Paper Tuning for Hunting and 3D Archery: A Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Paper tuning is a close-range tear that shows how the arrow leaves the bow. You hang paper, shoot through it, and read nock-high, nock-low, left, or right. Hunting and 3D use the same process. The difference is the point: match the broadhead grain if you hunt; field points are enough if you only shoot targets. Build the dozen in the 3D custom arrow builder.

What you need

  • A bag you can put paper in front of
  • A sheet of paper and tape or a paper-tune frame
  • Field points the same grain as the head you hunt (skip this if you only shoot 3D field points)
  • The rest, peep, and draw you actually shoot — not a shop bow

Step by step

  1. Hang the paper close. A few feet in front of the bag is enough. Stand 4–6 feet from the paper so the tear is a cut, not a shredded hole.
  2. Shoot a fletched arrow through the paper. Same anchor you hunt or shoot 3D with. One good shot beats three sloppy ones.
  3. Read the tear. A bullet hole is the goal. Nock-left or nock-right is rest and centershot first. Nock-high or nock-low is nocking point. Do not jump to a weaker spine because the first tear looked ugly.
  4. Change one thing and shoot again. Move the rest a little, or the nocking point a little. Repeat until the tear is round or very close.
  5. Walk back. Confirm at 10–20 yards on the bag. Then, if you hunt, shoot the broadhead at the same aiming point as the field points. That sequence is on broadhead compatibility and tune.

Hunting vs 3D

Same paper, same rest work. Hunting adds the head: helical, FOC, and a field point that matches the broadhead grain. 3D can stay on field points if that is what you score with. If a heavy head still kicks after the paper is clean, you may be under-spined for that front weight — check the spine chart and change one thing (point weight, cut, or spine row).

Related resources: broadhead compatibility, 3D custom arrow builder, arrow spine chart, FOC calculator.