1. sports
2. archery

Product Roundup
By Tim Dehn
Zeroing in the New & Notable
M
y best bucks have been shot
with a crossbow from a hunting blind, using a rest. I tried
a simple set of crossed wooden sticks
and a conventional camera tripod
before investing in a shooting tripod.
The tripod helped support the weight
of the front of the crossbow and adds
stability to the shot.
However,
it’s tiring to hold onto the
stock for long hours
in the stand and more
than once, I’ve had
the crossbow slip
off the fork and hit
the ground.
This DeadShot
FieldPod MAX is a much more elegant solution. It’s patterned after the
original DeadShot FieldPod and, as we
show, fully supports the crossbow. You
can get the ideal position and stability for your crossbow while shooting
from a chair inside a ground blind or
shooting house or while sitting on the
ground. The independently adjustable
legs mean you can set it up on rough
terrain or a hillside. The length and
pivot point adjustments help you balance any crossbow (or rifle) while the
cast aluminum hub provides tension
adjustable rotation and tilting. Reach
the manufacturer at (573) 445-9200.
Don’t laugh, but when I got tired
of my laces breaking on my boots a few
years ago, I had my daughter weave
me some from BCY string material.
That’s the last time I had to replace
them. BCY’s latest bowstring is BCYX, shown below.
The Middletown,
Connecticut firm
uses a patented
blend of first quality Dyneema with
a small percentage of Vectran.
BCY-X features no
creep, good arrow
speed and high
abrasion resistance. Reach BCY at
(860) 632-7115.
I’ve been in the archery industry
long enough to remember when hunting stabilizers were simple chunks of
metal, depending on mass alone to
dampen vibration. Manufacturers long
ago developed hunting models with
active vibration
dampening and
more recently,
they’ve
been
tackling the issue
of bow balance.
Dead
Center
Archery products, which sells
a tool pro shops
can use to check bow balance, now
has a system to balance hunting bows
both left and right and fore and aft.
The Dead Level Hunter system comes
complete with two Dead Silent Carbon
Series Stabilizers, six 1 ounce Custom
Balance weights, a Heavy Duty Offset
Bar with QDC Adjusting Arm for 360
degree adjustment of the rear stabilizer
position and quick disconnects for easy
stabilizer removal, making it one of the
most versatile stabilizer systems on the
market. It’s available in a 10 and 8
inch stabilizer set
or 8 and 6 inch
set in 23 different
patterns. We’re
showing it here
photographed
from above, with the rearward stabilizer sweeping left to balance a righthanded bow’s accessory load. Contact
the Pennsylvania manufacturer at
(570) 658-1069.
I’ll date myself again by saying I
remember when there were no broadheads designed for turkey and we
experimented with spring arms or flat
washers mounted behind fixed blade
broadheads to try and keep the arrow
in the bird. Lost birds were not uncommon. One of my camp-mates was
convinced the most humane approach
was shooting steel-tipped blunts at the
neck from a very short range.
Today, when a hunter shoots at the
neck, he’s likely to use one of the widecutting turkey heads, though their wind
resistance still limits the effective range.
Broadhead maker Dead Ringer worked
with Double Bull Blinds Co-Founder
Keith Beam, who has taken more than
230 turkeys with archery gear, to design
the new Kill Switch Broadhead. It’s a
giant mechanical head whose blades
overlap for the shot to provide just a
1-3/4 inch profile for what the manufacturer calls field point accuracy. On
impact, the blades flip open to provide
a massive 5 inch cutting surface.
Like the firm’s big game heads,
the Kill Switch uses .032 inch stainless
spring steel for the blades. It weighs
150 grains and comes with a practice
point. You can get a look at it in the
open and shut configurations on page
37 of this issue. Reach Dead Ringer at
(585) 355-4685.
C.W. Erickson’s is a long-time supplier of pro shop fixtures, including bow
racks. Now, the firm is making a bow
vise suitable for both pro shop use and
the workbench of an
avid archer. Easy to
operate, this bow
vise grasps the limb
or riser of any style
of bow securely and
rotates the bow 360
degrees. It’s made of
heavy, powder-coated steel and the
holding prongs are vinyl coated with
felt backing to help protect the bow
finish. For pricing, call (763) 682-3665.
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The first crossbow I ever shot was
a wood-stocked Excalibur model that
taught me the importance of keeping fingers below the string track.
Thank goodness I had followed the
advice from founder and designer Bill
Troubridge about wearing a heavy
leather glove on my support hand.
Thirty years later, Excalibur
remains a leader in the recurve crossbow arena and the new Micro 335 is
the most sophisticated ever. The limbs
are dramatically pre-loaded to provide
a compact 25 inch width, unheard of
for a recurve model. Peak weight builds
to 270 pounds but the draw stroke is
an easy-to-handle 9.5 inch. Excalibur
crossbows have long been lighter than
their compound competitors but the
Micro 335 carries that advantage to
extreme. Without the scope, it weighs
just 5.2 pounds, thanks primarily to
the Feather-Lite skeletonized stock you
can see in the photo at upper left.
Excalibur likes to tout the rugged
reliability of its recurve designs but
some customers may never consider
anything but a compound model.
The good news for retailers who carry
Stryker compound crossbows is that
the crossbow experts at Excalibur are
now involved in the design and manufacture of the Stryker crossbow assembled in Oregon at the big BowTech
plant in Eugene, Oregon. (The three
brands are under common ownership.)
Stryker calls the aptly named
Offspring, at upper right, “A perfect
engineering combination between
Bowtech’s advanced compound limb
assembly and Excalibur’s dependable
stock assembly and accessories.” It
is rated at 360 fps, comes standard
with a high quality Variable MultiReticle scope and can be outfitted with
Excalibur’s C2 crank for ease of cocking.
To reach Excalibur, call the
Canadian manufacturer at (519) 7436890. The toll free number for Stryker
Crossbows is (888) 689-1289.
I’ve had good success hunting over
Heartland Wildlife feeds and attractants in Ohio and planting the company’s cold-hardy food plot mixes in
Minnesota. The new Brush Country
buffet seed blend is designed for an
entirely different climate. With this new
blend, Heartland is catering to hunters who are in search of a custom seed
blend designed specifically for dry climates such as Texas and the Deep
South. It is an annual seed mix that
includes clovers, ryes, turnips, brassicas and other nutritional attractants.
The 20 pound bag plants 1/2 of an
acre and carries a suggested retail price
of $39.95. Reach Heartland Wildlife in
Ohio by calling (866) 494-3337.
Jim Fletcher Archery has been in
business since 1960 and, 55 years later,
is still coming up with fresh ideas to
help archers shoot better. Known primarily for its releases, the firm has a
new Outsider release with a Stabilizer
Arm that projects from the opposite
side from the trigger. You place your
sensitive trigger finger on the stabilizer
arm, then rest your thumb on the trigger. By applying pressure to both, you
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Product Directory
30.06 Archery-Ad page 72.
3Rivers Archery-Page 46-47. Ad page 49.
ABC Pivotal-Ad page 74.
Absolute Outdoors-Page 32, 34.
Ace Archery Tackle-Page 50-51.
Africa’s Bowhunter-Ad page 53.
Alaska Bowhunting-Page 51-52.
Alpine Archery-Page 24, 26, 82.
Alpine Innovations-Page 82, 84.
AMS Bowfishing-Page 18. Ad page 91.
Ani-Logics-Page 18.
Apex Gear-Page 29.
Archer Xtreme-Page 24, 86.
Arizona Archery-Page 95.
Arizona Rim-Page 85.
ASAT-Page 94, 111.
Atsko-Ad page 45.
Axcel-Ad page 7.
Axion Archery-Page 95-96.
Barnett-Page 108. Ad page 25.
Battenfeld Technologies-Page 97. Ad page 60.
BCY-Page 97. Ad page 55.
Bear-Page 16, 55-57, 61, 62-63.
Bearpaw Archery Products-Page 48.
Black Gold-Page 91.
BloodSport-Page 121.
Bodnik Bows-Page 49.
Bohning-Page 24, 108-109. Ad page 85.
Bone Collector Clothing-Page 42.
Bow International-Ad page 101.
Bowjax-Ad page 51.
BowTech-Page 61, 64-65, 120.
Brownell-Ad page 39.
Burt Coyote-Ad page 117.
Caldwell Shooting Supplies-Page 106.
Canyon Coolers-Page 90.
Carbon Express-Page 17.
Carter-Ad page 96.
Cedar Ridge Leather Works-Page 49-50.
Ad page 56.
Cobra-Page 93.
Copper John-Page 86, 88.
Core 4 Element-Page 38-39.
CR Archery-Page 100.
Cross Creek-Page 92.
C.W. Erickson-Page 97. Ad page 104.
Darton-Page 4, 102-106.
Dead Center Archery-Page 58, 97. Ad page 27.
Dead Ringer-Page 97. Ad page 37.
Deer Crossing-Ad page 29.
Diamond-Page 61, 66-67.
Excalibur-Page 98. Ad page 41.
Fair Chase-Page 85-86.
Feather Vision-Ad page 66.
Field Logic-Page 84.
Fin-Finder-Page 80-81.
First Lite-Page 31-32, 93-94.
Flextone-Ad page 119, 121.
Fuse-Page 28.
G. Fred Asbell-Page 51.
G5-Page 27, 94-95.
G&H Outdoors-Page 89.
Game Warning Systems-Page 90.
Gateway Feathers-Page 86.
Gold Tip-Page 58, 88.
Greatree-Page 96.
GrizzlyStik-Page 51-52.
Heads Up Decoy-Page 91.
Heartland-Page 98. Ad page 112.
HHA-Page 81.
Horton-Ad page 5.
Hot Shot-Ad page 88.
Hoyt-Page 110.
Hudalla-Page 16.
Innerloc-Ad page 80, 81.
Apr15AT099R.indd 99
iScope-Ad page 95.
Specialty Archery-Page 101. Ad page 99.
J-Grip-Page 57.
SportChief-Page 34.
Jake’s Archery-Page 93.
Spot Hogg-Ad page 108.
Jim Fletcher-Page 98, 100. Ad page 116.
SpyPoint-Page 101.
King’s Camo-Page 88.
St. Joe River Bows-Page 55.
Kinsey’s-Page 109, 120. Ad page 89.
Stryker-Page 98. Ad page 21.
Kootenai River ArrowWorks-Page 54-55.
T.R.U. Ball-Ad page 7.
Kryptek-Page 39-40.
TenPoint-Ad page 3.
Kustom King-Page 48-50. Ad page 57.
TightSpot-Page 24, 80.
Lancaster-Page 47-48. Ad page 109.
Tir al Arc Magazine-Ad page 106.
Last Chance-Page 58, 100. Ad page 35.
Traditional Bowhunter Magazine-Page 53-54.
Limbsaver-Page 23-24.
TradTech-Page 47-48.
LOC OutdoorZ-Page 100. Ad page 92, 93.
Treelimb-Page 28.
Maple Leaf Press-Ad page 70.
TriggerTech-Ad page 105.
Martin-Page 61, 68-69. Ad page 113.
Trophy Bowstrings-Page 90.
Mathews-Page 22, 26. Ad page 79.
Trophy Ridge-Page 16, 23. Ad page 15.
Mike Wieck-Page 17-18, 20.
Tru-Fire-Page 20.
Mike’s Archery-Ad page 94.
Trueflight Feathers-Ad page 68.
Mission-Page 61, 70-71.
Truglo-Page 29.
Moccasin Joe-Ad page 83.
Under Armour-Page 36, 38.
Monty Browning-Page 52.
US Archer-Ad page 118.
Muzzy-Page 20, 27-28.
Upwind-Page 91-92.
NABA-Page 4, 76-96.
VaneTec-Ad page 4.
NAP-Page 26, 44.
VaporTrail-Ad page 98.
Neet-Page 82.
Vista Quivers-Page 26-27.
NuFletch-Ad page 123.
Velocitip-Page 112-113.
Octane-Page 28-29.
Victory Archery-Page 4, 114-117.
Oneida Bows-Ad page 90.
Wac’Em-Page 92-93.
Outdoor Business Network-Ad page 100.
Western Recreation-Page 84-85.
Outdoor Edge-Page 16. Ad page 19.
Wicked Ridge-Page 20.
Outdoor Lines-Page 52-53.
Wildgame Innovatins-Ad page 43, 120.
Ozonics-Page 94.
Wildlife Research-Ad page 11.
Pape’s-Ad page 87.
William J. Gartland-Page 20-21.
Parker-Page 100-101. Ad page 124.
Pine Hollow-Page 50.
Pine Ridge ArcheryPage 100. Ad page 86.
Plano-Page 108, 121.
Plythal-Page 40-41.
Powertex Group-Page
120.
Predator Bows-Page 53.
Predator Camo-Page
35.
Prime-Page 17, 94-95.
PSE-Page 61, 72-73.
Q2i-Page 21.
QQ Archery-Page 2, 28,
Can Be Used With The
78.
Quest-Page 61, 74-75.
Double Vision System
Ramcat BroadheadsPage 22-23.
Rancho Safari-Ad page
38.
Reconyx-Ad page 33.
Rhino Products-Page
Can Be Used With
56-57.
#GP1 Glow Pin
Rinehart-Page 58.
Rocky-Page 36.
Rynoskin-Ad page 64.
• Dualledgelenspocketaccommodatesboth
pocket accommodates
ScentBlocker-Page
1.275”&1.345”lenssizes.
42-44.
Scentlok-Page 30,
• ComeswiththeDoubleVisionLensRetaining
41-42. Ad page 33.
RingforusewiththeDoubleVisionlens
Schaffer Precision
system.
Archery-Page 78, 80.
Selway-Page 54.
• AcceptstheSpecialtyArcheryGlowPin(GP1)
Shadow Hunter-Ad
in0.010”,0.020”&0.030”diameter.
page 82.
• EasilyconvertedfromRHtoLH.
Sherpa-Ad page 84.
Shooting Star-Page
• Easilyinterchangeablelevel.
88-89.
Sitka Gear-Page 30-31.
www.specialtyarch.com
SKB-Ad page 13.
Versa Scope
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3/5/15 9:51 AM
binocular strap above left is just over
50 inches long and includes split key
rings and attachment clips. It’s a full
1-1/4 inch wide to comfortably
support the weight. The Cobra
Bow Sling above center is 3/4
inch wide and uses a quality leather mount that holds
the sling in an open position.
Like the Wide Cobra Bino
Straps, the Cobra Bow Slings
are offered in black, camo, red/
black, blue/black, pink/black
and green/black.
For ordering information,
call the Pennsylvania firm at
(855) 922-7769.
Anthony Barnum uses the Last
Chance Archery Power Press to finetune bows before testing them for
his head-to-head evaluations for
ArrowTrade. Now, the company has
come up with a compact draw board
that fits current and past models.
Outfitted with a 700 pound test cord
and a custom gear system, it’s handy
for checking timing, cam lean and bow
poundage and for setting arrow rests.
-Creation of an easy to use
Last Chance Archery built it to slide
E-commerce website solution
allowing you to start offering
the
front
square tubing of the press
productinto
and selling
securely
on
the web.
(see below) and it doesn’t interfere
-Pape’s full product catalog up-Pape
loaded with
to your websites:
theProduct
normal operation of the press,
Images and Descriptions.
so
you
can
leave it attached. You can
-An inventory feed that
AUTOMATICALLY updates your
useas tothe fine screw action of the
websiteeven
every 15 minutes
the inventory level on hand at
Pape’s.press itself to make micro-adjustments
Allows
-Complete
Control: most
forPricingthe
precise timing reading
you to easily set your prices by
category or even down to the
possible.
Last
Chance Archery also
product level.
sells
bow scale for use with
To Ship a
(TM):custom
Allows
-One Click
you to click one button that sends
order toits
Pape’s
for blind ship
draw
board.
can get a smooth shot, the company
says. It recommends the Outsider for
those who struggle with target panic,
saying the design may help them overcome the tendency to jerk the trigger.
The Outsider comes in a two tone
Black and Grey anodized body and
with a choice of a leather wrist strap
with a buckle or a nylon wrist strap
that uses a hook and loop fastener,
which we are showing on page 98.
Reach the California firm by calling
(760) 379-2589.
CR Archery, one of the divisions
of Lancaster Archery, has introduced
Wide Cobra Braided Bino Straps
and Bow Slings. They are made with
tightly braided 550 para-cord to maintain their shape for ease of use. The
Harness the power of the world-wide-web to bring new customers to your door.
Increase Your Sales
Offer Customers A Fully Stocked
ONLINE STORE
Now Your Website Can Offer
Over 10,000 Products
DISTRIBUTOR
CATALOG
fulfillment to your customer from
Pape’s warehouse.
- Distributor Product & Inventory Link
- One-Click-To-Ship
- Custom Design & Branding
Call Today for a Free Consultation and Online Demo
Toll Free: 1-800-699-0820
www.outdoorbusinessnetwork.com
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Apr15AT097-101T-R-V.indd 100
Reach the bow press manufacturer
in Georgia by calling (706) 654-1961.
Pine Ridge Archery is putting its
injection molding expertise to good use with the
Wishbone String and
Cable Dampener. As you
can see in the photo at left,
no bow press is needed
for installation, as the
Wishbone wraps around
the string and pulls
through itself. Pine Ridge
just added a ninth color,
clear, for those who want
the color of their strings to
show through. At 14 grains
each, they should have a minimum
effect on arrow speed and you may
actually find the speed increases if you
can locate the sweet spot to reduce
string oscillation at the shot. Reach
Pine Ridge Archery at (877) 746-7434.
When a crossbow sports a $399
price tag, it typically doesn’t carry a
“Made in America” sticker. One that
does is the new Bushwacker by Parker.
Parker’s new model uses solid limbs,
weighs just 7 pounds and is rated at
300 FPS. Shown at the top of this page,
it comes with a four arrow quick detach
quiver and four arrows with field points
in one of three Red Hot optics packages. You can get a 4x scope multi-reticle scope, an illuminated 1x scope or
an illuminated 3x multi-reticle scope.
Reach Parker at 540-337-5426.
I dragged the deer I shot on
December 20 out that night and then
returned the next day
to retrieve my Summit
Climbing treestand. An easier option might have been
to use the new Sherpa by
Game Cart. The lightweight
wheel and axle convert a
climbing stand to a game
cart. There are currently
models for Summit, API and
3/4/15 10:01 AM
Ol’ Man stands and additional models for Lone Wolf and Tree Walker
stands will be available this summer.
You can see the Sherpa packaged for
retail sale and assembled with a stand
above. Call (828) 214-7807 for dealer
pricing details.
SKB is known for rugged hard
cases but the firm is now also offering a selection of soft bow cases. The
2SKB-4206-B Archery bag at top center
on this page is designed to fit bows up
to 42 inches long and 38 inches axleto-axle. It’s sewn with a 600 denier
cross-dyed fabric for durability and has
a molded waterproof bottom, rubber
carry handle and removable padded
shoulder strap. The exterior also features two large magnetic pockets and
an arrow pocket. Reach SKB Sports at
(800) 654-5992.
I own two or three binocular harnesses now but typically carry my hunting glasses in my backpack because I
can’t get used to drawing a bow with
the binoculars high on my chest. Loc
OutdoorZ, the bow sling people, has
come up with a new style it calls the
Long Binocular Side Sling. It’s designed
for the 3-D range or for the hunter
who wants a bit more freedom to keep
binoculars on the hip area. The design
allows the sling to slide across the chest
when ready to
use and when
you release
the glasses,
their weight
helps settle
them on your
hip again so
there is no
interference
with drawing
a bow. The
toll-free at (800) 555-2856.
For hunters who struggle with
technology, and that category includes
myself at times, the Smart-Pro from
Spypoint offers a simple solution. This
is a high-powered 12MP game camera that comes pre-programmed with
the Quebec firm’s Intelligent Triggering
Technology. No setup is required; simply activate the camera with the control
wheel. The invisible LED camera allows
advanced users to personalize the settings. Spypoint’s quality control is the
very best and the suggested retail price
is $299.99. Call (888) 779-7646.
new sling includes a quick detach system along with rubber rings for binocular attachment. It’s offered in 52
and 46 inch lengths and in nine colors. For ordering information, call the
Wisconsin firm at (574) 538-9779.
Specialty Archery is already known
for fine pro shop tools and it’s building
on that reputation with its purchase of
the The Pro Press
above. The Iowa
firm calls it the
most advanced
bow press in the
archery industry.
It uses patented
TARGET MORE
Limb Ears that
rotate on a splined
INTERNATIONAL
shaft to fit differARCHERS WITH
ent limb configuTHE UK’S BOW
rations. Dealers
INTERNATIONAL
can use the Pro
MAGAZINE
Press
Mapping
Wo r k s h e e t
(included
with
Target Archery ¤ Field Archery
the instructions)
Traditional Archery ¤ Target Crossbow
to document and
News ¤ Tech Tips ¤ Reviews
duplicate press
Event Reports
settings. The Pro
Press also includes
Call Hannah Benson: +44 (0)1926 339808
Limb Safety Clips
to prevent the bow
Email: [email protected]
from being forced
Visit: www.bow-international.com
downwards out
of the press when
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER
pressing past-parallel limb bows.
Reach Specialty
Archery in Iowa
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