Get your PSE Stinger ATK Hunter and the PSE Carbon Force Arrows, it’s string time! Ah man, you’re in Oregon and it’s raining again! I guess you have to wait for better weather and put the bow away right? Only if you want to.
The Bow Itself
How does the rain affect a bow? As long as you maintain properly; wax the string with Bow String Wax as often as the manufacturer suggests and you dry it thoroughly after rain or contact with moisture, there should be no long term damage. If you don’t follow through with a proper maintenance and care regimen, you either don’t know any better or you’re a careless Archer.
As far as not knowing any better, two things; PRODUCT MANUAL! I promise the manufacturers are not including a manual to take up space in the box so everything packs tighter, read it! Besides, now that you’ve read this, you can’t say you didn’t know any better anymore.
For any careless Archers, no need to complain about the equipment not working properly or lasting as long as it may have if you didn’t care about it in the first place. Are you one of those that think everything’s disposable? That leads me to ask this question, “What’s in your wallet?”
Arrows/Projectiles
Does the arrow cut through the rain without its flight pattern being affected? There are a few variables.
- Shooter
- Speed/velocity
- Weight
- Fletching
The slower the arrow the more likely it is going to be affected by elements such as wind, rain, snow and mosquitos, you get the point. You can expect the same conclusion with a lighter projectile, in the same way a lighter person is easier to move physically than a heavier one, the Excalibur Proflight 16.5” 250 grain arrows will be moved with less effort then the heavier Ravin R18 350 grain arrows.
What about fletching? The most affected are feathered or soft fletchings, they are more likely to hold water which may weigh the arrow down and change the point of impact. The best option in the rain are the plastic fletching like those on the Ten Point EVO-X CenterPunch Premium Arrows.
The Shooter
The most vulnerable points on you, the shooter are the draw/release hand or drawing fingers, the heel of the hand on the grip, and of course the vision. You’ve heard the term, “slippery when wet” right? That’s exactly my point, when you’re gripping and drawing in the rain, things may get a little tricky, a pair of archery gloves may solve the problem. An easy fix for your visibility is to wear a hat with a bill, it works for me, it’ll work for you too.
I’m not suggesting you stand out in a lightning storm and sling the string, don’t get me wrong. If you love to shoot and a little rain doesn’t deter you from doing just that, there’s nothing wrong with it. Please do me a favor and don’t adapt to the all things are disposable, take care of your equipment. For the best results use the appropriate equipment that is less affected by the weather and maintain it properly.
Your best bet for the best accuracy in rainy weather would be the TenPoint Titan M1 Crossbow. Why a crossbow? There are cons and pros; the pros are the consistent and higher velocity that allows the projectile to cut through the elements. The cons, a crossbow has more moving parts to maintain than the Bear Grizzly Traditional bow or the Bear Species EV Compound Bow.
You Decide
In conclusion, is it “Rain, Rain, Bow Away?” There are a lot of variables when it comes to this question. The most important one, do you want to shoot in the rain? If your answer to the most important question is yes, then here are some more.
- Do you have the appropriate equipment?
- Do you maintain it properly and are you willing to thoroughly dry it when you’re finished?
- If you’re planning to hunt, have you done your due diligence to be well practiced and proven to be able make the necessary shot for the sake of the game?
If the answer to these questions is no, then by all means, YES put it away! The sun will come again and when it does, you know what to do, grip it and rip it!
