How to Care for Your Bow and Arrows
Archery equipment is an investment, and taking care of it makes all the difference in how it performs — and how long it lasts. A bow that’s tuned, stored, and handled correctly will shoot smooth and consistent. One that’s neglected? It can feel clunky at best and dangerous at worst.
Here’s my go-to quick checklist for caring for your bow and arrows:
✅ Store your bow unstrung (especially in the Arizona heat).
✅ Dry your bow after rain; keep it clean.
✅ Never leave your bow in a hot car.
✅ Use a hard case for flights.
✅ Inspect strings, nocks, fletchings, and arrow shafts regularly.
✅ Throw away arrows with cracks — don’t risk it.
✅ Never dry fire your bow.
✅ Learn tuning as you grow — it makes your bow yours.
Now let’s break that down:
🎯 Caring for Your Bow
Strung vs. Unstrung
If your bow is stored in a cool, air-conditioned room, it can technically stay strung. But in Arizona (and most hot places), I strongly recommend unstringing it. Heat + constant string tension can cause the bow to warp over time.
Weather & Storage
After rain: dry your bow off, especially the limbs.
Dust: not a big deal, but a clean bow is always nice.
Hot cars: never leave a bow (especially strung) in a car — extreme heat can ruin limbs and risers.
Traveling With a Bow
Flights: always use a hard case, not soft.
Local: I usually keep my riser put together, pop off the limbs and string, and lay it in the car. Accessories stay on the riser, except the long stabilizer.
Strings
I don’t recommend waxing strings (it slows them down). Instead, I use String Guard from Wifler Industries, a hydrophobic liquid that repels sweat, rain, and dirt — way more effective and lightweight.
Hardware
Check limb bolts and screws occasionally. After one flight to France, TSA unscrewed my bolts to look inside (without telling me). When I reassembled, it looked way off — the bolts had to be completely reset. Lesson: double-check your setup after flights.
🏹 Caring for Your Arrows
Nocks
Inspect for cracks after every session.
Replace your whole set before big tournaments so they’re uniform.
Fletchings
Torn fletching? Don’t shoot it. Replace it before your next round.
Transport
Flights: always a hard tube.
Local: laying them neatly in your car is fine.
Damage Checks
After a miss, always inspect the tip and back of the arrow shaft — those are the most common crack points. If you see any cracks in the carbon, throw the arrow away. A cracked arrow can shatter on release.
⚙️ The Art of Tuning
The entire point of tuning is to make your bow more forgiving. A well-tuned bow smooths out little mistakes and keeps your arrows landing closer to where you want them.
For example: if you shoot a rough shot on a well-tuned bow, it might drift out to the 7-ring. On a poorly tuned bow, that exact same shot could blow all the way out to the 4-ring. The difference isn’t in your form — it’s in how forgiving your setup is.
That’s why tuning is one of the most important steps in making a bow truly yours. Even the best riser and limbs will perform like a cheap setup if they’re not tuned correctly. Once you’re confident in your shot process, learning tuning will unlock a whole new level of consistency.
Final Thoughts
Caring for your bow and arrows isn’t complicated, but it’s crucial. A little attention goes a long way in protecting your gear and keeping it shooting smoothly.
👉 In lessons, I don’t just teach form — I teach students how to care for and understand their equipment. Because a tuned, well-maintained bow doesn’t just shoot better… it makes you a better archer and confident in your equipment.