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Tips to make sure your bow is safe and accurate

Posted at 7:15 PM, Sep 06, 2019
and last updated 2020-05-13 21:18:20-04

If the sound of an elk bugling doesn’t get your heart racing, chances are you are not a Montana bow hunter.

With general archery season for deer, elk and antelope starting up September 7th, hunters will be flocking to the woods and mountains.

Hopefully by now if you are going out you have your tags purchased, your spots picked out and your camouflage all ready to go. But none of that means anything if you don’t have your bow in tip-top shape.

That’s where guys like Shaun Boese at Capital Sports and Western in Helena can be a life saver.

Because if your bow or arrows are not shooting properly it’s not only irresponsible to take a shot at an animal, it could also be dangerous to the shooter.

“Check and make sure there is not any possibility of cracks in their limbs," Boese told MTN. "Check their strings and make sure their servings are still in good shape [freeze frame with arrow pointing on shot of servings. The servings are not coming apart. Be sure if there is any damage to the string bring it in and have us take a look at it and make sure it is good to shoot.”

If any of these parts of the bow are falling apart, the whole thing could blow-up when pulled back. But regular up-keep long before you head out hunting can help prevent that.

“I see a lot of people do, is they don’t take care of their strings on their bow. It’s kind of a pet peeve of mine," added Boese. "They don’t wax their strings enough [shoot me waxing string up close] so they come in and they are all frayed and dried out. If they take care of their equipment, sometimes their equipment is just filthy, dirty. You can tell they haven’t kept it clean. All that dirt and grime and dust gets in your axles on your bow and on your pieces and parts and just wears stuff out quicker and it doesn’t work.”

Archery hunting for big game in Montana is hard enough, so don’t make it even harder by heading into the field with faulty equipment.

And if you don’t believe me, take it from the experts.

“So basically, just keep your equipment just like you would a vehicle," Boese said. "Maintain it and maintenance it.”

If you have any questions about hunting regulations in Montana check out Fish, WIldlife and Parks website.