THE SUPER-TUNING ISSUE

THE MODERN BOWHUNTING AUTHORITY

MAXIMUM
ACCURACY
How To:
Paper Tune Your Bow p. 22
Synchronize Your Cams p. 42
Boost Arrow Performance p. 36
Build a Steadier Setup p. 70
Achieve Flawless
Fixed-Blade Flight p. 44

TUNING
TRICKS
From Americas
Best Bow Shots p. 58

BOW TESTS
Bear BR33 p. 32
New Breed GX2 p. 86

Donald Trump Jr. Talks Bowhunting,

Conservation and Presidential Politics p. 96 www.bowhuntingmag.com
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DRAW LENGTH RANGE 25 1/2-30
LET OFF 75%
 JULY 2016
VOLUME 27
ISSUE #4
THE MODERN BOWHUNTING AUTHORITY

F E ATU R E S G E AR
32 TECHNICAL BOW TEST . . . . .
34 5 Tuning Tweaks for
Top Accuracy
Paying Attention to These Little Things 86
Bear BR33
TECHNICAL BOW TEST . . . . .
BY JON E. SILKS

BY JON E. SILKS
New Breed GX2
Will Yield Big Results
BY JOHN DUDLEY 88 FIELD TESTED . . . . . . . BY BOWHUNTING EDITORS
October Mountain Products, YETI Coolers
Bowhuntings Holy Grail
44 Think Getting Fixed-Blade Broadheads
to Fly Like Fieldpoints is Impossible?
92 NEW GEAR
An expanded look at bowhunting products

Think Again!
BY BILL WINKE p. 92

2016 Arrow Rest

56 Buyers Guide
BY DREW PELLMAN p. 32
p. 88
Supertuning with the Pros
58 When Good Isnt Good Enough, Follow
the Experts to Bow-Tuning Perfection
BY JEFF JOHNSTON
D E PARTM E NTS
2016 Bow Sight
68 Buyers Guide
BY CHRISTIAN BERG
6 FIRST SHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY CHRISTIAN BERG
Are You Shooting a Mazda or a Maserati?

12 THE INBOX
Readers speak out about their sport and magazine

70 The Balancing Act

Stabilizers are the Answer for Quieter,
More Accurate Bows
14 TAGGED OUT
Your Trophies, Your Photos

BY DARRON McDOUGAL 16 BOWHUNTING CORNER . . . . . BY BILL WINKE

Expert Answers to Your Bowhunting Questions

80 Extreme Pronghorns
Heat Makes for a Humbling Nevada
Hunt After an Overdue Draw
20 WHITETAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . .BY DR. GRANT WOODS
Avoiding Ground Shrinkage

BY EDDIE CLAYPOOL 22 BOWHUNTING 101 . . . . . . . . . . . BY BILL WINKE

How to Paper Tune Your Bow

24 BETTER BOWHUNTING . . . . BY RANDY ULMER

ON THE COVER: Danny Kobal, a bow technician at
Archery Addictions (www.archeryaddictions.com)
Watch Your (Bow and Release) Hands!
28 CROSSBOWS . . . . . . . . . . .
Give Your Crossbow a Tune-Up
BY BOB HUMPHREY

in Walnutport, Pa., uses the Tru-Center 2.0 Laser

Aligner from October Mountain Products (www.
octobermountainproducts.com) to locate the center
30 SPOT-ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BY CABE JOHNSON
The Game Changer
shot position on an Energy 32 bow from Elite Archery
(www.elitearchery.com). 96 FACES OF BOWHUNTING . . .
Donald Trump Jr.
BY MARK DEMKO

4 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

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Made-iin-Ameriica ICS Carbon Arrows.

2016
 FIRST
SHOT
Are You Shooting a
Mazda or a Maserati?
T
heres absolutely nothing wrong with driving a Mazda. In fact,
I once owned one myself. It was a nice, practical vehicle that
got me where I needed to go.
But if money was no object
(wouldnt that be nice?) and you gave
me a choice between a Mazda and a
Maserati, it wouldnt be a very diffi-
cult decision. In terms of power, per-
formance, luxury and flat-out fun, a
Maserati beats a Mazda every day of
the week and twice on Sunday.
Yet as contributor Jeff Johnston
points out in his Supertuning with
the Pros feature on p. 58, most bow-
hunters are content getting Mazda
performance out of their hunting
rigs even though many of us own
$1,000 bows more than capable of
delivering Maserati-like sports car
performance.
To bring the analogy full circle,
theres nothing wrong with a bow
that shoots like a Mazda. You can
kill plenty of deer with a bow that
shoots pretty good. Heck, most of
us have!
forgiveness, and John Dudley, who
What if you could
shoot groups as
tight at 50 yards as
you can at 30?
well-tuned rig. But perhaps just as
But what if the same bow youre
shooting pretty well today was ca-
pable of helping you shoot great
with a bit of additional tuning? What
if a check of your cam timing, a few
twists of your cables and a slight
adjustment of your rest could make
your arrows fly like darts and your
fixed-blade broadheads group with
your fieldpoints? What if your bow
was more forgiving of small errors in
shooting form (you know, the kind
6 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
BY CHRISTIAN BERG
you tend to make when a big buck
is standing at 18 paces)? What if you
could shoot groups as tight at 50
yards as you can at 30?
If, like me, you desire to carry a
hunting bow afield that is less Ford
and more Ferrari, then The Super-
Tuning Issue is for you. This edition
is jam packed with practical tips,
expert advice and how-to instruc-
tions for tinkering until your bow is
better tuned than ever. From basic
tasks such as finding center shot and
paper tuning, to more advanced tech-
niques such as bare shaft tuning and
eliminating cam lean, our experts will
help you gain a better understanding
of your bow and wring every last
drop of performance from its string.
Youll also find some seldom-seen
nuggets of wisdom from top shoot-
ers such as Tim The Hammer
Gillingham, who discussed his
torque tuning technique to boost
risk, and the authors and Publisher disclaim any and all liability relating
offers a series of five simple equip-
ment tweaks guaranteed to tighten
your groups.
Learning to take care of various
tuning tasks on your bow has mul-
tiple benefits. First and foremost,
and probably most obvious, is the
increased efficiency, performance
and accuracy youll enjoy from a
important is the increased archery
knowledge youll gain the process,
making it easier for you to identify
and correct additional equipment
problems in the future.
Last, but certainly not least, is the
added confidence a supertuned bow
provides when we climb into the
treestand or up the mountain. As the
tuning experts highlighted in this
issue demonstrate, the results speak
for themselves in the form of perfect
shots and punched tags.
Jeff Paro
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER,
HUNTING & SHOOTING Mike Carney
SENIOR VP, TV OPERATIONS
GROUP PUBLISHER, FISHING Steve Hoffman
VP, FINANCE & OPERATIONS Derek Sevcik
VP, CONSUMER MARKETING Peter Watt
VP, MANUFACTURING Deb Daniels
VP, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Todd Smith
VP, DIGITAL SALES David Plante
SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION Connie Mendoza
DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY Kyle Morgan
OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP DIGITAL
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Berry Blanton
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AD OPS Reggie Hudson
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, FISHING Jeff Simpson
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, HUNTING/SHOOTING Randy Hynes
For questions regarding digital editions, please
contact digitalsupport@outdoorsg.com
MEDIA FISHING
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HUNTING
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Copyright 2016 by Outdoor Sportsman Group
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written
permission.
Bowhunting is a registered trademark of Outdoor Sportsman Group in
the United States.
The Publisher and authors make no representations or warranties regarding
the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information contained in
this publication. Any reliance or use of the information is solely at your own
thereto. Any prices given in this issue were suggested prices at the press
time and are subject to change.
Some advertisements in this magazine may concern products that are not
legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions.
Cover Photo: Jessica DeLorenzo
07 2016


THE MODERN BOWHUNTING AUTHORITY

An Outdoor Sportsman Group Publication
PUBLISHER Jeff Waring
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR Christian Berg
ART DIRECTOR David J. Siegfried
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Drew Pellman
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sally Burkey
FIELD EDITORS
HUNTING SOLO Eddie Claypool
CROSSBOWS Bob Humphrey
GEAR TESTING Jon E. Silks
FULL DRAW Randy Ulmer
CENTER SHOTS Bill Winke
ADVERTISING SALES
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Danny Farris
(719) 393-9781 danny.farris@outdoorsg.com
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(800) 200-7885 mark.thiffault@outdoorsg.com
ADVERTISING SALES REP Jeff Millar
(717) 695-8081 jeff.millar@outdoorsg.com
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MANAGER Brittany Troutman (717) 695-8089
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www.bowhuntingmag.com

BOWHUNTING, (ISSN # 1049-9768) is published 9

times a year, including one double issue; Jan/Feb, Mar
(Gear Guide), Apr/May, June, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov/
Dec, by OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP, 1040 6th Ave.,
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PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

8
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 THE
INBOX
Remembering Jim
I was saddened by the passing of
Jim Dougherty and gladdened by
your tribute to him. I started bow-
hunting in 1957 and at that time sub-
scribed to most of the outdoor publi-
cations available. I read every issue
cover to cover, saved them and re-read
them cover to cover many times over
the years. Jim was one of my favorite
authors. I loved the way he wrote, his
hunting philosophy, his humor and
his ethics. Pretty much everything he
wrote struck a deep-seated feeling in
me and set the tone for the way to live
as a hunter. I was delighted to find his
thoughts jumping on my heart again
from the back page of BOWHUNT-
ING. I will treasure those back pages
and what Jim has done for my feel-
ings about hunting, and particularly
bowhunting. Thanks for bringing him
back to me.
Bob Barnes, via e-mail
Strength In Numbers
I have been shooting archery for
going on 15 years now, and wow,
have things come a long way since
I first started. My first bow was a
Hoyt Magnatec I got for Christmas,
and now I shoot the Hoyt Spyder.
In every monthly issue, I read more
letters about how crossbows are
ruining bowhunting and how they
should have their own season. I tend
to disagree with people who say this.
They make claims about crossbows
that it takes no skill to shoot one, or
you can shoot longer distances and
now everyone and their brother is in
the woods.
Granted, with a crossbow you
load it once and you are set all day.
But that still doesnt mean you dont
have to read the body language of
a deer and plan your shot. You still
have to deal with buck fever, whether
you are shooting a vertical bow or a
crossbow. Im sorry, but the distance
thing is a horrible argument. Even
with a crossbow you still top out at
50-60 yards. Look at all the new prod-
ucts out there to help vertical bow-
hunters. They have rangefinders that
mount directly to your bow, bigger
broadheads to make it easier to hit a
vital, and just look at some of the box
12 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
blinds people hunt out of.
People can disagree with me
and thats fine, but I believe there is
strength in numbers. The more people
who do it will lead to more things be-
ing done for the archery community.
Tim Foti, Wisconsin, via e-mail
Minimal Effort, Minimal
Ethics
I have bowhunted and shot tour-
naments since 1966. The broadhead
tournaments in Wisconsin in the 60s
and 70s were wonderful precursors
to our present 3-D shoots. At this
point, I want to add my comments on
the crossbow issues since I know my
views are shared by many.
Send your comments to
Petersens BOWHUNTING
Dept. Reader Mail
6385 Flank Dr., Suite 800
Harrisburg, PA 17112
or e-mail your submission to
bowhunting@outdoorsg.com
Our early longbow seasons were
given to us based on the fact that
bowhunting is much more diffi-
cult than firearms hunting. The ba-
sic definition of bow and arrow,
which allowed these seasons to be
granted, was hand held and hand
drawn. The Pope and Young Club
is still the keeper of this ethic. Cross-
bows have been allowed for hunters
with certain handicaps in archery
seasons and in many firearm or
primitive weapons seasons. This is
as it should be. Now, however, we
have many states putting crossbows
in archery-only seasons with the
idea that more people would partic-
ipate. If this is adding people to the
archery seasons, its only those un-
willing to practice enough to become
proficient with a bow and arrow.
They were able to hunt with cross-
bows and now they want the early
seasons too, without the effort.
Along with adding crossbows,
many states are removing minimum
draw weights. This is unethical,
period. But now we add hunters
who cannot draw enough weight to
hunt previously. I have to wonder
how many this really adds to our
numbers?
Crossbows do not belong in
archery-only seasons, and a min-
imum weight or energy level is
needed for penetration on big game.
Those people hollering for these
things simply want something for
nothing, riding on the efforts of the
people who have given the effort to
achieve what archery has gained.
Further, they are unwilling to live
with these good hunting ethics. Its
too much effort!
Myself and many others are not
willing to give away our ethics
because a minority is hollering loud-
ly only for themselves. They have al-
ways been able to hunt with a cross-
bow and they have always been very
welcome to join the archery family
just make the effort. Unfortunate-
ly, they they are unwilling to do so.
Howard S. Berger, via e-mail
Total Hypocrisy
When compound bows hit the scene
many years ago, traditional archers hit
the roof. How could anyone shooting
a contraption with wheels, pulleys and
a high letoff call themselves a bow-
hunter? Now that the crossbow has
made its appearance, it too is under
attack. In fact, the compound shoot-
ers are placing themselves in the same
camp as traditional shooters real
bowhunters. Hypocrisy at its finest.
This past October, after 40 years
of bowhunting, I suffered a fall and
broke my neck in two places. Now
I will have to hunt with a crossbow
out of a ground blind with a bi-pod.
Thank God I can still hunt! Howev-
er, many of my fellow hunters would
like to see me restricted to an early
crossbow season and spend the rest
of the year on the couch so they can
have the whitetail woods to them-
selves. Yes, the crossbow is a very
accurate and efficient weapon. So is
a compound that has 80-percent le-
toff and smokes arrows at 350 fps. So,
stop the in-fighting.
By the way, Im speaking for all
crossbow hunters, not just those of us
who have a physical impairment.
Mike Shields, Illinois, via e-mail
07 2016
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SILVER ANNIVERSARY
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Justin Skarbek, Renfrew, Pa.

WORTH THE WAIT

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CONVINCING CAMO
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John Lusk, Denver, Co.
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Rick Casey, Paw Paw, Mich.

14 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

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Q: I came across some money in my
wallet that the wife missed and
decided to pick up a pack of lighted nocks.
My only concern is the possibility that they
may lead to arrow jumping by deer at longer
yardages. Do you think deer may be able to
notice this point of light traveling towards
them at 300-plus feet per second?
Joe from Maine, via e-mail
A: My wife must have better eyes than
yours the cupboard is bare here!
Ive never heard of deer seeing the lighted
nock and trying to elude it. Plus, it should
be partially obscured by the arrow itself.
I have only shot a few deer with them, so
I am no expert here, but Ive always said,
and still believe, that the sound of the
bow is what causes them to drop and load
their legs to run. Possibly, if they are star-
ing straight at you when you shoot, they
may see the bow limbs move or the arrow
jump forward and start reacting to that. I
still say its the bow noise that startles
them. If I had to guess, I would say lighted
nocks will not contribute to string jumping
in any way.
Q: I dip and spit on the ground while Im
in the stand. Do you think that hurts
my chances of seeing big bucks?
Daniel from Texas, via e-mail
A: No, I dont. I dont believe deer
associate the smell of chewing
tobacco or saliva with humans or danger.
Im not a dipper, but others who dip and
spit while hunting have told me deer dont
react to it. Possibly some deer have become
conditioned to this and may react differ-
ently, but in most settings, they would have
so little experience with this smell that they
would not make the connection to danger.
Ive spit on the ground right in front of
deer on occasion to see if they react to
saliva. They sniff it and move on as if its
nothing. Interestingly, I have seen the same
reaction from human urine on the ground.
I pee from my stands and have done this
for probably 20 years. Ive yet to see a deer
that actually smelled it and reacted to it.
None showed alarm.
Q: I was told not to hunt right on my
small food plot. From watching your
videos, I think your stands are often right on
them. How high are you and have you ever
had deer still in the plot at dark? Do deer
freak out quite as bad if they are spooked
in the dark?
Scott from Wisconsin, via e-mail
A: Because its so small, the deer usu-
ally vacate these plots at some point
before, or right around, dark. I think they
head off on their rounds or possibly move
toward larger feeding areas. I have not had
trouble at all hunting right on the small
plots. Big plots and farm fields are a differ-
ent story, however. I would hunt right on the
plot if I were you.
Im about 20 feet up in most of my
stands and I try to set up where I can
climb down the back of the tree when leav-
ing. That way, even if there are deer there
after dark, I can generally sneak out un-
noticed. I dont think deer are as spooked
after dark if they dont know for sure what
made the noise. If they smell you, that is
different. But if they just hear you sneak-
ing out, I dont think that is a huge deal.
Super still evenings are a bad deal though
deer are always very edgy on super still
evenings.
Tyler, from New Jersey, has an interesting
question. Its one I had never considered, and Ive
been doing this for a long time! It almost feels
like trying to answer the question, Are there
different levels of dead?
Here is Tylers story: I shot a doe this past
season. I shoot 73 pounds and I believe 28-inch
arrows at 400 spine. I was using normal-diameter
carbon arrows. It was a 31-yard shot, quartering
away. It was a double-lung hit that went in the
right side behind front shoulder, but didnt come
out the other side because it hit the shoulder
blade. It killed the doe easily, and she only ran
14 yards. But, I didnt like the fact that the arrow
didnt come out the other side and then broke off
inside the deer.
I pulled six inches of arrow and the broadhead
out of the deer while butchering. I was shooting
a popular, large-diameter head. Any suggestions
for getting that arrow through that shoulder blade
or do you think the distance of the shot played a
major role in my not being able to shoot through
her?
Here are my thoughts on this. First, an arrow
doesnt lose much energy going 31 yards, so the
length of the shot is not a factor here. If it had
been 80 yards, heaven forbid, I would have to do
some math. But at 31 yards, the arrow has nearly
the same energy as it had right after leaving the
bow. The reality is that broadheads with large
cutting diameters will never penetrate as well
as heads with smaller cutting diameters. It just
takes more force to push something large through
the animal than something small.
Also, I am not sure it really matters that the
arrow didnt go through the other shoulder. Im
not even sure my arrows would have, and I am
shooting more draw weight with smaller broad-
heads. Thats asking a lot. Plus, the deer died
fast. What more could you want? Granted, you
had to deal with the broken off arrow, but that is
part of what we do.
However, if you really want more penetra-
tion without changing bow and arrows, you need
a smaller broadhead. A micro-diameter arrow
will also help, but that is not as important as
broadhead size in determining how far an arrow
penetrates. Like I said, even then, I doubt you
would make it through the offside shoulder blade.
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 WHITE
TAILS
Avoiding Ground Shrinkage
Scoring Velvet Bucks
Deer season opens in some areas
early enough (South Florida, the
coastal counties of South Carolina,
and Kentucky) that all or a majority
of bucks have velvet antlers. In fact,
many hunters travel to these states
during the early season for the pri-
mary purpose of tagging a velvet
buck. These are unique trophies con-
sidering that archery season doesnt
open in most states until a majority of
bucks have shed their antler velvet.
Accurate estimates of score are
useful for comparison purposes.
Fortunately, enough racks have
been scored with the velvet on and
then after the velvet has been re-
moved to provide an idea of how
much velvet adds to the score. Data
from scoring the same bucks with
and without velvet indicate that, on
average, velvet adds about 20 per-
Back in 2011, Dr. Grant Woods got numerous trail-camera photos of a buck he named Clean cent to a bucks antler score.
12. Woods estimated the bucks antlers would score in the 140s, but when he tagged the For example, a buck that scores
buck in October he realized the buck only sported a 120-class rack. Woods experience and 150 inches with velvet on will score
that of many other hunters shows that velvet adds about 20 percent to overall antler score, about 120 inches with the velvet
something hunters should keep in mind as they review their summertime trail-camera photos. removed. Add to this the excite-
ment of looking at trail-camera
pictures before the season and its

B
y mid-July, many whitetail hunters are sharing trail-
camera pictures of bucks with large antlers covered in easy to see why many bucks expe-
rience ground shrinkage. Ground
velvet. Folks will be trying to estimate the score of these shrinkage is a term used to describe
bucks and guess how many more inches they will grow. This the difference in perceived antler
months column will help you do just that. size before and after harvest.
Even though bucks only have velvet antlers for about four months, the Ive been a victim of ground
antler-growing process occurs year round. As part of this process, bucks seek shrinkage myself! During July and
a protein-rich diet during the growing season and minerals throughout the August 2011, I was getting pictures
year. of a 12-point buck my friends and
Protein is the primary ingredient of growing antlers. Bucks consuming a I estimated would score in the high
protein-rich diet tend to produce larger antlers for each age class compared to 140s. Thats a huge buck in the coun-
those living in habitat where protein is limited. This is obvious by comparing ty where I live. Stone County has ex-
the average antler size per age class of bucks from the Midwest, where soy- tremely poor soils and the primary
beans are commonly grown, or South Texas, where many of the native plants land use is mismanaged oaks and
are rich in protein, to areas dominated by grass or timber. hickories and fescue pasture. As far
Around mid-July, bucks slow down transporting protein to the developing as I know, theres not a single pro-
antlers through blood flow and begin transporting calcium. Velvet antlers are duction soybean field in the county.
full of blood vessels. This extremely high blood flow is necessary to transport I began planning a strategy to tag
enough calcium and other minerals to the antlers to basically fill the develop- the buck I called Clean 12. A cold
ing antlers with these minerals. front was forecast to pass Oct. 21. So,
The mineralization of antlers takes about a month. During this stage of I selected a stand close to where I
development, antlers are still covered with velvet but dont grow very much. thought Clean 12 was bedding. Sure
Therefore, bucks wont score much more in October than they do in late July. enough, I spotted Clean 12 passing
Except for being covered with velvet, accurate estimates of antler score for an about 70 yards away through the
individual buck can be made during late July. timber. The short story is that Clean

20 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 BY DR. GRANT WOODS

12 responded aggressively to some

grunt calls and presented me with a
three-yard shot. (You can watch the
hunt online at www.growingdeer.
tv/episode/101/)
I was (and still am) thrilled that
my strategy worked to tag Clean
12. But I admit I was shocked when
I put my hands on Clean 12 and
realized he was a 120-class buck; not
the 140-plus I was expecting. This
ground shrinkage was a result of
estimating his score based on velvet
antlers, and that experience con-
firmed that velvet does indeed add
about 20 percent to what a bucks Dr. Grant Woods poses with Clean 12 in October 2011 after getting many trail-camera
hard antlers will score. photos of the same buck earlier in the year.
If you want to estimate a bucks
antler score based on pictures when
his antlers are covered with velvet, I hope each of you enjoys some a good buck this July, use this infor-
remember to reduce the guess by 20 successful hunts and fresh venison mation and youll have a good idea of
percent. This formula is good preven- this fall. If you are blessed enough what hell score when you put your
tive medicine for ground shrinkage! to get some trail-camera pictures of tag on him in a few months.
 BOWHUNTING
101
I
n my broadhead-tuning fea-
ture on p. 44, I wrote about
the steps required for tun-
ing your bow and your ar-
rows. In this column, I want to
go into more detail regarding
the important process of pa-
per tuning. This is the quick-
est and surest way to make
the adjustments needed for
laser-straight arrow flight.
The Paper-Tuning Fixture
You dont need a fancy fixture
to properly paper tune your bow.
Although many pro shops have
elaborate frames dedicated to pa-
per tuning, you can get by with a
simple cardboard box. Cut a hole
smaller than a piece of copier pa-
per in the bottom of a cardboard
box. You can tape the paper over the
hole and shoot through the box. Set
it on something to attain the correct
height in front of the target and you
are in business.
Another option is even simpler;
simply purchase a Paper Tune-It kit
from .30-06 Outdoors ($11.95; www.
30-06outdoors.com). The kit comes
with a pre-made cardboard frame
to hold your paper and 10 sheets
of tuning paper with pre-printed
instructions for how to correct
imperfect tears.
Shooting Distance
You need a clean shot through the
paper with no outside interference.
Place the tuning paper at least three
feet from the target so there is no
chance the arrow will hit the target
before it goes all the way through the
paper. Stand or sit about six feet from
the paper when shooting your bow. Be
sure the paper is roughly at shoulder
height so you can use normal shooting
form. This is important.
Shot Execution
Since paper tuning is a test of both
your bows setup and your shooting
form, you need to focus on making
perfect shots or you will be chasing
22 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
How to Paper Tune Your Bow
your tail, adjusting your bow when
your shooting form is actually the
culprit. If you grab the grip when
you trigger the release or punch the
trigger, you are likely to see tears
even if your bow is set up perfect-
ly. Keep your grip very relaxed all
the way through the shot and hold
a steady follow-through until the
arrow hits the target.
Understanding Your Tears
When you look at the paper, post-
shot, you will see a rounded hole
where the fieldpoint went through
and some type of tear caused by the
vanes and the end of the arrow. The
value of paper tuning comes down
to your ability to read these tears
and make the correct adjustments
to your bow and shooting form to
eliminate them. Your goal is a round
bullet hole with three narrow cuts
radiating outward caused by the
vanes. Such a hole results from an
arrow that is flying true, with the
nock following directly behind the
point. Any variation in this perfect
flight will rob you of accuracy and
penetration when hunting.
Tail-High Tears: There are four rea-
sons your bow may be throwing a tail-
BY BILL WINKE
Shots during the paper-tuning process
should be taken from about six feet away
from the paper. Although you can make
a paper-tuning fixture of your own, the
Paper Tune-It kit from .30-06 Outdoors
is an inexpensive product that makes the
job easy and includes handy instructions
printed right on the tuning paper.
high arrow. First, the nock point may
be too high on the string. Second, the
rest may be too low. Third, the arrows
vanes may be hitting the rest, causing
the arrow to deflect upward. Fourth,
the cam timing of the bow may be off,
causing the nock to move up as the
string moves forward.
When a modern compound bow
is set up correctly, the arrow will
form a 90-degree angle with the
string and will cross the rest right at
the center of the rest-mounting hole.
You can make small adjustments to
the nock point position to bring the
tail down (18 inch at a time), but do
not make large adjustments. If you
have to make large adjustments to
see a change in the paper tears, the
problem lies elsewhere: cam timing
or vane contact with the rest.
If the vanes are hitting the rest,
you should see scuffs or markings
on one of the vanes. If not, you prob-
ably dont have contact. But, to be
TOBY BERG PHOTOS
When making adjustments to your arrow
rest in response to paper tears, it is im-
portant to move in very small increments.
Move no more than an eighth of an inch
at a time. Many times, even smaller ad-
justments are all that are needed to bring
your arrows into proper alignment.
07 2016

sure, try rotating the nock on the
arrow to change the orientation of
the vanes compared to the rest. That
can make a difference. If you cant
eliminate contact this way, consid-
er a different rest or increasing the
tension on your activation cord (on
a drop-away rest) to see if that helps
by getting the launcher out of the
way faster.
If the tail-high tear persists af-
ter adjusting the nocking point and
eliminating contact, the issue likely
involves the bows cam timing. Un-
fortunately, I dont have room here to
dive into this subject, but I will cover it
in a companion video on the website.
Adjusting cam timing can be complex,
and unless you know what you are
doing, you should just take the bow to
a good archery shop for help.
These two sheets of paper tears show the
progress made during the paper-tuning
process, from initial tears that were both
low and right to near-perfect bullet holes.
Tail-Low Tears: Tail-low arrow
flight is uncommon and generally
the result of a bow with incorrect
cam timing. It is also possible your
nocking point is too low or your
rest too high, but you can rule that
out very quickly by just moving
your nocking point up 18 inch to
inch. Again, if the prognosis is cam
timing, your best solution is to seek
professional help.
Tail-Left and Trail-Right Tears:
Sideways paper tears can be tough
to eliminate because they have four
possible causes, only two of which are
easy to fix. I will start with the easy
ones. First, move your rest in toward
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LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN
HEAVYWEIGHT
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the bow if the arrow is tearing right
or out from the bow if it is tearing left.
Sometimes you get some strange in-
teraction with sideways string move-
ment and your results dont make
sense. For that reason, you should also
try moving the rest slightly the op-
posite direction just to rule out some
oddball harmonics in the string.
If that doesnt fix it, consider an
arrow that has a different spine or
just a different brand. I have bows
that produce good arrow flight with
one make of arrow and not with oth-
ers, even though they are supposed-
ly the same stiffness. A little exper-
imenting in the archery shop can
eliminate a lot of frustration. 2-inch
Now for the hard fixes. Sideways thick layers
heat-welded
string travel can cause left or right together vertically.
rips that are impossible to fix, short
of making mechanical changes to the From Crossbows to Hi-Performance
bow to assure that the cams start out Compounds, a TRUE 6-SIDED
vertical and stay vertical when you TARGET with 66% MORE
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position that creates torque on the
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can ultimately say the problem
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 BETTER
BOWHUNTING BY RANDY ULMER

Watch Your (Bow and Release) Hands!

The black dot in the photo illustrates the

L
ast month, I mentioned that
proper position for this pressure point be-
shooting machines have tween your palm and bow grip.
proven todays bows to be
extremely accurate and consis- handle to move ever so slightly as
tent. However, when a real per- the arrow is leaving.
son is shooting the bow, things One thing that may help you get
the position just right is to take the
are different. The arrow often hits thumb of your right hand (for a
somewhere other than where right-handed archer) and place it on
the pin was at the time the shot your left palm where you think the
broke. This usually occurs be- pressure point should be. Push real
cause the archer did something hard with your thumb in the direc-
tion of the length of our imaginary
to interfere with the bow during rod. If your hand tends to want to
the shot process. The point of rotate to the left (as viewed from
this column (as well as the last) above) your pressure point position
is to teach you how to eliminate is too far toward the fingers of your
all possible interference with bow hand. If it tends to rotate right,
the bows function and LET THE the position is too far toward the
thumb.
BOW SHOOT THE SHOT.
There are basically three areas where we tend to interfere with the function Relax!
of the bow. The first is the string. By impeding it anywhere along its path, we You must keep your bow hand
create inconsistencies in our shooting. The second (and most common) area of completely relaxed from the time
interference is the bow hand. By creating undue forces on the bows handle you start drawing until the arrow
we adversely affect the performance of the bow. The third area of contact and hits the target. Dont squeeze the
potential interference is the release hand. In this column we will talk about grip with your fingers, and just as
how to minimize potential interference from either hand. importantly, dont force the fingers
outward. Instead, let your fingers
Proper Placement hang naturally. Once at full draw,
The way you start the shot is very important. Most great shooters create min- you need to make sure the bow hand
imal interference. If you were to take the top 10 professional compound archers and release hand remain torque free.
in the world and randomly assigned each of them one of their competitors Some people lose their sense of
bows, I believe they would still hit the middle of the target without adjusting control when they completely relax
the sights. They have learned to let the bow shoot the shot without hindering it. their bow hand, but you shouldnt
This is far from the case with your average group of bowhunters; each has their be trying to control the bow with
own unique way of interfering with the bow. your hand. You should control the
There are several considerations when placing the bow hand. The bow han- bow with your upper torso. When
dles force will be centered in one place on your bow hand. Where this pres- it comes to shooting a bow, I like to
sure point is will determine your consistency. Imagine a rod running through think of my arm as a post I have no
your forearm from the tip of your elbow, parallel to and between the two long control over.
bones of your forearm and then out through your palm. The point where it To minimize interference from
would exit your palm is the ideal pressure point for your grip. Place this small the release hand, just make sure the
spot in the exact center (side to side) of the back of the grip before drawing the hand and forearm muscles are com-
bow. If you have placed the hand properly, the bow will have no propensity to pletely relaxed. This is easy if you are
move left or right when you fully relax your hand. Your knuckles should be at shooting a wrist-strap release aid. If
a 45-degree angle to the both the floor and the long axis of the bow. you are shooting a handheld release
It is best to have a routine for bow-hand placement. I like to rest the bows aid, your fingers should serve only
bottom limb/wheel on my thigh with the bow hanging from my release aid, as a relaxed, inanimate hook to hold
which is attached to the string. I then place my hand into the bow carefully. the release. The wrist should be al-
I apply gentle pressure with the release aid on the string to seat the bow lowed to stretch out fully, straight
handle in my palm. and relaxed. Do not wrap your wrist
Be careful not to move the hand after it is placed. If you do, you will create around your neck, and most certain-
skin torque, meaning the handle will pull the skin sideways as it moves ly do not put your thumb behind
into position. Once the string is released that skin tension will force the bow your neck for support.

24 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 BT-X

REFUSE to FOLLOW
@bowtecharchery www.bowtecharchery.com

Bowtech, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. Overdrive Binary is a trademark of Bowtech, Inc.
 CROSS
BOWS
Give Your Crossbow a Tune-Up
JOHN HAFNER PHOTO

Tip of the Month

Consider a kit. Scorpion Venoms
3-Star Crossbow Maintenance
Kit (www.waxstarinc.com) comes
with Crossbow Rail Lube that
reduces friction and string wear
on the rail, Polymeric Bowstring
Fluid for string coating and lubri-
cation and Target Arrow Release
Fluid for easy bolt removal from
even high-speed crossbows.

In addition to checking strings and cables
for wear and fasteners for tightness you
should also check your sights periodically,
particularly before a hunt.

A
quick look at hunting demographics shows most of us The center servings and rails should
are old enough to remember those campy Ronco TV ads. be well lubed for best long-term per-
They hawked all sorts of gadgets designed to make our formance. Terry recommends lu-
bricating the rail every 75-100 shots
lives simpler, like Popeils Pocket Fisherman and the Chop-O- with light oil, or every 150-200 shots
Matic, later lampooned by Saturday Night Lives Dan Akroyd as when using high-performance oil.
the Bass-O-Matic. Then there was the Ronco Rotisserie and its Simply add a small drop to each side
famous tag line: Just set it and forget it. and rub it in. Dont over-lubricate, as
too much oil can saturate the serving
Those infectious slogans are often re-purposed for all manner of applica- and shorten its life. Also avoid petro-
tions, sometimes to our detriment. For example, a good many folks probably leum jelly or wax on the serving, as
think the rotisserie pitch also applies to crossbows; set them up and theyre both will collect dirt and debris.
indefinitely ready to shoot. After all, simplicity is part of their appeal. And But wait, you say, my bow
while crossbows dont require the same level of maintenance and tweaking came with a tube of string wax. It
as compound bows, there are some basic steps you need to take to keep your did indeed; and thats exactly what
crossbow performing its best. its for: your string. Apply it along
the length of the string (except the
Strings and Cables serving) and burnish it in with your
Strings and cables are the most vulnerable part of your crossbow, so well fingers by rubbing quickly to create
start there. You need to inspect them on a regular basis. Because of the string- heat. You should do this as often as
to-rail contact, crossbow strings experience far more friction and abrasion you would with light oil on your
than strings on vertical bows. Barb Terry, director of customer relations, train- serving, every 75-100 shots.
ing and education for TenPoint Crossbow Technologies, recommends you Even with the most meticulous
look carefully at the center serving. If the string was improperly installed maintenance, your string and ca-
(without the required amount of twists) the serving may separate and the ac- bles will eventually wear out and
tual bowstring may be exposed, which could cause the string to break when need to be replaced. When that will
the crossbow is fired, Terry said. Even the repeated shock of normal use can occur depends largely on the amount
cause serving to loosen and unravel over time. of use, but Terry suggests replacing
You can reduce the probability of problems and lengthen the life of your string, cables and draw cords every
strings and cables with some very simple regular maintenance. Bobby Vargas, other year with high use and every
product line manager for PSE Archery says, Cables and strings should be three to four years with occasion-
kept clean and well maintained after every practice session or hunting trip. al use. When you do, replace both

28 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016


tighten all fasteners on a regular
regular basis, at least annually. You
your string and cables, as even steel
cables will stretch over time.
Keep It Tight
You should also inspect and
debris and in good working condi-
basis. While most of the energy is
transferred to your bolt at the shot, a
fair amount is also absorbed by your
rig, which can loosen screws and/or
nuts. Check all the stirrup setscrews,
main assembly bolts and setscrew,
stock screws, barrel (rail) screws and
scope mounts.
Speaking of scopes, in addition to
ensuring fasteners are secure, youll
also want to check that sights are still
zeroed on a regular basis before
every hunt. And you should keep
the glass clean and clear with a lens
pen or cloth. If you have an illumi-
nated scope, replace the battery on a
anything beyond basic maintenance
might even want to carry a spare in
your pack.
One of the most often overlooked
components is the trigger assembly.
Vargas advises a periodic inspec-
tion to make sure its clean, free of
BY BOB HUMPHREY
tion. Clean all moving parts with
pressurized air or a dry brush, then
lubricate according to manufac-
turers specifications. Recommen-
dations may vary on the amount
and type of lube. Synthetic, non-
petroleum based lubes are typically
a better choice as theyre less likely
to gum up and collect debris or stiff-
en in extreme cold.
While doing your routine inspec-
tions, you should also check the
limbs, stock and other synthetic parts
for cracks or other signs of fatigue.
You can also do a cursory inspec-
tion of your bows mechanics. For
such as lubrication, cleaning and
tightening, consider seeking profes-
sional help from your local pro shop.
Theyre better equipped and experi-
enced in everything from quick fixes
to complete overhauls.

SPOT-ON
The Game Changer
D
ISCLAIMER: We normally dont talk about specific prod-
ucts, but when we find something that substantially
improves our shooting we cant help but share. For many
of us, this product has been a game changer.
We are always looking for ways
to improve our accuracy and get the
most from our equipment. But no
matter how much tuning we do, and
no matter how much practicing we
do, there is a major limiting factor
our eyesight. If we cant see our pins
or our target, our accuracy takes a
huge hit.
Aiming in archery can be a little
tricky. Depending on how we shift
our focus, either our target is blurry
or our sight pins are blurry. And we
have learned the hard way it is really
hard to pick an aiming spot on a 3-D
animal or a real animal with a blurry
target. So, we generally shift our fo-
cus so the target is clear, which gives
us blurry pins.
The image on the left represents the sight
picture encountered by shooters who only
see blurry pins when they focus on the
target. The image on the right is an exam-
ple of the dramatic improvement that can
be achieved by switching to a peep sight
equipped with a Specialty Archery Verifier
lens.
The problem for some of us was
the pins were so blurry they were
hard to aim with. Some of us actual-
ly saw halos or double pins. To solve
the problem, we tried bigger pins.
But the bigger pins usually result-
ed in bigger halos or bigger double
pins, which left many of us with a
very poor sight picture.
For a long time, we just dealt
with blurry pins, figuring it was
just the nature of the beast. Then,
BY CABE JOHNSON
one of us who shoots compet-
itively found an answer. In his
travels, he heard about a product
that was supposed to help with
blurry pins and he decided to try
it. What he found was the Verifi-
er by Specialty Archery Products.
When he installed the Verifier, he
was amazed! For the first time in
his life, he was able to see a clear
target and a crisp pin at the same
time. His groups tightened in-
stantly, and he went hunting with
the best setup he ever had.
The Verifier is a type of peep sight
with a screw-in insert. The insert
has a special lens in it. The Verifier
is NOT A CLARIFIER! A Clarifier
is used to sharpen your sight picture
when using a magnified sight lens.
The Verifier is used to sharpen your
sight picture when youre using
sight pins.
Verifiers were originally designed
for people who dont see well up
close. But we found Verifiers seem to
improve the sight picture for almost
anyone who wears glasses/contacts,
regardless of their eyesight.
Most of us now use a Verifier. We
all want the best sight picture we can
get, and the Verifier definitely gives
us that. There was a little concern in
the beginning about how the Veri-
fier would perform in bad weather.
After all, rain and lenses dont mix.
But because the Verifier is actually
screwed into the peep sight, we can
take it out at any time and not have
to make any sight adjustments. So
if we shoot in bad weather, we sim-
ply remove the lens. But at all other
times, we enjoy a clearer sight pic-
ture and better accuracy!
For more information about the Spe-
cialty Archery Verifier and to find a
dealer in your area, visit www.specialty
arch.com
07 2016
 TRUST ME

COMPACT
MICRO 355

RECURVESIMPLYTOUGH
 TECHNICAL
BOW TEST
Bear Archery BR33
B
ear Archery works hard
to meet the needs of
its customers, so when
bowhunters spoke up and
asked for a smoother version
of its fast hybrid cam, the
company listened.
That brings us to the 2016 BR33,
which is packed with features and
technologies from top to bottom.
This includes the Max Pre Load
Quad Limbs, HingeGuard cable-
containment system, dual adjustable
string suppressors, EAZ Hybrid cam
system and much more.
EAZ Does It!
Bear engineers were focused like a
laser on creating an eccentric system
that combined the smooth draw of a
single cam and the hard-hitting pow-
er of a hybrid cam. The result was
modified track designs and the all-
new EAZ Hybrid cam system. Bear
advertises the BR33 at 330 fps IBO on
a 7-inch brace height and 80-percent
system letoff. IBO speeds are record-
ed with the bow set to a 30-inch draw
and 70-pound draw weight, while
shooting a 350-grain arrow.
No bow press is needed to ad-
just Bears DrawDial system, which
features rotating modules that are
moved to specific draw lengths and
locked down. Modules offer a range
from 27-32 inches, capturing the lions
share of all male bowhunters. Cable
draw stops on both cams are located
in holes that match up with the draw
length. Optional limb stops are offered
for each cam for those shooters who
prefer an extra solid back wall.
Loaded Up
Bears Max Pre Load Quad Limbs
serve to generate power while us-
ing a past-parallel position to tame
noise and vibration. Limbs are
Bear Archerys new BR33 is highlighted by the new EAZ Hybrid cam, designed to blend
the speed of a hybrid cam with the smooth feel of a single cam. A set of wide-base Max
Preload Quad Limbs are built for power with a light touch, while the CrossLock limb
pockets provide control and stability. Bear focuses on your shooting experience with the
comfortable VersaGrip and signature dual SonicStop string-suppression system.
32 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
made of Gordon glass and feature
a machined belly profile designed
to distribute stress across the en-
tire limb, allowing increased stored
energy. Limbs are matched into
sets based on deflection values and
available in 45-60-pound and 55-
70-pound draw-weight options.
The new aluminum CrossLock
limb pocket system pivots during
draw-weight adjustment for maxi-
mum control. Limbs are also lateral-
ly controlled by the pocket sidewalls
and between-the-limb spacers. The
overall pocket is designed to pro-
vide strength and support through-
out the shot cycle, especially where
high-stress points are expected. The
system also incorporates a Sonic-
Bond vibration dampener.
Command Central
A large number of the BR33s fea-
tures and components are directly
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Bear Archery, 800-694-9494;
www.beararchery.com
Model: BR33
Cam System: EAZ Hybrid
Weight: 4.2 pounds (advertised and as tested)
Brace Height: 7 inches
Axle-To-Axle length: 33 14 inches
Letoff: 80%
Draw Weights: 45-60 pounds or 55-70 pounds
Draw Lengths: 27-32 inches, in half-inch
increments
Riser: Reflex, machined aluminum
Limbs: Max Pre Load Quad Limbs
String: BCY X, 62.81 inches
Cables (x2): BCY X, 34.63 inches (bus) and
38.44 inches (control)
Grip: VersaGrip, neutral wrist position
Finish: Realtree Xtra Green standard, with
numerous other options available
Advertised IBO Speed: 330 fps
Suggested Retail Price: $999.99
Comments: A solid bow from start to finish.
07 2016
 BY JON E. SILKS

off angle using a steel axle and Turcite

SPEED & ENERGY bushings to control the motion and
DRAW-FORCE CURVE position of the cables throughout
the shot cycle. The goal, of course,
ARROW KINETIC DYNAMIC is reduced torque while providing
SPEED ENERGY EFFICIENCY adequate clearance for passing vanes.
375-GRAIN 294 fps 72.0 84.9%
Also designed to reduce torque is the
ARROW foot-pounds BR33s injection-molded ABS plastic
VersaGrip, which features a narrower
425-GRAIN 277 fps 72.4 85.4% throat and a soft, warm rubber over-
ARROW foot-pounds
mold for comfort on cold days afield.
Editors Note: All our Technical Bow Tests are conducted using the same standardized procedures and professionally calibrated
testing equipment. Bows are tested with a draw length of 29 inches and a draw weight of 65 pounds, unless otherwise noted. The Experience
The BR33 is a solid all-around
tied into the riser, which is relatively the large limb pocket while also add- bow that holds tight to the target
long as compared to the bows 33 14- ing strength, stiffness and stability. and is fun to shoot.
inch axle-to-axle length. Bears near Bears signature dual-position By adding a quality stabilizer, I
net forging process requires little SonicStop string suppression system was able to knock down the majority
post-production work to ready the not only gives the company instant of low-level vibration and small
aluminum platform for use. Standard brand recognition but offsets the jump at the shot. Cold-weather
Realtree Xtra Green is film dipped, weight of accessories while quick- archers will love the warmth and
while solid finishes such as Shadow ly taming string oscillation at the comfort of the VersaGrip. It should
(black), Olive and Sand are powder shot. Bears HingeGuard has a cable- also be noted that this bow tuned
coated. Each end of the riser is broad, containment block attached to an alu- easily and quickly for excellent
back to front, to provide a platform for minum mounting arm that is hinged arrow flight.
 Paying
Attention
to These Little
Things Will
Yield Big Results

5
By John Dudley
Accomplished bowhunter and professional archer John Dudley
has found great success in the field and on the tournament
circuit by paying attention to small details that produce big gains
in accuracy.

Tuning N early 20 years ago, I decided to step

onto the archery tournament line. It
wasnt because I wanted to become a

Tweaks competitive shooter; it was because I wanted to

become a better bowhunter! The truth is, after
several years of constant mishaps, making
shooting errors, battling buck fever and having

for Top poor knowledge of how to be accurate, I finally

had enough. I wanted to be better, and I needed
to be better. I became a target archer so I could

34
Accuracy gain the knowledge and skill I knew could help
me become a consistently successful hunter.
07 2016

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 5
Tuning Tweaks
for Top Accuracy
Looking back, I can say that gain-
ing the shooting and bow-tuning
skills necessary to earn a spot on
a U.S. national team has certainly
done that. One of the most impor-
tant aspects of my journey was be-
coming aware of how all the small
things can add up to big bucks on
the ground. In this article, I want to
give you the knowledge to ensure
you arent costing yourself big with
small mistakes.

1. Nock Fit
Its amazing how important the last
inch of your arrow is. Your nocks ex-
ercise a lot of control over the size of
your arrow groupings, in three signifi-
cant ways. The first is how the nock fits
the string. Nock fit is critical, because
if the string is too tight in the nock it
will cause the arrow to pull the string
forward as it fires past brace height. If
this happens, the accuracy of the setup
quickly goes down the toilet.
Installing your arrow nocks using a tool created for the job will not only make things a lot
easier but also help you avoid damaging the nocks in the process.
Another issue a tight serving A third problem a tight nock fit
causes is more string noise. Like I can cause is that the string wont be
said, if it pulls the string too far for- able to spin freely in the throat of
ward of brace height it will have a the nock. Many strings will want to
louder twang when it releases and it slightly turn as they are drawn back,
is also more likely to come in contact and if the string cant freely spin in
with your bow arm. the throat of the nock then it can

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Proper Nock-to-Shaft Fit
Occasionally you will encounter a nock that fits just a little too loosely in an
arrow. In such situations, author John Dudley has found that adding a small piece of
dental floss between the nock and shaft works perfectly to produce a snug fit.
cause the arrow to push against the
side of the arrow rest launcher arms
instead of sitting perfectly in the cen-
ter. Again, this sideways pressure is
going to result in inaccurate shots.
In addition to nocks that fit too
tightly, you can also have nocks that
fit too loosely. In this case, the most
likely negative affect will be the ar-
O
ccasionally an arrow nock will fit too
loosely in the back of an arrow. There
can be several reasons for this,
including the possibility the nock has been
damaged. If a careful inspection shows the
nock is intact, you then need to ensure a
snug fit for consistent shooting. One easy
way to accomplish this is to hook a piece of
dental floss on the nock as you slide it into
the shaft. Ive found that floss is the perfect
size to make my nocks fit snugly again.
row coming off the string when you
are at full draw or trying to let the
bow down. I remember the first
time I found this out the hard way
as a hunter. I drew on a buck and he
didnt give me the shot I needed, so I
had to let the bow down and wait for
him to turn. As I let down the arrow
slipped off my string and clanked
down to the ground through sev-
eral rungs of my metal ladder stand.
Im sure you know how that story
ended.
So, I bet by now you are won-
dering, What is the right fit for
my nocks? I have a simple way of
measuring that. When I clip a nock
on a string, I like to be able to hear
a click more so than a snap or twang.
Then its important that you are able
to roll/spin the string freely in the
throat of the nock. This will guar-
antee that the arrow will stay on the
string throughout the draw cycle yet
offer no resistance to the string if it
wants to turn.
To check if the nock fit is too loose,
I simply nock an arrow and turn
the bow so the string is horizontal
with the floor, arrow pointing down.
Then tap the top of the string with
your finger. If the arrow easily falls
off, you dont want that as a hunter.
Remember, click and spin.
You have a few options if your
nock fit isnt right. First is to try dif-
ferent nocks. Some nocks fit tighter
 5
Tuning Tweaks
for Top Accuracy
than others. Some lighted nocks
actually have a better fit than some
standard nocks. Another option is to
replace the center serving on your
bowstring with larger- or smaller-
diameter thread. Companies such as
BCY make serving thread in a .018-
, .021- and .025-inch sizes for this
exact reason. If your nocks fit too
loosely, use a wider serving thread.
And if your nocks are too tight, use a
narrower serving thread.
A final option is to purchase a cus-
tom bowstring designed exclusively
for your setup. Tell them what nocks
you have and let them build a string
for the perfect fit. Honestly, most ar-
chery pro shops can help you with
any of these solutions if you make
them aware of your problem.
2. Easy Install
Arrow nocks are important not
just for accuracy but also for safety.
Im sure most of you have seen sev-
eral of the arrow injury photos that
circulate on the Internet. Many of
these injuries are due to a nock that
failed the instant the string was re-
leased, resulting in shards of carbon
rammed through the shooters hand.
Ouch!
Such accidents usually occur due
to a nock that has cracked, either
from your arrows slamming against
each other in your target or improper
rest you shouldnt need to worry
much about this.
nock installation. Regardless of the How the arrow passes through the
reason, the bottom line is you need rest isnt the only thing you need to
to constantly check and maintain worry about. Many modern com-
your nocks! They are a cheap yearly pound bows now offer various flex-
investment well worth the price for ing cable-guard devices designed to
increased accuracy and safety. reduce accuracy-robbing riser torque
The correct way to install an by allowing the cables to move in-
arrow nock is to use a little bit ward toward the center of the rig as
of string wax to get it to slide in the bow is drawn. Although these
without restriction. The tolerance relatively new innovations are great
between a nock and the inside of at reducing riser torque, they do
the arrow shaft is very tight (and create the potential for vane contact
needs to be for accuracy), so often since they bring the cables much
times a fresh nock is REALLY tight. closer to the bowstring than the tra-
String wax is the perfect remedy. To ditional cable slides that have been
avoid bending or cracking a nock, I around for many years.
highly recommend using a proper Last year while shooting in my
nock tool for the install instead of backyard, I noticed that every so of-
pliers, teeth or forcefully ramming ten I had an arrow than would fly ter-
it in using the bowstring. These are ribly, fishtailing all the way to the tar-
minimal investments for a maxi- get and missing the mark. After hours
mum return. of frustration, I finally discovered that
when I replaced the nock on that shaft
3. Nock Indexing I didnt index it correctly. As a result,
Another small consideration that one of my vanes was contacting the
is often overlooked is nock index-
ing. Nock indexing is simply how
the nock is positioned relative to
your arrow fletching. By rotating the
nock you can change the direction
the vanes face as the arrow passes
through the rest. This is very impor-
tant, because some arrow rests need
the cock vane up, down or out. How-
ever, if you are shooting a drop-away

It is very important to examine your arrow vanes in relation to your bows arrow rest
and cables to determine the best position for maximum vane clearance. Once you have
determined the optimal position, rotate your nocks so all your arrows sit on the bow in
exactly the same orientation and use a permanent marker to make a reference point
on your nocks and shafts so you can easily check for proper alignment on every shot.

38 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

YOU BRING THE MEAT 5
WE BRING THE
Tuning Tweaks
FLAVOR. for Top Accuracy
cables as I shot, thus kicking the back
end of the arrow off to the side.
This is something that is also re-
lated to the recent trend of archers
Apple shooting shorter but taller vanes.
Beer A tall vane does offer control for a
broadhead but it also can potentially
Blue Ribbon create clearance problems. The best
Buffalo Bleu Cheese way to identify your clearance is to
nock an arrow on the string and look
Feta Cheese & Spinach perfectly down the back of the ar-
Habanero row and see how the fletching looks
for clearance on the cables, rest and
Habanero & Mango riser. Once you find the ideal spot to
Hot Buffalo Wing give the most clearance, you should
Inferno Hot take a marker and draw a line on the
nock and arrow so that you have an
Jerrys Over 15 easy reference to ensure your nock
Philly Different Bratwurst hasnt moved each time you clip the
arrow on the string. Do the same
Ranch Seasoning Flavors
with every arrow in your quiver and
Reuben In Stock! make sure they are all the same! It
Swiss Style goes a long way toward eliminating
wandering arrows.
Supreme Pizza
Tomato Basil 4. Dont Go Loopy
Most bow setups today have a
nocking loop installed for the release
WALTONSTV.COM/HOWTOBRAT aid. Nocking loops are great if
SEASONINGS EQUIPMENT SUPPLIES they are installed correctly. If not,
you can cost yourself dearly.
SAVE $10 ON $50 ORDER! First off is making sure your nock-
USE COUPON CODE RANCH ing loop does not pinch the nock too
much at full draw. Nock pinch is
WALTONSinc.com something many people overlook,
yet it is so simple to check. With
any bow, when you draw it back the
string forms a triangle at full draw.
The length of the bow, length of the
SHOP OUR SELECTION OF draw and brace height all help deter-
SAUSAGE CASINGS mine how severe the string angle is.
The more acute the string angle, the
& HI-TEMP CHEESE! more likely the string is to pinch your
nocks. To check this, simply remove
FREE CATALOG SHOP ONLINE any point from the front of your ar-
row and draw it back with your bow.
OVER 3,500 ITEMS AVAILABLE If the arrow rises off the arrow rest
FOR SAME DAY SHIPPING at full draw, then you have too much
pinch!
Another test is to draw the bow
both with and without a fieldpoint
on your arrow and point it down as
it you are aiming down from a trees-
tand. Again, if the arrow lifts off the
rest at full draw, you have too much
800-835-2832 WALTONSinc.com pinch. For my bow and draw length,
I have about half a millimeter of ex-
tra space between my arrow nock
and the nocking points tied onto my
center serving. This space goes away
at full draw and gives perfect accura-
cy with no pinch. If nock pinch is an
issue for you, youll need to experi-
ment with widening the gap inside
your nocking loop to create extra
space that will eliminate the problem
at full draw.
The next thing to pay attention
to regarding your nocking loop is
what direction it is pointing. You
want the loop facing straight back
toward you! The reason is when you
fire the bow and the arrow leaves the
string you want the loop to stay be-
hind the arrow nock and not come
in contact with it. Ive noticed a lot
of hunters shooting bows with nock-
ing loops that start moving sideways
as soon as their arrows are released.
However, instead of addressing the
problem, they just clip on the loop
and force the string to spin around
backwards as they pull. What hap-
pens with this is once the string is
released that loop tries to spin back
around to where it started. And the
momentum of the loosed bowstring
can make it spin even further than
where it started, ultimately causing
it to slap the back of the arrow as it
is propelled through the bow. This
causes poor arrow flight and terrible
inconsistency. Make sure your loop
is pointing backward, and if it isnt
then get a bow technician at your lo-
cal pro shop to help you make some
adjustments.
5. Get In Synch
Its important with any com-
pound bow system that you have
your cams properly synchronized.
The industry has done a good job
marketing different names for this,
such as timing, indexing, ro-
tation, positioning and syn-
chronization, just to name a few.
The bottom line is that with any
bow, there is a position that is best
for the bow to shoot well.
With any bow that has two cams,
you need to check that both are
07 2016
The easiest way to check whether your nocking loop is causing excessive nock pinch is to remove the point from your arrow and draw
the bow. If your shaft rises up off the rest at full draw (left), you have excessive nock pinch. If your shaft remains perfectly seated on the
rest launcher (right), then your nocking loop is properly calibrated.

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www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 41

 5
Tuning Tweaks
for Top Accuracy
stopping at the same place at full
draw. This really helps with efficien-
cy, speed, feel and consistency. The
cams come to a stop at full draw by
either stopping against the cable(s)
or the limb(s) via a draw stop. Since
I shoot a Hoyt bow, I will show you
what I check with my cams. I look
for the cable to touch the stopping
part of the module at full draw. You
can do this either by drawing your
bow and letting a friend stay safely
out of the way while they look at the
stops as you settle in to full draw.
You can also use a shooting machine
or a draw board that allows you to
winch the string back one click at a Proper cam synchronization is very important, not only for consistent accuracy but also
for the feel and overall efficiency of your bow. On any bow with two cams, the cams
time. If you arent an at-home bow
should rotate in unison and hit the cable or limb stops at exactly the same instant at full
mechanic, a trusted archery retailer draw. These two images show a bow with poor cam timing at full draw, as the bottom
can certainly assist you. If you no- cam (left) is properly tuned while the top cam (right) is slightly under rotated at full draw.
tice your cams arent in synch, you To fix problems with cam synchronization, you need to shorten or lengthen your cables
will need to either adjust the length as necessary by adding or removing twists.
of the cable by adding (to shorten) or
removing (to lengthen) twists or ad- My experience as a professional
The Benefits of a just the position of the stopping peg, archer and avid bowhunter is that
depending on the model of bow you the big purchases are meaningless if
Draw Board have. you are overlooking the small things.
The difference is always in the de-
Invest in Your Success
A
draw board is an awesome tails! You have to look at the big pic-
device for being able to Every year, bowhunters across ture but also spend some time in the
safely draw your bow to America spend hundreds or even fine print. The little tips and tricks I
inspect things such as draw thousands of dollars on new equip- discussed here will make you more
length, draw weight or cam ment. Most often it is because they accurate, and now is the time to
see the advantage of having the lat- implement them, before the season is
position. Theyre also a
est and greatest. upon us!
great help when performing critical
tuning tasks such as timing a
drop-away rest or adjusting the
rotation of your peep sight and/or
nocking loop. I have made several
draw boards over the years, but there
are many good ones on the market.
My personal favorite is the
Lancaster Archery Supply Pro
Shop Draw Board ($199.99; www.
lancasterarchery.com). This model
features a sturdy aluminum frame
with draw-length markings,
integrated winch with safety strap
and comes with an X-Spot Digital
Bow Scale for checking draw-force
curves, peak draw weights and
holding weights. This is a great A draw board is a great tool for checking cam synchronization and conducting other
device for any DIY bow mechanic. common tuning tasks such as checking draw weight, peep sight rotation or drop-away
rest timing.

42 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 2016

Get the unstoppable penetration of Full Metal Jacket Arrows for your next hunt.
Available at dealers now in 4MM, 5MM, and NEW 6MM micro diameters.
 BOWHUNTINGS
Holy
Grail
A
s a kid, I loved to stick my hand out the window
of my parents speeding car just to feel the
flow of air. I soon learned that small changes
in the angle of my fingers resulted in forces
that pulled my hand up, down, right and left. It was
great fun, and since we didnt have much money, it was
as close as I came to owning a toy. Well, maybe that is an
exaggeration, but it was my first lesson in the finer points
of killing game with a bow!
I learned another good lesson in junior high when my
friends and I used to push pencils across the table at lunch.
The goal was to keep the lead on the table and draw a line
while pushing with just one finger on the eraser. The first
one to the other end wins. It took some practice, but eventu-
ally we were able to do this with surprising speed. It was les-
son number two. I was well on my way to making accurate
shots at whitetails, and I didnt even own a bow yet.
Both of those experiences parlayed directly into the
skill set needed to tune a bow and quiver full of arrows
to produce perfect accuracy with broadheads.
Fieldpoint accuracy with fixed-blade broadheads is
bowhuntings Holy Grail. We know it is probably out
44 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
By Bill Winke
there somewhere, but certainly not easily attainable. In
this article, I hope to show you how you can achieve this
elusive goal and become more accurate than you ever
imagined with hunting gear in your hands.
Aerodynamics
The wind forces that made my hand shoot up, cork-
screw to the left and then slam back down in the cars
window frame are the same ones that drive an ill-tuned
hunting arrow out of control. Its called wind planing,
and its effect on accuracy can be devastating.
If you never tried that youthful hand-out-the-car-
window experiment, maybe you can identify with this
second analogy. Throwing a paper airplane straight
relies on a lot more engineering than most people ap-
preciate. The wings have to be flat and level, the tip lined
up with crafts centerline. The throwing motion and re-
lease point must be perfectly coordinated to assure that
the entire airplane points straight ahead when you cut
it free. Now, tweak any of these variables and the paper
bird will spin to the ground like a winged duck. Again, it
is the same with a hunting arrow.
07 2016
 Wildlife artist Larry Zach took this great
mule deer in Colorado with a mid-range
shot. Western hunters know the value
of precision, because their shot length is
generally greater than whitetail hunters in
the East. However, the same principles
of accuracy hold true regardless of where
you hunt. To attain maximum accuracy
with your bow, both the bow and the
arrows need to be tuned perfectly.

Think Getting
Fixed-Blade
Broadheads to
Fly Like Fieldpoints
is Impossible?
Think Again!

LEE KJOS PHOTO

www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 45

BOWHUNTINGS
Holy Grail
The arrows broadhead-equipped
front end must line up with the shaft,
the shaft must be straight and the ar-
row has to leave the bow with the
nock perfectly following the tip for
precision guided control. If all three
of these factors are in order, a hunt-
ing arrow will fly just as true as a
practice arrow. If any of these are not
perfectly controlled, the arrow will
fly with a mind of its own one this
way and one that. What a mess!
So, it comes down to solving two
challenges: perfectly aligned arrows
and perfectly tuned bows. These
challenges are the main reasons me-
chanical broadheads have become so
popular. As a result, weve seen a de-
creased emphasis on old-fashioned
tuning skills. No longer is it essential
that your bow and arrows be set up
perfectly. You can always just screw
Set the bottom of your nocking point or the inside of the top knot on your nocking loop
so that it is an eighth of an inch above the center of the bows rest-mounting hole. A
T-Square greatly aids this procedure.
in a few mechanical heads and be
back in the kill zone.
While theres nothing wrong
with being more accurate in the
field (thats one definition of ethical
bowhunting), there are still many
bowhunters who wont switch to
mechanical heads for a variety of
reasons. Besides, being able to tune
to perfection will improve consisten-
cy, accuracy and penetration no mat-
ter what point you screw on the end
of the arrow.
46 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
You dont need anything fancy to paper tune your bow. You can make a simple paper-
tuning fixture by cutting a hole in a cardboard box and taping a piece of copier paper
over the hole. Then, you can shoot arrows through the paper and make rest and/or
nocking point adjustments until your arrows make perfect bullet holes.
Bow Tuning
Similar to the pencil on the table
trick, how you push an arrow is criti-
cal to the path it takes. If the string is
moving up, down or sideways as it
speeds forward, the tail of the arrow
will not track the point.
For this reason, some bows are just
easier to tune. You have very limited
ability to adjust the nock travel on
most bows. If you just cant seem to
get your bow to tune, you may have
a lemon simple as that. Possibly a
good archery pro can help you, but
there is a good chance that you will
never produce fieldpoint accuracy
with fixed-blade broadheads using
that bow.
Assuming the bow is a good one,
tuning comes down to nock position
on the string, rest alignment, arrow
spine and shooting form.
Rest and nock set position: Re-
lease-aid shooters should install a
nock point (or nocking loop) so the
upper edge of the arrows nock is ap-
proximately 18 to inch above the
center of the bows rest mounting
hole. Finger shooters should start 38
to 12 inch above center.
Now, adjust the rest vertically until
the center of the arrow shaft crosses
the very center of the rest-mounting
hole. The nocked arrow should make
a 90-degree angle with the string.
Proper left-to-right position of
your arrow rest can also speed-up
the tuning process. When setting
up for a release aid, your nocked ar-
row should line up perfectly with
the forward thrust of the string. If
you release with fingers, your arrow
should point slightly to the left of
square (for right-handed shooters).
Ive prepared a sidebar that details
this process of finding center-shot.
Paper tuning: Paper tuning is the
easiest way to visualize how your ar-
rows are flying when they leave the
07 2016
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BOWHUNTINGS
Holy Grail
bow. You can tape a piece of copier
paper across a hole you cut in the
bottom of a cardboard box to pro-
duce a simple paper-tuning fixture.
Stand about six feet from the pa-
per when tuning. When shooting a
release aid, you should be able to ad-
just your rest and nock point so that
you can produce a perfect bullet hole
through the paper the nock fol-
lows the tip with no slashing to the
TightSpots patented RightSpot adjustment system
lets you move the quiver in tight to your bow,
virtually eliminating accuracy-robbing torque!
NEW FOR 2016!
More streamlined
and lighter weight
5-Arrow 3-Arrow
All-Around Quiver Treestand Quiver
Made with pride in the USA
48 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
side. You can easily see the way the
arrow is flying by studying the tears.
With a finger release, perfection is
more difficult, and a slight tear (half
an inch wide or less) is acceptable.
It may take a couple evenings of
tinkering to come up with the right
combination, but you will arrive at
the solution eventually. I provide a
thorough, step-by-step explanation
of how to paper tune your bow in
Fits tight and is so light you wont even
notice it on your bow
Super quiet performance; ideal for close-in shots
Quick Draw arrow system puts your arrow close
at hand for a second shot
Acts as a stabilizer for more accurate shooting
Individually adjustable arrow grippers
hold arrows tight; no more loose or lost arrows!
TightSpot has engineered
a quiver that is simple and
flawless. Its low profile,
fits tight to the bow,
and is easily taken off
without tools. TightSpot
just cant be beat.
Will Primos,
Founder, Primos Hunting
90 West Madison, Suite D
Belgrade, MT 59714
www.tightspotquiver.com
this months Bowhunting 101 column
on p. 22.
Micro-tune your rest: Bullet holes
in paper are the goal, but they are not
the truest test of your bows tune.
Paper tuning feedback is not super
precise. You can get a bullet hole
and still not have dead perfect arrow
flight that produces broadhead ar-
row groups that hit the same holes as
fieldpoint arrow groups. Either live
with the slight difference and move
your sight pins to account for it or
micro-tune your arrow rest.
To micro-tune, you move your
rest very slightly in the direction you
want your hunting arrows to go. If
the broadhead-tipped arrows are
high, low, left or right of the practice
arrows, move the rest very slightly
downward or upward, to the right
or to the left, respectively. These tiny
adjustments are all that is needed to
align your arrows dead-on with the
string.
Sighting in: Of course, once you
have tuned your bow, you will need
to sight in very carefully over the
course of at least a week of shooting
to achieve the final benefit of perfec-
tion.
Arrow Tuning
Choosing broadheads: Ive tested
many broadheads through the years
that werent perfectly straight. It was
impossible to shoot tight groups
with these crooked heads. Remem-
ber, if the tip of the paper airplane
doesnt line up with the center of
07 2016
SETTING YOUR REST
FOR CENTER-SHOT

S
et the bow down on the floor resting on You can perform the same test by insert and installing a different one if
its bottom cam. Now, look down on it building a small cradle to lay the ar- they are removable. Not all of them
rows in (can be as simple as V-cuts on are.
from above while comparing the arrow
opposite sides of a shoe box). As you Tradeoffs: Arrow speed impacts
to the stabilizer, arrow shelf and limbs. Move turn the arrow slowly in the cradle, the accuracy of arrows equipped
the rest to the side until the arrow is parallel compare the tip of the broadhead to with fixed-blade broadheads more
with the stabilizer and arrow shelf and a fixed point. It should never waver. than those carrying mechanical
perpendicular to the bow limbs. This should Faulty arrows can sometimes be heads. As speed increases, fixed-
get you very close to the bows true center. fixed by squaring the end of the shaft blade broadheads become harder
(using a product such as G5s Arrow to control. Its like trying to throw a
The easiest way to adjust your rest so you Squaring Device) or by removing the paper airplane harder it gets a lot
line your arrow up with the forward travel
of the string is to look down on the bow
from above, comparing the arrow position
to the limb bolts, the rest shelf and your
stabilizer (if you have one attached). The
arrow should line up parallel with the
stabilizer and go right across the limb bolt.

the craft, there is no way to throw it

straight. So, the first order of busi-
ness is to find broadheads that center
in your arrows inserts when theyre
installed. Most of the popular broad-
heads from reputable companies
accomplish this goal.
NEW!

Micro-Adjust Standard
Gives you the ability to micro-adjust All the same features but without
Adjust the vertical alignment of your rest your rest up/down and left/right the micro-adjustability
until a nocked arrow lines up perfectly (the difference will astound you)
Common features include:
with the center of the bows rest mount-
ing hole. Assuming the nock point is set The launcher falls only 46% more vane clearance
when you fire, not when than any other full
correctly on the string, this should result you let down
in the arrow producing a 90-degree angle containment, fall-away rest
with string. With the help of high-
speed footage, weve Dual brake system
identified the optimal eliminates any
launcher bounceback
When you spin the arrow with the point of fall away and built it into both
broadhead installed, the tip of the ACE models to give you the ultimate in arrow Fully external cord wont wear,
stabilization and forgiveness (patent pending) wont interfere with arrow
broadhead should not waver. I place
every hunting arrow on the leathery
part of my hand and then spin it. If I
feel any wobble in the tip, I remove
the broadhead and try others. If they
also wobble, I set the shaft aside and
use it only for practice. If it doesnt
spin perfectly, it doesnt go in my Theres more!
quiver. Go to Ripcordarrowrest.com 610 North Montana, Dillon, MT 59725
PH: 406-683-0100 FX: 406-683-0102

www.b owhuntingmag.com Patent #8,701,643. Other patents pending.

BOWHUNTINGS

Holy Grail
tougher to make it go straight and
any problems with the planes de- Eight Great Tuning Tips
sign are exaggerated at these speeds.
Everything has to be perfect. On the Two-cam bows must be perfectly timed so
other hand, it is no big deal to get
mechanical heads to fly accurately at
1 the cams roll over at the same point in the
draw cycle. If you shoot a two-cam bow and
high arrow speeds. Be realistic; dont dont know how to do this, check out John
expect fixed blade heads to similar-
Dudleys tuning feature on p. 34 or consult
ly match your fieldpoints at speeds
your local archery pro shop.
past about 280 feet per second.
Also consider cutting diameter Adjust your rest so the arrow is perfectly
when choosing a broadhead. Fixed-
blade heads with large cutting diam-
2 aligned with the bows center shot (path of
the string) or slightly outside this line (away
eters have more blade surface area
from bow) if you will be releasing with fingers.
and therefore are better able to steer
your arrows off line than heads with Move the rest up or down until the arrow
smaller cutting diameters. Heads
with cutting diameters of 1 inches
3 passes right across the center of the
rest-mounting hole. Using a T-square, set the
or less are moderate and will per- nock point about 18 to inch above the center
mit greater accuracy and less tuning
of rest-mounting hole.
headaches than larger heads.
Arrow Straightness: Much is made Shoot through paper at a range of six to
of straightness when selling arrows,
but a straightness rating of +/-.005-
After tuning your bow, you still need to
sight it in. This process should take place
over several days so you account for
4 10 feet.
Eliminate fletching contact by rotating the
inch is acceptable for typical bowhunt-
ing situations. The problem comes
slight changes in your shooting form from
day to day. 5 arrow nocks. Drop-away rests are very
helpful in reducing the negative affects of
contact.
with wear and tear on those shafts. Ar-
Move the rest left and right to compensate
rows that are struck by other arrows
in the target eventually get beat up
and possibly exhibit a soft spot. These
6 for tail-right and tail-left paper tears. Move
the nocking point up and down on your center
damaged shafts are dangerous to be- serving to eliminate tail-low or tail-high tears.
gin with, but they are also less consis-
Arrow spine and point weight also affect
tent. It is best to start each season with
at least six brand new arrows. 7 left and right tears when releasing with
fingers. Make sure you have the right shaft
The arrows nocks can also get
beat up and crooked from repeated stiffness for your bow and release style.
impact in the target. Again, if you
How you grip your bow affects arrow

Side-to-side rest adjustment is one of

are not pushing the end of the arrow
directly in line with the shaft, it will 8 flight. If you cant get rid of left and right
paper tears, experiment with your grip and
not fly straight.
the variables you have to work with when make sure you arent applying torque to the
tuning your bow. Most rests allow easy Fletching: You cant throw a
and precise adjustment of this position. football accurately without a spi- riser during the shot cycle.

Two Last Gasp Fixes for Poor Arrow Flight
Grip: If you are holding your bow wrong,
you will get paper tears that are hard to explain
and impossible to fix. If, after trying everything,
you are about to give up, it may be time to
experiment with your grip. Change your hand
position and where you apply pressure to the
grip. A relaxed hand will produce better arrow
flight than a tense one. You may also find that
your arrow flight is better if you lightly close
your fingers around the grip rather than trying
to hold them open. Randy Ulmers Better
Bowhunting column on p. 24 addresses this
topic in more detail.
Full draw position: Be sure your
release-side elbow points straight away from
the target at full draw. If not, the string will
move sideways when you trigger the shot,
resulting in slashing arrow flight. This is a
function of your bows draw length. Shorten it
if your elbow points around behind you.
Lengthen it if the elbow stops short of pointing
straight back.
ral and you cant shoot a hunting
arrow accurately without spin-
ning it. Helical fletching spins your
arrows. Regardless of the style of
broadhead you shoot, you need to
use helical fletching.
The better you tune your bow and
arrows, the more accurate you will
be this fall and the more fun it will
be to practice this summer. Nothing
produces pre-season confidence like
seeing your arrows zip to the target
like laser shots.

50 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 2016 Arrow Rest
Buyers Guide
By Drew Pellman

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

56 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 Weighing in at 2.7 ounces, the G5 Cmax Quality Archery Designs thinks it has opportunity of a lifetime is standing right in

1 ($134.99; www.g5outdoors.com) is a
full-containment drop-away arrow rest
that features a launcher arm activated by
either the push of a button, or simply by draw- $234.95 in black; www.qadinc.com). This drop-
ing your bow. Built to withstand even the
toughest hunting conditions, the Cmax has
been cycled more than a million times in com-
4 taken micro-adjust rests to a new level of
quality and precision with the new
ULTRAREST MXT ($249.95 in camo/colors,
front of you. The containment arm is removable
if you so choose, for use with larger diameter
arrows. Linear bearings provide a smooth,
silent shot sequence from start to finish.
away features a true precision-click adjustment
1.9 thousandths of an inch per click to be ex- JoDash Creations thinks it has the

and has no bounce back at the shot. Fletching

act. Talk about adjustability! Other features
pany testing. It has an all-metal frame, is silent
include total arrow containment so youre arrow
will never fall off center, total fletching clear-
choice is not an issue, as any orientation or ance, Lock-Down Technology to stop any bounce
type will clear with ease. You also have the back, and noice-reducing, laser-cut felt and rub-
ability to adjust one inch for both height and ber dampeners to keep the whole draw process
windage. deadly silent. The MXT is made in the USA, avail-
able in right- or-left handed models, and has a
Ripcords ACE Micro-Adjust received limited lifetime warranty.
7 solution to some common tuning prob-
lems that begin and end with the arrow
rest. Vanes hitting the rest, constantly replac-
ing brushes, broadheads flying inconsistently,
loud noises all these can be solved with the
360 Ultimate Arrow Rest ($99.95; www.
jodashcreations.com). Made in the USA, bow-
hunters will have full arrow containment, the
ability to use your choice of vanes and either

2 great reviews upon release, so it was

only natural for the company to intro- Vapor Trails popular Pro-V arrow rest
2-, 3-, or 4-blade braodheads. And you can get
it all at a fantastic price.
duce a non-micro-adjustable ACE for 2016
the ACE Standard ($139.95; www.ripcord 5 ($129.99 in red and black, $139.99 for
any other color; www.vaportrailarchery. Target shooters and bowhunters alike
arrowrest.com). It, like the predecessor, offers com) has been upgraded for the 2016 hunting
FireFall technology designed to let the Ultra season. Now, it features a larger, more con-
SlimLine Launcher (which is advertised to give toured molded rubber bumper, which provides
8 will take pride in the toughness and
precision of the Titanium Recon Pro
rest from Archer Xtreme ($159.99; www.
hunters 46 percent more vane clearance than more cushion on the launcher arm. As a result, archerxtreme.com). The problem with some
any other full-containment, fall-away rest) fall nearly all noise upon release of the string is fall-away rests is that they do so too quickly,
away only when you release the bowstring, not gone. Additionally, the Pro-V has a sleek, rede- which sacrifices arrow support for fletching
when letting down. Its also equipped with the signed mounting system. The purpose behind clearance. Archer Xtreme, however, thinks it
RightTime Fall-Away System to identify the op- this is not only for a new, more streamlined ap- has engineered a rest that provides the per-
timal point of fall away, so you get the best pearance but it also allows the rest to fit on sev- fect combination of guidance and clearance.
combination of arrow stabilization and forgive- eral bows that it previously couldnt in past Add in a lightweight, tough design featuring
ness. Finally, the DoubleDown Break eliminates years. The Full Capture Containment Cage is an all-titanium launcher overmolded with
any bounce back. back once again, as well as the Adjustable sound-dampening rubber and it becomes
Spring Tension option that allows you the hunter perfect for bowhunters and all the harsh
Trophy Takers Lifetime Warranty to fine-tune the rest for improved accuracy and conditions theyre bound to face.

3 backs the popular SmackDown PRO feel. The standard colors for the Pro-V are red or
arrow rest ($139.99; www.trophy black, but 15 other color options are available. New Archery Products is known for
taker.com), not that youre ever going to
need it with all-metal construction and Exclusive Vertical Drop Technology 9 both broadheads and bow accessories,
and the latest one in line is the Apache
tight-tolerance machining. Features start
with a custom rubber over-molded full- 6 headlines the new HXL arrow rest from
Trophy Ridge ($129.99; www.trophy
containment ring that features a one-way ridge.com). The limb-driven design that
Crossfire Arrowrest ($9 9.9 9; www.
newarchery.com). Featuring Lock Up-style
containment, the launcher arm will stay in the
rubber flap gate. This ensures arrow capture works off either the bottom limb of the bow or up position until you release an arrow. This
once its nocked and loaded. A precision- the upward bow cable eliminates common means hard let downs that sometimes result in
machined launcher axle pivots inside the timing issues and allows for a longer dwell accidental triggering are a thing of the past.
bearings to make the rest completely silent. time on the rest. This gives the HXL total reli- With setup and adjustment a breeze, the
It installs in just minutes without a bow ability and top-notch accuracy. Additionally, it Apache Crossfire also has a rugged and durable
press and also comes with a user-friendly features 100-percent arrow containment so design to handle todays high-speed bows and
cord tension-adjustment system. your arrow is always ready to go when the unpredictable weather.

www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 57

 SUP

D
o you ever wonder why your
fixed-blade broadheads fly like
grasshoppers on a dirt road
compared to fieldpoints? Over the years,
youve likely read that its a mere tuning
issue, but youve had your bow tuned and it
still prefers fieldpoints. So, most bowhunters
resign themselves to the fact that broadheads
have greater surface area, catch more air and
fly differently. Typically, thats right.
But typically, your bow isnt supertuned.
Supertuning your hunting bow can be a long,
labor-intensive process, but the end result is
a far more accurate rig both on the practice
range and in the field.

58
ERTUNING
When Good Isnt Good Enough,
Follow the Experts to Bow-Tuning Perfection
Supertune? you ask skeptically. Sure, its a cool-
sounding term, but in essence it means tuning your bow
and arrows until they shoot in perfect harmony. Its like
taking your family sedan to Dale Jr.s. NASCAR team
and asking for a custom soup-up rather than a 15-minute
oil and filter service at Jiffy Lube. Instead of tuning the
strings of a guitar, supertuning means replacing them all,
straightening the neck and sanding the fret board. I could
go on with the analogies, but I think you get the point.
If you are like most bowhunters, Im betting your hunt-
ing bow was tuned exactly once at the bow shop the day
you bought it. Now, Im not knocking bow shops, because
plenty of the guys behind the counters there are regular
Eli Whitneys when it comes to cams and cables. Given
enough time (and money), many top bow techs can turn
your rig into a mini guided missile system. But bow shops
have a lot of customers to serve, and most of the time they
cant afford to press and adjust your bow nine times be-
tween sessions on the range to supertune it. Besides, most
customers cant tell the difference anyhow. So, youre giv-
en an adequate blue-plate special that consists of adjusting
the draw length, serving the peep sight, eyeballing the rest
for center shot, tying a nocking loop 18 inch above square,
installing a pile of expensive accessories and saying Con-
gratulations, its a bow! as they present you your $1,000
baby. And like all new papas, you are proud.
with the
PROS By Jeff Johnston
A year later, you and your bow are doing just fine.
Indeed, better than fine. You hit targets as far as you care
to shoot at them, and youve taken several bucks with
your mechanical broadheads that fly like a house of pain.
Dont fix it if it aint broken is a mantra that serves you
well. But that mantra doesnt change the fact that you
bought a Maserati bow that performs like a Mazda.
Scattered throughout the archery world is an
exclusive club of shooters who incessantly tool on bows
like motorheads do hotrods to eke out every last drop
of performance. They obsess over spine weight, cam
lean, nock travel and other such nerdy variables until
they get it perfect. Many of them are compelled to do so
because their level on tournament podiums their
paycheck depends on it.
Supertuning is the term coined for the result of their
work, the achieving method behind that beautiful state of
toxophilic nirvana when a bow shoots an arrow without the
slightest yaw or wobble to the exact same place in space as
the one prior. And while supertuning isnt a miracle cure for
less than stellar shooting form, it can sure make a bow more
JOHN DUDLEY PHOTO
forgiving, quieter, more accurate with broadheads and, ulti-
mately, make you a deadlier hunter. At the very least, it can
eliminate the bow as a source of your problems.
Ive interviewed a few archery wizards who make a liv-
ing supertuning bows. Heres a peek behind their curtains:
59
 SUPERTUNING
with the PROS
Tuned or Supertuned?
Although chief bow mechanic
isnt Blake Shelbys official job title,
it could be based on the number of
bows he tunes for great shooters each
year in PSE Archerys Arizona facility.
I bare-shaft tune out to 15 yards,
said Shelby, PSEs Director of Mar-
keting. This means he shoots a non-
fletched arrow into a target from a
relatively long distance. He does
this to makes absolutely certain the
arrow leaves the rest directly in line
with the bowstrings force and flies Bare shaft tuning is a great method for supertuning your bow, because few things will
absolutely true. Thats because ar- reveal problems more readily. Without vanes to correct arrow flight, bare shafts will
row vanes work to correct errors magnify any problems with your nock travel and help you make the necessary
in flight. So, by shooting an arrow adjustments.
without them, all errors are magni- This fairly extreme test is probably Tim The Hammer Gillingham has
fied. Once the bare shaft is flying the best indicator of whether your been shooting bows professionally for
perfectly straight, Shelby shoots a bow is averagely tuned, or super- 30 years and has cases full tournament
fletched arrow of the same make at tuned. Its not for initial bow tuning, hardware, including world champi-
the same target. The bare shaft and or your arrow will likely hit length- onship titles, to his credit. When it
the fletched arrow should hit within wise on the target if at all; rather, its comes to his bows, Gillingham is like
1-2 inches of each other at 15 yards, for bows that have been paper tuned a bigshot surgeon who demands a
or somethings off, he said. and close to perfect already. German-made scalpel and without

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 SUPERTUNING
with the PROS
a doubt one of the worlds foremost
experts on the topic of supertuning.
Gillingham says any disparity
in point of impact between a hunt-
ers broadheads and fieldpoints is
an indicator the bow may not be
perfectly tuned.
So, if your bow doesnt pass either
of these tests but you wish it did, read
This image shows the result of bare shaft
tuning, with the initial larger rips, subse-
quent smaller rips and finally two perfect
bullet holes created by the shaft once all
necessary bow adjustments were made. A
bow that can group bare shafts within two
inches of fletched arrows is a supertuned
shooting machine that will produce deadly
results in the field.
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on. But if you are pleased as a tick on
a hound with your bows current per-
formance, cease reading immediately,
because the following info could pos-
sibly turn you into a bona-fide bow
geek, if not send you to counseling.
Who Needs Supertuning?
Generally, its the target shooters
who want their bows supertuned,
more so than hunters, and [target]
guys shoot fieldpoints. But bowhunt-
ers shoot broadheads, so they actually
need it more, said Josh Morris, who
owns a company called BowXperts.
com that specializes in supertuning.
Most guys dont recognize how
important it is to have a bow tuned
perfectly, said veteran archer and
bowhunter Jim Velazquez, who has
made a living in the archery business
since the 1970s. Hes worked for Bow-
tech and other bow companies, and
theres not much in the way of tuning
he hasnt mastered. Its a big reason
why mechanical broadheads are so
popular: they shoot better from bows
that arent perfectly tuned.
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Y
ou can supertune your bow by
studying the advice in this article and
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science and perfected the art. Or you can
just ship your bow to Josh Morris at
BowXperts.com. Hell Supertune your rig
for $89, plus shipping, or give you The
Works package for $189. Morris guarantees
your bow will be perfectly tuned and turned
around in about a week.
For professional shooters such as
Gillingham, supertuning your bow
is a matter of protecting your liveli-
hood. The rest of us may not techni-
cally need our bows supertuned, but
that doesnt mean we dont want to.
After all, you cant drive a Porsche
911 Turbo 160 mph on the street, but
its cool knowing you could.
Supertuning Solutions
Shelby believes too many bow
tuners simply move the arrow rest
around as a Band-Aid for larger tun-
ing problems. Of course, with an
adjustable rest and sight, a shooter
180
360
2632_16
 can compensate for horrendous tun-
ing errors, but this is like leaning on
the steering wheel to drive straight
down the two-track when the
alignment should be adjusted.
The rest shouldnt be moved
more than 18 inch from center shot,
said Shelby. The bow should be
yoke-tuned.
Yoke tuning means shortening or
lengthening one or both cables by
twisting or untwisting the yokes so
the cams vertical position is per-
fectly aligned with the bowstring.
This helps straighten nock travel for
a smoother power stroke.
For every 1 twist you add to the
cable, add 1.5 twists to the string,
Shelby said.
If that doesnt correct flight issues
as indicated by paper tuning, occa-
sionally Shelby will add a spacer to
the axle to move a cam over slightly.
When Shelbys done, and the bow
groups bare shafts and fletched
arrows together, he knows the bow
will shoot better than the capabil-
ity of most shooters. And thats one
48"
TALL
48"
TALL
SHOOTER BUCK
24"
TALL
32"
TALL
SHOOTER BEAR
goal of supertuning. The other is to
ensure hunters that their broadheads
will fly like fieldpoints. But more on
that later.
While Morris agrees, he also noted
that depending on the type of cam
system used not all compound bows
have yokes. Cable guards can affect
[cam] tension, he said, so if cen-
ter shot is set properly and the bow
doesnt have a yoke, Ill tweak the
cable-guard tension if its adjustable.
Ive even seen peep sight tubing
that has added just enough tension
on the cable to prevent supertuning.
But the first thing Morris does to
any bow he receives something
Mathews Corrine Bundy insists is
key to bow tuning, because its the
way their bows were engineered for
maximum efficiency is to make
sure the bow is in exact factory speci-
fication. This means precisely check-
ing all measurements, including
brace height, draw length, cam tim-
ing, etc. and adjusting things back to
factory spec for a baseline from which
to begin the supertuning process.
51"
TALL
CROSSBOW SHOOTER BIG SHOOTER BUCK
19"
TALL
SHOOTER TURKEY SHOOTER HOG
Blake Shelby, marketing director at PSE
Archery, says bare-shaft tuning the
process of bringing the flight of unfletched
arrow shafts into alignment with his
fletched arrows is the key to his super-
tuning process. Although accomplishing
this task can require numerous tweaks to
the bow, Shelby believes the end results
speak for themselves.
Bryan Seaton has been tuning
bows for 20 years out of Davenports
Archery in Prague, Okla. Seaton ties
his string loops differently than most
other professionals; he ties them so
he can rotate them up and down the
serving slightly so he can fine-tune
the height of the arrows nocking
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SUPERTUNING
with the PROS
point depending on the paper-tuning
results. Hes also found that a bow
can occasionally be fined-tuned by
backing off the draw weight of one
limb just half a turn of the limb bolt.
Velazquez said yet another prob-
lem to watch for involves drop-away
rests that are not perfectly installed,
as excess tension created by the rests
activation cord at full draw can be just
enough to bring the cams out of synch.
To prevent this, he said drop-away
rest installation is ideally a two-man
job. One guy installs the rest while
another constantly checks to see if
there is too much tension, he said.
Gillingham believes in perhaps
the most mysterious form of tuning,
something he calls torque tuning,
an adjustment process that makes a
bow much more forgiving of hand
torque. Its based on the pesky tru-
ism that when the hand torques the
bow, the sight moves one way, while
the arrow below it moves in the
opposite direction a problem that
The Supertuning Consensus
When it comes to supertuning, there are at
least three points on which all experts agree:
1. Shooters should test all arrows and their
nock alignments to make sure theres not a
black sheep among them. All those I interviewed
say they consistently discover an arrow out of a
bunch that flies to a slightly different point of
impact. Try turning the nock to a different
location to see if that helps. If it doesnt, try
launching that arrow into a tall trash heap.
Seaton believes many archers forget how
vital proper spine is to bow tuning. And its easy
to see how, now that carbon arrows are
commonly only offered in three different spine
sizes and points in three weights. So, he
advocates finding the perfect spine and point
weight for your bow by paper tuning.
Shelby says you shouldnt waste time or
money on supertuning if you arent going to buy
top-end, consistently spined arrows. After all,
you wouldnt put Sams Choice tires on a Lambo,
would you? He says most carbon arrows are
rolled in a thin sheet of carbon so there is a
slight overlap of material essentially a double
wall on one narrow seam that runs the length of
the shaft. You need to find this high-spot of
wreaks havoc on groups.
If we can put the arrow rest in the
right position, we can find the sweet
spot where the two actions (moving
the sight one way and the arrow the
opposite direction) cancel each other
out, Gillingham wrote in his article,
Understanding Torque Tuning.
To accomplish this, zero your
bow at 20 yards and then purposely
torque your bow to the left while
shooting arrows and noting the
point of impact; then do that same
while torqueing the bow to the right.
If you see the typical horizontal
stringing between the two groups, it
means you bow isnt torque tuned.
Find the sweet spot by moving the
rest backwards (he actually shoots a
2-inch overdraw) and/or your sight
forward slightly and perform the
same test. Repeat this until the left
and right torque groupings drastical-
ly narrow or overlap. I could spend
all day trying to explain the math
behind Gillinghams theory, but
each arrow and orient your nocks and cock vane
to it so youll shoot each arrow oriented the
same way as the others. Shelby said top-end
arrow manufacturers have a higher spine
consistency rate, and they also mark the spine
seam on their arrows for quick nock orientation.
Gillingham calls his method of finding
problem arrows dynamic spine testing, and he
cant emphasize its importance enough.
Whatever its called, its all about consistency,
folks. Be picky with your arrows.
2. Bare-shaft tuning is an essential part of
the supertuning process. Few tuning methods
reveal more imperfections in a setup.
3. The shooters form must be perfect to
supertune, and most shooters form is not.
I test everything with a Hooter Shooter
shooting machine, says Morris, because many
arrow flight problems are shooter induced.
The first thing I do to fine-tune a bow is take
it away from the customer, Seaton said. Bows
that are perfectly tuned often look out of tune if
the shooter has bad form, particularly a tight grip.
While Velazquez says he might make slight
alterations to the bow after he tunes it, most
times he makes alterations to the shooters form.
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For professional tournament archers such as Tim The Hammer Gillingham, having
a supertuned bow helps protect their livelihood. However, tournament archers shoot
fieldpoints, while bowhunters shoot less forgiving broadheads. So, when it comes
to maximizing accuracy, it could be argued that supertuning is even more critical for
hunting bows than target bows.
perhaps he sums it best, Once you influence. And hes also perfected
get this done, you will be amazed a four-step system to broadhead
at how much better your bow will supertuning. Hunters, take notes.
shoot. First, he advises to powder tune
your bow to make sure theres total
A Supertuners Kryptonite vane clearance. While many hunt-
Many archers make good progress ers use full-capture rests such as the
throughout the supertuning process, Whisker Biscuit and many pros use
only to feel like Superman exposed blade-style rests, Gillingham insists
to Kryptonite when it comes time to the total vane clearance offered by a
screw fixed-blade broadheads on the properly installed drop-away rest is
end of the arrows. critical for dead nuts perfect tuning.
While vanes correct imperfec- Second, paper tune your bow.
tions in flight, the broadhead steers Third, shoot and test all the arrows
the arrow, said Morris. So for you plan to shoot; discard the duds.
hunters, especially those who shoot Finally, shoot all your broadheads
new 6-blade broadheads, supertun- through paper at 5 yards to discov-
ing is critical. But with a perfectly er slight variances in them. If one
tuned bow, you can expect them to is consistently odd, rotate the nock
fly just as accurately and to the same position on the arrow until it tears
point of impact as your fieldpoints. paper exactly the same as the others,
Shelby cautions about bow speeds or discontinue using it.
and broadheads. When bow speeds
get up around the 280 fps mark and Conclusion
above, arrow flight can become er- Supertuning isnt wizardry, but
ratic due to violent air disruptions it does require skill, patience and
caused by the broadhead in front of effort to accomplish. Once the proper
the fletching, Shelby said. So, su- adjustments are made by tweaking
pertuning becomes critical at those the bow itself and not its accessories,
speeds and the effort could even youll have a bulls-eye-piercing ma-
be wasted. chine that wont have to be altered
Gillingham swears by using a when broadheads get screwed on.
four-vane fletching configuration Now, lets just hope you can drive
to counter the broadheads evil the darn thing!

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 Bow Sight
2016 Buyer ,s Guide
By Christian Berg
The Shocker sight series from .30-06 Outdoors ($39.95-$89.95; www.30-06outdoors.
com) offers a great combination of performance and customization at an affordable price.
Featuring a machined aluminum frame and .019-inch fiber optic pins, the Shocker is
available in models with 3, 4, 5 or 7 pins to suit any bowhunters needs. The composite pin
housing also features a wrap-around rubber dampener available in black, orange, green,
pink, purple, blue, red and yellow to perfectly match your bow. Other highlights of Shocker
sights include a Truss Blade pin design for added strength, integrated bubble level and
included LED light for brightening pins in low light. The 5- and 7-pin models also feature
toolless, micro-adjustable windage and elevation dials.

Archer Xtremes new RAK 1000 ($259.99; www.archerxtreme.com) is a high-

performance, single-pin adjustable sight built to perform in extreme bowhunting
conditions. Featuring the companys FAST/RAK Detach System, the RAK 1000 can easily
be attached or detached simply by moving a lever. The FAST/RAK system also features a
double wishbone design that is far stronger than standard dovetail mounts. The FAST/RAK
mounting system allows shooters to position the sight anywhere along the 5.6-inch sight
bar. This allows archers to tune the sight length using the laser-etched marks along the
sight bar to the diameter of the peep sight, causing a concentric circle alignment that
helps eliminate bow torque. Other highlights include second- and third-axis adjustability,
smooth EDGE Gear Drive for moving the .019-inch fiber optic pin into position, integrated
bubble level, LED pin light and included 2X HD Hunter magnification lens.

The new Accutouch multi-pin movable sights ($409.99-$469.99; www.axcelsights.com)

from AXCEL offer plenty of customization to fit the needs of any bowhunter. Available in
3- and 5-pin models, with either a direct mount or carbon-fiber dovetail, the Accutouch
sights feature Accu-Stat scope technology with an adjustable rheostat sight ring that
allows shooters to customize the brightness of their fiber optic pins, which are available in
green, blue, yellow and red in either .019- or .010-inch thickness. Accu-Click pin
adjustment allows you to pre-set pin locations for specific ranges and simply click them
in without looking during the hunt. As AXCEL says, Pick it. Click It. Stick it. The
Accutouch sights also feature second- and third-axis leveling, adjustable elevation tension
lever, windage lock and more.

Black Golds new Ascent Verdict ($224.95-$265.95; www.blackgoldsights.com) gives

shooters accuracy, adjustability and durability. Available in three models 3-pin, 5-pin or
1-pin scope the Ascent Verdict offers more range and adjustability than traditional
movable hunting sights. Like all Black Gold sights, the Ascent Verdict features the brightest
pins on the market thanks to SkyCoil Technology. The 3- and 5-pin models are outfitted
with one-piece, machined micro-grooved pins, while the single-pin model has Black Golds
brightest single pin ever. All models feature High-Performance PhotoChromatic Technology
that automatically dulls pins in bright light to prevent pin halo. The Verdicts new Level
Head sight ring features a patent-pending, easy-to-adjust built-in level that makes it easy
to remain accurate on steeply angled shots. A splined, vertical-drive gear system with 80
percent more gear surface interface means much smoother, quieter operation when you
turn the Dial-of-Death wheel and also eliminates gear burnout.

68 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

Custom Bow Equipment (CBE) has upgraded its popular TEK Hybrid Pro sights
($289-$399; www.custombowequipment.com) for 2016 with features that offer the
ultimate in durability and precision. A redesigned 1.625-inch pin housing features an
easier-to-use multiple windage adjustment, greater pin accessibility, enhanced fiber optic
containment system with fiber cover to help control pin brightness, laser marked hashes for
visual aid during pin adjustment, a brighter bubble vial and less exposed fiber optic material
with CBE Armed Guard Fiber Management System. This years housing also includes a
threaded ring for adding magnified lenses. CBEs Quad Track movable pin system allows
shooters to adjust the sight to exact yardages via the exclusive Rapid Drive system. TEK
Hybrid Pro sights are made from lightweight 6061 T6 aluminum and available in 1-, 3-, 5- or
7-pin configurations with your choice of pin sizes (.029-, .019 or .010-inch) and either a
Smart Mount direct attach bracket or quick-detach dovetail mount. Other highlights include
third-axis leveling, fully machined Rhino pins and CBEs Tough as Nails Guarantee.

The new IQ Pro Hunter ($259.99; www.iqbowsights.com) bridges the gap between a
traditional multi-pin sight and a single-pin mover. Featuring two fixed pins for short-yardage
shots, the Pro Hunter also has an adjustable bottom pin that allows shooters to take
advantage of longer-range opportunities simply by turning the green dial at the bottom of
the sight. Markable tapes inside the bezel and on the side of the sight housing allows each
user to make custom yardage markings for precise aiming at virtually any range. Like all IQ
sights, the Pro Hunter features IQs patented Retina Lock alignment technology that
provides instant feedback about even the slightest bow torque or shift in anchor position,
resulting in more accurate, consistent shooting. Other highlights include a built-in bubble
level, toolless micro-adjust windage and elevation and .019-inch fiber optic pins.

Bowhunters looking for a few extra minutes of shooting light at the beginning and end of
the day will find it with the Peep Eliminator ($54.95; www.peepeliminator.com).
Weighing just 1.6 ounces and built from 6061 aluminum, the original, made-in-the-USA
Peep Eliminator replaces your traditional peep sight with a small, notched V featuring two
green TRUGLO fiber optic reference points. Simply draw your bow, anchor and place the
correct sight pin inside the V. The Peep Eliminator works with single-pin and multi-pin
sights. In addition to allowing more light to reach your eye than a peep, the Peep
Eliminator forces shooters to maintain proper shooting form, as any unwanted bow torque
will prevent the sight pin from properly aligning in the aiming notch.

Spot-Hoggs Fast Eddie XL ($230-$270; www.spot-hogg.com) features a newly

designed 6-inch dovetail bar and bow mount that maximizes strength while minimizing
weight. The bar also maximizes accuracy by offering a longer sight radius.The Fast Eddie
XL is perfect for the archer who prefers to remove their sight while traveling. The Fast
Eddie XL is machined from 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum, features second- and third-axis
adjustability, a large, easy-to-adjust yardage dial and micro-adjustable windage. Sight
tapes for precision aiming at all ranges are included and easy to select using the included
calibration scale. The Fast Eddie XL is available with either Spot-Hoggs single up-pin
housing or with double-pin scope (shown).

One thing is certain; if you miss while using Trophy Ridges new React Pro 7 sight, youll
have nothing to blame but yourself! Thats because exclusive React Technology makes it
mathematically impossible for the sights pins to be off target once calibrated. To sight in,
simply zero the top pin at 20 yards using the toolless, micro-adjustable windage and elevation
knobs. Then step back to 30 yards and fine-tune the height of the second pin using the
sights master adjustment knob. Once those two pins are set, sophisticated React Technology
will automatically have the sights remaining pins calibrated for your bow at 40, 50, 60, 70
and 80 yards. Yes, its just that easy! Other highlights of the React Pro 7 include solid 6061
aluminum construction, second- and third-axis leveling, ultra-bright fiber optic pins, included
rheostat light, bubble level and stainless steel hardware.
Continued on page 90

www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 69

 JOHN HAFNER PHOTO
There are literally hundreds of stabilizer options on the market,

Stabilizers are the Answer for from short, lightweight models designed mainly to reduce noise
and vibration to long, heavyweight versions designed mainly to
help archers hold steadier on target. Choosing the right stabilizer

Quieter, More Accurate Bows for your bow means matching your selection to your personal
hunting and shooting style.

I
n their earliest forms, bow stabilizers were little more
than skinny metal rods with heavily weighted
ends. Of course, this was well before vibration-
dampening technologies were introduced.
As technology advanced, so did stabilizer traits.
THE
BALANCING
Companies began shortening stabilizers and incorpo-
rating rubbery cores or extracurricular additions to
help tame hand shock and bow vibrations. These are
the most common stabilizers found on todays hunting
bows.
From 2002-2012, I worked as an archery service

ACT
technician at a family-owned pro shop where I outfitted
hundreds of customers with stabilizers. Of them, few
were educated on a stabilizers purpose. When Id sug-
gest one, customers commonly looked confused, espe-
cially if they hadnt previously used one. So, Id explain
the benefits and present the differences between each
style. Then, Id match one to their bow and shooting
style. By Darron McDougal
70
 NEW
Full Spectrum Targeting
enables the acquisition of
dark non-reective objects.

THE NEW TROPHY XTREME RANGEFINDER. Dollar for dollar, the most accurate and
dependable laser rangender in its class. Featuring +/- 1-yard precision out to 850 yards,
plus ARC, so you always know how to shoot the distance, no matter the angle. All housed in
a sleek, lightweight package that ts your hand like a surgical glove. Rainproof construction,
and a simple one-button operation. For those who live to hunt, and refuse to compromise.

See the full line of Trophy Xtreme products at Bushnell.com/trophyxtreme

 BALANCING
THE
ACT
Perhaps youre undereducated on
stabilizers or, for whatever reason,
just havent tried one. Or maybe
youve used one, but didnt experi-
ence tangible results. In this article,
well explore multiple stabilizer
types and how to choose one thatll
help you shoot more accurately than
ever before.

Stabilizer Options
If youve fallen for the misconcep-
tion that stabilizers are stabilizers,
its time to categorize them based
on what theyre designed to do. As
I said earlier, most bowhunters use
stabilizers designed more for vibra-
tion dampening than for stabiliza-
tion. These are recognizable by their
short, lightweight profile and rub-
bery features. If you dont shoot at
game past 25 yards, these stabilizers
will do absolutely everything you
There are many stabilizer options on the market, from short, light models designed
mainly for reduced noise and vibration to long, heavy models that dramatically improve
the stability of your bow at full draw. Your best choice depends on your hunting style.
need. But, if youre looking to in- porate vibration-dampening proper-
crease your effective hunting range ties. Still others are designed solely
or tighten your aim during a bow- for stabilization. If I had to choose
hunting shot opportunity, consider a between one quality or another,
longer, heavier option. Id totally go for stability. To me,
Several manufacturers offer long, a steady sight picture and a properly
weighted stabilizers that also incor- balanced bow are far more

2016 Stabilizer Buyers Guide

Archers can now dampen bow vibration,
improve accuracy and fully customize their
bows balance with .30-06 Outdoors K3
Quarterback Stabilizer ($45-$55; www.30-
06outdoors.com). Available in two lengths and
seven colors, the stabilizers offer performance
for target archers and bowhunters alike.
Quarterback Stabilizers are outfitted with six
rubber dampeners and a rubber O-ring with a
patent-pending front-hollow damper that holds
up to 10 quarters for a weight-forward effect,
which greatly stabilizes the shooters aim. A
durable CNC-machined aluminum shell houses
everything durably. Shooters can choose from
red, pink, blue, green, black, purple and orange
damper colors. The K3 Quarterback Stabilizer
is available in 6- and 9-inch lengths.
and follow-through. Each Contour Hunter
stabilizer comes with a 2-ounce base and a
2-ounce pancake weight, compatible with any
standard weight system. Additional weights are
available in increments of 1, 2 and 4 ounces.
If looks could kill, Archer Xtremes Carbon The Contour Hunter is available in 8 inches (2.3
Triad ($90; www.archerxtreme.com) would do ounces) and 11 inches (2.7 ounces). A stealthy
just that. The 8-inch stabilizer weighs eight blackout version of the Contour Weight System
ounces and employs forward-thinking is included with both models, and both lengths
technologies that balance bows and squelch are available in black, Realtree Max-1 and
vibration. The Carbon Triad features a Realtree Xtra.
patent-pending 3K T.C.R. carbon-fiber body
with unreal rigidity, and its 3K B.C.R. carbon
support frame is designed for lightweight
performance. The HD Core Dampening Chamber
zone incorporates isolation dampening beads
and provide a smooth-shooting experience.

Eastons new Contour Hunter ($90-$100;

www.eastonhunting.com) is one of the most
advanced stabilizers Easton has developed for
modern bowhunters. Its Tri-Mod technology
tames vibrations while balancing the bow for
rock-solid aiming and proper shot execution
72
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 BALANCING
THE
ACT
influential on accuracy than vibra-
tion dampening, especially since
most modern bows are already
virtually vibration-free.
Another stabilizer design that
greatly improves balance and stabil-
ity is the offset stabilizer. This design
incorporates an offset mounting
bracket that kicks the stabilizer(s) to
the opposite side of the bow as your
sight and quiver for a perfect coun-
terbalance. Many models are adjust-
able too, so you can achieve the per-
fect fit, feel and balance. Personally,
I achieve my best results with offset
stabilizers.
Adam Hayden, director of sales
for The Outdoor Group, agrees. I
always use a rear offset stabilizer
on my bowhunting setups, he said.
It helps counterbalance the weight
of other bow-mounted accessories,
and therefore helps the bow level
2016 Stabilizer Buyers Guide
and 10-inch configurations, the Carbon Torch
features a 3-ounce base weight and two
1-ounce disc weights. The disc weights
sandwich innovative Stealth Discs which stop
noise and vibrations. The carbon tube is
ultra-lightweight, but with the weights situated
near the stabilizers end, the Carbon Torch
stabilizes the shooters sight picture. The
Stealth Discs are available in nine different
colors, and the carbon tube is available in
Realtree Xtra, Max-1 and Black Out.
A revolution in bow-stabilizer design, Kinex
Systems introduces the USA-made Check-
mate ($70-$90; www.kinexsystems.com). The
quick-detach Pawn and Rook compression-fit
coupler allows you to remove or attach your
Checkmate stabilizer in seconds while reducing
74
Adam Hayden, director of sales for The Outdoor Group, arrowed this stud whitetail in
Ohio. He credits his bowhunting accuracy to a quality stabilizer setup such as the one
shown on his bow.
out and balance without additionalwas as simple as telling you which
make and model to buy. Unfortunate-
effort and focus. This is one less thing
I have to mentally focus on when aly, its far more complex than that,
shot presents. and there are several reasons why.
First, every bowhunter has his
Keep It Personal or her own preferences and shoot-
I wish recommending a stabilizer ing form. Second, each bow model
torque. The rubber connector turns the entire Performance comes from clever construc-
stabilizer into a great noise-dampening device. tion, and the Vibracheck Spire stabilizer
Checkmate stabilizers are available in 6-, 8- ($35-$45; www.pse-archery.com) harnesses a
and 10-inch lengths and in various finishes to next-generation design for the ultimate
match virtually every bow under the sun. vibration-dampening solution. The precision,
machined-aluminum tube houses a rubber core
that zaps noise and vibration at the shot. The
result is an ultra-quiet shot with virtually no
recoil. The Spire is available in 5- and 8-inch
lengths, and in red, purple, Skullworks 2 and
Mossy Oak Break-Up Country finishes.
KTech Designs stabilizers offer every
shooter benefits. Based on the Infinity series
stabilizer platform, the DX Hunter ($64.99-
$74.99; www.ktechdesigns.com) series features
Sims Vibration Laboratorys Bull Barrel
De-Resonator and three 1-ounce, removable Specialty Archery has redesigned its
disc weights, which shooters can customize to popular Feather Lite stabilizer ($76-$97;
their individual preferences. The DX Hunter www.specialtyarch.com) lineup to include a
Series stabilizers include a proprietary, machined-aluminum base with an integral
closed-cell material to increase dampening quick-disconnect attachment system. With just
capability within each carbon-fiber tube. The half a turn, the stabilizer easily removes from
series is available in 6-, 8- and 10-inch lengths, the bow for convenient storage. Feather Lite
and in various finishes to match todays vast stabilizers are built using three, high-modulus
majority of bows. carbon rods that make them stiff and
 TORCH EVERYTHING YOU
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Carbon
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on the hunt or 12 rings on the range. A 3 oz base weight and two 1 oz
Carbon
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the path to a new standard of accuracy and consistency.

Carbon Torch available in Realtree Xtra, Max-1 and Black Out. www.fusearchery.com
Stealth Discs and Shock Rods available in 9 different colors.
 BALANCING
THE
ACT
balances differently. Third, sights,
quivers and other accessories affect
the way a bow balances. Fourth,
specific bowhunting applications
call for specific equipment. These
and many more are reasons you
must choose wisely in order to ex-
perience good results. Never buy
a stabilizer merely because it looks
nice, or because a friend recom-
mended it. Carefully choose one
that complements your bow and
hunting/shooting style.
For example, Hayden configures
stabilizers relative to application. For
whitetail hunting, I run a 10- to 12-inch
front stabilizer with a couple ounces of
weight near the end, and a 6- to 8-inch
rear stabilizer mounted to an offset
bracket, he said. For Western hunt-
ing, I tend to use a longer front stabi-
lizer, say 14 to 15 inches, but with the
same offset rear stabilizer.
Sweet Stability
Theres definitely merit Much anxiety originates from
an unbalanced bow. A shaky sight
picture usually causes shooters to
to the bigger-is-better forcibly place their pin on the target
and punch their trigger the moment
mindset when considering it gets there. At full draw, a legiti-
mate stabilizer steadies your sight
picture, which greatly calms anxiety
stabilizers. that would otherwise instigate tar-
get panic and trigger punching. The
steady sight picture helps you effort-
lessly float your pin on the exact spot
you want to hit.
Hayden believes a hefty stabi-
lizer reduces bow movement at full
draw by half. Without a stabilizer,
your pin may move in a 3-inch circle
on your target as you begin apply-
A long stabilizer with weight situated ing back tension to fire the shot,
near the end helps create a steadier sight he said. A quality stabilizer can
picture, which helps reduce shooter anxiety decrease that perceived area to 1.5
during the shot. inches.

2016 Stabilizer Buyers Guide

lightweight. The Feather Lites moveable
weights held within a vibration-dampening
NAVCOM slider help shooters achieve perfect
balance. Feather Lite hunting stabilizers are
available in 6-, 8- and 10-inch lengths, and in
black or Lost Camo finishes.
designed to record and share your hunt. With Trophy Ridges Ballistix CoPolymer System
one-button operation, 1080HD recording, a body, which is 25 percent lighter than
shockproof/waterproof design and 3X zoom, aluminum but with comparable strength.
you can have the best of both worlds. If you Static stabilizers are available in 6- and
want to keep your existing stabilizer, no 9-inch lengths.
sweat; the Tactacam will screw into any
stabilizer on the market that has a threaded
adapter on the end. Tactacams gun package
has a mount that easily attaches to most
modern stabilizers, too.

Performance-based composites are the

Tactacam ($290-$310; www.tactacam.
com) is the stabilizer for tech-minded
bowhunters. Not only do you experience the
benefits of a weight-forward design, but at
6.4 ounces, Tactacam is the only stabilizer
76
Trophy Ridges Static stabilizer
($49-$62; www.trophyridge.com) comes
with two customizable weights, which give
shooters control over the stabilizer s
weight and balance so they can match it
to their bow setup and/or hunting
situation. Static stabilizers also feature
reason TRUGLOs Carbon XS stabilizer
($49-$62; www.truglo.com) offers a
stunningly smooth shot. TRU-TOUCH
Soft-Feel Technical Coating ensures silence
as brush or other obstacles rub against the
stabilizer, and an adjustable weight-
suspension system includes two, stainless-
steel 1-ounce weights. Engineered for
high-performance bows, the Carbon XS
includes a paracord wrist sling. Interchange-
able colored dampening rings help shooters
customize the stabilizer, and 7- and 9-inch
models offer every bowhunter something.
 BALANCING
THE
When fired properly, a bow
ACT
should naturally fall down and
forward during follow-through. A
somewhat heavy stabilizer promotes
good follow-through, which then
improves your accuracy and consis-
tency. Further, heavy stabilizers keep
weight forward so youre less likely
to torque your bow.
Wind also wreaks havoc on light-
weight bow setups, and heavy stabi-
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stabilizers.
Hayden recalls one particular
bowhunt where his heavier stabiliz-
er helped him make a difficult shot.
Id just hung a treestand, and while
walking out, I spotted a buck rub-
bing a cedar tree on a logging road,
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He finally walked up the road. It
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Weigh Your Options
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 EXTREME
W
hen I pulled the Nevada pronghorn tag
out of my mailbox in the summer of
2015, my blood pressure was instant-
ly elevated. Getting to this point had
been a long journey. I had started ap-
plying for this tag a decade earlier, with dreams of high
adventure boiling in my blood. And now, as I held those
papers of enablement in my hand, feelings of uncertain-
ty flooded over me. What had I gotten myself into? Was I
really going to drive 2,000 miles (one-way), to a place Id
never been, to bowhunt pronghorns in some of the most
desolate country imaginable? Yep and I could hardly
wait to get such a new and exciting adventure rolling.
Load the Ford, load the girls, and northwest Nevada,
here comes the Claypool clan!
Everything New
With an August 1 bow opener, we pulled out of Okla-
homa in mid-July, excited to get an early out from the
stifling heat and humidity of our home territory. Though
the high desert would also be in the grips of full-blown
80 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
summer heat, I knew our destination would provide a
much more tolerable climate than what we were accus-
tomed to. After all, 100 degrees at 7 percent humidity
is much nicer than 100 degrees at 70 percent humid-
ity! Furthermore, the lure of an unseen land barren
of people, yet inhabited by a diverse array of plant and
animal life stoked my spirit for adventure. As usual,
my mind occupied itself with fantasies of old, big, black-
horned pronghorn bucks as the miles clicked away, and
considering the distance ahead, I had plenty of time for
such dreaming.
By the time we rolled into northwestern Nevada, Peg
and I were suffering from a bad case of numb-butt. Even
Lulu was antsy. Picking a spot to camp in the vast sea of
public land wasnt a problem, and for starters, we simply
threw out our anchor near the center of my vast hunting
area. Parking on a piece of parched BLM ground, base
camp was soon established with cool drinks next in or-
der. With maps laid out before me, I began the daunting
task of narrowing down my search plans for Mr. Big
the pronghorn buck of my dreams. Id come to the right
07 2016
Pronghorns
Heat Makes for a
Humbling Nevada
Hunt After an
Overdue Draw
By Eddie Claypool
Author Eddie Claypool was forced to deal with heat, wild horses and
sickness, but still managed to head home with a trophy pronghorn.
place, a vast landscape of premium pronghorn habitat,
little changed since the beginning of time. For as far as
a man could roam in every direction, I had at my dis-
posal rolling sagebrush hills, rough, rocky canyons and
rimrock mesas. To top it all off, much of my hunting
area was designated wilderness as in no motorized
vehicles. Certainly, therein existed some ancient prong-
horn bucks that often lived out full lives, oblivious to the
intrusion of mankind. My kind of place!
Realizing the task I was facing, combined with the
dreams that had brought me here, I had allowed plenty of
time for this trip. The bow opener was three weeks distant.
Over a meal of burgers, I chit-chatted with my girls while
making plans for the days ahead. There were a lot of miles
to be covered and a lot of work waiting to be done, but I
was up for the task and excited about the challenge. In the
weeks ahead, Id spend early morning and midday times
exploring the vast desert landscape, while Peg and Lulu
would lounge around their little nest, while enjoying
the solitude of quiet, wide open spaces, far detached from
society. Evenings, wed all go for ATV rides and explore
www.b owhuntingmag.com
new scenery. The desert always has much more to offer
than first meets the eyes.
The Long Haul
As days rolled by, information was gleaned, refined
and applied. It was fast becoming clear that the prong-
horn population of the area was rather low, owing to
years of prolonged drought. Furthermore, there was
a major wild horse problem, as it seemed that every
time I found a good water source in the dry landscape,
a herd of wild horses had homesteaded the location.
There were times when I witnessed the horses running
deer and pronghorns away from their water sources
not good! It appeared that my hopes of finding a
remote water source, erecting a blind, and simply har-
vesting a large-horned buck werent going to come off
as simply as Id hoped. Oh well, when the going gets
tough...
Extending my searches for trophy quarry further
into wilderness country, I donned a backpack and
headed out for some overnight stays. This approach to
PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 81
 EXTREME
Pronghorns
pronghorn hunting was foreign to
me, as all of my previous hunts had
been much milder in nature. But then
again, I wasnt going to leave a stone
unturned on this trip, as this outing
would most likely provide me with
the best opportunity Id ever experi-
ence to locate an exceptional prong-
horn buck. With a few trail cameras,
a lot of water and a little food, I set
out, probing the desert wilderness
deeper each day. Sweat rolled, miles
passed quietly and a few good bucks
were encountered. Slowly but surely,
I began to narrow down my search
zone to a particular section of deso-
late wilderness that held a couple of
good bucks. Id found a remote wa-
terhole in the area, and I suspected
the bucks were visiting there. Setting
up a couple of cameras, I exited the
spot, hoping that the horses in the
area wouldnt wreck my cameras. Id
be back in a few days to check
A Plan Coming Together
With two weeks of scouting un-
der my belt, I was finally starting to
formulate a plan of attack. Id been
back to my wilderness waterhole to
check cameras, and both of the local
mature bucks had been at the spot
to drink once each on differ-
ent days. Clearly, these bucks had
another water source somewhere in
the area since theyd only been to
my particular waterhole once over a
three-day period. And although nei-
ther buck was an exceptional speci-
men, both were solid trophies. Such
being the case, I decided to place my
82 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
Its safe to say Eddie and the Claypool Clan had the desert to themselves after setting
up base camp!
bet here. It was game on now!
Focusing most of my attention on
my remote wilderness waterhole, I
spent the last few days of my scout-
ing time checking my trail cameras a
couple of times, while also attempt-
ing to tackle all the other logistics
involved in bowhunting pronghorns
from a ground blind in a wilderness
area. The waterhole was about four
miles from the nearest place I could
park my ATV, and my destination
was also about 1,000 vertical feet
above where my hikes began a
good chore in such difficult condi-
tions. On my last trip into the spot
before the season opened, I carried a
load of gear, erected a ground blind,
loaded it with support gear and
quickly exited the area. Would the
wild horses leave my work alone,
or would everything be stomped
At left is the first photo Claypool got of
his pronghorn buck. In fact, its what
convinced Claypool to set up at the
waterhole. Above are some of the many
beautiful but destructive wild horses that
wreak havoc on the country and water
sources. Fortunately, they didnt succeed
at doing the same to the hunt!
into the ground when I came back in
the dark of opening morning? There
was no use fretting over such things
stuff that was out of my control
because with the season opener
looming, I was already all-in with
my chosen course of action. Happen-
stance would simply rule. Ah, the
lure of bowhunting!
With Hope and a Prayer
Loading a backpack with sup-
plies for a couple of days, I headed
out the evening before the opener.
After a long, rough, ATV ride, I
finally pulled up to my jump-off
spot, parked the machine and began
the arduous hike to a mesa that hov-
ered over my chosen hunting desti-
nation. Dodging a few rattlesnakes
on the way in, the miles slid by as
the sweat rolled down the crease of
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EXTREME
Pronghorns
GEAR LIST
Bow: Mathews No-Cam HTR
Sight: Black Gold Rush
Rest: Trophy Taker Smackdown PRO
Broadheads: Trophy Taker A-TAC
Release: Scott Archery
Arrows: Carbon Express Blue Streak Select
340s
Blind: Primos Double Bull Shack Attack
Camo: Sitka Gear Optifade Open Country
Backpack: Sitka Gear Bivy 30
Trail Camera: Moultrie M-990i
These two photos show Claypools setup at the successful waterhole location. Despite
extreme heat that made him physically ill and tempted him to give up, Claypools efforts
were rewarded after 19 hours of waiting.
As a matter of fact, my back. Eventually reaching my
pre-chosen camping spot as the sun
slid behind the western horizon, I
it was actually quickly erected my one-man tent
and slid into it. The coolness of the
starting to make high-desert evening felt refreshingly
good, and as I drifted off to sleep, I
whispered a prayer for upcoming
me physically good fortune.
By the time the sun had tipped
the eastern horizon, Id been in my
sick. Could I make hide for a good while. Settling in for
a long, hot vigil, I kept a close watch
on the endless plain that stretched in
it until sunset? all directions. As the hours slipped
by, my excitement began to wane
not a single pronghorn sighted.
By midday, I was getting so hot I
found myself laying flat on a mat on
the bottom of my blind, occasionally
rising to survey my surroundings.
With temperatures peaking toward
mid-evening, Id still not seen a sin-
gle pronghorn. In all reality, my vigil
was really starting to become more
like work than fun. As a matter of
fact, it was actually starting to make
me physically sick. Could I make it
until sunset?
By the time twilight settled on my
hide, I staggered out of the blind and
made my way to my camp. Guz-
zling water, eating a small snack, I
climbed into my tent while question-
ing my sanity. Id not seen a single
pronghorn all day could I en-
dure another such day tomorrow? I
couldnt answer that question. As for
now, however, I was sick and needed
some rest.
When the alarm sounded the next
morning, I knew Id lived to fight an-
other day, so I arose and headed for
my blind. Climbing in with trepida-
tion, I wondered what this day held.
Toward mid-morning, two young
bucks visited my location, satisfy-
ing their thirst with long a drink. By
noon, I was melting down again and
again feeling physically sick. Decid-
ing to wait one more hour before I
gave up on this seemingly hopeless
effort, I prayed for a miracle. And
sometimes, miracles do happen.
Just as I was on the verge of exit-
ing my hide to call it quits, I took one
last look around my area from the
slits in my blind. And just like that
after 19 hours of waiting there he
was! And he was headed directly for
my hide. With the next few minutes
becoming a blur, I somehow pre-
pared for my dream encounter and
executed the actions necessary to fill
my Nevada pronghorn tag. I was in
complete euphoria.
As I exited my hide, and walked
up to my trophy, tears welled up
in my eyes. This had been a long,
tough, row to hoe, and Id been ex-
tremely blessed to seal the deal this
day, in this spot. As the sun momen-
tarily went behind a cloud, and a
cool breeze swirled through the area,
I knew this was a very special mo-
ment one Id never forget. Look-
ing up into the endless blue sky, I
nodded my head in acknowledge-
ment. Sometimes, some things are
simply beyond us.
07 2016
 2016
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 TECHNICAL
BOW TEST
N
ew Breed owner Kyle
Null started the com-
pany in his garage as
he experimented with a way
to build a better bow than
he could find on the market.
Thanks to Kyles efforts at
ASA tournaments and growing
interest on social media, New
Breed grew steadily through
2012. The addition of two
business-savvy partners that
year resulted in widespread
brand recognition and growth
that far surpassed anything the
company had previously experi-
enced. With his motto, Archers
building bows for archers,
Null and team focus on build-
ing each rig as they have since
the beginning one at a time,
with great attention to detail.
The 2016 GX2 is built with the
companys fluted riser as its plat-
form, Gordon Glass limbs to store
energy and its Bionix 2.5 cam sys-
tem. Other features include an ad-
justable string suppressor, X-Slide
cable-containment fixture, two-piece
grip with Bowjax grip inserts and
titanium and stainless steel hard-
ware package.
Fluted and Flexed
New Breed machines its ris-
ers from aircraft-grade aluminum
plates, which it fashions into a reflex
configuration. Reflex means that its
designed with the limb pivot points
in front of the deepest part of the
grip (where the shooters hand is
seated). All else being equal, reflex
geometry results in a longer power
New Breeds GX2 features a sharp-looking reflex riser complete with weight-reducing
cutouts and fluted grooves front and back. A two-piece grip with Bowjax inserts,
adjustable string suppressor, stainless steel stabilizer-mounting insert and X-Slide cable-
containment fixture finish out the riser. A set of split Gordon Glass limbs sport a strong
curl, while the Bionix 2.5 cam system allows for modular adjustability.
86 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
New Breed GX2
stroke (distance the archer moves
the string) and faster arrow speeds.
It also works well with the short
parallel and past-parallel curled
limbs common on todays bows.
The GX2 riser is made with a hand-
ful of cutouts and fluted grooves on
the front and back, both of which
reduce mass weight while maintain-
ing strength, stiffness and rigidity. A
stiff platform is critical for consistent
performance.
A set of Bowjax inserts combine
with the contoured handle to create
the grip. The size, shape and an-
gle of the grip area are designed to
offer the shooter an interface that is
both comfortable and functional. As
an added bonus, the Bowjax inserts
work to reduce vibration throughout
the structure.
A rod mounted on the backside of
the riser, just above the shelf, serves
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: New Breed Archery,
888-363-3545; www.newbreedarchery.com
Model: GX2
Cam System: Bionix 2.5, modular
Weight: 4.1 pounds (advertised and as tested)
Brace Height: 7 inches
Axle-To-Axle length: 32 inches
Letoff: 78%
Draw Weights: 50, 60, 65, and 70 pounds peak
Draw Lengths: 24 12 -30 12 inches, in half-inch
increments; modular
Riser: Reflex, machined aluminum
Limbs: Split, Gordon Glass
String: BCY X, 57.56 inches
Cables (x2): BCY X, 36.25 inches
Grip: Two piece, Bowjax inserts
Finish: Mossy Oak Break-Up Country camo
or Black w/Carbon Fiber limbs
Advertised IBO Speed: 335 fps
Suggested Retail Price: $949
Comments: A smooth draw, rock-solid aim and
quiet shot.
07 2016
 BY JON E. SILKS

SPEED & ENERGY this configuration, one of the tracks

DRAW-FORCE CURVE is used for the string while the other
houses both cables. Using only two
ARROW KINETIC DYNAMIC tracks allows a narrower side-to-
SPEED ENERGY EFFICIENCY side footprint, which reduces weight
375-GRAIN 289 fps 69.6 82.9%
and brings the load from the cables
ARROW foot-pounds closer to the center of the axle and
system. This lessens the opportunity
425-GRAIN 273 fps 70.4 83.8% for cam lean and its negative impact
ARROW foot-pounds
while also increasing efficiency. The
Editors Note: All our Technical Bow Tests are conducted using the same standardized procedures and professionally calibrated track shape is intended to create a
testing equipment. Bows are tested with a draw length of 29 inches and a draw weight of 65 pounds, unless otherwise noted. super-smooth draw cycle and main-
tain performance. Three base cams
as the base for New Breeds X-Slide of the Gordon Glass limbs at full and modules cover the 24 12-30 12-
cable-containment system. The draw takes advantage of the inher- inch draw-length range.
X-Slide combines a sliding motion ent benefits of such a configuration
with a roller to reduce friction and namely reduced shock, vibration Impressions
increase overall efficiency. Another and noise. A lightweight, two-piece Shooting the GX2 at the range
rod is mounted opposite the stain- pocket supports the limb over a rel- proved to be a pleasant experience.
less steel stabilizer-mounting insert atively long span for increased sta- As you can see from the attached
that anchors the string suppression bility at this critical limb-to-riser in- draw force curve, this rig focuses on
system, complete with a Bowjax rod terface. The pockets protect the limb a smooth cycle. A notable jump was
dampener. ends and control lateral movement felt in the handle at the shot, but I
with between-the-limb spacers and detected no follow-on vibration.
Parallel Gordons exterior supports. A titanium limb Additionally, the GX2 produced
GX2 limbs are extruded, then ma- bolt ensures a corrosion-free lifespan. a hunting-quiet shot. The grip was
chined into their final form before quite comfortable with the Bowjax
being finished in either Mossy Oak Two-Track Tech inserts, and as long as the archer has
Break-Up Country camo or Carbon The GX2 utilizes a two-track cam proper hand placement, riser torque
Fiber. The past-parallel position design in the Bionix 2.5 system. In should not be a problem.

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www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 87

 FIELD
TESTED
Set Center Shot with Laser Precision
Arrow rest calibration is one of the most critical components of any
bow setup. No matter how good your shooting form or how well
the remainder of your bow is tuned, you will never unleash its full
potential without a properly tuned rest. Other than the bowstring,
your rest is the only physical interface between your bow and your
arrow and if your rest isnt properly adjusted, it will steer your ar-
rows off course on every shot. Sure, you may be able to adjust your
sight pins to account for small errors in rest alignment. But with larg-
er errors, you are in for many hours of frustration if you believe you
can align your short-range and long-range groups simply by moving
your sight pins. Basically, thats the definition of chasing your tail!
Although I recommend paper tuning and walkback tuning for perfect
rest performance, it is imperative to start by accurately determining
center shot when the rest is installed. Center shot is the perfect
alignment between your arrow shaft and your string where the arrow
point, arrow nock and bowstring are all moving in perfect horizontal
alignment throughout the draw cycle. If your rest is off just a little to
the left or right, every shot you take is going to leave the bow being
pushed just a tad sideways of your intended target. If youve set up
many bows, or seen the bow techs at your local pro shop do it, you
probably know that eyeballing it is the most common method of de-
termining center shot. And while Im sure many experienced pros are
quite good at standing behind a bow, closing one eye and aligning
the string, cams and arrow nock, I prefer a bit more precision. The
True Center 2.0 Laser Aligner from October Mountain Products
takes all the guesswork out of the job and literally lets me determine
center shot with laser accuracy. Plus, its super quick and easy. The
Keep the Cold, Cold And the Hot, Hot
Whether were in the woods, on the job or simply enjoying our
precious free time, staying properly hydrated is something that will
allow us to stay on the task at hand. Many of us myself included
take multiple trips to the office water cooler every day to fill up
a water bottle. The problem is, if you dont finish it off within a few
minutes, you end up with unwanted lukewarm water. YETI
solved that problem a year ago with its popular Ram-
bler Tumblers, and now its taken that technology one
step further. The company says its new Rambler Bot-
tles are built for the wild, and I can tell
you theyre certainly telling the truth.
Built with a durable, kitchen-grade
18/8 stainless steel construction,
theyre more than capable of being
beaten around only to come out the
other side unscathed. An included
double-wall vacuum insulation is the
reason why ice cubes wont melt,
and drinks remain hot or cold all day
long. Ive now tested the Rambler
Bottles in both manners, and came
away very impressed just as I
thought I would! The main differ-
ence between the Rambler Tumbler
and the new Rambler Bottles is the
lid. Each of the new bottles has an
insulated TripleHaul screw-in cap to
88 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
JESSICA DELORENZO PHOTO
True Center 2.0 mounts to the bows sight holes, and then all you
have to do is turn the laser head until the beam is perfectly aligned
with your bowstring. From there, simply rotate the laser beam until it
comes down onto the arrow shelf and adjust the rests windage until
the laser beam tracks perfectly on center from the string all the way
down the front tip of the arrow shaft. The entire process takes about
two minutes and provides an extremely accurate starting point that
should minimize the amount of time youll need to spend fine-tuning
the rest on the range. As an added bonus, the True Center 2.0 is also
a great tool for identifying and eliminating cam lean.
Christian Berg
MSRP: $99.99
Contact: October Mountain Products, 717-492-8020;
www.octobermountainproducts.com
protect your work desk, truck interior or backpack from spills. Simply
put, no matter where or how you decide to transport your Rambler
Bottle, it cannot leak in any way. Each Rambler Bottle also fea-
tures a No Sweat design, which means there will be absolutely no
condensation on the outside of the bottle. For bowhunters, that
means youll never find the inside of your backpack damp at the
end of the day, which forces you to worry about your expensive
equipment inside. And men, never again will your better half
be forced to scold you because you
deemed it unnecessary to reach for a
coaster. The aforementioned TripleHaul
caps are the same size, no matter if
you choose the 18-, 36- or 64-ounce
model. YETI calls this Over-the-Nose
technology which represents easy
filling, drinking and cleaning unlike many
other narrow-mouthed drinking bottles
on the market. Without a doubt, YETI
is a company riding a hot streak with
very practical products that do exactly
what theyre expected to. The BPA-free
Rambler Bottles are just the latest in
line, and are a certainty to be another hit.
Drew Pellman
MSRP: $39.99 (18-ounce), $59.99
(36-ounce), $89.99 (64-ounce)
Contact: YETI Coolers, 512-394-
9384; www.yeticoolers.com
07 2016
 2016 Bow Sight
,
Buyer s Guide
Continued from page 69
Trophy Taker has put the ball in your court with the Option sight ($355-$385; www.
trophytaker.com), as it has combined the best elements of fixed and moveable pin sights
into a sleek, tough and lightweight package. You now have the ability to transform the
sight from a hybrid fixed and moveable pin sight into a true single-pin mover. You can view
all the pins at the same time, or simply rotate the fixed pins completely out of view for
maximum visibility. The Option sight is available in 4-, 6- or 8-pin versions. Features
include protected fiber optics that produce bright pins, second- and third-axis adjustability
and clickable micro-adjust windage and elevation.

TRUGLOs new Carbon XS Xtreme ($47-$60; www.truglo.com) is a feature-rich sight

that is light on your bow and your wallet. The 5-pin Carbon XS Xtreme weighs just 4.2
ounces thanks to durable carbon composite construction and features a longer mounting
bracket (for a longer sight radius), extended windage and elevation adjustments, larger
aperture and PRO-BRITE Pin Technology for pins that are brighter and stronger than ever.
TRUGLOs unique TRU-FLO fiber design provides extra-long fibers for maximum
brightness. The reversible mounting bracket provides greater vertical adjustability, and the
sight is adjustable for left- and right-handed shooters. Rounding out the list of features is a
glow-in-the-dark shooters ring for improved peep alignment and a TRU-TOUCH, soft-feel
technical coating to quell noise and vibration.

PEEP ELIMINATOR

Compound
Bow Rie

Sight
Patent #7,275,327 & 8,122,608
& other patent pending 13,711,733

If youre making bad archery shots, wounding your animal,

tracking for hours or maybe never nding it please visit
my website, www.peepeliminator.com
SEEING IS
You will shoot BELIEVING
GREATER DISTANCES WITH
CONSISTENT ACCURACY
with fewer pin settings.

618-526-4427
FAX: 618-526-7550 This is a picture of that
mel@peepeliminator.com 40yd group I shot with your
Peep Eliminator and Spot
1004 S. Walnut Rd. Breese, IL 62230-4118 Hogg Sight. -Duane W.

90 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 Se rious bowhunters n e e d
se rious bowhunting television
BOWHUNTER T V
52 we e ks a ye ar!

TUNE IN THE WEEK O

F JUNE 13!

(Eastern Time)

PREMIERES WEDNESDAYS 10:00 PM;

MON 10:00 AM; THUR 1:00 AM; THUR 2:30 PM; FRI 7:00 AM
(Central Time)
WED 10:00 AM; FRI 7:30 PM; SAT 5:00 AM
Following the legalization of lighted arrow
nocks in Colorado, the President and Founder
of Lumenok, Curtis Price, was quick to travel
to the Centennial State to bowhunt mule deer
with J&D Outfitters. Bowhunter TVs Danny
Farris guided him to this beautiful trophy
while cameraman Robbie Rohm captured
the action. Congratulations, Curt!

ENT ADVICE
GRE AT HUNTING STORIES SOUND HUNTING TIPS TRIED-AND-TRUE EQUIPM
 NEW
GEAR
What A Brute
The Brute name is an archery legend, and for 2016 PSE
has built upon that legacy with the all-new Brute Force,
a feature-packed hunting rig that has the Madness
Hybrid Cam, X-Tech limbs, a 332 fps IBO speed rating and 80
percent letoff along with a smooth draw and solid back wall.
The Brute Force has a 7-inch brace height, measures 31
inches between the axles and weighs 4.1 pounds. It accom-
modates draw lengths from 25-31 inches and is available in
peak draw weights of 50, 60 and 70 pounds.
MSRP: $449.99 (bow only), $549.99 (Ready To
Shoot) and $649.99 (Field Ready)
Contact: PSE, 520-884-9065;
www.pse-archery.com
An Affordable Hammer
The newest four-finger hammer-throw release aid has
been introduced from Tru-Fire in the form of the C4. Its
only 2.1 ounces in mass weight due to an injection-
molded, high-strength, carbon-composite body.
Additionally, a secondary injection of soft rubber fills
sound-deadening nodes that double as your gripping
surfaces and finger comfort pads. The C4 easily
converts for left- or right-handed shooters, and
has a six-position thumb trigger, which is
adjustable for travel.
MSRP: $69.99
Contact: Tru-Fire, 866-387-9307;
www.trufire.com
Small But Mighty
Despite measuring a mere 18 inches from
axle to axle and weighing just 2.9 pounds, the
T18 from Gearhead Archery is a deadly serious
bow designed for extreme hunting conditions.
Capable of IBO arrow speeds up to 325 fps,
the T18 has an overall height of just 22 inches,
and features a 7-inch brace height, accommo-
dates draw lengths from 25-32 inches and is
available in peak draw weights of 40, 50, 60 or
70 pounds.
MSRP: $1,249
Contact: Gearhead Archery, 608-370-8016;
www.gearheadarchery.com
More Opportunities
With the unveiling of the newly released Apex ground blind
from XENEK, the name of the game is more
opportunities for success, as well as capturing
that success on film. Features include highly
customizable windows, built-in accessory
mounts and self-healing tripod slots. Addition-
ally, the Apex has KUIUs Verde camouflage, a
complete backpack system for transportation,
four-way stretch material, reinforced corners,
window gussets and rod sleeves, and a robust
fabric shell with a 600D polyester construction.
MSRP: $399
Contact: XENEK, 406-239-3288; www.huntxenek.com
92 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
Inspired By Ice
The successful launch of
Bohnings Ice Vane late
in 2014 and subsequent requests for a 2-inch version has
now morphed into the new Air Vane after the company again
teamed up with world-class archers Dominique Genet and
Pierre-Julien Deloche. Great for long distance, lighter arrows
and volatile weather conditions on the target range, the 2-inch
Air Vane allows for 2- to 3-degree helical even when fletched
on very small-diameter shafts. They are 0.3-inch tall and weigh
4.5 grains.
MSRP: $14.38 (36 pack), $29.68 (100 pack),
$228.31 (1,000 pack)
Contact: Bohning, 231-229-4247; www.bohning.com
Ready for Summer
Wiley X is now offering two of its
most popular lines the Active Series
WX Rebel and Changeable Series WX
Valor in Realtree Xtra frames. The WX
Rebel (top) features glare-cutting
Polarized Smoke Green lenses ideal for
use on the water, snow and other high-glare
environments. The WX Valor (bottom) has an ultra-
lightweight half-frame design with versatile Smoke Grey
lenses for all-day wear. Users will love the ability to easily
switch out lenses from a range of types and tints.
MSRP: $130 (Rebel), $75 (Valor)
Contact: Wilex X, 800-776-7842; www.wileyx.com
Tune with Ease
Good for any basement, work bench or pro shop
comes the Versa-Cradle 360 Bow Vise from October
Mountain Products. With the ability to rotate 360
degrees and angle 180 degrees, you or your technician
will have a continuous, optimal angle for working on any
bow or crossbow. Featuring powder-coated steel
construction, the device will hold any size limb. It mounts
easily to a bench or counter top, has a 360 locking ball
head design and utilizes soft polymer pads for gripping
and protecting your limbs.
MSRP: $209.99
Contact: October Mountain Products,
717-492-8020; www.octobermountainproducts.com
Save with SPOT
For a limited time only from June 1 to July 31, to be exact
SPOT customers who purchase a SPOT Gen3
(shown), SPOT Trace or SPOT Global Phone at
retail price will receive a 50-percent off mail-in
rebate. The Gen3 allows you to send messages
to family and friends while off the grid, or GPS
locations to emergency responders if needed.
The Trace will track any personal belonging its
attached to, and last but not least, the Global
Phone is a satellite model to keep you in touch
from virtually anywhere in the world.
MSRP: Varies by product
Contact: SPOT, 866-651-7768; www.findmespot.com
07 2016
 For more information or to place an
WH E R E TO G O order, call Mark Thiffault 1-800-200-
7885 (Canada & international 949-
248-4400).
GUIDES AND OUTFITTERS

2017!

Hunt Alberta
Moose SW COLORADO Elk Mule Deer Bear
Mt. Lion. Several private ranches or San
High Sucess Rates Juan NF/BLM with bow or rifle! Silver Peaks
SilverFoxOutftters.com Outfitters, 11461 Road 22, Cortez, CO 81321.
970-565-4778. www.silverpeaksoutfitters.com.
1-800-899-5064 Reg #786.

MAR K ET P LAC E
NEVER MISS AGAIN!
Use the
right pin
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Improve
your
West Central Colorado Elk, Mule Deer, Bear. accuracy
5,000 acres private land. Gunnison National on bows or
Forest/BLM. Bow or rifle. Summer pack trips. crossbows.
Hubbard Creek Outfitters, 970-872-3818;
www.hubbardcreek.com Reg. #1115. Large, easy-to-read distances from
15-70 yards.
Easily installs on sight pins in just minutes.
Self-Guided Northeast Missouri Hunts - Four- $19.99 with free shipping
day spring turkey $350.00. Six-day archery
deer $900.00. Five-day rifle deer $1,100.
www.feldeye.com
Nemohuntingcompany.com. 660-216-0439 (844) 231-0849

www.b owhuntingmag.com PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 93

 FACES OF BOWHUNTING
continued from page 96

Q: Some of your hunting excur-

sions from recent years have
grabbed national headlines. Whats
the first thing you say to people
when they ask why you hunt?
ably a 2 or 3 handicap. Thats been
his biggest passion. Hes a shoot-
er, and hes obviously very vocal on
the Second Amendment. Hes less
of a hunter, but he sees the bene-
fit that its been for us. Hes said,
who really understand the issues
and understand the benefits of the
North American model of wildlife
conservation and how that works,
and giving hunters a voice and a
say in those decisions in the future.

A: I know hunters are the original

conservationists. I know with-
out hunters we would not have our
national park system going back to
the Theodore Roosevelt years. I love
being able to share those sort of
intimate experiences detached from
technology with my friends and with
my family. I also like the meat, but
its a very pure form of escape.
Im not (really) a hunter, but I know
what its done for my kids and I
respect them doing it.
The big joke around the Christ-
mas and Thanksgiving table was
that if theres one thing I ever do
in politics in his administration, Id
be in charge of the Department of
the Interior because I get that hes
not so passionate about it. Politi-
cians are in charge of these [federal
Q: If your father is elected
President, what changes do
you see in store for sportsmen?
A: We are going to make sure
we protect our natural re-
sources, and we are going to
make sure we preserve access
[to public lands] were going
to make sure those things are

Q: Has your father ever tried hunt-

ing? Are there any outdoor
pursuits hes passionate about?
and state] departments, but hunt-
ers generate so much income for
available [to everyone] and
were going to make sure the
people making these decisions
all of these departments. You need
some people who are actually hunt- are also hunters and they are

A: Hes a big golfer, and hes a

very good golfer; hes a prob-
ers sitting on these agencies. It will
be about putting people [in there]
thinking about hunters and giving
hunters their fair shake.

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94 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING 07 2016

 650+ Stores
Nationwide

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UPE ON SUPER COUPON How Does Harbor Freight SUPER COUPON
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 FACES OF
BOWHUNTING
Name: Donald Trump Jr.
Home State: New York
Occupation: Executive Vice President,
The Trump Organization
Years Bowhunting: 22
Current Bow: Hoyt Carbon Defiant
compound, DAS Master Hunter recurve
and A&H Archery longbow
Favorite Animals to Hunt: Whitetail deer
and elk
Q: Its well known you are quite
passionate about hunting. How
did it become such an important
part of your life?
A: I got into it very young.
My grandfather was from
Czechoslovakia. He took me
over there for six to eight weeks
every summer and basically said,
Theres the woods; Ill see you at
dark. He saw a lot of the benefits
I had growing up in New York City,
but he also saw some of the pit-
falls of that, so he made sure I saw
the other side.
In looking back, the best rela-
tionships Ive made have been at
a deer camp or around a campfire.
I really look at hunting as a whole-
some experience and something
that kept me out of a lot of trou-
ble. Im pretty vocal about [hunt-
ing] because if I can get a kid off a
couch or away from playing a video
game and into the woods, Im do-
ing them a major service. Its some-
thing thats really important in this
96 PETERSENS BOWHUNTING
Due to his extremely busy work schedule, Donald Trump Jr. does a lot of his bowhunting
during the late season when he has time off for the holidays. Because hunting during this
time of year can be particularly challenging, Trump said he puts a lot of extra effort into learn-
ing the travel corridors and food sources being used by the bucks he is after.
world where everythings acces-
sible at the push of a button and
everythings about 140 characters.
Being able to sit back and decom-
press, to step back and stare at a
campfire, is just incredible and I
think everyone needs that.
Q: In addition to hunting with a
compound, you also enjoy pur-
suing game with recurves and long-
bows. Why the strong interest in
traditional archery?
A: Theres something about the
discipline it took to learn to
properly shoot a longbow and a
recurve and to be accurate, and
the skills it takes when hunting to
be able get that animal within a
20-yard range as opposed to
if you are going to shoot it with a
compound you can go quite a
bit further than that. It was about
the challenge of trying to hunt with
that kind of gear because its a lot
harder; it takes a lot more time to
perfect.
BY MARK DEMKO
Donald Trump Jr.
Q: As someone who is well
known, you have the opportu-
nity to use your voice to promote
issues and causes that are import-
ant to sportsmen. What are some
of the hunting and conservation
organizations and issues youre ac-
tively involved with or feel strongly
about?
A: Im an active member of the
Boone and Crockett Club; Im
a lifetime member of Backcountry
Hunters and Anglers, DU, NWTF
and those type of organizations.
For me, perhaps the biggest thing
is just being able to lend a voice
outside of the hunting community.
As someone whos perhaps a
business guy, or a city guy at
least on paper its being able to
talk about how good the outdoors
have been to me and the benefits
Ive gotten by being in the woods
and not being in the city, and pro-
moting that to make sure that its
there for the future generations.
Continued on page 94
07 2016
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