After purchasing your first bow, you may wonder what else you can do with it than shooting. What is the best way to keep it? Whenever I use it, do I need to unstring it? What should I do to use it while driving? To have all the equipment in tip-top condition, archery storage should be on your priority list, and it’s not hard to maintain your arrows. If you’re serious about your archery, you already know its importance.
There’s little question that attempting to shoot an arrow with a dented shaft, or damaged fletching is doomed to fail. The best way to ensure that your archery supplies remain pristine is to take the precaution of storing them properly.
How To Store Bows?
The first piece of advice is to protect your bow from harmful factors, especially direct sunlight and high temperatures (both hot and cold). Second, your bow is best kept in a horizontal position when not in use, whether on a stand or a tabletop. A bow case might help you protect your bow when not in use.
A bow case helps transport your bow in the car to archery competitions or whatever the reason is. In addition, a good bow case can help prevent damage to your bow from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, which can cause warping and adhesive failure.
Storing a Compound Bow
Compound bow storage can be made possible by keeping the strings connected when storing a compound bow. But before you put your bow away, give it a once-over to ensure everything is snug. The screws, cams, and strings should all be inspected for wear and tear. Also, ensure no cracking or fatigue in the risers and limbs.
After you’ve checked your bow and found it in good working order, wax the strings. When putting away and retrieving your bow, a string wax like Tex-Tite will protect the strings from drying and cracking and extend their useful life. After you’ve checked your bow and waxed the strings, put it away in an excellent hard-sided container, which helps transport and store your bow.
If you plan on doing any destination hunting, you’ll need a case that can be checked on an airplane without a problem. Keep your bow in its case and a dry, cool place. Bow and strings are susceptible to deterioration from high temperatures and humidity. Prolonged archery storage can cause parts to deteriorate and allow strings to stretch, so it’s essential to inspect your bow and rewax the strings before using it again.
How to Store Crossbows?
In archery storage, crossbows are also important ones to be kept safe. Before putting a crossbow away for an extended time, ensure you wipe out its surfaces and flight rail with distilled water and a soft cotton cloth to remove any dust or debris. After that, ensure every screw, nut, and bolt on the bow is snug and in its rightful place. Finally, use a rust-preventative lubricant on the axles, cam bearings, cocking mechanism, trigger assembly, and other exposed metal parts.
Final steps for crossbow storage: clean your scope’s lenses, wax, and condition your bow’s wires and string. After that, put your bow away in its case and keep it in a dry, cold location.
Storing the Recurve Bows
Unlike compound bows, recurve bows storage have its own requirements. One key distinction is that non-compound bows require unstrung storage while not in use. Because the string exerts such a significant force on the bow producing the tension needed to fire, leaving it strung for long periods can cause the bow’s material to fatigue and shatter. However, if you fire your bow frequently, like daily or several times a week, leaving it strung is usually fine.
How to Store Arrows?
The first step in arrow storage is to clean and dry your arrows thoroughly before putting them away. Next, the broadheads and field points must be taken out and cleaned. Store your arrows in a cool, dark, and dry place.
Any arrow tube that can avoid warping and fletching damage is a good choice for storing your arrows. Otherwise, an arrow rack or solid quiver will significantly maintain the arrows’ straightness and separation. Your arrows should be stored vertically and far enough apart from one another to prevent the fletching from getting damaged if you don’t have a rack or a tube.
How to Store the Broadheads?
Broadheads are best kept vertically or inverted for storage. Find a container with foam that conforms to the shape of the box, is flexible, will last a long time, and will secure the arrow, so it doesn’t topple over. If you only have a few broadheads to bring along on your hunt, the best option is probably one of the three little boxes with sponges that can be carried in a backpack without making a sound.
Stop storing things where they could get broken, stolen, or damaged. Instead, have some peace of mind by keeping your broadheads in a holder.
Bow String Storage
A bowstring’s longevity is affected by its care and handling and environmental factors like temperature and humidity. Keep your bowstring in a dry location to ensure its longevity. Additionally, using bowstring wax to maintain cleanliness is highly recommended.
A bow case is an excellent way to ensure that your bow remains in pristine condition and out of the elements at all times. There are two categories of cases: hard cases and soft cases. Soft cases are the cheapest and most basic option. Although they are more costly than soft cases, hard cases offer superior protection. In addition, hard cases are the more secure option for traveling. The choice is yours, so pick the one that best suits your requirements.
Remember to clean your bow and bowstring before putting them away for archery storage. Also, keep it out of direct sunlight, as heat is a significant enemy of bowstrings. Due to the increased speed of damage caused by UV rays at higher temperatures, bowstrings can’t take much more heat.
The Bottom Line
Seasons come, and seasons pass. Some people plan to go hunting turkeys in the coming spring. However, many people practice archery and bowhunting all year long. Maintaining physical fitness in this way is ideal. It’s the most fantastic method to ensure you can shoot perfectly when you finally get out into the field with your bow.
We won’t pass judgment if you’re not the shooting type during the off-season. We’re here to extend a helping hand. You’ll need to store your equipment safely if you want to wait until fall to shoot your bow. Also, ensure to store these items securely and keep them out of children’s reach. These weapons can cause harm if not used properly. That’s why archery storage the proper way is necessary.
FAQs
Can I Leave my Recurve Bow Strung?
You can probably leave your fiberglass or composite recurve bow strung for more extended periods than wood bows. However, using a wooden recurve might lead to several issues. Even worse, it has the potential to break. Depending on how you keep it, a recurve bow made of any material can warp if left strung for long periods. Therefore, if you plan on shooting it frequently, it’s best to keep it strung. Unless that’s the case, we’d recommend taking the bow out of the string.
Is it Bad to Leave a Bow in a Garage?
The bows should be fine stored in the garage as far as you consider these two elements; extreme heat (like leaving them in a closed vehicle on a scorching hot day) and extreme cold (leaving them sitting outside for extended periods).
