Whisker biscuits encircle the arrow and provide you with a rest for your bow. Perhaps you have used one a while and wondered to yourself when you should replace it. Especially if you had a friend give you a whisker biscuit, you don’t know the age, but you don’t want to fire worn-out archery gear.
When do you replace a whisker biscuit? Depending on how hard you shoot it, moderate archers will want to replace the whisker biscuit every three to four years. Pay special attention to how the black bristles look because it serves as your biggest indicator of when you need to replace it.
If you’d like to learn more about when to replace a whisker biscuit, keep reading because we will look at the factors that affect this and how to know when to replace it.
How Often You Replace Depends on What You Put It Through
Certain elements and temperatures can cause the whisker biscuit to need a replacement sooner than others. Icy temperatures, for example, can freeze the whiskers of it, and when you put your arrow through it, this can damage the fletching and bristles of the biscuit. Not only that, but it can misdirect the arrow so that it fires in a different direction entirely. You will find that adverse weather conditions will impact the whisker biscuit.
When exposed to the elements, you may see less accuracy than during regular temperatures. In most cases, you can get whisker biscuits to last for several hunting seasons. Along with cold temperatures, high temperatures pose a problem, also. For example, don’t put a freshly hot-glued arrow point through the whisker biscuit because this can melt the bristles, and it won’t last as long.
Tune Your Bow Well
Bows not tuned well will wear out a whisker biscuit much sooner. You may want to add a whisker biscuit more for a well-tuned bow. The Trophy Ridge Sure Shot Pro Whisker Biscuit acts silently and dependably, which makes it a good piece of gear for hunting. Having a higher quality one will make it last longer, and it won’t cause as many damaged arrows as a cheaper model. That is why a higher-end model may be the better choice in this case.
Having the whisker biscuit installed at a professional archery shop can make a big difference in how long it lasts. The other thing that can wear out a whisker biscuit sooner could be the fletching. As the arrow passes through, the feathers will strike the whiskers, which can wear it out over time.
How to Spot a Worn-Out Whisker Biscuit
When a whisker biscuit wears out, the arrows will fishtail. In some cases, the alignment between your whisker biscuit and the bow is off. However, if you have had your biscuit for a couple of years, the whiskers may send the arrow out of whack with its shots. Examine the bristles because if you see a lot of broken or bent bristles, you may want to buy a new one. The biggest indicator comes from how it will mess up your shots. As long as the whisker biscuit doesn’t screw up your shots and it doesn’t look too worn, it shouldn’t matter too much.
Depends on How Much You Use It
Most bowhunters report that it lasts between three to four years, but someone who shoots every day may need to replace the whisker biscuit once a year or every two years. On the other hand, if you only use your whisker biscuit for hunting season, you may not shoot it all that much. You can get more use out of it. One individual reported using a single biscuit for eight years.
Proper Use of the Whisker Biscuit
You should check to see that you have used the correctly sized arrows for your whisker biscuit. Arrows too big for the biscuit can wear it out before its time. In some cases, they may show signs of wear but work fine. The other thing is that you need to have it aligned properly or that can wear it out as well.
If you plan to hunt with it, you may want noise-canceling pads, but that won’t impact the wear and tear on it. It will simply keep your prey from hearing the arrow coming.
Black Bristles Matter the Most
Once the black bristles wear out, you may need to replace your whisker biscuit. This holds the arrow in place. The other bristles don’t matter as much, and you can even cut them away without too much trouble. When the black bristles wear out, you can also have the bristles replaced. However, it makes more sense to me to buy a new biscuit at that point, rather than fix up an old one.
Depending on the brand, they won’t let you buy the bristles by themselves. You must buy a new disk with bristles. Trophy Ridge, for example, is one of the companies where you would need to buy a new whisker biscuit, but this has advantages in that you don’t shoot old and possibly damaged equipment. That can be dangerous.
Find out what happens when you shoot damaged equipment from an article that I previously wrote here.
The Bow Can Wear out the Whisker Biscuit Sooner
How fast your whisker biscuit wears out will also depend on the bow used. For example, a bow with faster speed will wear out the whiskers sooner. Along with the bow, the arrows chosen can wear it out faster too. Many shooters talk about how the whisker biscuit can ruin fletching, and you may need to re-fletch your arrows with it. On the opposite side, the arrows can also begin to wear out the whiskers.
Conclusion
Like any piece of archery equipment, whisker biscuits will wear out after time. How fast it wears out depends on how much you shoot, but you can expect to replace it every three to four years. Make sure that you properly align the biscuit with the bow because this ensures that it lasts longer. Pay attention to how your arrows fly through the biscuit because this can indicate when you need to replace them as the accuracy decreases.