New Archery Gear for Fall 2014?

U

Unlicensed Dremel

Moderator
Anyone getting new bows/crossbows, hunting with new or different bows or other equipment this year? Arrows? Miscellaneous?

Whatcha hunting with in the fall?

My main manual bow that's set up right now for hunting and sighted in is a 2013 Strother Wrath SHO @ 60 lbs.

But I really have a hankering for a new bow, too... I want either a 2014 Obsession Evolution, a Bow-Tech RPM 360 @, or an XPedition Xcentric - any in 60 lbs.

My two "vertical crossbows" with Draw-Loc are a 2012 Strother XS Rush @ 80 lbs (speed/pronghorn rig), and a 2012 Hickory Creek 23-Magnum @85 lbs (elk & moose rig).

And I just ordered my third vertical crossbow - a 2013 Hickory Creek "Inline Crossbow" @ 125 lbs (Africa rig) - this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuRBpApmfx0

I also have my 2011 PSE Tac-15i, but it's for sale (it's in the classifieds under "Rifles & Shotguns" if anyone is interested - great shooter).

About the only thing I love more than hunting with a rifle, is hunting with archery equipment.

[Note: I started this since I seem to recall that Art is good with archery topics.]
 
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Getting ready for archery elk opener labor day weekend. Got a hand-me-down bow with new whisker bisquit rest, peep sight, and string dampeners.

Send me your PSE and if I kill an elk I will buy it! That looks pretty sweet!
 
Our archery season starts Oct 1. It'll likely be too warm for the first 2-3 weeks so I won't hunt much.

I have much to get ready.

I bought a used Hoyt something-or-other last year, planning to sell my 2011 Katera XL. Shortly after, I found out that a friend of a friend had a much nicer bow and wanted to trade it for my Katera. Obviously, I made the trade and then I had to sell the bow that I had bought to originally replace my Katera. :D

I have that bow now but haven't even fired it. I don't honestly remember what it is... it's a 2012 Hoyt.... something. Maxxis, maybe? I'll have to look. I only bow hunt because there's a season for it. If I could use a crossbow for the whole thing I would.

Speaking of which, they have FINALLY legalized crossbows for the last 2 weeks of bow season. Three years ago, they made it legal (for one season) to use crossbows during gun. At that time, I bought a Horton Vision. I would like to replace it with one of their better models but it's really not worth the money just to get a few more fps. Reverse limbs are AWESOME. They make every other crossbow I've ever handled feel like a piece of garbage. I can't stand how front-heavy they are. Unfortunately, Horton is no more. Fortunately, other companies are picking up the reverse limbs so they should be more prevalent in the near future. At the moment, Scorpyd is the only one I'd buy and they start out around $1,300.:eek::(

Anywho... I need to get a Vendetta mount for my crossbow, some more arrows for it and refletch my regular arrows and then get them all properly sighted in.... besides developing loads for at least 3 rifles before the season starts...
 
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No new gear except for arrows for the last 5 years.. I hunt with a Golden Eagle 68lb draw wt. I harvest what amounts to a deer a year for the last 8 yrs. I skipped a few do to it being way too hot..

It's way too hot down in the swamp here where I hunt. Looking foward to some cooler weather this year (finger crossed) The deer move alot more when it's cooler weather ; ) PS GOOD LUCK
Y/D
 
Found out a few days ago that the guy who farms the land we lease for hunting has been getting "nuisance" permits and killing deer without our or the landowners knowledge. This, after he told us last year and we told him fine to get the permits but it's OUR hunting lease and if anyone kills deer it's going to be us.:mad:

Last year of our lease, fortunately.
 
Bought and Elite Hunter last December and got pretty darn good with it. Archery started for us on August 15th but I haven't been. I can't draw the bow right now because I tore a muscle in my forearm fighting a big shark 6 weeks ago. Slow healing thing since I can't rest it like it needs.
 
What unit?
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Area 38 Big Horns

refletch my regular arrows
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Brian, have you tried those heat shrinkable fletches or do you have a jig to do them? I got some a while back (shrinkable). They are sweet! Dip em in, pull em out and shoot.

Oh! There were deer droppings on the archery range today!!
 
I haven't tried those shrink wrap ones. I keep forgetting they exist. Maybe I'll look into it. I've got a friend who is a legit world-class archer. The kind that shoots better at 90 yards than most do at 30. He's tried just about everything. I'll have to ask him about those.
 
I couldn't get the shrink wrap deals to stay in with 9/32nds arrows - maybe they'd work with thicker ones, but they're worthless with .281 and smaller, at least on FMJs, which may be slicker than carbon.

But now I use feathers almost exclusively - mostly 2" Rayzors.

Hoyt something or nuther? Not heard of that model.... :)

I want to get one of these 2014 models - but which and what draw weight?
-Obsession Evolution
-Obsession Phoenix
-Strother Rush XT
-Strother Vital
-Matthews Chill-R
-Bowtech RPM360
-Xpedition Xcentric

Leaning toward the Evolution or RPM360 - wish the RPM360 came in a 65 lb option. Probably won't get any in reality. But they look sweet in the reviews. I need to stick with my Wrath SHO for a few years at least.
 
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Modern bow technology has completely eliminated the need for heavy draw weight bows.

My buddy hunts elk and has never used more than 47lb draw, even when 47 was making 35 ft-lbs. Nowdays, his 47lb bow makes over 50 ft-lbs.

I would absolutely never consider buying more than a 50-60 and even then it would only be for resale consideration to the unknowing masses that still want to aim at the sky when they draw and still think you need 70lbs... which is now approaching 80 ft-lbs, the kind of energy only a crossbow could make 20 years ago.

If I were buying a brand new bow today and wanted to include elk, it'd be a 40-50.

I also wouldn't consider a one-cam bow. Nobody makes a bow more accurate, forgiving and lower maintenance than the various Cam-1/2 versions used by Hoyt, Darton, PSE and others.

Speed is not a factor in my world of archery (ironically).

Only accurate bows are interesting. ;)
 
Exactly - one of several reasons I went from 70 lbs to 60 lbs (and have one 50 lb compound youth bow). In a recurve, I shot a 45, but that's different - that equiv. to a 70 in a compound, roughly.

Some of these speed bows, like the ones I listed, give up nothing (unlike say a PSE omen pro) in terms of smooth and easy draw, good valley, let-off, vibration-free, & quiet-ness. You can have it all. Although admittedly I am considering 65 lbs max weight (though I'd actually shoot it between 60 and 63 lbs) - maybe I shouldn't though. A 60 lb bow with 80% letoff I can hold for a LONG time. That's how you get accuracy - not straining to draw or hold, so that you can focus on the release.

So how about broadheads - which ones you trying out this year?
 
I want to get one of these 2014 models - but which and what draw weight?
-Obsession Evolution
-Obsession Phoenix
-Strother Rush XT
-Strother Vital
-Matthews Chill-R
-Bowtech RPM360
-Xpedition Xcentric
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You should shoot an Elite, probably change your mind on the others.
 
Unlicensed Dremel said:
Some of these speed bows, like the ones I listed, give up nothing (unlike say a PSE omen pro) in terms of smooth and easy draw, good valley, let-off, vibration-free, & quiet-ness. You can have it all. Although admittedly I am considering 65 lbs max weight (though I'd actually shoot it between 60 and 63 lbs) - maybe I shouldn't though. A 60 lb bow with 80% letoff I can hold for a LONG time. That's how you get accuracy - not straining to draw or hold, so that you can focus on the release.
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The stuff that happens after the shot is of no consequence to me. There's not a bow on the market that's not smoother, quieter and with less hand-shock than the best bow in the world from a few years ago. I never even knew this "hand-shock" (vibration) thing existed until I spent time on the internet.

All bows are far more forgiving than they were a few years ago too. A 6" brace height was virtually unshootable (accurately) by all but best-of-the-best just a few years ago. They're much better now but there's still no need for such a short brace height. Longer is more accurate. Accuracy shooters are still using 7 and even 8" brace heights.

I would argue (and the best shooters in the world agree with me, look up tips/demonstrations by Jesse Broadwater, Reo Wilde or other top shooters) that concentrating on your release is exactly the wrong thing to do. You should be concentrating on aiming. The release (and everything else except aiming) is subconscious.

Of course, all this assumes that the shooter in question can shoot accurately enough that any additional accuracy factors even matter. 95+% of shooters who can do that shoot using some form of back-tension. It can be "pure" back-tension or a modified version with a thumb-release or similar. Accuracy that can tell the difference means keeping essentially 100% of arrows in the 1-1/2" 10-ring at 20 yards and 95% in the 3/4" X-ring. Any shooter who can't do that likely can't tell the difference between ANY equipment anyway.

Unlicensed Dremel said:
In a recurve, I shot a 45, but that's different - that equiv. to a 70 in a compound, roughly.
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I'm not sure what you mean by that, in what way is a 45lb recurve equivilant to a 70lb compound?

Unlicensed Dremel said:
So how about broadheads - which ones you trying out this year?
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I haven't switched broadheads in a while now. The Slick Trick is the most accurate broadhead in the world. That's what goes on my regular bow. I also use the HyperShock Aftershock sometimes on my crossbow.
 
Thought you said you've shot recurves. Without a letoff, the same draw weight is a LOT harder to shoot. It's roughly equivalent because, well, it IS - in terms of strength -what the same person is comfortable with. Most popular recurve weight is 45, and most popular compound weight is 70. I suppose 20 or 25 years ago, it would have been more like 45 recurve=60 compound, with less letoff, and more harsh draw cycles.

When I say concentrate on the release, that's exactly what I mean - concentrate on aiming - releasing at the right time of the aim.

I agree with most of what you say - yep, a 7 or 7.5" (or more) brace height is still better for the most hunters. But being a short-ish draw (27.5), I am gravitating toward the shorter BHs now - at least to try them. My Wrath SHO is a 7 and 3/8ths, and I shoot pretty well with it.
 
glitch

Ran into a glitch in my area. Seems none of my archery shop haunts are fletching arrows. Claim the heat shrink blazer type fletching has knocked the fletching business in the head, or so they say.

Fortunately, fella at work fletched the half dozen or so (with 4" vanes) that I needed done, and I'm good to go.

Personally, I think the dang shop has switched to heat shrink....and conventional fletch is just too much work for them.
 
other gear

Archery Deer begins 15 Oct here.

I will hunt my same old gear:

- A Matthews FX at 62 lbs, basic whisker biscuit, SpotHogg "bulletproof" FO sight (two pins, essentially long and short), no peep, 28" Monster Buck 4000 arrows (last ones left) w/ 4" vanes, a wrist strap/trigger release of unknown make (may be a truball)......and I kid you not....vintage Bear Razorheads. 260 fps.

-PSE Coyote at 56 lbs, basic biscuit, unknown make crosshair type sight (may be PSE) , single aiming point, a peep, 28" Cabela's Hunter 400 arrows, 4" vanes, same no name release, and the old Razorheads. This bow was my dads, I was with him when he bought it. Unknown velocity, but it is a sweet shooting, but heavy rig.

Just for grins, I drug out my old Martin laminated Cougar Mag with peep and old Fineline Crosshair sight, this summer,and lofted some big heavy 2117's with 5" feathers. Arrow weight, with 145's, was 555 grains, and velocity, maxed out back in the day at 70 lbs, was 185 fps. It shoots way less than that now. Release.....pause (I missed).....wack..(it gets there). Huh!

For the first time in 25 yrs, I did not kill a deer with a bow last year. Never even drew....and it was not for lack of trying. Spent most of the season trying to connect with a P&Y class buck on the nearby WMA, that got killed the next to last day of rifle season. I am hungry for a bow kill.
 
Unlicensed Dremel said:
Most popular recurve weight is 45, and most popular compound weight is 70.
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Ah, I didn't know what you meant by "equivalent".

bamaranger said:
Ran into a glitch in my area. Seems none of my archery shop haunts are fletching arrows. Claim the heat shrink blazer type fletching has knocked the fletching business in the head, or so they say.
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Unless it's extremely localized, that's bogus. The average shooter buys arrows that are pre-fletched and if they need new fletching the average shooter isn't looking at doing it themselves. The number of people who do their own shrink-wrap fletches is probably no more than the number who do their own by any other method.

bamaranger said:
Just for grins, I drug out my old Martin laminated Cougar Mag with peep and old Fineline Crosshair sight, this summer,and lofted some big heavy 2117's with 5" feathers. Arrow weight, with 145's, was 555 grains, and velocity, maxed out back in the day at 70 lbs, was 185 fps. It shoots way less than that now. Release.....pause (I missed).....wack..(it gets there). Huh!
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Yeah, my first bow was a York. No idea on the model. It would shoot the old aluminium arrows at about 185 on 57lbs, with a 5" over-draw and the lightest aluminiums I could find. The shop where I got it was blown away by the near 200fps.:D After I went to carbons, I got it up to 213fps with 375gr arrows. My Hoyt Katera XL at the same draw weight (57lbs) would shoot those same arrows 257 and the lighter ones (315gr) at 295.

That's what makes me laugh about the way people buy bows. We never had any trouble killing deer (at least not that we could blame on the bow) with those old things that did 200fps with a tail-wind but folks keep right on buying 60 and 70lb bows even when they went from 200 to 250 to 300 to 350... just keep right on buying 70lb bows.

My buddies 47lbs PSE is shooting 285fps. Why on earth (well, in North America) would anybody need or want more than that?
 
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