to give you the maximum accuracy under less than ideal conditions. When an entire season can boil down to one shot with just seconds to spare why not make sure the odds are stacked in your favor. Today’s bowhunter has a wide variety of excellent equipment to choose from, and the differences between brands of bows, arrows or broadheads is very small and normally a matter of personal preferences. As I explain my fine-tuning procedures and the logic behind them any equipment mentioned is simply what I have found works best for me and you may find another brand that suits your situation better. Bows Although there are many different brands of fine bows from which to choose there are certain characteristics that I feel work best in a hunting bow. First of all keep the draw weight within a manageable limit. Any modern compound of 50 to 60 pounds is more than adequate for whitetail. My bow is set at 57 pounds and I shoot through every deer I kill. Shoot only as much weight as you can draw comfortably and avoid buying a heavy bow and turning it down so you can easily draw it. You are actually reducing the efficiency of the bow. Have your draw length carefully checked at a pro shop. A large percentage of archers are shooting bows that are too long for them. Draw length is determined by proper form and many archers extend their bow arm when they draw. This leads to fatigue and uneven pressures, which results in larger groups and unexplained misses. Several years ago I shortened my draw length by two inches and dramatically improved my accuracy at all ranges. When it comes to bow design many manufacturers offer bows with small valleys to produce the maximum speed. While these bows are a few feet faster they tend to be more difficult to draw and shoot, making them less forgiving and they tend to magnify errors. The one characteristic I demand in my hunting bow is that it be forgiving. I do not want my bow to magnify any error in my shooting form. There is only one way to determine this and that is to shoot the bows side by side and compare the groups. The bow that produces the smaller most consistent groups is the best choice for hunting. You may find that the most forgiving bow will be slightly slower in speed. But you must ask yourself what is more imporTHE TIGHTSPOT bow quiver can be easily adjusted to fit tight against the bow riser to minimize offset weight that can unbalance the bow and induce bow torques on the shot.