In the past, I have been guilty of not paying much attention to my arrow setup. At this point in my hunting career I realize how big of a mistake that was. It was easy for me to get wrapped up into the kind of bow I was shooting or the broadheads I was using. Don’t make the same mistake I did by overlooking your arrow setup, because it’s critical to your success. So, how do you choose the right arrow?
Deer hunting arrows and their components should be tailor-made for every bow to achieve maximum accuracy and penetration. The spine (stiffness) of the arrow and its weight are the two most important factors to consider when buying a bare shaft arrow. The spine and weight of the arrow should be chosen based on your bow specs (draw weight, draw length, and let-off).
It’s easy to get paralysis by analysis when buying a deer hunting arrow. Therefore, I’m going to break down this buying process for you so that you know what kind of arrows to buy. But first, there are few things you should know:
Keep these things in mind when choosing an arrow
1. Arrow penetration should be the #1 goal for a hunting arrow
We want our arrows to completely pass through a deer when we shoot them. So how do we achieve that? By shooting an arrow that flies straight, has sufficient momentum (not necessarily kinetic energy), has more weight on the front of the arrow than the back (otherwise known as FOC or Front-of-Center), and by knowing how to choose the correct broadhead to shoot.
In a world where everyone wants to shoot the fastest arrow or make the biggest cut possible when shooting a deer, be open minded to being different. I encourage hunters to sacrifice arrow speed and cutting diameter to gain more arrow penetration.
2. Arrow speed and high kinetic energy doesn’t necessarily mean more arrow penetration
We want our arrows to push hard when they hit an object. If you dropped a golf ball and a ping pong ball into sand, which one do you think will penetrate deeper into the sand? That’s right, the golf ball would. The weight of the arrow, the broadhead we use, and their structural integrity will play a critical role in how much penetration our arrows get.
3. Shaft size matters, but not as much as you might think
Don’t get caught up in the craze of small-diameter shaft sizes. The most important thing to remember in regards to shaft size is that we want it to be slightly smaller in diameter than the back of the ferrule on the broadhead. A standard sized shaft will do the job just fine.
There is a logical argument for smaller diameter shafts having less surface area making them easier to pass through and penetrate game. Also, smaller shaft sizes can help reduce arrow flight inaccuracy from strong cross-winds. With that being said, shaft size isn’t going to make a big difference in comparison to the other things we are talking about in this article when it comes to arrow selection. With that being said, small diameter shafts are perfectly good arrows also.
4. You may have to play with your arrow setups until you find your perfect arrow
As painful as it might sound for your budget, you might have to purchase a few different arrow setups to find the perfectly tailored arrow for your exact bow setup. However, once you figure out your arrow specs, all you have to do is remember it for future arrow purchases.
I suggest buying one type of arrow at first and seeing how well you can get them to group with broadheads attached. If you aren’t shooting tight groups at 20 and 30 yards then you probably need to play around with your setup. Shoot different arrow spines at different weights and see which arrows you can get to group the best.
5. Buy a carbon arrow
There are a lot of reasons for the price differences between one arrow and another. It all boils down to its materials and the process for creating it. Buying more expensive arrows might help guarantee that every arrow you buy is going to shoot a tight group. However, you don’t need to buy expensive arrows. If you buy cheap arrows then you might get one that is a flier and won’t shoot as well as the rest of the batch. The big thing here is to buy a carbon arrow because of their weight, durability, and strength.
How to choose a deer hunting arrow: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Choose your spine number
There are several spine charts out there on the internet, but use this one below as your guide. Additionally, you can click this link to go to Easton’s arrow size selector and enter your specs to see what spine number they recommend for your setup. I suggest cross-referencing the spine number that Easton suggests and compare it with the chart below.
You will probably need to choose between two different spine numbers. I suggest starting off with the lowest number. The smaller the spine number the stiffer the spine will be. If you can get those arrows to shoot tight groups with broadheads and you want to try increasing your spine number to gain a little more speed, you can tinker with that. However, I rather see you error on the side of shooting good groups from the very beginning.
Step 2: Buy your arrow
I recommend the vast majority of deer hunters to buy Easton Axis 5mm arrows. I’ve noticed that these arrows are usually much cheaper online then they are in a local bow shop. However, there are many great arrows on the market to choose from other than these. If you plan on buying a different arrow, just make sure it has a shaft weight between 7-12 grains per inch (GPI). Depending on the spine number you choose, your shaft weight should fall close to the numbers in the table below.
| Spine | Shaft Weight in Grains per Inch (GPI) |
|---|---|
|
600 |
6-8 |
|
500 |
7-9 |
|
400 |
8-10 |
|
350 |
8.5-10.5 |
|
300 |
9.5-11.5 |
|
250 |
10.5-12.5 |
|
200 |
11-13 |
|
150 |
12-14 |
Step 3: Have a bow shop finish setting up your arrows
Take your bow and your arrows to a bow shop to get your arrows cut to size. Most of you reading this article shouldn’t be cutting your own arrows to fit your bow. Have a local bow shop do this for you and glue in your inserts. Before the bow shop glue’s in your insert, consider purchasing a heavier insert than what comes standard with your arrow. This will help give your arrow more FOC.
You can buy your arrows at your local bow shop, but you really need to make sure you buy the right arrow based on what we have discussed so far in this article. If you don’t know much about arrow selection, you might be easily convinced to buy something that you will regret later on when you aren’t shooting tight groups with broadheads. I have learned this the hard way and ended up buying a dozen arrows that I eventually threw away because they had the wrong spine.
Step 4: Buy field points and broadheads that will give your arrow 19% FOC, or close to it
After the bow shop finishes setting up your arrows, ask them to borrow a few different weighted field points so that you can figure out how much weight you need your field points to be in order to give you arrow a 19% FOC or close to it. You can do this in a few minutes time right there in the bow shop as long as you have a tape measure.
Click this link to go to Easton’s FOC calculator and enter in the required information to see what your arrows FOC is. You can balance the arrow on your finger to figure out your FOC.
Once you figure out the weight you need on the front of your arrow, you’re ready to buy field points and broadheads. The diameter of the field point should be close to the same diameter as your arrow shaft. Lastly, the type of broadhead you choose to hunt with is one of the most important decisions you can make for your arrow setup. Click this link to read my article about broadhead to shoot.