bow coating

i know i sound like a noob when i ask this but how do i turn on the coating for the bows it says off and no matter what i do it wont say on

Lucky for you, I'm a bow expert (in my own little way).
You dont "activate" coatings, they automatically take effect when you set it to that coating. They dont work right away, you have to attack the monster for a good bit of time to paralize or poison or what ever coating you have on to work. You cant use certain coatings in certain areas, however.

Actually you do " Activate " the coating. You make sure you have the coating in the menu above your items and you press Triangle and Circle at the same time. your hunter will apply the coating and it will use 1 per shot. Make use of charge shots to get the most out of each coating.