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Bow and arrow. Used under creative commons from: Amada44
Archery nowadays includes way more than just a bow and an arrow.
There are loads of archery equipment you can use to improve your aim and archery experience.
No matter which bow type you use, you have to know your tools of the trade!
In the following, I will help you to find your way through the “equipment jungle” and will discuss which is a must have and which a nice optional tool:
Everything that keeps you and people around you safe, is a must have in my opinion.
Archery should be fun, so we don’t want to worry all the time about what could happen if someone gets hurt while practicing your favorite activity.
I have written about protective archery gear and how to keep others safe, too.
To keep the risks to a minimum, make sure you read and follow my recommendations in these articles.
Finger Tab. Used under creative commons from: LivingShadow
Some things I talk about there are:
You also learn the most important rules to avoid accidents when shooting with a bow!
When you just start shooting with a bow, you most likely have simple practice/target arrowheads.
Those are fine when you are not planning to go hunting.
As soon as you consider to go out to hunt, you have to know the different arrowheads and when to use them.
Go to the post I just linked to above to learn all about:
Three bladed broadhead. Used under creative commons from: Nick Perla
For hunting, you’ll need at least a blunt arrowhead, which is suitable for small game, like squirrels or rabbits. Bigger game, like deer or even bears, needs a broadhead to avoid the suffering of the animal, which could occur if you try to hunt those with only a target arrowhead.
Check out the best arrowheads for sale!
Archery sights are great for both target shooting and hunting.
They can improve your aim immensely and that’s the reason why so many recurve and compound bow archers use them.
I talk about different archery sights in my blog.
There are mainly two different types of archery sights:
Optimizer Lite Ultra Sight
Read all about the differences and advantages of those great bow sights before you make your decision.
They are mostly used by compound archers but are also found amongst recurve bow archers.
Mechanical releases help archers to avoid mistakes when releasing the bowstring to let the arrow fly.
If you are wondering how they actually work, don’t miss out on my article about mechanical releases.
I discuss those two types of releases:
Mechanical Release
The Tru Fire 360 Extreme is a great wrist trigger release, while the Tru Ball Max Hunter Pro 4 is a classical example of a t-handle release.
Read more about them and where to get them for a great price!
You will need archery targets when you are shooting at home. It is not a good practice to shoot at trees!
While you can make targets yourself, I advise to get real targets for safety reasons and longer durability of the target and your arrows!
Archery Targets
You can find all the information you need about archery targets in my Archery Target Guide.
Another optional but highly recommended equipment to make your life as an archer easier.
Quivers store your arrows and make them quickly accessible when needed.
Belt Quiver. Used under creative commons from: Myrabella
The most common types are:
In the movies, you mostly see back quivers, because that’s what we all know from Robin Hood and other stories about famous or fictional archers.
Most archers I know are using either belt or bow quivers, though. (I usually use belt quivers.)
Learn more about quivers in my post about arrow quiver types.
String silencers/dampeners reduce the sound and vibration you get when shooting with your bow.
Compound bow with string silencers. Used under creative commons from: Alberto ….
there are generally two different types of dampeners you can get:
String silencers get attached to the string, while limb dampeners get attached to the limbs.
Both will make your bow much quieter and won’t scare off game you want to hunt.
I have a detailed description of dampeners in the first part of my archery bow tuning guide.
I will update this page regularly, to make it easier for you to keep track of all the archery equipment you need and should have.
I am looking forward to your comments and suggestions to this topic.
Is there anything you would want me to explain or talk about?
Let me know in the comments below!
Oh, and if you are just starting with archery, make sure to read my getting started guide and my archery training.
Have a great day everybody!
Yours,
Moritz
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