PRACTICING WITH BROADHEADS, FIELD POINTS AND PRACTICE HEADS
It is safe to say most bowhunters use mechanical broadheads. It is also safe to say most bowhunters believe mechanical heads fly just like their field tips. There is no question that most mechanical heads fly similar to a field point, but odds are they don’t fly exactly like a field tip.
The majority of broadhead companies make a practice head that is designed to fly just like their broadhead does, but that is not always the case. I have tested dozens of different broadheads over the years and dozens of different practice heads; some of them fly perfectly and just like one another and others don’t. Many practice heads fly different than field tips. To ensure you are driving tacks on opening day, I have provided a few tips below that will help bowhunters achieve pinpoint accuracy.
SHOOT FIELD POINTS THE MAJORITY OF THE YEAR
For starters, shoot field points the majority of the year when practicing. There are a few reasons for this. Field points are inexpensive, easy to replace, and they don’t chew up a target like a broadhead or a practice head. I shoot field tips six to nine months a year.
PRACTICE HEADS
When the bow season is right around the corner, I will switch to practice heads. It may be overkill, but I like to weigh each of my practice heads to make sure they weigh the same as my field points. It is amazing the weight difference between field points and practice heads sometimes. After I know the weight matches up, I start shooting practice heads about 6 weeks before season starts. This gives me plenty of time to tweak my sight if there is any discrepancy in accuracy between my field points and my practice heads. If I have six arrows with practice heads, sometimes 3 or 4 of them fly perfectly and one or two do not. Sometimes the overall weight of an arrow is off. In that case, I will weigh my arrow, spin test it and adjust my arrow if needed. In some cases, a different practice head is all that is needed to make the arrow fly true.
PRACTICE WITH REAL BROADHEADS
I will shoot my practice heads up until season and occasionally practice with a real broadhead. Many bowhunters don’t want to sacrifice a real broadhead when practicing because they are so expensive, but practicing with a real broadhead is a must to ensure an arrow is flying true. Sometimes a mechanical head doesn’t fly exactly like a practice head so it is important to shoot a real broadhead during practice. Bowhunters who shoot fixed-blade broadheads will usually shoot them a few times into a target before season because they know field points and fixed-blade broadheads don’t always fly the same. Mechanical broadhead shooters, on the other hand, don’t always shoot a broad-head into a target because they don’t want to ruin a target or a broadhead. Practicing with a real mechanical head is a must for me. I want to know exactly where the arrow is going to hit before I go hunting.
SHOOT AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES
What I have found over the years is most broadheads will fly the same as a field tip or practice head out to 20 or 30 yards. Beyond 30 yards, things change. Shooting practice heads, field tips and broadheads at a variety of distances when shooting in the backyard is a must if being pin point accurate is your goal on opening day. By practicing during the summer with field points, practice heads and broadheads, you will be ready on opening day.
One reason many bowhunters prefer shooting just field tips is because they do the least amount of damage to an archery target. If you are in the market for a new target that can take a beating from field tips and broadheads, check out the High Roller Target from Morrell Targets. The High Roller foam offers easy arrow removal and doesn’t shred when shot with broadheads. The High Roller is lightweight portable and durable.
