time."

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2 Rotation "Make sure the cam has optimal rotation, so it can give maximum performance," Stiff says. "You may want to have this finely tuned aspect of your bow checked at a pro shop."
3 Balance
'Check the tiller. Both limbs of the bow need to be backed out or tightened down equally," Stiff says. "Always tighten or loosen both limb bolts on the bow the same number of turns. If you take one turn off of the top limb bolt (in other words, loosen the limb bolt one rotation), also take one turn off of the bottom limb bolt. The limbs must both sit in the limb pocket the same way for the bow to shoot accurately"
4 Nock Point
The nock point should always set so that the arrow is level with both the string and rest, even when the bow is pulled to full draw An arrow might appear level when the nock point is set with the bow at rest, but it's not uncommon fork to be too high or low at full draw. Stiff recommends having an experienced archer check your arrow when the bow is pulled to full draw.

5 Vanes
The vanes on the arrow should clear the arrow rest and other parts of the bow when the arrow is shot. "Nine times out of 10, if the vanes contact any part of the bow, you'll see the arrow kick and fishtail," Stiff says. "Or, when you pull your arrows out of the target, you might see a mark on the vane made by the heat shrink on the arrow rest'.

6 Poundage
"Make sure you have the correct arrow for the amount of poundage you plan to shoot," Stiff emphasizes. "Check an arrow chart at a bow shop If the arrow has too much spine or too little spine for the weight of the bow you pull, the arrow either will kick to the left or to the right. If you shoot a 20-yard shot, the arrow will kick out as it comes out of the bow and try to correct itself."

7 Paper Test
Shoot an arrow through a piece of paper. "An arrow shot from a properly tuned bow will leave a bullet-hole-size circle where the point of the arrow pierces the paper," Stiff explains. "You will see three slight tears around the bullet hole. These tears indicate that the arrow has flown straight and correctly from a properly tuned bow If the arrow tears the paper more to one side or the other, or more high or low, then you need to recheck steps 1 through 7. Somewhere in your tuning process, something is not right."

8 The 6-8-30 Rule Stiff recommends shooting several arrows at 30 yards to check groupings. "With a tuned bow, you should be able to put six arrows inside an 8-inch circle consistently at 30 yards."

9 Tune The Broadhead The broadhead should line up with the fletchings. "If you shoot a three-bladed broadhead, make sure the broadhead's blades line up with the vanes on the shaft," Stiff explains. "If you shoot a four bladed broadhead, your fletchings need to center up between the blades."

10 Spin Test "You also can spin check your broadhead," Stiff says. "If you spin your arrow on the tip of the broadhead and the arrow wobbles, then you need to tune your broadhead. If your arrow wobbles, then twist the broadhead slightly left or right until the arrow doesn't wobble."

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