Bow owner rule number one

I got a bow for my 25th birthday.

(I wanted it, ladies, don't be alarmed. I have lime green and hot pink zebra-striped wraps and fletching on my arrows, if that makes it better.)

I've been pretty good about shooting it as often as possible. For the first week-and-a-half, I shot it every evening, and this week I've probably averaged every other day.

So, at this point, you could very well say I've shot this thing quite a bit.

The bow shop set it at 37 pounds the day we bought it. You have to be shooting at 40 pounds to hunt with it in Arizona. Which means I have to get three pounds stronger before I can even think about killing anything.

Last night, we were both out shooting after supper, and Brandon mentioned something about us getting archery deer tags in August if we don't draw a tag for the fall.

I asked, "August? Like, this August?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you really think I'll be ready by then? And I have to get to 40 pounds first."

So he asked for my bow to bump it up three pounds. I mean, let's not worry about moving gradually or anything.

As I was walking over, I looked down at my string, and noticed a few places were starting to look a little gray and frayed-like.

"Hey, why is my string turning gray here?" I asked my hunting mentor.

"What? Let me see...Oh, I never told you to wax your string, did I?"

"No, you didn't. If you had, I would have done it. Is that what's wrong?"

"Yep. You're supposed to wax your string."

"How often? I've shot it a bunch."

"Oh, pretty often."

"Brandon! That's probably Bow Owner Rule Number One, and I didn't even know it!"

"Yeah, you're probably right..."

So now I'm in the market for a new hunting mentor. If he steered me wrong on rule number one, how can I be sure about all the rest of them?