Northdraw
A ready-to-hunt bow arrives with its sight, rest, stabilizer, peep and quiver in the box. Setting it up takes about an hour the first time, and most of that is checking, not tightening. Keep the maker's manual open next to you: it has the exact torque marks and adjustment points for your model. This guide gives you the order that works.
Before you start
- Work on a clean table with good light.
- Have the hex keys that come with the bow, a ruler or bow square, and the arrows you will shoot.
- Never draw and release the string without an arrow. A dry fire can break limbs or cams and hurt you.
1. Unbox and inspect
Lay every part on the table and check it against the box list on the product page. Look over the limbs, cams, string and cables. You are looking for cracks, splinters, frayed strands or a cable that has jumped off its track. If anything looks wrong, stop and email us photos within 48 hours of delivery.
2. Check the draw length
Your draw length is set on the cams, usually with a small module or a rotating plate marked in inches. The manual shows where. Compare the setting with your own number (wingspan divided by 2.5, or our draw length calculator). If it doesn't match, change it as the manual explains. Some bows let you do this without a press; if yours needs a press and you don't have one, a pro shop can do it in minutes, or email us and we'll help you with an exchange.
3. Set the draw weight
Draw weight is adjusted with the limb bolts. Turn both bolts the same amount, a quarter or half turn at a time, and never back them out past the maximum marked in the manual. Start lower than you think you need. A weight you can draw smoothly and hold for 20 to 30 seconds without shaking will make you shoot better than a heavy one.
4. Mount the arrow rest
Bolt the rest to the riser where the manual shows. Put an arrow on it and nock it on the string. Two things to check:
- Height: the arrow should sit level, or very slightly nose-up, compared with the string. A bow square makes this easy.
- Center shot: looking from behind, the arrow should point straight ahead, in line with the string.
5. Set the nocking point and D-loop
The nocking point fixes where the arrow sits on the string, so every shot starts from the same place. Many ready-to-hunt bows include a D-loop: tie it on just above and below the nock, so the arrow sits level on the rest. Your release aid clips onto the D-loop, not directly onto the string.
6. Install the sight and peep
Bolt the sight to the riser. Set the pins roughly in the middle of their travel for now. The peep is a small ring tied into the string. When you are at full draw with your anchor point, you should look through it and see the sight housing centered. Fitting a peep means separating the string strands, which is safest with a bow press or at a pro shop. If your kit already has the peep installed, just check its height at full draw.
7. Add the stabilizer and quiver
Screw the stabilizer into the front of the riser and attach the quiver. Shoot a few arrows with the quiver on and a few with it off: many hunters keep it on, because that's how they'll hunt.
8. Sight in
Start at 10 yards, then move to 20.
- Shoot three arrows aiming with the top pin.
- Look at where the group lands.
- Move the sight in the same direction as the group: arrows hit low, move the pin down; arrows hit left, move the sight left. This rule, called "follow the arrow", is what you'll use every time.
- Repeat until the group centers on the target, then set the next pins at 30 and 40 yards the same way.
9. Before every session
Check the string and cables for fraying, make sure every screw is still tight, and inspect your arrows. A cracked carbon arrow can break when you shoot it: bend each one gently and listen for cracking before you nock it.
Need help?
Email us a photo or a short video of your bow and tell us your draw length and draw weight. A real person will walk you through it.
Hunting rules, including minimum draw weight and broadhead types, are set by each state. Check yours on our state regulations page.
