How to Paper Tune a Bow for Broadheads

Paper tuning gets you close, but it is not magic.

Here is the direct answer. Paper tune your bow with a field point to get a clean bullet hole, then confirm with broadheads by walk-back tuning and a real broadhead group test.

If your broadheads and field points do not hit together at 30 to 50 yards, your paper tear is lying to you. Paper is step one, not the finish line.

I have been shooting a compound for 25 years and I still paper tune every new setup.

I split my time between Pike County, Illinois leases and the Missouri Ozarks public land, and both places will punish sloppy arrow flight.

Decide what you are actually trying to fix before you touch a screw.

If your broadheads are planing left and your field points are stacking, you do not have a “broadhead problem.”

You have an arrow flight problem that broadheads expose like a lie detector.

I learned the hard way that you can paper tune a bow to a perfect bullet hole at 6 feet and still miss a buck at 35 yards.

Back in November 2019 in Pike County, Illinois, the morning after a cold front, my 156-inch typical showed up at 9:10 AM.

I killed him clean, but that whole week I was fighting broadheads hitting 4 inches right at 40 yards even with a “perfect” paper tune.

I fixed it by moving my rest a tiny amount and rechecking with broadheads, not by chasing a prettier tear.

If you want a refresher on shot placement, this ties to what I wrote about where to shoot a deer to drop it in its tracks because perfect tune does not fix a bad angle.

Make a call on your arrow setup first, or paper tuning will waste your time.

If your arrows are too weak or too stiff, you can “tune around it” and still end up with broadheads that steer off line.

Here is what I do before I ever shoot paper.

I shoot the exact hunting arrow, full length and insert installed, with the same nock and same vanes I will hunt with.

I set my draw weight where I will actually hunt, like 68 pounds, not 72 pounds “because it feels good today.”

I also weigh the point end the way I plan to hunt, like a 125-grain head, not a 100-grain field point “just to tune.”

If you want context on deer size and why penetration matters, I mention this because it connects to how much a deer weighs and what your arrow needs to push through.

Pick your tuning distance and stop overthinking the paper frame.

I see guys shoot paper at 2 feet and call it tuned.

That is fine for a starting point, but I get better info at 6 to 8 feet because the arrow has time to show you what it is really doing.

Here is what I do in my garage.

I tape butcher paper to a cheap frame and put a target bag 3 feet behind it so I do not blow arrows through drywall.

I stand at 7 feet, level my bow, and shoot one arrow at a time, not a group, because groups tear paper weird.

If you are tuning for broadheads, forget about fancy paper frames and focus on repeatable shots and consistent distance.

Use these tear fixes, but do not chase your tail with micro-moves.

I make one change at a time and I make it small.

On most modern bows, a rest move the width of a playing card can change everything.

Here is my simple way to read tears with a right-handed bow.

If I get a nock left tear, I move my rest slightly left, or I twist the left yoke to bring the cam lean back, depending on the bow.

If I get a nock right tear, I move my rest slightly right, or adjust yokes the other way if the bow has them.

If I get a nock high tear, I move my nocking point down or raise the rest, but I do not do both at once.

If I get a nock low tear, I move my nocking point up or lower the rest, again one move at a time.

My buddy swears by moving only the rest and never touching the string, but I have found some bows need yoke tuning to get broadheads to behave at 50 yards.

If your bow does not have yokes, you can still tune it, but you may be using rest movement to mask cam lean.

Do not ignore your grip, because paper will lie if you torque the bow.

I learned the hard way that a “bad tune” is sometimes just my hand doing dumb stuff.

In 2007 in the Missouri Ozarks, I gut shot a doe and pushed her too early and never found her, and that is still the hunt that haunts me.

That was a tracking mistake, but it also kicked off my obsession with making my arrow fly straight so I stop getting weird hits.

Here is what I do now every time I paper tune.

I shoot with an open hand and let the bow settle into the web of my thumb, and I keep my knuckles at a 45-degree angle.

I also shoot three arrows and look for the average tear, because one torqued shot can make you “tune” your bow into a worse place.

This connects to what I wrote about are deer smart because mature bucks notice little stuff, and a rushed, tense shot is one of them.

Broadheads are the final judge, so plan your tune around them.

If you only paper tune and never shoot broadheads, you are guessing.

I do not care what the tear looks like if my broadheads and field points stack together at 40 yards.

Here is what I do for broadhead confirmation.

I screw on one fixed blade broadhead, spin test the arrow on a flat surface, and I do not shoot it if it wobbles.

I shoot one field point and one broadhead at 30 yards, aiming at the same dot, and I mark where each hits.

If the broadhead hits left of the field point, I move my rest slightly left, and I repeat until they touch.

If the broadhead hits right of the field point, I move my rest slightly right, and I repeat until they touch.

If the broadhead hits high or low, I check nock height and rest height, but I also check my third axis because steep shots in hill country will show that problem fast.

When I am trying to time deer movement for the first cold front sits, I check deer feeding times first, and I want my broadheads hitting dead with no surprises.

My Quick Rule of Thumb

If your paper tear is clean but your broadheads hit 3 inches off at 40 yards, stop chasing paper and move your rest in tiny steps toward the broadhead impact.

If you see broadheads “plane” worse as range increases, expect a spine or alignment problem, not just a sight issue.

If conditions change to a stiff crosswind or you start shooting from a steep tree angle, switch to confirming at 40 to 50 yards with the same broadhead you will hunt.

Make one of two choices for broadhead tuning, because each has a tradeoff.

You can broadhead tune by rest movement, or you can broadhead tune by broadhead alignment.

Both work, but each can bite you.

If I have a micro-adjust rest and solid arrows, I tune with the rest because it fixes the flight, not the symptom.

If I am already close and one head is acting weird, I try rotating that broadhead to a different index, because some arrows have a stiff side and fixed blades can catch it.

If you are hunting thick cover like the Missouri Ozarks, forget about “good enough at 20 yards” and focus on a broadhead that flies straight at 40, because shots happen fast and angles get ugly.

Do not waste money on gimmicks before you buy the boring stuff that helps tuning.

I wasted money on $400 of ozone scent control that made zero difference on deer, and that taught me a lesson about chasing magic.

With bow tuning, the “boring” stuff is what saves you arrows and time.

Here are three real things I actually use.

A Hamskea Trinity Hunter Pro rest is not cheap at about $289, but it holds tune, it micro-adjusts, and it does not get sloppy after a season.

I used a cheaper whisker biscuit for years and killed deer with it, but broadhead tuning was slower because every little change felt mushy.

A LCA EZ Green bow press is what I use at home, and mine was $429, and it paid for itself in two years because I stopped driving to the shop for every tweak.

If you do not know what you are doing with a press, do not learn on your hunting bow the week before season.

A Last Chance Archery arrow spinner is about $69, and it catches wobble that will make broadheads fly like trash.

I used to eyeball it and tell myself it was fine, and then I would wonder why one head hit 6 inches low right at 50.

Decide if you should keep paper tuning, or switch to walk-back tuning.

Paper tuning tells you what happens right after the string launches the arrow.

Walk-back tuning tells you what happens as your arrow stays in the air.

Here is what I do once my tear is close.

I sight in at 20 yards, then I shoot the same pin at 30 and 40, aiming at a vertical line like a strip of tape.

If my impacts drift left as I go back, I move my rest slightly right, and if they drift right, I move my rest slightly left.

This sounds backwards to some guys, so I do it slow and I write down each move, like “rest moved 1/64 inch right.”

If you are hunting hill country like Buffalo County, Wisconsin, forget about tuning only at 20, and focus on 40-yard arrow behavior, because wind and awkward footing punish bad flight.

This connects to what I wrote about do deer move in the wind because wind changes deer movement, and it also changes what a marginal tune looks like downrange.

Do not confuse broadhead tuning with sighting in, because they are different jobs.

If your broadheads and field points hit together, then you can move your sight to the group.

If they do not hit together, moving the sight is just hiding the problem.

Here is what I do in the right order.

I tune until broadheads and field points touch at 30, then I confirm at 40, then I sight in for real at 20, 30, and 40.

On my Illinois lease, I set a hard max of 45 yards for whitetails with a fixed blade, and I want that arrow acting perfect at that range.

If you are curious about why deer reactions can make you think your tune is off, this connects to how fast can deer run because a deer can cover distance quick even on a “good” hit.

Make a call on fixed blade vs mechanical, because tuning tolerance is a real tradeoff.

Fixed blades show you problems faster, and they punish bad form more.

Mechanicals are more forgiving in flight, but they add failure points and they can lose penetration on big-bodied deer.

I shoot fixed blades most years because I want the simplest thing possible when the shot happens.

My buddy swears by Rage Hypodermics, and he kills deer every season, so I am not calling him wrong.

I have found that a well-tuned fixed blade like a G5 Montec will make me a better shot and a better tuner, because it forces me to get it right.

If you are hunting Ohio straight-wall zones and you also bowhunt early, forget about blaming the broadhead first and focus on tune, because your rifle season confidence can make you sloppy with archery details.

FAQ

How far should I stand from the paper to paper tune my bow?

I stand at 6 to 8 feet because it shows a more honest tear than 2 feet.

If your form is shaky, shoot closer first, then back up once your tears get consistent.

Should I paper tune with broadheads or field points?

I paper tune with field points because it is safer and more consistent through paper.

Then I confirm with the exact broadhead I will hunt, because broadheads are the final test.

What do I do if my paper tear looks perfect but my broadheads hit left?

I move my rest in tiny steps toward the broadhead impact and I re-shoot at 30 and 40 yards.

If it keeps happening, I check arrow spine, cam lean, and broadhead wobble.

How many shots should I take before I change something?

I shoot three arrows and look for a pattern, not a single “bad” tear.

If two out of three agree, I make one small change and shoot again.

Can a crosswind mess up broadhead tuning?

Yes, and it can make you chase the rest the wrong way at 40 to 60 yards.

If the wind is over 12 mph, I do my fine broadhead tuning on another day or I shoot in a sheltered spot.

Why does one broadhead hit different than the others?

That is usually wobble, a slightly bent ferrule, or an insert that is not perfectly square.

I spin test every hunting arrow and I do not “hope” my way through that problem anymore.

For new hunters that ask me basic deer questions while we are tuning in the driveway, I point them to simple stuff like what a male deer is called and what a female deer is called so they do not feel dumb at camp.

And when my kids ask why the little spotted ones act different, I send them to what a baby deer is called because it keeps it fun and simple.

More tuning sections are coming next, because the real mess starts when you add cam timing, nock fit, and steep-angle shots.

Make the last call with a real hunting test, not your ego.

Here is what I do before I say a bow is “broadhead tuned.” I shoot one field point and one fixed blade at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards on a calm evening, and I only trust what repeats.

If my broadheads and field points touch at 30 but split at 50, I do not pretend it is “good enough.”

Back in 2016 in the Missouri Ozarks on public land, I watched a buddy miss high right on a 6-point at 33 yards and swear the deer “ducked the string.”

His broadheads were also printing 5 inches right at 40 all week, and paper never showed it because his grip was changing shot to shot.

I learned the hard way that the last 10 percent of tuning is boring, slow, and worth it.

Do not make these end-of-season tuning mistakes that cost real deer.

The biggest mistake is doing all your tuning on perfect range days, then hunting in ugly real conditions.

If you are hunting the Missouri Ozarks in thick stuff, forget about tuning only from flat ground and focus on 20-foot tree shots, because that is where your arrow actually leaves your bow in season.

Another mistake is changing too much at once right before opener.

I have seen guys swap to a new release, new arrows, and a new broadhead three days before season, then blame the bow when nothing groups.

Here is what I do the week before season on my Pike County, Illinois lease.

I shoot the exact broadhead I will carry, out of the exact quiver I will hunt with, and I confirm at my max range, which is 45 yards for me with fixed blades.

If something is off, I fix one variable, not five.

Make peace with the one debate that never dies.

Some guys tune for a perfect bullet hole and stop, and some guys never touch paper and only broadhead tune at distance.

My buddy swears by skipping paper completely and going straight to walk-back, but I have found paper saves me time on the front end if my rest got bumped or I swapped strings.

Paper gets me close in 15 minutes, then broadheads tell me the truth.

If you are hunting hill country like Buffalo County, Wisconsin, forget about treating tuning like a one-time chore and focus on checking it after hard hikes, because a fall, a branch, or a stand strap can bump a rest without you noticing.

Final checklist I run the night before I hunt.

Here is what I do the night before I take a bow to the woods.

I spin test my three best hunting arrows and set the wobblers aside for practice.

I shoot one broadhead at 30 yards and one at 40 yards, and I do not keep flinging arrows just to “feel good.”

I check every rest screw with a wrench, then I leave it alone.

I check my nock fit because a too-tight nock can fake a tear and a too-loose nock can make you think you have a tuning issue.

I also check my broadhead blades because one bent blade can turn a good setup into a flyer.

When I am trying to figure out why deer act jumpy on certain sits, I think about wind and cover, and that connects to where deer go when it rains because weather changes where I can get a clean shot lane.

And if you are trying to judge how much forgiveness you really have on a quartering shot, I still go back to how much meat from a deer because I process my own deer in the garage and I have seen what a small miss does to shoulders and ribs.

I am not a guide and I am not selling you magic.

I am just telling you what has kept me from making the same dumb mistakes I made back in 2007, and what helped me put my biggest buck on the ground in Pike County, Illinois in November 2019 with zero surprises at the shot.