Bow, arrow, and broadhead offseason maintenance tips
The offseason can be a tough time for passionate bowhunters. The weeks crawl by and leave you fantasizing about getting back out into the field, setting up in your tree stand, and encountering that next dream buck.
But apart from daydreaming away the winter and spring months, the offseason is also the perfect time to make sure your gear is properly maintained and ready to go once next season rolls around. Here are some key points to help bowhunters provide proper maintenance to their bows, arrows, and broadheads between seasons.
Bow maintenance tips
During the offseason, you should take some time to inspect and clean your bow for optimal performance in the future.
Inspect your strings
Once the season ends, closely inspect your bowstrings for any fuzziness, fraying, or broken strands that may be setting in. Strings located near stressed areas of the bow such as the peep sight or where cams roll over are particularly important to check thoroughly.
If you shoot regularly during the season, your strings should be replaced every offseason. If you’re not yet due for a replacement, you should at least clean and wax your strings during the offseason, as dirt and grime are likely to have built up over time.
To clean, start by wrapping a piece of dental floss around a string and then work it up and down between both ends to scrape off any buildup. Next, provide some cleaning treatment with your preferred brand of string cleaner and then follow up with a re-waxing.
Clean your bow
After you’ve cleaned your strings or removed them to prep for replacements, you should clean the bow itself. Begin by disassembling the bow – but make sure to make note of how your bow is set up so you can properly reassemble it after cleaning.
The goal is to remove all parts so you can clean just the bare bow by itself. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the bow and remove any buildup that occurred during the season. When you’re done, you can either allow the bow to airdry or wipe it down with a clean cloth.
Arrow maintenance tips
You should also inspect your arrows during the offseason and replace any that will no longer serve you while shooting.
Inspect your arrows
Take some time to inspect each of your arrows individually. Flex each arrow to check for any cracks or damage. A damaged arrow should be removed from your quiver and replaced.
Spin the arrows to check for any degree of wobble. A slight wobble doesn’t mean you 100% can’t shoot the arrow, but it should decrease your likelihood of shooting it during a hunt.
Check your fletchings and nocks
You should also make sure the fletchings on your arrows are secure and undamaged. Check that the nocks are properly aligned and securely in place, as well. Any damage or cracking to a nock means it should be replaced, otherwise you’ll risk missing shots or having the nock fall off altogether when drawing.
Broadhead maintenance tips
Offseason maintenance of your broadheads is all about ensuring their lethality once next season starts.
Check for damage
Damaged broadhead blades can badly throw off the impact of your shot – and they need to be replaced. Make sure your mechanical broadheads are functioning properly and that they’re staying closed when not in use. The blades should deploy when they’re supposed to, as well.
Replace any blades that aren’t straight or that are otherwise damaged in any way.
Sharpen your broadheads
Keeping your broadheads sharp is one of the easiest ways to up your lethality in the field. Removable blades are a bit easier to sharpen, but sharpening any broadhead is entirely doable.
We recommend using a high-quality whetstone or flat diamond stone, keeping your sharpening angle shallow and following the bevels to avoid weak edges.
Stay ready for next season with Wasp
Wasp Archery carries an unrivaled collection of the industry’s best broadheads, designed for toughness and precision to deliver only lethal hits when you need them. There’s a good reason our products have been trusted by hunters and feared by animals for over 45 years.
We give you unsurpassed accuracy, strength, and penetration so you can experience the best blood trails of your life — and so you never have to blame your broadhead again. Shop our products today to add a legendary name to your arsenal.
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