diy lighted nocks

How to make your own lighted nocks for bowhunting

Ever wanted to make your own lighted nocks instead of spending a small fortune on the ones in the store or online? Well, I am going to show you step-by-step how to make your own lighted nocks for bowhunting.

Advantages of lighted nocks

Bowhunters understand that arrows and broadheads can be expensive. On top of that, you never want to lose the animal you just shot.

Now, if you lose your broadhead, your arrow, and your quarry, this can cause full-blown bowhunter’s depression.

That’s where lighted nocks come in.

diy lighted nock finished product

When you get finished, you’ll have something that looks like a regular arrow nock, but when the string impacts it, it will light up. Then, with a little pull back on the nock, you will be able to turn it off… all for about $2.50 cents each!

They can help you not only find your arrow in low light conditions, but in the event that you don’t get a pass-through shot, you will be able to get a better visual on where your deer or other game runs after impact.

For those of you who film your hunts, lighted nocks can also help you see the point of impact and other shot details upon video playback.

What you’ll need to get started making your own lighted nocks

There a few basic things you’ll need to get started making your own homemade lighted nocks:

  • Bobber lights (search for “bobber lights” on Amazon)
  • Arrow nocks (NAP and Carbon Express Launchpad precision nocks both sell nocks with a diameter large enough to house most bobber lights. They also tend to have a longer shaft, which gives you more room to house the bobber light).
  • Super glue
  • Sand paper (100-grit works great)
  • PVC pipe cutters or box cutter blade

Time needed: 2 hours

Step-by-step instructions to make your own lighted nocks:

  1. Remove (cut off) the back of an existing nock

    So the first thing we want to do is remove the back of an existing nock with the pvc pipe cutters. Be sure to cut evenly cut all the way around so there’s not a burr on it (if you get a burr, you can use the sandpaper to smooth it out).

    cutting lighted arrow nock with pvc cutters

  2. Be sure the end of the cut nock fits into the arrow shaft

    Once you have cut the end off of this nock, be sure it fits in shaft snugly. If you have a burr from cutting it, use the sandpaper to smooth it out.

    You want this part to be a tight fit in the arrow shaft, because whenever you get this inserted, you don’t want it to move back and forth when you’re pulling on the back of the full nock.

    making sure bottom of nock fits snugly in arrow

  3. Super glue the bobber light bottom into the back of the cut nock

    Put some super glue on the bottom end of the bobber light battery. Slowly insert the bottom of the bobber light into the cut nock.

    gluing end of bobber light into arrow nock

  4. Seal the bottom of bottom end of nock

    Put a small bead of super glue on the open end of the cut nock to seal it. You can then set that bottom onto a paper plate to let it dry (2 hours).

    sealing end of homemade lighted nock

  5. Super glue lighted end of bobber light into the full arrow nock

    Carefully put a bead of super glue aright around the top of the lighted part of the bobber light.

    Be careful not to get glue in between the lighted portion and the battery part of the bobber light. (This would glue the two parts together and prevent the light from coming on when the string impacts the nock). 

    When finished, let that part dry 2 hours.

    super gluing bobber light to insert into arrow nock

  6. Be sure a regular nock will twist easily inside arrow shaft

    BEFORE inserting the finished lighted nocks into the shaft, take one of your nocks that does not have a bobber light in it yet and be sure that when you insert it into your arrow, that you can still twist/move it back and forth fairly easily.

    If it’s too stiff to move/twist, then take your sandpaper and lightly sand around the long part that goes into the arrow shaft (NOT the cut end) until it moves well enough for you to be able twist it fairly easily with your fingers.

    sanding the bottom of lighted nock

  7. Align nock with arrow fletchings

    If you use a rest that requires your fletchings to be pointed a certain direction, be sure you insert the nock in such a way that you will achieve the proper alignment of your arrow with your rest.

    aligning diy lighted nock with arrow shaft

  8. Insert finished nock into arrow shaft

    Once both ends of the lighted nock have dried, and you’ve also sanded the light nocks well enough for the string end of your nocks to move/twist easily, insert the lighted nock into your arrow shaft.

    inserting homemade lighted nock into arrow shaft

  9. Test and shoot

    Once you have inserted the nock into the shaft, test it by pressing on it to turn the light on, and then untwist the nock until it turns off. Then you’re ready to shoot!

    (NOTE: you may need to do some fine tuning of your site, as the added weight at the end of the arrow may slightly impact your current bow site settings.

    pressing end of homemade lighted nock

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Make a tangle-free pull-up rope for your bow here!

DIY lighted arrow nocks: Conclusion

We hope that you have fun (and saving some money) making your own lighted arrow nocks. They will help you have a better visual on your arrow and/or wild game on your next bowhunting adventure.

If you’d like to watch a video of this DIY lighted nock process, check this out.

If you are hunting whitetail deer, mule deer, elk or any other game animal, be sure to keep honing your bowhunting skills and we hope you put a hole N1!

(P.S., if you liked this DIY project, check out my DIY deer mineral recipe how to article as well as my DIY euro mount instructions!)

diy lighted nocks shining while in target

The lighted nocks worked great and they fly great too! You can check out the below video for more help on making your own lighted nocks!

buck in velvet staring at trail camera

Trail Camera Tips | How To Set Up Trail Cams For Big Buck Intel

If you want to find an early chink in the armor of a buck cast a wide net. Trail cameras are a great way to do just that.

When it comes to trail cameras, there are definitely many options these days. But even after you pick one, there can be lots of questions…

  • How do you use trail cameras to their potential so that you can get pictures bucks frequenting your hunting property?
  • What is the best time of year to start mounting trail cameras?
  • Are there some strategies that work best for locating target bucks?
  • What is the best way to mount a trail camera?

If you are looking for some answers to these questions, read on, we have some great trail camera tips for you!

man mounting a trail camera to a tree

Buying a trail camera is only the first step to capturing buck activity on camera. Below, learn some tips on how to set them up!

You have a trail camera… now what?

When it comes to putting out trail cameras, I always start a little earlier than most people. But, it’s understandable that not all hunters want to waste batteries and time going to check them.

So, if you are already very familiar with the property you intend to hunt and have an idea of the summer patterns of the bucks on that property, you could wait until late July or early August.  

Trail Camera mounting tip #1 Hot zones are Bedding and Feeding Areas

As I have learned more and more about deer hunting – and more specifically, buck behavior – it has become clear that it’s imperative to determine where bucks are bedding and feeding.

So, how can you set up the trail camera to get daylight pictures of those bucks?

Well, once you have an idea of where they are bedding and feeding, set up your trail cameras on routes that deer take to and from these areas until you begin to get daylight pictures of bucks.  

Getting these pictures may be easier if you hunt near agriculture such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, etc. than if you are hunting large stands of timber or hardwoods.

trail camera picture of big buck in velvet

Locating bedding and feeding areas are the first step to identifying the travel routes that bucks are using to move between the two.

If you only hunt large forested areas, then you might want to focus on open areas in the timber that have a lot of previous deer sign.

Another thing to focus on in these types of forested areas is browse pressure on native vegetation. For example, if you look closely, you may be able to see the tops of some of the plants and vegetation that have been nipped off.  If there is too much browse pressure, then you might need to use a supplemental food source or deer mineral until deer season (if it is legal in your area).

Learn how to make your own Euro mount: It’s easy!

Set up cameras near scrapes

Another way to get great early season bucks on camera is to get trailcam pictures near mock scrapes or active scrapes from last season.  I look for open areas or trails that might have a brushy limb or vine hanging over bare ground or low vegetation. 

I’ve got some great video of a target buck tending a scrape and chasing another 3-year-old buck away from it.  These are the types of areas I will key in on and look for locations to put deer stands in hopes of taking a successful shot on a mature whitetail.

buck working scrape
buck working scrape
buck working scrape
Scapes are a great place to capture buck activity with your trail cameras.

Then, I might set up a scrape dripper in hopes of increasing the buck activity in that location. If the bucks and does are already using a scrape now they will more than likely continue to use it during the season. 

I have seen as many as 20 open scrapes on a 300 yd trail that led from bedding to food.  Some bucks will travel up to three square miles for a safe food source.  The bucks on that particular scrape line were bedding 1,000 yards away and traveling almost every night to and from that food source to bed. 

Put in the extra effort

If you want to your trailcam strategy to yield the best intel possible, you need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and do some scouting off the road. Some of the best sign and bedding areas are off the road a good bit, but may be closer than you think. 

I have cut through 10 yards of thick brush and vegetation off a main trail and all of the sudden, boom… a big buck travel corridor!  If you find water or a swamp, even better.  Now you have a funnel, bedding, and a water source.

Deer are edge creatures, so if you find where the terrain transitions from hard woods or pines to swamp or thickets, then you should find good sign, or at least some type of deer trail.

When I’m scouting, I look for droppings, deer tracks and old rubs. Once you practice looking for these long enough, you will begin to get an eye for a good place to hunt or hang a trail camera.

buck rub on a tree

Rubs and other buck sign are good locations to consider mounting a trail camera.

Swampy areas…

If you hunt swamps like I do in the South, then you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of water. But, deer like to bed in swampy areas because it is cooler, and they can detect predators farther away.   

A lot of times, aerial pictures taken when there is still foliage on the trees makes it impossible to see these deer trails coming in and out of a swampy area. So, because pines and hardwoods hold their foliage longer, pictures taken during Winter or before Spring green-up will show transition areas better. 

aerial map with foliage
winter aerial map
As you can see in the aerial photos above, the picture on the right (winter) makes it easier to identify transition areas that are great locations to mount trail cameras.
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If you can only find does, keep looking, because the bucks will be nearby within a couple hundred yards. 

Water, funnels and fences

Another way to use aerial maps to hang trail cameras is to look for tree lines and natural funnels. 

Agriculture, fence lines, and water all make great natural funnels for deer to travel.  Deer do not feel as comfortable going across an open field, through water, or over a tall fence.

While deer can jump over or go under just about anything, they will default to openings in fence lines.

When it comes to water, I have seen deer chase through two feet of swamp water, but they would much rather go around it if they can.  

deer trail around edge of swamp

The “diamond in the rough” in swampy areas are trails in the mud coming in and out of the swamp as deer will often skirt around the edges of water.

Field Edges and corners

Field edges and corners are also great places to hang trail cameras. 

Deer will come out of just about anywhere if you have a good stand of bedding area along a field, but for some reason, they seem to prefer coming out of the corners.

On one of my hunting properties, there is a corner of a field that also has a water source that deer will skirt around.  This area makes for an awesome trail camera spot. In one pre-season, I have gotten pictures of 10 different bucks coming back to bed. 

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If you are having trouble getting daylight pictures of bucks, try glassing the field and see where they are coming out at in the afternoon. 

I have also seen bucks come out of the middle of a strip of trees off a field.  It all just depends on where they are bedding, and you will not know that unless you watch where they come out at in the afternoon or go back to in the morning. 

two bucks at feeder
transition areas for trail camera placement
night time picture of buck on field edge
Supplemental food sources, transition areas and field edges and corners are all good spots to consider mounting trail cameras to capture buck activity.

Cellular trail cams… a game changer

If baiting is not legal in your area, cellular cameras are a great option if you do not want to intrude on the area once it is set up. There are certainly huge advantages to not disturbing or leaving unnecessary scent in the area you are hoping to hunt.

Cell cameras allow you to wait until you see the buck you want using the area before going in for the kill.

There are new guidelines out now for the Boone and Crockett club that you cannot use a cell camera to help you kill a buck that meets their scoring requirements if you want it entered in the record books.  The Pope & Young Club has also updated its guidelines regarding the use of cellular trail cameras as it pertains to fair chase.

If you are like most people, you probably do not have booners running around and may not necessarily care about making the record books. 

Go heavy? Learn all about high FOC in bowhunting!

I typically run three cell cameras and eight regular cameras.  I use my cell cameras mainly to tell me when it is time to go refill the feed.  In my opinion, you can pattern deer just as well with standard trail cameras. 

You should, however, be more careful when you check the regular trails cameras.  Typically, I like to wait until around noon to check my trail cams, or I check them late at night after I know deer are already in the field feeding. 

I shot my biggest buck in 2019 after using a regular trail camera.  I noticed he was coming in the second day after I put out corn and deer lure, and I was able to take him just as planned. 

Wondering about your arrow’s FOC? Use this free calculator!

How to set up the trail camera | Best practices

When I set up a new trail camera, I mount it to a sturdy tree, at a height of about 3 feet off the ground. Or, I will set it up at a height where it can cover the most field of view. 

I make sure to clear vegetation and try and get a northern camera direction unless it has a lot of overhanging foliage or forest canopy to shield the sun.  Facing the trailcam East or West can cause the sunlight to interfere with the pictures as well as producing false triggers that result in unwanted pictures.

Mounting Tip: you can use is using your smart phone camera and flipping it to selfie mode.  Put the back of your phone on the trail camera, and you can get a good idea of what your camera will be seeing.

I also hang cameras parallel to the trail to catch the movement as well. 

You do not want to face the camera directly across the trail or you will end up getting pictures of just tails or brow tines. 

As deer season gets closer, you can also use video determine the direction the bucks are traveling to the bait sites or how they are using travel corridors.  (when using still shots only, it can be hard to tell which directing deer are moving). 

If you are trying to save your trail camera’s battery, I would set it to a three-picture burst and then switch to video when the season starts.

deer scratching ear with hoof
trail camera mounted to old wood frame
trail camera mounted to a tree
Setting up trail cameras doesn’t have to be a head scratcher. Mount them to a sturdy tree or structure, approximately 3 feet off the ground or where you can get a wide field of view.
Know all the differences between whitetail deer and mule deer? Check this out!

Trail Camera Tips Conclusion

As you can tell, an effective trailcam strategy involves planning and attention to detail. Hopefully, you have learned some tips that will help you become a more successful hunter. Not only that, but you never know what unexpected pictures of rare things you might get on your trailcam.

Here’s to great trail camera pics and even better pics of you sitting behind a trophy buck!

If you have any more questions or would like to follow along this deer season, I am active on social media:

I use the HuntWise App and my username is jrwilliamsjr. 

On Instagram, you can find me under aon_whitetail. 

My email address is johnrwilliams@valdosta.edu if you would like to contact me there.  I am currently in school to become a wildlife biologist.

picture of john williams with a big buck
John Williams
man sighting in a riflescope

Bullseye! | How To Sight In A Riflescope

If you’re ready to invest a little money in upgrading your rifle, one of the best things you can buy that will totally transform the way you shoot is a scope.

Not only will a scope improve your range and accuracy, but it will make our beloved sport more competitive and much safer.

But buyer beware.

Not all scopes are created equal! Some scopes are just poorly made, and other scopes are made for various purposes.

For example, the scopes I recommend in my 6.5 Creedmoor guide are solely dedicated for long range shooting.

Do You Need A Riflescope?

But before you buy a riflescope, learn why you should even buy a riflescope in the first place.

Some are built for tactical purposes while other sniper/hunting scopes specialize in longer-range targets.

mounting a riflescope

Purchasing a riflescope is only the beginning. You should properly mount and sight in your scope before you ever think about shooting it.

You may be shooting a .22 all the way up to a high-powered rifle, so it’s important that you have the right scope for the job. Be sure to read reviews on the scope you have in mind before purchasing. Reviews (like this Scope for Ruger 10-22 Reviews) can be very helpful in helping you decide how to spend your hard-earned dollars.

A quick pro-tip here is that it’s generally better to have too much scope than not enough. So, if you must err on the side of caution, err in favor of the scope.

I Have A Riflescope… Now What?

Okay, so you’re happy with the scope you’ve purchased, and now you want to get out and shoot, right?

Wrong.

Only after you have properly mounted your riflescope can you sight it. This component is just as important as anything else because it is how you customize the rifle to your own anatomy and mechanics.

Your arm length, eye spacing, and the unique way you hold the rifle are slightly different from everybody else, and these subtle differences can make a big difference downrange.

Ever wonder about buying guns online? Here’s the lowdown…

You might find it is easiest to sight your rifle at a local shooting range. However, if you live far from one but have a lot of land nearby, just make sure you’re shooting in a safe direction where there is no chance of passing hikers, campers, etc.

Make sure you use the same exact brand and weight of bullets that you’ll be using on the hunt. Even the slightest variation can have a significant effect on how the round fires.

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The basic idea of sighting is to make sure the bullet hits exactly where you’re aiming. If this doesn’t happen, it is either because of two things:

  1. You need a refresher on the fundamentals of marksmanship.
  2. Or the scope isn’t properly sighted.

Assuming it’s number 2, you might be wondering:

How do I properly sight my scope? Keep reading to find out!

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Step 1: Focus the Reticle

The first thing you need to do is make sure your reticle is in focus.

The reticle is the shape (crosshairs, a singular dot or circle, a triangle, etc.) you see when you look through the scope, and its function is to indicate scale or location of an object.

view through riflescope and reticle

Step 1 of sighting in your riflescope is to be sure you focus the reticle.

Look through the scope to ensure the whole picture is sharp. If it’s blurry, twist the diopter adjustment on the scope, which is typically going to be the end of the scope closest to your eye.

Something to keep in mind is that when shooting is that you will be focusing your naked eyes way downrange, scanning for targets or game, and then you’ll quickly switch to the scope right in your face.

Your eyes take a little time to adjust, so the view through the scope can be a little blurry for a few seconds.

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To eliminate this lag, look away from the scope and let your eyes focus on something else at a distance. Stare at it for a few moments, then quickly look through the scope and in the brief moments before your eyes adjust, determine if the picture appears blurry. Keep doing this until the image is sharp and in focus immediately upon looking through the scope.

Step 2: Boresighting

view while sighting in riflescope view

When boresighting your riflescope, be sure that what you’re aiming at down the barrel is the same thing your reticle is aimed at.

Boresighting your rifle first will save a lot of time and ammo.

This will take just a few minutes and will ready your weapon for the fine-tuning we are about to do.

First, securely mount the rifle to aim downrange at a highly visible target 25 yards away. Then, remove the bolt so you can see straight down the barrel at the target.

Look through and aim the barrel center mass. Next, look through the scope to ensure the reticle also lands center mass. You will likely need to adjust the scope’s turrets to achieve this. The turret on top adjusts the scope’s elevation (up and down) and the one on the side adjusts its windage (to the left and right).

Once your reticle is adjusted center mass, replace the bolt and get ready to start shooting.

Pro-tip: There are even specialized zero targets you can use that are gridded to help precisely determine the adjustments you need to make. You’ll see why that might be useful later.

Step 3: Fine Tuning

Sighting requires great precision, so make sure the rifle is either mounted or thoroughly supported for this step.

Replace the bolt, insert your high-quality ear protection, and fire three rounds directly at the bullseye of your target at 25 yards. You will probably not hit the bullseye, so focus more at the consistency of the shot group.

If your three shots are really close to each other, but the whole group is about 1 inch south and 2 inches west of the bullseye, you need to adjust the elevation for 1 inch and the windage for 2. It looks complicated, but it’s really simple.

scope turrets for sighting in riflescope

Use your scope turrets to fine tune your riflescope. 1 click typically changes shot location by 1/4 of an inch at 100 yards.

The turrets we were playing with earlier in the article are what we will now use to fine-tune your scope.

But before I go in-depth, here’s a quick primer on elevation and windage adjustments:

Usually one click changes the location of the bullet’s impact by ¼ inch at a target 100 yards away. The way we represent that is “1/4 MOA,” where MOA stands for Minute Of Angle. Four clicks will move the bullethole one inch in the direction indicated.

But, if the target is only 25 yards away, we need to move the dial 4x as many clicks to move the bullethole the same 1 inch. If the target is 200 yards away, conversely, 2 clicks move it 1 inch. Four hundred yards away, 1 click for 1 inch.

Learn the difference between night vision scopes and thermal scopes!

So, for the example above, we need to rotate the turret 16 times to elevate 1 inch and another 32 clicks to the right. The turret itself will indicate which direction to turn and the MOA (although most are ¼).

Once your scope is sighted for the target at 25 yards, it is time to extend the range to 100.

Fire another three rounds for your shot group, then determine how far off the bullseye the group is located.

Measure the deviation and adjust your elevation and windage in the same way we just did, bearing in mind that 4 clicks at this distance will equal 1 inch.

Fire another shot group at your 100-yard target, and if they hit where you wanted them to, you have successfully sighted your scope.

NOTE: Be careful not to bump your sight during transport or when pulling your gun up to your treestand. If you do, you could have to repeat the process to get your sight zeroed in again.

Happy Hunting!