Walk Back Tuning Your Bow

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When trying to dial in your bow for an upcoming hunt, you should consider the walk back tuning your bow procedure for maximum precision.

What is Walk Back Tuning Your Bow?

Walk back tuning is a process where you will shoot arrows at a line on a target, but your distance increases from the target while still using the same pin. You will shoot at 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards while still using your 20-yard pin. You will be making adjustments to your arrow rest and not your bow sight throughout this process. You will need a large target to allow for arrow drop at increased distances.

Walk back tuning allows us ensure the arrow is coming off your arrow rest straight for a more accurate and consistent arrow flight. It is best to do this on a day with little to no wind to ensure that your arrow flight is not impacted by the wind.

How to Walk Back Tune

Step 1, Sight your bow in at 20 yards to ensure that your point of impact is accurate with your 20 yard pin.

Step 2, Find the largest target you can and make a vertical line from near the top of the target to the bottom, ensuring that it is straight up and down.

Step 3, Create a horizontal line at the top of your vertical line to create your aiming point. You will be aiming at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines.

Step 4, It is important to remember to not move your sight throughout the process of walk back tuning. Leave the sight set in the position you found in step 1. Now let’s start the process…

Step 5, Shoot 3 arrows at 5 yards, aiming at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines using your 20 yard pin.

Step 6, Analyze your results: It is important to remember that we are not concerned about where the arrows are hitting vertically. For right now, we are only concerned with where your arrows hit left/right of the vertical line. If your first 3 arrows at 5 yards all do not hit on the that vertical line, you should move your rest left or right at this point.

Step 7, It is important to note that a small amount of left/right movement on your arrow rest can make big changes on your point of impact. Below is a chart that shows which direction to move your rest based on the impact of your arrows. (See below image)

Step 8, When you are done moving your rest, start the process all over again and continue adjusting your arrow rest left/right according to Step 7 until all 3 of your arrows are hitting the line at 5 yards.

Step 9, Once you have ensured that all 3 arrows are hitting the line at 5 yards, move back to 10 yards and repeat Steps 5-8. Make sure you continue to use your 20 yard sight pin as your aiming reference.

Step 10, Once you have ensured that all 3 arrows are hitting the line at 10 yards, move back to 20 yards and repeat Steps 5-8. Make sure you continue to use your 20 yard sight pin as your aiming reference.

Step 11, Once you have ensured that all 3 arrows are hitting the line at 20 yards, move back to 30 yards and repeat Steps 5-8. Make sure you continue to use your 20 yard sight pin as your aiming reference.

Step 12, Once you have ensured that all 3 arrows are hitting the line at 30 yards, move back to 40 yards and repeat Steps 5-8. Make sure you continue to use your 20 yard sight pin as your aiming reference.

Step 13, If your target size allows for it, you may continue your walk back tuning at whatever increased distances you like.

Step 14, Once you are confident that your arrows are consistently hitting on the vertical line at all distances, you are good to go! Your bow is now tuned to give you the most accurate and consistent shots at those further distances.

Step 15, It is important to remember that once you have completed your walk back tuning, you can now make adjustments to your bow sight and may have to sight in your bow sight again to get your bow sight completely dialed in with your newly tuned bow.