Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in the June 1953 issue of Outdoor Life and it reflects the language and stereotypes of the times.

A COLD OCTOBER drizzle was soaking the Ontario bush when the old Ojibway Indian and his wife beached their canoe below our tent. They had a little boy with them, sort of wedged in the bow ahead of the woman, and he was yelling bloody murder. 

They looked too old to be his parents, and the man explained that, jerking a finger at the toddler and grunting, “Mamma dead.” 

After we welcomed them with cigarettes, the woman held the boy up and pointed to his mouth. “Hurt,” she said. And he wailed at the top of his voice. 

Neither my partner, K. K. (Knick) Knickerbocker, nor I is a medicine man, but we got the idea. The poor little cuss was teething, and they’d come to our camp hoping we could do something for him. I rummaged in my gear for the best remedy we had, a bottle of aspirin. We didn’t dare give them the whole bottle for fear they’d feed them all to the kid. So I shook out a dozen tablets, broke each in half, then pointed to the face of my watch and held up half a tablet for each hour. 

They were tickled pink. The woman poked the first dose into the boy without ceremony. He went right on crying, but they paid no attention to him. 

They came up to our tent and the man’s eyes fell on our two 70-pound-pull hunting bows and the arrows. Curious as a kid with a bulging Christmas stocking, he tested the razor-sharp edge of the four-bladed arrowheads, tried the pull of my bow. Then, after looking in vain for firearms, he grinned at me, and said, “Moose big. String-gun too little.”

KNICK AND I were still chuckling about it long after the Indians paddled away. 

“Honest Indian,” Knick said. 

But we didn’t share all the old man’s doubts. I started hunting big game with a bow in 1935, and I’ve never carried a gun since. Knick’s also an experienced archer, and he’d come all the way from Virginia to match his bow with a moose. Up to the time of our moose hunt, I’d killed nothing bigger than deer (though I’ve added moose, bear, antelope, and elk to my list since) and neither had Knick. Still we both felt our bows would stop a moose. Other archers had proved that. 

The Indian wasn’t the first to rate us underequipped for moose hunting. We’d had difficulty finding outfitters and guides willing to handle us, once they learned we intended to use bows rather than guns. 

One outfitter bluntly canceled our reservations. Another said he was booked full. 

We didn’t blame them. Surprisingly few know much about the killing power of hunting bows. And since big-game guides live largely by the success of their parties, it’s only natural that most shy away from archers. Guns get more game. 

It wasn’t until Knick and I contacted Archie McDonald in Quibell that we were able to arrange for a moose hunt in Ontario. And I confess we’d been in Archie’s main camp on Cliff Lake two days before we let it be known we were gunless. By that time it was too late to pack us out. 

For guides we drew Bill Humphries an Victor MacQueen, an Englishman and a Scot respectively, and they were good sports about the thing. We were to hunt in an area where they trap beavers in winter. They assured us there were plenty of moose there, and if we were willing to take chances on bows it was O.K. with them. 

So the four of us set out for Cedar River, the outlet of Lake Wabaskang, 100 miles north of International Falls. We worked through a chain of lakes—Twilight, Evening, Mystery, Cliff, Cedar, Perrault—traveling in two canoes with five-horsepower outboards, and portaging over rocky trails. Cold rain fell in an endless drizzle, broken only by harder squalls. We were wind-bound on Cliff Lake, on Cedar, and again at the lower end of Wabaskang. 

We made camp late one afternoon, dried our clothes and bags, and let a good fire drive the chill from our bones. By morning the rain stopped, and the world began to look like a fit place to live. 

It became a wonderful world when we took our casting rods down to the Cedar and flipped our spoons at the foot of a low waterfall. We caught wall-eyes and northern pike as fast as we could take ’em off the hooks. The pike ran 10 to 12 pounds apiece. In 30 minutes I landed three that totaled 40 pounds. We hung a few in trees around camp for bear bait. We put back the ones we caught after that; it was wall-eyes we wanted for eating, and the river swarmed with them. 

Yet we found the best fishing of all at Wine Lake, a few miles down the Cedar from Wabaskang. Lake trout from three to 12 pounds had come up in the shoals to spawn, and they pounced on our lures the way a leopard goes after a goat. Now and then we hooked lunkers that wouldn’t be handled on our medium-weight casting rods. We broke lines and smashed tips on some I bet weighed over 25 pounds. We kept no lakers, still preferring wall-eyes at camp, but we caught them at the rate of 10 or 12 an hour anytime we fished. 

It was raining again the second morning, but Knick and I had come a long way to kill a moose and we didn’t have all fall to do it. So after breakfast we climbed into the two canoes and headed downriver. 

Knick and Bill turned off where Wine Lake has its outlet in the Cedar, but Vic and I kept on another three or four miles. Then we went up a small creek and into a little unnamed lake that Vic said was a moose hangout. By that time the wind was blowing a gale and the cold rain had us drenched to the skin. We went ashore, got a fire going, and huddled over it until our teeth stopped chattering. Then we went moose hunting. 

Wet weather gives an archer one great advantage over the prey. He can move without noise, which he must do to get close enough to score with an arrow. Vic and I traveled slowly, combing every open place ahead. Eventually we spotted a sleek whitetail buck, a six-pointer, coming toward us. I picked an opening ahead of him in the brush and lined an arrow on it. When he walked into it I let go. It should have been an easy shot, since his neck and part of his shoulder were in sight at about 30 yards, but there was too much thick stuff in the way. Or maybe it was my fault. My fingertips were numb with cold by that time, and I didn’t get off a good release. 

I heard the arrow thud into something solid and saw the deer whirl and run. I found the arrow, bedded in a young pine, three paces short of where he’d stood. It had brushed a twig, glanced off, and whacked into the tree. “I got a name for this place.” I told Vic. “Let’s call it Arrow Lake.” 

He grinned, but it was a feeble performance, and I could see he was biting his tongue to hold back some remark on my performance. 

It helped when I missed another shot at a bigger buck late that afternoon. I shot high, and again I blamed my cold fingers. But I knew better than to alibi to Vic. We saw seven deer that day, including three bucks, and I could have killed all three with a rifle. By the time we got back to camp I realized that any fragment of faith Vic and Bill may have had in archery was as good as gone. At supper the guides exchanged significant glances across the fire and acted like a couple of guys who have picked a lame horse. 

THE WEATHER broke two days later, and we saw stars overhead and pink in the morning sky for the first time since the hunt began. We hurried through breakfast and were on our way before sunrise, running, the canoes through a winding canyon of gold and scarlet foilage. We hadn’t realized how far autumn had advanced. Ducks got up in front of us, and an eagle soared lazily overhead. 

We separated once again, agreeing to meet for lunch. Vic and I saw two cow moose that forenoon, but nothing with antlers. Knick and Bill stalked a good buck but couldn’t get within range. 

At noon we met in a cove formed by a big point that thrust half a mile out into the lake. We were finishing the last of our grub when a series of low, whimpering grunts rolled across the water to us. Bill lifted a warning hand. We listened until it was repeated. 

“Cow, calling,” Vic said softly. “She may have a bull with her.” 

We got up noiselessly and laid our plans in a hurry. The point was connected to the main shore by a neck of land about 200 yards wide and timbered with open stuff. Knick and I would have a chance for shooting there. The guides would drive, starting at the far end of the point, and if there was a bull with the lovelorn cow he’d have to come past us to get ashore. 

Knick and I picked our stands and Bill and Vic shoved off in one of the canoes. Ten minutes later a cow moose come out of the willows 300 yards away, splashed through the shallows, and struck out across the cove. When nothing else showed up in three or four minutes I relaxed. Then I heard a heavy animal coming through the brush in a hurry and headed almost at me. I caught a glimpse of brown, too light for a moose, and an eight-point buck came busting out of the adlers. He was spooked, and going places, but I had him in the open and I knew he was my buck. 

He went past me at 15 yards, running in long, reaching bounds. I shot when he was broadside. The arrow made a good solid hit, but I saw that I’d failed to lead him enough. I’d aimed for the rib section but the arrow had flashed into his flank. 

I found out later the shot would have killed him anyway, likely within 100 yards. The four-bladed head had severed big arteries and was bedded against the hip bone. But I didn’t know that at the time. 

The only apparent effect of the shot was to slow him down. His long jumps changed to short, high hops. I sent another arrow after him before he’d gone 20 yards. It sailed over his back, a clean miss. 

He was going straight away from me, 40 yards off, when I loosed a third arrow. That sounds like fast shooting with a bow but my average time between shots is five seconds, and the buck lost a lot of his speed as a result of my first shot. 

I took a little more time with that third shot. It struck him in the back of the neck, just below the head, and he went down like a dishrag. When we dressed him we discovered the arrow had gone through the first vertebra behind the skull and had driven deep into the brain. No bullet ever killed a deer quicker. 

Bill and Vic came out of the brush in a few minutes, plainly disappointed and disgusted. They’d heard no shooting, of course, and I realized it hadn’t even occurred to them there could be a kill without gunfire. 

“See anything?” Vic asked with patient resignation. 

“Saw a cow moose and a buck,” I replied. “The moose swam the cove.”

“What happened to the deer?” 

“He went right through here,” I said, pointing. 

I let them take the lead, and they almost fell over the dead buck. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Vic muttered. Bill added, “No shooting or nothing.” It wasn’t lavish praise, but the way they said it made it about the biggest compliment I’d ever had on a hunting trip. 

Back at camp that night, however, I could see the two weren’t convinced that a bow was proper moose medicine. They’d witnessed a trial demonstration and were inclined to give me more credit than I deserved, but there’s a difference of something like 800 pounds between a moose and a deer, and to their way of thinking, killing a moose would require a far more lethal weapon. 

Knick and I voted to try the Arrow Lake country next morning. We’d seen plenty of moose sign there and also a couple of cows. It looked like a good bet. 

Knick and Bill left camp first but they loitered on the way down the Cedar, scouting for tracks, and Vic and I passed them. But five minutes after we paddled into the little lake they came out of the creek behind us—just in time for the show. 

Right then, with both canoes in plain sight, a moose showed up at the edge of the alders across the lake. We saw his antlers first, over the top of the brush, and then he waded into the water. I had my glasses on him before he took three steps. He was a big bull with a fine head. 

WHY HE DIDN’T spot us, I still don’t know. While our canoes were fairly close to shore and he was almost half a mile away, we had no cover. I didn’t think there was a chance we could cross to his side of the open lake unseen. But we had to try. 

Vic and I crouched low and drove our canoe with hard, noiseless strokes. Knick and Bill were close behind as we rounded the end of the lake. A brushy point now hid us from the moose, so Vic turned the canoe toward shore. I was out of it and into the alders before its bottom touched land. 

When I’d last seen the bull he was coming down the lake in our direction, walking slowly in shallow water about 25 yards offshore. There was a strong wind, blowing in my favor and making enough noise in the undergrowth to cover my movements. A few yards back in the brush I found a game trail running parallel to shore, and I followed it until I figured I was halfway to the moose. Then I took a branch trail down to the water. 

Unable to see more than a few yards along shore, I crouched at the edge of the alders and waited. Nothing happened for a minute or two, and I was sure the bull had heard me and turned back. But I squatted there patiently and listened. 

Then I heard him, splashing and grunting. Another five seconds and I caught sight of him through a hole in the bushes, 75 yards off. 

For an instant I was as near to buck fever as I’ve ever been. He looked as big as a boxcar, and I recalled what the Indian had said about my string-gun. Suppose he was right? That was a lot of moose bearing down on me. I wondered what he’d do when my arrow drove into him. Would he come crashing for shore and pound me to a pulp with his big hoofs? 

Then I took another look, sizing up his black bulk and his broad antlers, that shone like polished mahogany. They’d go 48 inches or better. I thought of Knick, Bill, and Vic back on the point, watching from the brush, waiting for my shot. 

My bow was up to it. Was I? 

IF THE MOOSE kept his course he’d pass in front of me about 20 yards away. I could take all the time I wanted, and at that range I could hardly miss. 

I found another opening in the brush and settled myself on one knee. I could no longer see him but I could hear him coming. Then his neck and shoulders filled the opening. I brought the bowstring back to full draw and heard the sharp, satisfying twang as the arrow left it. And I was on target. The feathers of the arrow suddenly sprouted out from the center of the bull’s rib section. 

“That ought to fix him,” I murmured to myself. 

The moose flinched and stiffened. For an instant he froze in his tracks. Then he whirled and lunged toward deeper water. But he made only three jumps before he stopped broadside to me. 

I had a second arrow on the string when he humped his back, stretched out his neck, and blew a red gush from both nostrils. I eased off my draw then, knowing he was done for. He turned toward shore, but his legs buckled and he went down. One arrow killed him before he’d moved twice his own length from the place where he stood when it hit him. 

We got ropes on him and towed him ashore. When we dressed him we found that my arrow had entered between two ribs, sliced through the lungs, cut off big blood vessels, and stopped when the head sheared off a rib on the opposite side. The moose was dead a minute after he was shot. That’s how a hunting arrow is supposed to kill. 

The Indian and his wife and the little boy turned up at camp about noon next day. Maybe they smelled meat. Anyway, they heard of our luck—perhaps via the moccasin telegraph. The kid was quiet, but both he and the old ones looked hungry. 

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We had two moose tenderloins hanging in front of our tent. I took one down and gave it to the old fellow. He grinned from ear to ear, and the woman started to paw through the duffel piled under a tarp in the middle of their canoe. She came up with a faded sugar bag full of wild rice, and handed it to us. When they were making ready to leave the man saw my bow propped against a tree. He looked from it to the moose quarters hanging near by. “String-gun plenty big!” he grunted. 

It was Bill, the once-skeptical guide, who whooped a hearty “I’ll tell the world” back at him. Across the fire that night Vic put an interesting question to me. “How much would it cost me,” he asked, “to get a bow like yours?”

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Best Overall		Redline RL-1 Carbon Quiver 6-Arrow	SEE IT
Best Fixed		TightSpot Pivot 2.5 2-piece	SEE IT
Best Budget		Kwikee Kwiver Lite-4	SEE IT

The arrow quiver is one of those pieces of gear that bowhunters generally don’t think about too much. Until it’s a problem. The job of the quiver is pretty simple: carry arrows. That’s it. That’s all it does.

And often times, bowhunters simply look for the cheapest quiver they can find, or one that best matches their bow to complete a killer look. They don’t always pay attention to the working parts of the quiver that earn its keep when the heat is on.

So what do you want in a quiver? You want one that holds your arrows firmly in place, protects you from your broadheads, stays quiet, doesn’t stick out awkwardly, and, of course, looks cool.

Lancaster Archery Supply carries just about every hunting quiver on the market—certainly all the major players in the game. I get the chance to see, touch, and feel all of these quivers as they arrive in inventory, so I know them all pretty well. But in trying to find the best hunting quivers for this article, I took some extra steps to test nearly two dozen quivers.

I put arrows in the grippers and broadheads in the hoods to see how they hold. For the bow-mounted models, I mounted them on my bows to study their profiles and effect on balance, and I took shots to listen for any noise caused by vibrating parts—the coal-mine canary of bad bow quivers.

Combining that knowledge and testing, I came up with the following picks for best hunting quivers in the following categories:

• Best Overall: Nock On Checkmate
• Best Budget: Octane Furnace 4-Arrow Quiver
• Redline RL-1 Carbon Quiver 6-Arrow
• Best Detachable: Conquest Talon
• Best Fixed: TightSpot Pivot 2.5 2-piece
• Kwikee Kwiver Lite-4
• Best Traditional: Selway Slide-On
• Best Hip: Vista Knight Hunting Quiver
• Mathews and Hoyt: Mathews LowPro Detachable Quiver, Mathews Arrow Web HD, Hoyt Carbon Superlite Stretch

The Best Bow Quivers: Reviews and Recommendations

Best Overall: Nock On Checkmate

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Key Features

• 19 inches long, made of high-modulus carbon and aluminum
• Curved hood for wind deflection
• Simple, fast quick disconnect
• Holds five arrows, plus a bonus arrow
• Low-profile design
• Deep, protective hood with durable, dense rubber
• Can be adjusted up and down and left and right for perfect balance
• Holds arrows from micro-diameter up to 23 diameter
• Retractable hanging hook

Pros

• Can be used on the bow or be quickly detached
• Totally silent in all uses
• Rubber arrow gripper has separate notches to hold the skinniest arrows up to 23 diameter
• Curved hood helps cut through the wind
• Includes a one-arrow holder on the bow mount, so if you remove the quiver for hunting, you have a follow-up arrow always at the ready

Cons

• Expensive

The Nock On Checkmate is John Dudley’s latest contribution to the archery world. He sat down and thought about every feature he’d like to see in a quiver, and then he built that quiver.

The Checkmate is 19 inches long, and made of high-modulus carbon and aluminum. The hood is 2.5 inches deep and filled with rubber foam to hold nearly any broadhead on the market securely. Also, the hood is curved to help deflect side winds so they don’t affect the bowhunter as much as if it were flat. And it’s got a retractable ring on the back that can be pulled up for hanging the quiver in a tree stand.

The lower arrow gripper has two notches in each arrow seat to accommodate super skinny or fatter hunting arrows. One of those grippers points directly back at the archer to allow for the fast rear deployment of one of the arrows.

The bow mount features a quick-detach system. Lift a lever, and the quiver slides out. Push the quiver into the receiver and push the lever down, and the quiver is locked in place.

And that bow mount includes two arrow grippers to hold a single arrow. So let’s say you detach your quiver while hunting in a tree stand. You can load one arrow in those grippers, so you’ve always got a follow-up arrow at the ready.

The quiver can be adjusted up and down and in and out to get it to sit exactly where you want it for perfect balance on your bow.

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Best Budget: Octane Furnace 4-Arrow Quiver

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Key Features

• Detachable, one-piece quiver
• Deep hood with thick foam for seating broadheads
• Dual arrow grippers in addition to the hood
• Quickly detaches
• Holds four arrows

Pros

• Costs less than $35
• Securely locks arrow in place with three connection points
• Adjustable height to get the quiver in the right place on your bow
• Quick-detach is fast and easy to use
• Holds arrows of varying diameters

Cons

• The foam in the hood will break up over time
• Won’t stand up to much abuse

Not everyone wants to—or can afford to—spend $100 or more on a bow quiver. Some bowhunters just want the least expensive option for holding arrows securely. The Octane Furnace does that.

It’s a four-arrow quiver with two carbon rods connecting the hood to two arrow grippers. With three connection points, arrows are going to stay put. And the grippers will securely hold the most popular hunting arrow shaft sizes.

The attachment point on the quiver slides up and down so you can seat the quiver at the height you want on your bow. That connection point pops in and out of the quick-detach base that’s mounted to the bow. A lever holds the two parts together and then releases them from one another when you want to remove the quiver.

The hood is 3 inches deep and filled with foam for seating broadheads. You can remove the foam when using field points or mechanicals that you don’t want to sink into the foam.

This quiver isn’t built to handle serious abuse, which is one of the reasons it is so inexpensive. But just pay a little attention to what you do with it, and it will last for many years – especially for tree stand and ground blind hunters who simply carry their bows from the truck to their hunting sites.

Redline RL-1 Carbon Quiver 6-Arrow

Redline

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Key Features

• 20 inches long, yet only weighs 9.7 ounces
• All carbon rods
• Simple, yet secure, quick disconnect
• Holds six arrows
• Low profile design
• Deep, protective hood with rubber lining and dedicated broadhead seats
• Can be adjusted so quiver top stays below top limb and arrows don’t extend beyond bottom limb

Pros

• You can slide the quiver forward or back to get it balanced on the bow
• No rattling when you carry your bow or when shooting
• Rubber arrow gripper holds shafts securely
• Long design is great for securing arrows to the bow
• Quick disconnect is fast and easy

Cons

• The dedicated seats for broadheads are great for expandables and three-blade fixed broadheads, but they’re not ideal for broadheads with two large blades.

The Redline RL-1 Carbon Quiver is a six-arrow quiver measuring 20 inches long, but only weighing 9.7 ounces, thanks to all the carbon in its construction. There’s an identical, 3-arrow version that weighs 6.5 ounces if you want to cut even more weight. Redline is a new player in the compound accessory market, but the people behind the company have tons of experience. This quiver is a great example of the Redline goal, which is to produce quality gear at a fair price. This quiver isn’t cheap, but it’s not over-the-top expensive either.

The long design is a fairly new trend in quivers. I like it. With arrow shafts secured in grippers in the lower third and at the tip, they feel more secure than when you’re using a shorter quiver that grips them in the upper half of the shafts. 

The RL-1 has great rubber broadhead seats inside the hood that work well with any expandables and with three-blade, fixed heads. As I mentioned, big two-blade fixed heads won’t sit as neatly, but they’ll still be secured. 

If you want to take the quiver off when you’re up in the tree stand, there’s a simple, metal lever that you raise about 3 inches and then you slide the quiver straight back. It’s super secure and super quiet.

The features of this quiver are all great, but it vaulted to the top of my list when I put it on my Mathews V3X 33 and shot with it attached. It was whisper quiet, which is important. But what I didn’t expect was how well it allowed me to hold the bow. I was rock steady with the RL-1 on my bow with 4 arrows in the quiver. I held even steadier with it on than I did with it off. I’m sure it’s because I was able to slide the quiver straight back toward me. With a slotted mounting bracket, you can pull this quiver back toward you a good bit farther than you can basically any other quiver. So instead of it sitting parallel to the riser, it can sit parallel to the cables and string.

So the RL-1 is a well-made, lightweight, quiet quiver that holds arrows securely, and can be quickly detached, or balances the bow nicely if you choose to shoot with it on. That’s the quiver grand slam.

Best Detachable: Conquest Talon

Conquest Archery

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Key Features

• Unique, spring-loaded claws grip the mounting bracket
• Considered a five-arrow quiver, but it’s got two extra spots on the back side that allow storage of two more for a seven-arrow total capacity
• Rubber lining in the hood
• Grips arrow shafts in two places, and has point seats in the hood
• Comes with two sets of arrow grippers—one for standard hunting arrows and one for micro-diameter
• Rope tree-loop on the top for hanging in the stand

Pros

• The claw that you squeeze to remove the quiver is unique and ridiculously easy to maneuver
• Ridiculously lightweight
• Dual shaft grippers hold arrows still and quiet at the shot
• Adjustable up and down to get your arrows where you want them on the bow
• Holds seven arrows
• Costs under $90

Cons

• The point seats in the hood are round rubber cups, which I’m not a big fan of for holding broadheads

The Conquest Talon is the only quiver made by Conquest Archery, which is known more for its stabilizers. It’s lightweight, at just 9 ounces, and features dual, rubber shaft grippers, which is unusual for a 13-inch quiver. But those 2 grippers—plus the point seats inside the hood—ensure your arrow isn’t going anywhere until you pull one out.

You can adjust the quiver up and down on the twin, carbon support rods, and then lock it in place so it stays put where you want it. But the main feature of this quiver is the quick disconnect. No other quiver on the market has a disconnect like the Talon.

Essentially, it’s a claw that grabs hold of the mounting block on the riser. The claws are held in place by spring-loaded arms. Squeeze those arms and the claws release the mount block. You can easily pluck this quiver off the bow with one hand in a second.

To be perfectly honest, the Conquest Talon wasn’t on my radar as I was doing my initial research for this article. I had done a video on it two years ago when it came out and hadn’t paid much attention to it since. I saw it in the Lancaster Archery Supply Pro Shop and remembered the unique, quick-disconnect.

At first glance, it seems like there’s no way the quiver claw that grabs the mounting block would have enough force to keep the quiver from rattling. But it does. And the quick disconnect operates simpler and faster than any other I tested.

Best Fixed: TightSpot Pivot 2.5 2-piece

TightSpot

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Key Features

• Broadhead hood and arrow gripper are two separate pieces that are attached individually to the bow
• Multiple included connectors fit just about any compound bow
• Pivoting rods that allow the quiver to transform so it’s always vertical, regardless of the bow
• Screw-in arrow blocks that allow the individual arrow grippers to adjust for fat or skinny arrows
• Durable, solid foam block in the hood secures fixed or mechanical broadheads
• Holds five arrows

Pros

• Can be adjusted to fit nearly all compound bows
• Once set and fitted with arrows, it’s solid
• No audible extra noise added to the bow at the shot
• Hood foam is deep and locks broadheads in place

Cons

• I couldn’t tighten the bolt enough on the lower half of my test quiver to solidly lock down that piece. Once arrows were in it, however, it didn’t move.

The TightSpot Pivot 2.5 2-Piece Quiver is an adjustable quiver that can be permanently attached to just about any compound bow in a variety of configurations. Some bowhunters prefer quivers that are not detachable, because the quivers designed to attach and detach often are the ones prone to rattle when walking and shooting.

The top half—hood—and the bottom half—arrow gripper—of this quiver are bolted onto the riser of a bow independently. TightSpot includes multiple hardware pieces to match the varying connection points across the spectrum of compound bows on the market. Once attached to the riser, the Pivot earns its name from the adjustable rods that can be maneuvered so the quiver stands vertically on any bow. And the rods telescope so you can extend or reduce the distance between the gripper and the hood. You can also push the quiver in toward the riser to produce a slim profile, or pull it out away if you need to work around other accessories.

Screws mounted in rubber wedges between the individual arrow grippers can be driven in, or backed out, which compresses or opens the grippers to accommodate arrows of different diameters. With the wedges screwed all the way in, they’ll firmly hold 4mm shafts. Backed out, you can load 23-diameter shafts without a problem.

The soft foam that fills the hood is my favorite kind of foam for broadheads. No, it isn’t as durable as harder rubber seats in the hoods of other quivers, but it holds broadheads in place better than any other material. And as long as you seat your broadheads in the same holes in the foam every time you load your quiver, the foam will last for many years.

Kwikee Kwiver Lite-4

Kwikee

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Key Features

• Detachable, one-piece quiver
• Deep hood with thin, solid rubber padding inside and guide holes for arrow tips
• Strong arrow gripper will hold skinny and normal diameter hunting arrows
• Can be locked in with an included bolt
• Lightweight at 8.4 ounces
• Holds four arrows

Pros

• Costs $30
• With the Ultra-Lock bolt in place, it’s super quiet
• Actic-2 arrow holder remains pliable in freezing weather
• Easily detaches without the Ultra-Lock bolt
• Even large fixed-blade broadheads are totally enclosed in the hood

Cons

• Without the Ultra-Lock bolt, it has a faint rattle
• With the bolt in place, detaching is not as fast as without it
• Arrows extend below the bottom cam

The Kwikee Kwiver Lite-4 was going to make my list somehow because it’s one of the rare pieces of compound bow equipment that has remained virtually unchanged for more than three decades. I can think of no other piece of compound gear that hasn’t morphed over the years to change the way it functions or the way it looks. With that kind of longevity without transformation, you know The Kwikee Kwiver Lite-4 works.

This is a one-piece, detachable quiver that holds four arrows. Arrows are held about a third of the way down the shaft by the rubber Arctic 2 gripper, which doesn’t turn to rock when it’s cold outside.

The hood has a thin, solid-rubber lining with guide holes in the top to receive arrow points. Those holes combined with the gripper hold arrows pretty snugly in place.

The quick-detach bracket employed by the Kwikee Lite-4 is the same as it’s always been. There’s a metal leaf with a red plastic top that you pull back to insert the quiver. When the quiver is seated, the leaf springs back into place and the red top then holds the quiver down.

To get the quiver completely silent, you’ll need the Ultra-Lock bolt, which mounts through the center of the quiver arm and pins it to the bracket. It’s easy enough to unscrew it to detach the quiver, but it takes extra time. Without that bolt, the quiver does rattle a bit at the shot.

Where the Kwikee Lite-4 sits on the riser is both good and bad. The quiver sits kind of in the middle of the bow, while others usually sit higher. This lower position causes arrows 27 inches and longer to extend below the bottom cam on most bows, which means the nocks are constantly digging into the dirt if you rest your bow on the bottom cam. But that low position allows your bow to balance better during a shot. It doesn’t make the bow top heavy, like some other quivers.

Best Traditional: Selway Slide-On Recurve Quiver

Selway

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Key Features

• Two-piece design
• Slides over limbs
• Hood is solid leather with thick, trad stitching
• Foam insert inside the hood is deep to receive those big traditional broadheads
• Lower, rubber gripper securely holds five arrows
• Fits recurve bows with limbs 1.5-2 inches wide

Pros

• Can be adjusted up and down on the limbs to hold arrows of any length
• The ends twist to get the orientation of both halves so they hold arrows parallel to the bow
• Easy to install
• Looks super traditional

Cons

• Not the most secure-fitting quiver

The Selway Slide-On Recurve Quiver tells you exactly what it is in the name. It’s a two-piece quiver that slides onto recurve bows. Each half slides onto a limb. 

Assembly is simple. Remove the bowstring and slide the hood over the upper limb tip and down toward the riser. Slide the arrow gripper over the lower limb tip and up toward the riser. Position the two halves anywhere to hold your arrows accordingly. The two pieces fit fairly snugly, so long as the limbs are 1.5-2 inches wide. Of course, they fit the 2-inch limbs more snugly than the 1.5-inch.

The hand-stitched leather hood is what makes this quiver so trad. It looks cool and forms the perfect container for my favorite broadhead-holding foam. Stuff a big, 135-grain Zwickey two-blade into this foam and it’s not going anywhere, nor is it cutting anyone accidentally.

With its all-rubber contact points, the Selway is nice and quiet on the bow at the shot. Even though it might be a bit loose on the limbs as compared to a bolt-on quiver, there’s nothing metal to rattle and make noise.  

Having arrows in the quiver actually makes it more secure on the bow because arrows connect the halves to one another. And it holds those arrows within easy reach in case a follow-up shot is needed fast—a not-so-infrequent issue traditional bowhunters face.

Like I said. The Selway Slide-On functions great. What seals its crown as the best traditional quiver is its looks. It’s trad through and through.

Best Hip Quiver: Vista Knight

P.J. Reilly

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Why It Made the Cut

It’s one of the only hip quivers designed to hold broadheads left on the market. It’s well made, looks good and has my favorite type of broadhead foam.

Key Features

• Stunning leather construction
• Sturdy rubber arrow grippers
• Thick hood foam to secure broadheads
• Belt loop
• Intended for wearing only on the right side
• Leather thigh lashes

Pros

• Stows arrows right on your hip for quick loading into your bow
• Leather construction and foam in the hood protect you from razor-sharp broadheads
• Lashed to your thigh, the quiver moves with your leg as you stalk
• Rubber shaft grippers hold arrows securely

Cons

• Not ideal for tree stand or ground blind hunting
• Arrows are more exposed to brush while stalking and can get pried out of the quiver easier than arrows attached to a bow

The Vista Knight Hunting Quiver is a stylish, leather quiver that holds five arrows. It’s 12 inches long by 8.5 inches across and has a loop that connects to a belt worn around your waist. It’s also got leather lashes so you can tie the bottom of the quiver to your thigh. The arrow shafts are held in place by rubber grippers at the top, while the broadhead-tipped points are buried in thick foam inside the hood. 

That foam inside the hood is what separates the Vista Knight from most other hip quivers on the market. Those are designed primarily for arrows tipped with field points, and therefore intended more so for target archery than hunting. Such quivers are no good for broadheads.

Hip quivers used to be quite popular among bowhunters many years ago, but have fallen out of favor in more recent times. That’s probably why there are very few options for hunting hip quivers today. Now, you’re probably most likely to see traditional archers using such a quiver.

But they’re great for spot and stalk hunts. With the lashes tied to your thigh, this quiver moves with your body, holding arrows ready for action right on your hip, sort of like a Western six-shooter. If you have to crawl on your belly, you undo the lashes and shove the quiver around your belt to your back.

Mathews and Hoyt Quivers

Mathews and Hoyt are two bow manufacturers that have cultivated dedicated fan bases that love to fly the manufacturers’ flags. Die-hard Mathews and Hoyt owners will have as many Mathews and Hoyt accessories on their bows as they can get, including quivers. If you’re part of this crowd and you have a Mathews Phase 4, you’re just not going to put a Redline or TighSpot quiver on your bow, even though they will fit.

Fortunately for Mathews and Hoyt owners, their manufacturers both make quality quivers. We are giving them their own category because these quivers only fit the bows they’re named for. So they’re no good to owners of bows that don’t say “Mathews” or “Hoyt.” But if your bow does bear one of those names, these are the quivers for you.

Mathews LowPro Detachable Quiver

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The LowPro is a five-arrow, quick-detach quiver that follows the Mathews’s overall bow design of creating a skinny bow profile. They’ve got the integrate rest mount and the Bridge-Lock cutouts for mounting a sight and stabilizer – all in the name of slimming down the bow. So they need a quiver that keeps that vibe going.

The LowPro features a single carbon rod and attaches to the bow via connections at the top of the quiver and the bottom. A simple press lever at the bottom locks it in place. Lift the lever, and the quiver easily detaches.

The hood is deep and filled with a pliable foam that holds broadheads firmly. And with the hood and lower arrow gripper 20 inches apart, the quiver holds arrows in place more securely and quietly than shorter quivers. You can set your bow on the ground – quiver side down – and not worry about arrows bending or breaking.

It’s a quiver that’s quiet, very functional, low profile, and which will appeal to the Mathews fans who just gotta have all the Mathews accessories.

Read Next: Mathews Phase 4 Review

Mathews Arrow Web HD Quiver

Mathews

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The Arrow Web isn’t Mathews’ latest quiver, but it is the quiver that will fit the most Mathews bows. And it’s been around for many years because it’s well-made. Available in four-arrow or six-arrow versions, the Arrow Web mounts to Mathews bows via a one-of-a-kind connection.

There’s a metal piece shaped like the letter “C” that gets bolted to a unique-shaped recess built into Mathews risers. The quiver then has two metal posts on it. The top one gets seated in a cup on the mounting bracket and the lower one pivots over a raised finger before seating into its own cup.

Now that connection keeps the quiver seated solidly. It, plus harmonic dampeners in the quiver and the mounting bracket keep this quiver ultra-quiet if you choose to shoot with it attached to the bow. But if you press down on that finger on the lower attachment point on the bracket, the quiver can quickly be detached if you like to remove it in the tree stand or ground blind.

The hood space is generous and it’s filled with a rubbery pad that broadheads sink into for nearly total encasement. The arrow grippers easily accommodate standard or micro diameter hunting arrows.

Hoyt Carbon Superlite Stretch

Hoyt

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The Carbon Superlite Stretch is another one of those long quivers, measuring 20 inches. Again, I like that length for stability holding the arrows in place. You can shoot your bow with this quiver attached, or it can quickly be detached at its two mounting points.

The unique feature of the Carbon Superlite Stretch is its adjustability. You can adjust the quiver up or down so the arrows sit on your bow the way you want. And you can also adjust it toward or away from the riser to navigate around other accessories. And if you’re using a Hoyt integrate arrow rest and the Hoyt picatinny mount for your sight, you can pull the Carbon Superlite Stretch insanely tight against the riser for an extremely low profile.

What to Consider When Buying a Quiver

Choosing a hunting quiver doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process. If you do your homework and know what you want, you should be able to pick one out in short order.

The process starts with deciding if you want the quiver to be detachable or not. Think how you hunt and where you hunt, and that decision should be simple. Of course, if you’re not sure, then go with detachable, because you can always simply leave that quiver attached.

Study how different quivers attach to a bow. If there’s going to be noise, this is where it’s going to start. You want the connection to be snug—immovable if possible. 

If the quiver is detachable, how does the detach system work? You might be detaching and attaching in the dark, so you don’t want a quiver that requires fine motor skills to put it on or take it off your bow.

Like you’d do buying a car, look under the hood. How does a certain quiver hold arrow points? You want your points held firmly in place to keep them from rattling loose. In my opinion, hoods filled with foam/rubber are the most secure.

Check the arrow grippers. You want them to be pliable, so arrows can slip in and out easily, but you don’t want them to be flimsy, or the arrows will vibrate loose. Pliable, sturdy arrow grippers are best. 

Overall, how well does the quiver hold your arrows? If you hold a quiver that locks arrows in place and one that allows them to move around, you will feel the difference. 

Choose the quiver that holds the number of arrows you want to take with you on bowhunts and fits your budget, and you’re all set.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

Bowhunting quivers aren’t sexy. They aren’t meant to be sexy. You don’t usually hear bowhunters waxing poetic about how much they love their quiver. You want it to do its job and never have to think about it. Pick the right one, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.

The post The Best Bow Quivers of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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Bowhunting for whitetail deer is the most accessible and thrilling big-game hunt in all of North America. A mature, rut-crazed whitetail buck that stomps and grunts his way into bow range on a crisp November morning is a true spectacle to behold. Executing a perfect archery shot on that old buck—drawing your bow undetected, holding for the ideal window, squeezing the release, seeing the arrow in flight, and hearing it hit home—is perhaps the purest moment in all of modern hunting.

If you want to get in on the action, you’ve got a lot to learn. Bowhunting for deer requires general woodsmanship and hunting knowledge, plus some specific skills and gear. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about how to bow hunt deer, including:

• How to find places to bow hunt
• Understanding deer behavior and deer sign
• Basic bowhunting gear
• How to practice shooting a compound bow
• Bowhunting tips and tactics
• Shot placement and shot selection
• Blood trailing and recovering your deer

The good news is that there are a lot of deer out there (more than 30 million), and every state east of the Mississippi has a robust whitetail population. Many western states also have excellent bowhunting opportunities as well. Find our full forecast on the 2022 deer hunting season here. With the right knowledge and gear, you can embark on a lifetime of bowhunting adventures. If you’re already a deer hunter and interested in adding an archery season to your fall, just skip down to the section on basic bowhunting gear. Otherwise, here’s how to get started.

How to Find Places to Bow Hunt

A bowhunter’s job is to ambush a deer at close range and then make a clean, killing shot. That can seem intimidating when you consider the fact that whitetails frequent large forests, small woodlots, rolling farm fields, expansive marshes, and almost every other wild land in between. So where do you start?

Begin your search relatively close to home. As a new bowhunter you’re going to need to spend time in the woods to learn. So, you want your main bowhunting area to be a place you can visit often with an easy drive. From there, consider the following types of land.

Private Land

Scoring a small piece of private land is a dream scenario for a new bowhunter. Maybe you have a family member or close friend with some farm ground you could hunt. Or maybe a neighbor might let you hunt on the back 40 acres. Or maybe you know some veteran hunters who might give you access to their private ground for part of the season. You could even try your hand at landing a small, affordable hunting lease. In any case, private land is ideal for a new bowhunter because it helps you avoid the biggest challenge in public-land hunting: competing with other hunters.

Public Land

If you don’t have access to private land, use a mapping app like OnX or Huntstand to identify public hunting lands in your area. Common public lands that usually allow bowhunting for deer included:

• State forests
• State wildlife management areas
• State natural areas
• National forests
• National wildlife refuges
• Waterfowl production areas
• Scenic wild river areas
• Bureau of Land Management lands

There are also a variety of private land programs that provide public access for hunting. Those programs include:

• Walk-in areas
• Voluntary public access areas
• Logging company owned lands
• Conservation easements
• Managed forest lands

Always check your local regulations before making plans to hunt a piece of publicly accessibly land. Even within states, similar types of public hunting land can have different regulations.

Once you’ve identified the piece of land you like (either public or private), then it’s time to look closer using your mapping application. Take note of access points, farm fields, bodies of water, and general topography (hills, ridges, lowlands, etc.). Once you have a lay of the land, it’s time to put boots on the ground and do some scouting.

Understanding Deer Behavior and Sign

There are an infinite number of articles written about whitetail behavior, deer sign, and the rut. But at the most basic level, deer need to eat, drink, and find a safe place to bed every day. During the rut, they need to breed. Deer leave sign behind as they move through the woods and progress through the breeding season. Understanding deer behavior, deer sign, the rut and how hunting pressure impacts it all, will help you pinpoint the best places to hunt at any point throughout the season. The following basics will get you started.

Basic Deer Behavior

In general, deer are most active in the early morning, the late evening, and at night. During the middle of the day, deer bed down in areas where they won’t be bothered by predators. This could mean thickets, grassy patches of marsh, or remote wooded ridges. However, deer do feed throughout the day, usually just closer to cover.

By late afternoon, deer will typically stir from their bedding areas, and start to mill around looking for food and water. By evening or nighttime, they’ll head for major feeding areas like agricultural fields or oak flats where there are lots of acorns on the ground. By morning, deer will start to head back to the security of their bedding areas. This means that ideal places to ambush whitetails is on trails between feeding areas and bedding areas or on core feeding areas themselves. But remember, there are no hard-and-fast rules on deer behavior. Whitetails will do whatever they like, whenever they like.

The Whitetail Rut

The rut (or the fall breeding season, which is spurred on by decreasing daylight) greatly impacts deer behavior and patterns—typically in a good way for hunters. As the photo period shortens testosterone in whitetail bucks increases, which drives them to breed. This means that rutting bucks will spend more time on their feet, searching for does when the rut begins. There are several phases to the rut, but in most parts of the country heavy rutting activity begins in late October and continues through mid-November. During the rut, bowhunters should target major deer trails or naturally occurring funnels (like a strip of woods between two ponds) to intercept cruising bucks.

It makes sense to hunt all day during the rut, since bucks could stomp by at any time. Many mature bucks are killed each year between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Bucks also fight for dominance during the rut, however it’s important to note that whitetails are not territorial. Bucks are fighting over breeding opportunities, not the ground itself. So, when all else fails, hunt where the does are, and soon enough a buck might come charging by.

Reading Deer Sign

The best bowhunters are knowledgeable woodsmen. They know how to read tracks, scat, sign, and interpret how deer use the landscape. This takes a lifetime of practice to master, and the only way to get good at it is to spend time in the field. However, these basics will get you started.

Tracks

You’ll find deer tracks in mud, sand, and snow. The points of the hooves tell you which way the deer was heading. Buck tracks are typically longer and wider (they appear blockier) and doe tracks are typically more slender. If you consistently see fresh tracks in the same area over and over, you know that’s a good area to hang a trail camera or a stand.

Scat

Deer poop is another easy way to identify that whitetails have been in the area. Look for an area that has a variety of scat freshness. In other words, there’s fresh poop, old poop, and very old poop laying around in piles. You’ll find this in main feeding areas or bedding areas.

Buck Rubs

As soon as bucks shed their velvet, they begin rubbing their antlers on trees. These rubs are sometimes made one after another along a trail—this is called a rub line. Rubs are good for showing that a buck was in an area, but they are not necessarily a dead giveaway for a hunting spot. However, spots that receive rubs every year, or large “sign post rubs” are worth targeting, at least with trail cameras.

Scrapes

A whitetail scrape is a circular dirt spot where deer have scraped away leaves and debris with their hooves. They can vary in size from about two feet in diameter, up to the area of a small dining room table. Above the scrape there will be a branch that hangs to about chest height, this is called a licking branch. Both bucks and does will urinate in scrapes and rub the glands on their face against the licking branch. Doing so leaves behind their scent and lets other deer know who’s around. You can dig into the details around hunting scrapes and making mock scrapes here, but for a simple explanation, think of them as that fire hydrant in the neighborhood that every dog likes to sniff and urinate on. Scrapes are most often used at night, so hunting over a single scrape is a bit of a gamble. However, active scrapes (which are often made along field edges) are good places to hang trail cameras. If you find a buck hitting a scrape in the daytime, it often pays to hunt it right away.

Basic Bowhunting Gear

Getting started bowhunting is an investment in time and money. Buying the wrong gear can cost you more of both, so here’s a guide to make sure you’re headed in the right direction. You’ll need:

• Bow or crossbow
• Arrows
• Broadheads
• Release aid
• Rangefinder
• Quiver
• Treestand or blind
• Knife
• Pack

Choosing a Bow  

The brand or model of bow you choose is not important. What’s important is that the bow fits you. There are two key things for bow fit: draw length and draw weight. Modern compound bows are so efficient that you can effectively hunt with low draw weight, so leave your ego out of that equation. You want to be able to draw the bow straight back easily. No wrestling the bow back through a series of awkward and dangerous movements. Just a nice easy pull, straight back. 

Equally important is draw length, which requires a studied eye to set properly. Also, your draw length might change a little as your form improves. That’s why you really need the help of a great archery shop to buy, set up, and tune your first bow. For many people, a good archery shop (not a big box store) requires a drive, but trust me, it’s worth it to get started properly. 

The Complete Bow Setup

There are many shiny and seductive accessories at archery shops, but for a new archer, keep it simple. A three- or five-pin sight, a Whisker Biscuit, and a bow quiver are all you need. A lot of the best bows for the money come as ready-to-hunt packages, which make things easier and save you money, which you can use for archery lessons. 

Arrows and Broadheads

You can’t shoot just any arrow from your bow. Arrows come in sizes, called spines, that correspond to your draw weight, arrow length, and point weight. When you’re buying a bow, the shop staff will help you figure out that equation, and every arrow manufacturer has a spine chart or calculator to help you find the right size arrow. 

Broadheads, like bows, are a matter of personal preference. Many will work great, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on them to kill deer. But you do need to make sure that the broadhead you choose is sharp and shoots where you aim it. I recently tested more than 20 of the best broadheads, and you can use that review to help guide your choice. But you still need to shoot the head you choose and get it sharp again before you go hunting. 

Hunting Gear

You can kill a deer in jeans and flannel sitting in a natural blind. But a treestand makes the already difficult task of shooting a deer, a little easier. You’ll of course need all the treestand-related gear like a safety harness, lifeline, bow hanger, and bow pull-up rope. A small bowhunting backpack is helpful for carrying essentials like a knife, license, food, and layers. Trail cameras aren’t necessary, but they’re a helpful tool for new hunters because they can give you the confidence that there are deer in the area. 

READ NEXT: What Colors Can Deer See?

Avoid Gear Rabbit Holes

Bowhunting gear is fun. There are a lot of interesting products on the market as well as communities of people who are zealots for their preferred gear style. From heavy arrows to tree saddles, bowhunters can get downright tribal with gear choices and they can be pretty convincing that their way is the best way. But, becoming a successful bowhunter is not about the gear you choose. It’s about spending time shooting at the range and learning in the woods. Stick to the basics and let your taste in gear evolve through experience. 

How to Practice Shooting Your Compound Bow

Basic Archery Form 

You’ll hear the term “archery form” thrown around a lot in archery discussions, and form just means the set of steps you follow each time you shoot. Here are the important steps:

Grip

A good grip uses your body’s natural bone structure to help you support the bow and imparts no torque. Start with a relaxed hand and slide it up the bow’s grip until it can go no farther. The web of your hand should now be in the throat, which is the deepest part of the bow’s grip.

Next, rotate your hand until only the area between your thumb and the palm’s lifeline contacts the grip. As you look at your hand, your knuckles should be set back and at a 45-degree angle to the riser. Point your thumb toward the target, and lightly rest your other fingers on the front of the bow. If you find yourself squeezing the bow’s grip, tuck in your fingers, so they don’t touch the bow. If you use the tucked technique, you’ll need a finger or wrist sling to prevent the bow from dropping. Apply slight pressure to the bowstring to set your grip into place, and keep your hand relaxed throughout the shot.

Draw

Straighten your arm that holds the bow and pull with your arm attached to the string via the release aid. Keep your finger away from the trigger during this process—the one time I failed to mention that to a student, it resulted in a dentist visit. You should not need to make a violent motion to bring the string back, if you do, your draw weight is too high. Imagine the arm doing the pulling as a train, where your elbow is the locomotive leading the way. 

Anchor

Your anchor is simply the point at which your bow is at full draw and you settle in to aim. An often-missed portion of anchor is something called alignment. As your cams rollover and you feel the draw stops hit, it’s time to move your elbow and shoulders into position. Moving them into alignment means you’ll be supporting the weight of the bow with bone structure, rather than muscle. Bring your elbow back and around your head so that it’s in line with the arrow. Your shoulders should be aligned with each other and pointed toward the target. Once in this position, you’ll feel that keeping the bow back is very easy. Then look through your peep sight and center the circular sight housing within the circle of your peep. You can add more reference points to your anchor like a kisser button, which can make centering your sight an easier process. 

Aim 

Place the pin for the distance you’re shooting on the target and let it float around your aiming point. Don’t try to stop the movement. Just let the pin naturally float and move on to executing your release. 

Release

There are a lot of ways to activate a release. But the easiest to start with is to set the release so that the trigger is fairly heavy. You should be able to rest your finger on the trigger without it going off. Step one is to touch the trigger and hook your index finger around the trigger. Then slowly increase the pressure until the shot breaks. 

Follow Through 

There’s enough time between the release and the arrow disengaging for you to change the arrow’s path. So, your job in this moment is to do nothing. Don’t move, and don’t add flair to the shot. Just keep your eyes on the spot you want to hit and maintain your position. 

Learn to Shoot

You can learn archery form by reading articles, watching videos, or from old uncle Bobby, but you’ll be much better off by getting instruction from a qualified coach. A few lessons to learn the fundamentals followed by a lot of practice will set you up for success. 

Making Shots Under Pressure 

Shooting groups in the backyard is one thing. Making the same shot when your pin drops onto a live animal is the true test. Success here is not about making yourself less nervous. It’s about shooting the same shot despite the nerves. To do that, don’t focus on how much you want to shoot the deer. Instead, keep your focus on the steps you need to do to achieve that result. Focus on the key steps of your archery form—one by one. By executing each step and only focusing on those tasks, you reduce the chance of making a bad shot. 

How to Bow Hunt Deer, Tips and Tactics

Hunt the Wind

Whitetails navigate the world by scent. They have incredibly powerful noses that lead them to food, other deer, and help them avoid predators. This means that bowhunters must always stay downwind from deer. Check prevailing wind data and hang key stands based on that info. Also make sure you have stand setups that are optimal for different wind directions. If the wind isn’t right for a given stand location, simply don’t hunt it on that day. If deer get downwind from you, they are almost guaranteed to smell you before they get into bow range. If you blow out deer from a stand location, you can burn that spot for several days.

It’s just as important to factor in wind when approaching your stand. Never let your scent blow into a bedding area. Likewise, don’t let your scent blow across the main trails that you are trying to hunt.  

Kill Your Scent (as Much as Possible)

Many veteran bowhunters (myself included), believe that it’s worth trying to reduce your scent. To do this, you can shower with scent-free soap before you hunt. Wash your hunting clothes with scent-free detergent. There are a variety of scent-killing sprays that you can spray on your outer layers before you walk into your stand. Avoid getting strong scents (like gasoline while filling up your truck) on your clothes or boots before a hunt. Wear rubber boots and spray them down. Avoid touching vegetation with your bare hands on the way into your stand.

All these tactics will help prevent you from being busted by deer; however, you’ll never consistently beat a deer’s nose. So always hunt with the wind in your favor, no matter what scent mitigation tools you use. 

Set Up for Close Encounters

Bowhunting for whitetails is a close-range game. When you’re a new bowhunter, it needs to be an ultra-close-range game. No matter how accurate you are on targets, your first shot on a whitetail deer should be 20 yards or less (read my story about deer jumping the string). To make this happen, you need to set up your stand or blind close to where you expect deer to show. Treestands are the go-to option for most bowhunters. Pick a good-sized tree that’s about as wide as your shoulders. If you’re using a hang-on stand, mount the stand so branches or forks break up your outline. Make sure that you have cover behind you. If you’re using a blind, brush it in diligently and tuck it into existing cover so you’re not sticking out in the open. Confirm that you’re setting up close enough to main trails by using a rangefinder. And when you’re sitting in your stand waiting for deer, range trees, rocks, bushes, ect. Establish a 20-yard perimeter and don’t shoot beyond it.

Hunt Does

It’s important for anyone learning how to bow hunt deer to get useful field experience. The only way to do that is to start shooting deer. And the best way to do that is by targeting does in areas with high deer densities. Many states have areas where whitetail populations are too high, often where rural lands meet suburbia. Trophy potential usually isn’t very high in these areas, but for a new bowhunter, any cleanly killed deer should be considered a trophy.

Use Calls and Scent Attractants

There are dozens of different deer calls and attractant scents on the market, and many of them are useful. They key is to use them sparingly. You can’t simply hammer on a grunt tube and expect deer to come running from far and wide. When it comes to calls, a grunt tube and a doe bleat are a good place to start. Read about deer calling tips from the experts here.

When it comes to scents, I’ve found that a little Tink’s 69 Doe-in-Rut sprinkled on a scent wick will get bucks (at least younger bucks) to stop in shooting range during the rut. But you still need to be in the right place at the right time.

Shot Selection and Placement

We’ve already covered taking close shots only. Now you need to know where to place your arrow. In the simplest terms, you want your arrow to enter behind the deer’s shoulder, pass through the heart/lungs area, and exit the body cavity (here’s our ultimate guide on where to shoot a deer). In other stories and on social media you might read about shooting heavy arrows that will penetrate the bones in a whitetail’s shoulder. It’s true that certain setups will penetrate bone without issue.

But beginner bowhunters should first learn proper shot placement behind the shoulder, no matter what setup they’re shooting. That means broadside and quartering away shots only.

On broadside shots, aim just behind the deer’s front leg (when it’s in the forward position) and halfway up the body. There are a lot of charts and videos online covering archery shot placement on whitetail deer. But this simple video from the National Deer Association is the best.

On a quartering away shot, visualize a line coming up from the front of the deer’s offside front leg. You want your arrow to exit through that line. However, you should pass on extreme quartering away shots. Buy a 3D deer target and practice shooting quartering away angles, and the high angle from a tree stand, as much as you can. When shooting from high angles pay close attention to how the arrow enters the 3D deer’s “body cavity.” With the arrow’s downward angle, you still want it to penetrate the top of the heart.

Blood Trailing and Recovering Your Deer

You got to full draw, waited for the deer to get into the right position, and let it fly. Congratulations, but your hunt isn’t over. You haven’t fully learned how to bow hunt deer until you’ve developed blood trailing skills. There are two keys to recovering deer: patience and attention to detail.

Watch and Listen

At the shot watch and listen. Listen for how the arrow sounds when it hits the deer. A hollow sounding “thunk” often means a shot through the body cavity. A loud “crack” often means a direct hit to bone. Watch how the deer reacts. A mule kick often means a shot through the lungs. A hunched up, arched back often means a gut shot. Continue watching as the deer runs (or walks) away. Mark the last spot that you saw the deer, and take a photo of that spot with your phone. Continue listening even after you no longer see the deer. Oftentimes you can hear them crash down. Mark the direction it sounds like the deer was traveling. From your stand, take a photo of the spot the deer was standing when you shot (this is called the hit site).

Wait for 30 Minutes

If you didn’t see the deer fall or clearly hear it fall, you job now is to wait. Just hang out in your stand and relax for 30 minutes. Set a 30-minute timer if you must. Climbing down early and rushing the blood trailing job is a good way to bump (scare off) a mortally hit deer. Bumped deer can run a far way and are often impossible to recover. Do not make this mistake. 

Call for Help

If you have hunting buddies or even a friend who likes the outdoors, now is a good time to call them. It’s much easier to blood trail a deer with a little help. Plus, when you find your deer, it’s nice to have a friend to help drag it out.  

Analyze the Hit Site

After a full 30 minutes, climb down from your stand or leave your blind and go directly to the hit site (the spot the deer was standing when you shot). Look for blood and look for you arrow. Bright red blood with bubbles in it typically means a lung shot. If you find your arrow and it’s covered in bright red blood with some bubbles, this is a very good sign. Mark the spot of first blood.

Now, follow the blood trail slowly and carefully. A deer that was shot through both lungs (and the heart) will bleed profusely. The trail should be relatively easy to follow. Still, take your time and leave trail markers every 20 yards or so to mark the trail. Within about 100 to 150 yards, you should find your deer.

Marginal Hits

If you comb the hit site and don’t find an obvious splotch of blood, or if you find blood that smells, rank and gutty (or has green slicks in it) then you’ve likely made a marginal hit. Quietly, and I mean very quietly, work your way toward the spot you last saw the deer. If there’s still a poor blood trail, or signs of a gut shot, it’s best to pull out and leave the woods. You should wait several hours, and likely overnight, before continuing the search. A gut shot deer can take hours to expire, bumping it means you might never recover it. Many states have volunteer blood trailing dog programs. Calling in an experienced blood tracker with a dog can be incredibly helpful for a new bowhunter. Tracking a marginally hit deer is a real challenge that even experienced hunters struggle with. For more information, click on the links below.

• 6 Blood Trailing Lessons Learned from Tracking Dogs
• 10 Myths About Blood Trailing Deer
• How to Bloodtrail and Track Wounded Deer
  

What it Means to Be a Bowhunter

The best bowhunters are patient, thoughtful woodsmen. They’re excellent shots on the range and in the field. And more than anything, they enjoy being in the woods and trying to get close to the animals they pursue. Bowhunting takes more practice and attention to detail than other types of hunting. Becoming a bowhunter means committing to mastering a craft. If that sounds like fun to you, then welcome to the club. We’re glad to have you.

The post How to Bow Hunt Deer appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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The performance gap between compound bows and new crossbows seems to be widening exponentially. In last year’s Crossbow Test, for example, we reviewed two bows—the Ravin R500 and TenPoint Nitro 505—that shot speeds faster than 500 fps, which was impossible to imagine just a few years ago. For reference, the fastest compound bow in the 2022 Bow Test—the Bowtech SR350—generated a speed of 288 fps with a 67-pound draw weight, 29-inch draw length, firing a 450-grain arrow. That difference of 200 fps is so substantial that many bowhunters still argue that crossbows don’t belong in regular archery seasons. Many of us also wonder when crossbow advancements might begin to plateau or when game agencies might crack down on crossbow performance.

But there’s one critical metric where crossbows and compound bows are much closer than most bowhunters realize: accuracy. We shot the field of new crossbows and compound bows at Lancaster Archery and Supply’s 50-yard range. Crossbows were scoped up, dialed in, and shot from a lead sled. Compound bows were paper tuned and shot without any stabilizers. Our test team included four shooters with varying degrees of experience. The results? The average three-shot crossbow group for the field was 3.45 inches. The average three-shot compound bow group for the field was 3.20 inches. Yep, at 50 yards, the compound bows were more accurate, on average.

Digging Into Crossbow vs. Compound Bow Accuracy Data

What we were really testing here was field accuracy: how accurately a regular archer can actually shoot the bow or crossbow in the real world. If we’d have shot the bows out of a mechanical shooting device, like a Hooter Shooter, we’d likely get different results. But for bowhunters, the thing that matters most is the question: “How well can I shoot the bow?” So that’s what we measured.

We didn’t stack the deck in favor of compound bows with professional shooters, either. The compound bow testers were myself and P.J. Reilly of Lancaster Archery. Reilly is an expert shooter and veteran bowhunter. In other words, if you put him on a random public archery range he’d likely be the best shooter on the line, but he’s not winning national 3D tournaments. As for me, I’m a workaday archer. I’ve been bowhunting since I was 14, and I shoot diligently every summer so that I’m ready to be a lethal hunter in the fall. I don’t compete, I hang my bow up for the winter, and I’ve never had formal coaching. In other words, I’m probably just like you. Here’s how we shot.

P.J. averaged a 2.80-inch group for the 11 bows we tested. I averaged a 3.61-inch group. It’s interesting to note that there was some variation on which bows each of us shot well. For example, Reilly was lights-out with the Hoyt RX7, shooting a 1.62 average, while I averaged a more modest 3.08-inch group. But Reilly struggled with the Prime Inline 3, shooting 4.5-inch average—his worst overall. I beat him by an inch with that bow, one of my wins of the week. Reilly, the more experienced archer, was able to shoot the more challenging bows better. You can see how my groups deteriorated with the Bear Refine EKO and Bowtech SR350. We both shot the PSE Carbon Levitate, the Editor’s Choice winner, extremely well. (Read the full review of the best compound bows of 2023 here).

We also both shot the underrated Darton Spectra E exceptionally well (2.17 inches for Reilly and 2.5 inches for me). This was our best-shooting bow at 50 yards, and it was as or more accurate, than the most accurate crossbow in the test.

Senior deputy editor Natalie Krebs and gear editor Scott Einsmann tested the crossbows under ideal conditions: from a lead sled resting on a heavy picnic table, in minimal wind. The most accurate crossbow from the field of nine was the Ravin R500 with an average group size of 2.48 inches. (Read the full review of the best crossbows of 2023 here).

If we parse out the data, and look at each shooter with each bow individually, some more interesting points arise:

• Best overall compound group: Mathews V3X, .75 inches
• Best overall crossbow group: Ravin R500, 1.06 inches
• Best overall 3-group average, compound: Hoyt RX7, 1.62 inches
• Best overall 3-group average, crossbow: Ravin R500, 2.06 inches
• Worst overall compound group: Bear Refine Eko, 6 inches
• Worst overall crossbow group: Killer Instinct Swat X1, 5.7 inches
• Worst overall 3-group average, compound: Bear Refine Eko, 5.67
• Worst overall 3-group average, crossbow: Excalibur Twin Strike X1, 4.27 inches

The takeaway? The most accurate compound bows beat the most accurate crossbows. But the least accurate crossbows beat the least accurate compound bows. Below, you can see our average three-shot groups with each bow and crossbow. —A.R.

Why Modern Compound Bows Are So Accurate

One of the biggest innovators in compound bows is Rex Darlington, who helped shaped compound bows into the tack drivers we know today. He also designed the most accurate bow we shot at the Outdoor Life Bow Test, the Darton Spectra E. You’ll find Darlington’s patents used in just about every flagship bow, especially his synchronized cam system.

“That cam system takes away a lot of the issues the shooter creates,” Darlington says. “It contributes a lot to the consistency and accuracy of the bow.” 

One way it makes bows accurate is by eliminating nock-travel issues. Anyone who shot an early cam ½ system can appreciate the headaches the synchronized cam alleviates. 

You might think that an arrow shooting from full draw travels in a straight line, but in some bow designs the nock end would move at an angle. In the worst designs, it would travel at an inconsistent angle. To solve the inconsistency issue, many archers timed their cams for a little downward nock travel to give the arrow a consistent direction. Another issue was that with each draw length adjustment, the nock travel changed, which made tuning bows a headache. Basically the synchronized cam system makes bows really easy to tune.

According to Darlington, one thing contributing to Darton’s accuracy is that their manufacturing process and specifications make each bow very consistent and easy to tune. 

“That bow should shoot a bullet hole just by lining things up, and there shouldn’t be any more tuning than that to the bow,” he says.

Beyond the synchronized cam system found in almost every bow, many of the top bows had a wide limb stance. 

“The limbs have gotten wider because it helps distribute stress and makes them less prone to fatigue. They hold up better,” Darlington says. “It also takes more effort to twist them, which makes the bow more stable.”

Bows used to have comfortable, but torque-prone, grips. These days more bows have a square, flat grip that promotes even and consistent grip pressure. There’s a reason target archers prefer a grip of that style, and bowhunters reap the same benefits. Another X factor is that there’s more archery information available. You can go to YouTube right now and get shooting advice from great coaches like John Dudley or George Rylas IV, and many bowhunters have. So you have fewer trigger slappers out there and more people shooting solid form. —S.E.

Why Modern Crossbows Aren’t More Accurate

While Darlington is known for his compound bow designs, Darton makes crossbows, too. Darlington provided insight into what’s holding back crossbow accuracy.

“The thing about crossbows is, if you take the arrow weight and you figure the amount of stored energy, it’s like shooting an under-spined arrow out of a compound bow,” he said. “So, you’ll encounter arrow flight issues you wouldn’t accept out of a compound bow.”  

The issue isn’t the crossbow. It’s that the bolts they shoot aren’t optimized for their 300-pound draw weights. The result is the same as shooting a poorly-tuned compound bow. Another pitfall is some crossbow package bolts lack straightness and spine consistency. So, how do you get the most out of your crossbow? Tamp down the speed by shooting a heavier bolt or a crossbow with a lower draw weight. 

“Mathews [Mission Crossbows] has pretty much dominated crossbow tournaments, but they’re not shooting very fast speeds out of their crossbows,” Darlington said. “Their weights are under 200 pounds and that’s one of the things that contributes to their accuracy.” —S.E.

Long-Range Accuracy

If we had stretched the range of our test to 70 yards or 100 yards, you’d see crossbow accuracy start to pull ahead of compound bow accuracy. Most average compound shooters would have a hard time turning in 6-inch or even 8-inch groups at 100 yards. Shooting from a supported position, with a scope, is too great of an advantage for all but the best compound shooters to overcome. But even with today’s, ultra-fast crossbows, 100 yards should not be considered a reasonable archery range. The bolt would be in flight for about three quarters of a second (more than enough time for the animal to move). Plus, at that range, wind can severely change a bolt’s point of impact. (I don’t know any average-joe crossbow hunters who have practiced enough with their setup to acquire accurate windage adjustments for 100-yard shots).

So while it’s true that crossbows are speeding ahead with innovations and incredible performance, when it comes to reasonable archery ranges, compound bows are just as accurate—and in the right hands, even more accurate. —A.R.

Crossbow Accuracy vs Compound Bow Accuracy Q&A

Are compound bows more accurate?

Yes, compound bows are more accurate than traditional bows and crossbows at moderate hunting ranges. That’s not to say that every compound bow is more accurate than every other type of bow. Only that the top-end compound bows are still more accurate on average (or at least easier to shoot accurately). And remember, the archer (not the bow) is always the most important factor in the accuracy equation.

What are the disadvantages of a crossbow?

Crossbows are loud and a bit unwieldily compared to compound bows. Plus, they can be difficult to cock while in a tree stand. However crossbows do have plenty of advantages over compound bows (see below).

Are crossbows easier to aim than bows?

Yes, crossbows are easier to aim because they have scopes and hold themselves at full draw. However shooting a crossbow offhand can be challenging. The best crossbow accuracy comes by placing the bow on a shooting rest, sticks, or the rail of a stand.

What are the advantages of a crossbow?

Modern crossbows are ultra-fast and relatively easy to use. Anyone familiar with shooting a gun can pick up a crossbow and shoot effectively at moderate ranges. Plus, crossbows remain cocked, so the archer doesn’t have to draw while the critter is in range.

The post Crossbows Are Not More Accurate Than Compound Bows. We’ve Got the Groups to Prove It appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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Best Overall		Axcel Antler Ridge 10-inch	SEE IT
Best Combo Pack		Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Verge Lite Stabilizer Kit 12/9	SEE IT
Best Budget		Redline Rl-1 8-Inch	SEE IT

Stabilizers are arguably the most misunderstood pieces of archery gear that bowhunters put on compound bows.

Target archers know how to use them to balance and stabilize their rigs. But bowhunters just seem to want something short and stubby, which results in almost none of the stabilizing benefits stabilizers are designed to produce.

Well, I’m here to tell you not only which stabilizers I’ve picked as my “best in class,” but I’m going to tell you what to look for in a stabilizer and how to use them properly. 

At Lancaster Archery Supply, I get to see, feel and test most of the stabilizers on the market, so I have a pretty good idea of which ones lead the way. But just to confirm my picks for this piece, I tested nearly two dozen stabilizers by attaching them to my Mathews V3X 33 and shooting several arrows to feel for the stability, balance, and vibration reduction each bar produced. Here are my picks for the best bow stabilizers: 

• Best Overall: Axcel Antler Ridge 10-inch
• Best Siderod Mount: Shrewd Atlas
• Best Combo Pack: Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Verge Lite Stabilizer Kit 12/9
• Best Single-Bar, Dual Purpose: Bee Stinger Microhex Counter Slide 15-Inch
• Best Budget: Redline Rl-1 8-Inch
• Best Short Bar: Shrewd Vantage 9-Inch
• Best Micro Diameter Hunting Rod: Conquest Control Freak With SMAC .500
• Best Stabilizer for a New Mathews Bow: 12-inch Mathews Bridge-Lock Stabilizer

Best Bow Stabilizers: Reviews & Recommendations

Best Overall: Axcel Antler Ridge 10-inch

P.J. Reilly

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Key Features

• Made from high-modulus carbon and flax
• Kryptos Arc Dampener, which is designed to kill vibration on the X, Y, and Z axes
• Comes with two, 2-ounce weights
• Solid, aluminum end caps

Pros

• Is actually a tick under 12 inches when the dampener and both weights are included in the length
• Crushes vibration from every angle
• Promotes a steady hold at full draw

Cons

• Expensive

A lot is going on in this 10-inch bar. It’s thin, it comes with 4 ounces of weight, the included dampener is one of the best on the market, and the bar is made from a unique mix of materials that do a great job of killing vibration while promoting rigid stabilization.

The Axcel Antler Ridge 10-inch hunting stabilizer is nearly 12 inches when both weights and the Kryptos Arc Dampener are added to the 10-inch bar. The bar is a combination of high-modulus carbon, which is super stiff, and flax, which is a natural fiber that acts like a vibration sponge. Its vibration-soaking properties are so well known that flax is used in all kinds of sporting gear, where reducing vibration is important, such as Formula 1. Axcel is the only company using flax in its stabilizers.

The Kryptos Arc Dampener would be an add-on for other stabilizers, but it comes with the Antler Ridge. Bow vibration at the shot is generated on the X, Y, and Z axes—horizontal, vertical, and depth. The Kryptos Arc is specially engineered to absorb vibration on each axis. Of all the stabilizers I tested, I felt the least amount of vibration in my hand with the Antler Ridge.

This is one of only a few bowhunting stabilizers that comes with 4 ounces of weights in the pack, which is a good amount for a 10-inch bar. Most hunting stabilizers come with 2 or 3 ounces of weights. You can usually add weights to any bar, but it’s nice when you don’t have to buy extra parts to make something work.

I picked a 10-inch bar as my best overall stabilizer because I believe it’s a length most bowhunters can work with. It’s definitely long enough to provide stabilization for any compound bow—especially since the total length of the Antler Ridge is basically 12 inches. (I discuss stabilizer length at the end of this article.) While I personally prefer a 15-inch front bar, I believe that’s a length a lot of bowhunters just won’t accept. And when I run a 15-inch front bar, I always have a side rod as part of my setup. The 10-inch Antler Ridge is perfect for having just the front rod and no side rod. 

Best Siderod Mount: Shrewd Atlas

Shrewd Archery

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Key Features

• Aluminum with stainless steel, anodized hardware to prevent rust
• Independent adjustments for horizontal and vertical positioning of the bar
• Tapered connection points so parts get tighter as the bolts are tightened
• Quick disconnect barrel included
• Laser-engraved connections allow user to get the bar in the same position time and again
• Weighs 3.8 ounces

Pros

• Fits tight to the riser to minimize side bulk
• Doesn’t add much weight to an overall bow setup
• When the bolts are all tightened, everything is locked in place
• Weather resistant

Cons

• Sometimes the horizontal and vertical adjustments fit so snugly, you have to tap them with something to separate them so you can change the bar position.

The Shrewd Atlas is the perfect combination of what bowhunters look for in a siderod mount: strength, lightweight, and security. Made in the USA, the Atlas is CNC-machined aluminum with anodized stainless steel hardware. That means it’s not going to rust like other mounts do.

What’s missing from the Atlas is the bulk that seems to come with most siderod mounts. It weighs almost nothing—just 3.8 ounces—and fits tight to the riser. That means it won’t catch on branches and brush while you’re stalking or clang off the stand when you’re in the tree.

The Atlas employs tapered parts that essentially wedge together by bolts to lock them in place. The more you tighten a bolt, the more you drive a wedge into its seat, which makes it fit tighter. You want to position your siderod how you want it horizontally and vertically, lock it in place, and never think about it again. The Atlas does that.

Laser etching on the horizontal and vertical adjustments enables you to mark where the rod is positioned on each axis, so you can get it right back where you want it if you have to remove it from your bow, or move it from one bow to another. Once you find perfection with siderod position, you don’t want to have to hunt for it again.

Best Combo Pack: Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Verge Lite Stabilizer Kit 12/9

P.J. Reilly

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Key Features

• Includes a 12-inch bar, 9-inch siderod, connection mount, and 6 ounces of weights
• Verge dampener end caps 
• Dampeners can be adjusted to sit perfectly vertical or horizontal, depending on preference for cutting wind
• The connection mount allows you to adjust the side rod up and down and left and right to position the weight where you want it

Pros

• Bars are super stiff
• Dampening qualities are good
• You get everything you need for a full setup in one pack
• The kit is less expensive than if you built a stabilizer/side rod setup by buying individual pieces

Cons

• A couple more weights for the side rod would have helped
• Even though it’s cost-effective, the sticker price will bulge some eyes

The Dead Center Dead Level Hunter Verge Lite Stabilizer Kit 12/9 is a one-stop package that has everything you need for a front-bar, side rod setup. It’s got a 12-inch bar for the front, a 9-inch bar for the side, and it’s got the mount you need to connect both bars to the bow, or just the side rod.

The bars are Dead Center’s best high-modulus carbon, so they are super stiff. The end caps are machined aluminum, which adds to the stability and rigidity of these bars. And each bar is topped with the Verge Dampener. It’s a ring of rubber surrounding a weighted centerpiece. At the shot, vibration hits the dampener, causing the weight to move around inside the rubber ring. That action soaks up the vibration, preventing most of it from getting to your hand. Set screws on the end of each rod allow you to position the dampeners perfectly vertical or horizontal once your bars are locked in place in the mount.

The mount can be used to attach both bars from the front, or you mount the front stabilizer by itself and then bolt the mount for the side rod to the back of the riser. If you mount both from the front, run the bolt on the long bar through the mounting bracket into the riser and then swivel the side rod connector to face backward.

The side rod connector pivots left and right and up and down so you can get the bar positioned precisely where you need it for the best balance. Once you lock it in place, it won’t budge. The two pieces you’re forcing together with the locking bolt are cone-shaped, so the more you drive in the bolt, the more you wedge those cones together. It’s super solid.

Six, 1-ounce weights are included in the kit for weighting and balancing the bars. I’d go 2 ounces out front and 4 ounces off the back, but you might find you need more to get the bow stable and balanced.

Best Single-Bar, Dual Purpose: Bee Stinger Microhex Counter Slide 15-Inch

P.J. Reilly

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Key Features

• Single bar that can be adjusted forward and back to imitate having both a front stabilizer and a side rod
• Bar is 15 inches long, which allows for a decent amount of adjustment forward and back
• Proprietary Countervail material inside stabilizer helps kill vibration
• Dovetail mount makes bar removal and installation simple for travel
• Five 1-ounce weights included

Pros

• It’s one bar that does the job of two
• Can be adjusted multiple ways to get it to sit where you want it
• Countervail is one of the industry’s best materials for killing vibration

Cons

• It does a fair job of imitating having two bars, but it’s not the same
• Having five 1-ounce weights in the pack is nice, but you’ll most likely need to buy more to get the balance right between front and back

The Bee Stinger Microhex Counter Slide is a thin, 15-inch bar that sits off the riser’s side, opposite your sight and quiver. Sitting there, the bar can offset the weight of those accessories.

From there, the unique mount allows you to slide the bar forward or back to adjust the distribution of weight. But it sort of mimics having a front stabilizer and a side rod. Given the length, you could adjust it so 8 inches stick out front and 7 inches extend backward. Then you add weights to each end to achieve the leverage you want. If the bow wants to tip forward, add more weight to the back, or slide the bar back. If it wants to tip up, add more weight to the front, or slide the bar forward.

The bar comes with the mount that connects it to the bow. It features a dovetail bar with a line of divots, which allows you to adjust how close to or far from the side of the riser the stabilizer sits. You can also pivot the riser mount up or down to pull the mount even closer to the riser if you want.

Bee Stinger’s Microhex bars are its narrowest, which makes them ideal for cutting through wind. And the Countervail material used inside the bars is very efficient at killing vibration. These bars transmit very little vibration back to the archer’s hand at the shot.

To be honest, I view dual-purpose bars like the Bee Stinger Microhex Counter Slide as a gateway stabilizer to a true front-rod/side rod setup. The Counter Slide does a fair job imitating the balancing effect of having two bars, but I believe it will convince you of the benefits of having both, and you’ll eventually pull the trigger on a two-bar rig.

Best Budget: Redline Rl-1 8-Inch

P.J. Reilly

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Key Features

• 8 inches
• Three, 1 ounce weights 
• Rubber dampener 
• Woven carbon bar

Pros

• Stiff carbon bar
• Quality dampener attacks vibration
• Three ounces of weights included
• Weight feels like it’s correctly placed for balance and vibration back to the shooter is minimal
• Costs under $60

Cons

• Vibrates a bit more than higher-end stabilizers

The Redline RL-1 8-inch stabilizer features a stiff carbon bar, a rubber dampener at the end of that bar, and three, 1-ounce weights. With the weights attached, the stabilizer is properly end-heavy. That is, the vast majority of the stabilizer’s overall weight is concentrated at the end. That’s especially critical when using a bar as short as 8 inches.

I chose an 8-inch bar for the “best budget stabilizer” because that’s the minimum length I believe stabilizers should be for most of today’s compound bows. (More on that at the end.) And the Redline RL-1 8-inch is the least expensive, 8-inch bar Lancaster Archery Supply carries. 

But it’s not just a cheap stabilizer. It does its job. It helps the archer hold the bow steadier at full draw than without it, and it kills some vibration at the shot. 

The Redline stabilizers do their job well, so much so, that we used the Redline RL Trio Back Bar and Stabilizer Kit to outfit bows during the 2023 compound bow test.

Best Short Bar: Shrewd Vantage 9-Inch

P.J. Reilly

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Key Features

• 7, 9, or 12-inch lengths
• Includes two 1 ounce weights
• Two dampeners 

Pros

• Short, thin and light
• Special tapered interior promotes rigidity without adding weight
• Two Hi-Lo dampers helps squash vibration 
• Long bolt allows many weights to be stacked to get the correct balance

Cons

• Only comes with two 1-ounce weights

Thin, light, lots of vibration dampening. For bowhunters concerned about having accessories stick out in front of their bows, the 9-inch Vantage is so slender and unassuming, it’s hard to argue that it’s “in the way.” Without any weights on it, the Vantage is incredibly light. Shrewd says that’s because of a unique tapered interior, which allows for a rigid, high-modulus carbon bar without any extra weight.

There are two Hi-Lo dampers on the Vantage. (Damper is a term often used to describe a rubber device designed to suppress vibration. It’s often used interchangeably with “dampener.”) The Hi-Lo dampers are designed to attack high-frequency and low-frequency vibration. Think of the difference as big, heavy vibration—low frequency—and smaller, lighter vibration—high frequency. A bow produces both, so Shrewd designed dampers to attack both. There’s no doubt the Vantage does a good job killing vibration with just 9 inches to its length.

The Vantage 9-inch comes with two, 1-ounce weights that are added to the stabilizer between the bar and the end Hi-Lo damper. This allows the end damper to serve as a rubber protection for the end of the stabilizer. The long bolt that connects the damper to the bar allows for many weights to be stacked, if you need them to get the right feel for your stabilizer.

But even with just the two ounces of included weight, the 9-inch Vantage does a good job helping stabilize the bow at full draw. The bar is so thin and so light it’s hard to imagine bowhunters fearful of stabilizers “getting in the way” thinking the Vantage is a cumbersome accessory. 

Best Micro Diameter Hunting Rod: Conquest Control Freak With SMAC .500

P.J. Riley

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Key Features

• Carbon bar with aluminum end caps
• 1/2-inch diameter cuts through the wind
• Utilizes SMACWRAP, which is a proprietary material for vibration dampening
• Ultralight bar
• Includes three 1-ounce weights

Pros

• SMACWRAP is one of the best vibration-dampening materials on the market
• When a stabilizer is super light, you can use less weight on the ends for balance because you don’t have to offset the weight of a heavier bar
• The microdiameter rod cuts through the wind better than fatter rods

Cons

• If you care about such things, the graphics are a little odd

The Conquest Control Freak With SMAC .500 is a half-inch wide stabilizer that’s built for performing in the wind. You won’t find a stabilizer thinner than a 1/2 inch on the market, so this hunting rod cuts through the wind the best. However, other 1/2-inch stabilizers employ weights significantly larger in diameter than the rod—especially if you use a big stack of weights. The Control Freak’s weights are only slightly larger than the rod, which minimizes wind drag.

Another benefit of skinny bars is they weigh less than fat ones. When a stabilizer bar weighs less, the effect of adding weights to the end is more noticeable. When you can feel the weights more, you can use less to achieve balance. And what bowhunter doesn’t prefer a light rig over a heavy one?

SMACWRAP is a proprietary material used in a variety of products for vibration dampening, including golf clubs. Conquest decided to put it inside some of its stabilizers, and it does a great job of killing vibration. Vibration in a bow does two things. It creates hand shock and noise. Noise, of course, is bad for bowhunting. And hand shock can make a bow unpleasant to shoot. Certainly, when you kill vibration, a bow is nicer to shoot, which will help you focus more on where the arrow should hit, rather than the hump your hand will feel.

The Control Freak With SMAC .500 comes in lengths of 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 inches, and they can be used as front rods and as siderods.

Best Stabilizer for a New Mathews Bow: 12-inch Mathews Bridge-Lock Stabilizer

Mathews

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Key Features

• Mounts directly into Bridge-Lock risers, so the connection is more rigid
• Length is adjustable in half-inch increments
• Threadless, stackable weights
• Super skinny bar with holes throughout its length
• Harmonic dampener in the end cap

Pros

• The connection point is much more rigid than traditional stabilizers
• Adjustable length allows you to customize its fit
• Kills vibration and is super quiet
• InterLink Weight system eliminates the need for threaded rods

Cons

• Currently can only be used on Mathews Phase 4 bows
• Expensive

Mathews introduced the 12-inch Bridge-Lock Stabilizer in 2022 as a new stabilizer system for the Mathews Phase 4 bows. Presumably, this stabilizer will be usable in Mathews hunting bows in the future, as Bridge-Lock technology is incorporated into new offerings from Mathews. Despite the fact that it’s only good for two bows at present, it’s a solid, well-built stabilizer.

The bar is designed to slide into a Bridge-Lock receiver cut into the risers of the Mathews Phase 4 bows. It’s locked in place with a wing knob. Sliding the bar into the riser makes the connection point much more rigid than when a stabilizer gets screwed into a bushing under the grip.

Also, with this design, the 12-inch bar can be made shorter in 1/2-inch increments simply by pushing the bar deeper into the riser. So you can extend it to 12 inches for those long shots on the open prairie, or pull it in to 8 inches when it’s time to stalk through the thick stuff.

The bar is super skinny and has holes cut through its length. It imitates the geogrid design of the Mathews risers. So not only does the stabilizer match the bow, but those holes will allow wind to blow through it, making this stabilizer a great choice if you hunt in the wind.

For this stabilizer, Mathews developed a new weight system where weights can be linked together to create a weight stack held in place by an end cap secured with a single set screw. No threaded rods needed. And that end cap has a harmonic dampener built into it to soak up any vibration from the bow.

Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Bow Stabilizer

Why You Need a Stabilizer 

A stabilizer is intended for two purposes—to help you hold a bow steady and to help kill vibration at the shot. A stabilizer helps you hold a bow steady by adding weight to the bow below your hand, and by resisting hand torque. A great, albeit exaggerated, example of how it resists torque is to think about holding a dust brush and a full-length broom out in front of you with your arm extended. It’s easy to move the dust brush side to side because it’s short and it’s light. But the broom is going to resist that sideways motion because of its length and the heft at the very end.

Stabilizer Length

Again, that’s an exaggerated example of what a stabilizer does, but it paints a general picture of the principle. And it demonstrates why target archers typically use 28 to 36-inch front stabilizers that can carry more than 25 ounces at the very end. Bowhunters don’t need to go that far. Such a stabilizer would be cumbersome in the woods.

But what bowhunters need to know is that a “stabilizer” offers no stabilization at all until it extends beyond the limb pockets. And with the way many of the best compound bow risers today are reflexed back toward the archer, the stabilizer bushing might sit 4 or 5 inches behind those pockets. That means you don’t get any stabilization at all from a stabilizer 6 inches or less. 

On most bows, an 8-inch stabilizer would be the minimum length needed for a stabilizer to be fully functional. Ten- and 12-inch bars would be even better. Whenever I encounter a bowhunter who balks at the thought of a 12-inch stabilizer because it “sticks out too far,” I have them nock an arrow. No 12-inch stabilizer sticks out as far as a 27-30-inch arrow. The point being, if you think a 10-inch stabilizer is going to get in the way at some point during a hunt, your arrow will be an even bigger problem.

Weights

The good news is that the longer the bar, the less weight you need on that bar. On my setup, I only have 3 ounces on the end of my 15-inch stabilizer. If I went to an 8-inch bar, I’d have to bump that weight up to about 10-12 ounces in search of comparable stability. 

Side Rods

However, as the front stabilizer gets longer, the need for a sideroad increases to balance the bow. A long front bar with even just a little weight at the end will cause a bow to want to tip forward. A side rod adds weight behind the bow to counteract that forward tipping. Twelve inches with just a couple ounces of weight at the end is about as long and heavy as I’d go with a front bar before adding a side rod. 

FAQs

Final Thoughts

When used correctly, the best bow stabilizers can make a decent archer a decent and consistent archer. They’ll help you hold steady and feel comfortable at the shot. When you’re comfortable, you’re relaxed. When you’re relaxed, you can drive tacks. Don’t just think of stabilizers as something to put in the bushing under the grip. They’re designed for a purpose. Take the time to figure out how they can make you a better archer.

The post The Best Bow Stabilizers of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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Best Index Finger		Scott S2	SEE IT
Best Budget Index		Scott Little Goose II	SEE IT
Most Versatile		TruBall Goat	SEE IT

For bowhunters, no piece of gear is more personalized than release aids. Everyone has their favorite style, which they set their favorite way, and it’s pretty hard to find two bowhunters who like the exact same release, set up the exact same way. 

Heavy trigger, light trigger, no travel, some travel, thumb trigger, hinge, index finger, wrist strap, no wrist strap, and the options go on. That’s probably why Lancaster Archery Supply has 389 different release aids on their site. While which of those nearly 400 options you choose depends largely on personal preference, some releases are objectively better than others. For my picks for the best releases of 2023, I broke down the market into six of the most basic categories that will likely be relevant to bowhunters. I then chose my picks for the best bow releases for those categories based on my experience shooting nearly all the release aids on the market. 

• Best Index Finger: Scott S2
• Best Practice Release: Stan Onnex Resistance
• Best Budget Index: Scott Little Goose II
• Best Hunting Thumb Trigger: Ultraview Button
• Best Hunting Hinge: Ultraview Hinge 2
• Most Versatile: TruBall Goat
• Best Budget Hand-Held: Booster Ignite
• Carter Like Mike II

How I Chose the Best Bow Releases 

You will notice there is no “Best Overall Release.” That’s in deference to the bowhunting community, because there are two primary camps in the release market—index finger and hand-held. If you’re a bowhunter who uses an index-finger release, you don’t like hand-helds. And if you’re a bowhunter who uses a hand-held release—thumb trigger or a hinge—you don’t like index finger releases. So to pick a “Best Overall Release,” I’d have to pick a camp, and that’s just not right, because neither style is better than the other. Whichever works for you is what’s “best.” 

When choosing the release aids for this article I wanted to include selections that any archer would appreciate. As a Lancaster Archery Supply employee I have dozens of archery releases at my disposal. I’ve shot most of them and through that process I’ve found the releases that are easy to use, comfortable, and accurate. My final selections all have those qualities.

Best Release Aids: Reviews and Recommendations

Best Index Finger: Scott S2

Scott Archery

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Key Features

• Dual sears for consistency
• Open hook for fast connection to the string
• Separate micro-adjustments for tension and travel
• Infinite adjust web strap connecting wrist strap to release head
• Padded leather wrist strap

Pros

• The dual sears mean the feel of the release doesn’t change from shot to shot or bow to bow
• Can be set light or heavy with some or no travel
• The open hook is ideal for fast hookups when bowhunting
• Comfortable wrist strap

Cons

• Among index finger releases carried by Lancaster Archery Supply, it’s the second-most expensive

The Scott S2 is a wrist strap connected, index-finger release. Unlike most releases of this type, which are either spring loaded or cocked by pushing the trigger forward, the S2 has a separate cocking mechanism, which means it has dual sears. The benefit of dual sears is consistency from shot to shot and bow to bow.

The trigger on most index finger releases feels one way in your hand and then totally different on the bowstring at full draw. The draw weight of the bow affects the feel of the trigger. With the dual sears, the S2 feels and functions the same on every shot on every bow. Dual-sear releases are the most consistent trigger releases but are rare among index-finger releases.

The hook on the S2 is open, which means only one moving jaw. And it means hookups to the D-loop are fast and easy. You can feel your way into the loop rather than having to look at the release to watch two jaws close around the loop.

Micro-adjust screws provide individual adjustments for trigger tension and travel, so you can get this release activated the way you want. Similarly, the web strap connecting the wrist strap to the release head is infinitely adjustable, so you can get the head to sit exactly where you want in relation to your wrist.

The padded leather buckle strap is comfortable on your wrist, whether you’re walking around or at full draw.

Best Practice Release: Stan Onnex Resistance

Stan Release Aids

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Key Features

• It’s set to be heavier than your bow’s holding weight
• Thumb barrel is a safety to keep it from firing
• Comfortable handle
• Built on the same handle as the Onnex Hinge and Onnex Thumb Trigger so you can switch among all release types and keep the same feel
• Open hook design with flexible string keeper that prevents release from falling off D-loop

Pros

• Excellent tool for combatting target panic
• It can be set as heavy or light as you want
• Thumb-barrel safety is ideally located for comfortable drawing

Cons

• Unless you really feel comfortable with it, it’s not ideal for some to use bowhunting
• Until you get comfortable with it, it can be scary to use

The Onnex Resistance is a release every compound archer and bowhunter should own because it teaches you how to pull through a release rather than punch a release. You can’t punch it because there is no trigger.

The Stan Onnex Resistance is a unique type of handheld release that uses resistance as its trigger. So there is no actual trigger on this release. Instead, the archer turns a screw in the handle to set the firing mechanism heavier than a bow’s holding weight. You draw back while gripping the thumb barrel, which is the release’s safety that keeps it from firing. At full draw, you take your thumb off the barrel, and pull back on the release until the resistance increases to the amount you’ve set it for, and the release then fires.

This type of release forces the archer to just keep pulling through each shot, and that’s the only way to get the release to fire. So those fighting target panic can work through the panic by keeping the pin on target and simply pulling on the handle until the release fires. That action often kills the anxiety created by trying to punch a trigger when the sight pin approaches the aiming spot.

No matter what you do with compound archery, this is a key release to have for practice sessions. Any time you feel anxious while shooting, pick up the Onnex Resistance and spend some time with it to quash the panic feelings. 

There’s no reason you can’t use this release for hunting. Still, because it activates when a certain amount of resistance is reached, it’s possible to get to that resistance level faster than normal in tense situations. Like when you’re taking aim at a trophy animal. If that happens, the release might fire before you’re ready. It also might be more difficult to fire under pressure. But this release is a great training tool when you’re calm on the range.

Best Budget Index: Scott Little Goose II

Scott Archery

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Key Features

• Push the trigger forward and a single jaw closes against a fixed post to capture the D-loop
• Jaw flies open when sufficient trigger tension is applied
• Head barrel has multiple holes for adjusting distance between release head and wrist strap
• Head barrel swivels to prevent string torque
• Padded leather wrist strap

Pros

• Costs less than $75
• Single moving jaw promotes consistent releases
• Adjustable head
• Acts on a sear, as opposed to a spring, which creates the cleanest releases
• Comfortable strap

Cons

• With this type of release, the trigger feel changes as you change the bow’s draw weight. The lighter the draw, the lighter the trigger feels. The heavier the draw, the heavier the trigger feels.

The Scott Little Goose II is the latest version of Scott Archery’s best-selling Little Goose release. It’s been around seemingly forever because it’s affordable, well made, and reliable. This is not the least expensive index finger release, but this is the best “budget” release because it offers the best value for what you pay. And what you pay is less than $75.

For that price, you get a release that operates off a sear, versus a spring. What that means is, you pull the trigger, which is holding a metal moon in place that keeps the single jaw closed and your D-loop contained. When the edge of the back end of the trigger clears the edge of the moon, the jaw flies open. You get a clean, consistent release every time, as compared to a spring-loaded release, where the jaws open and close as you pull and release the trigger.

That single jaw also promotes a consistent release. The jaw holds the D-loop at full draw, but when you activate the trigger, the loop slides across the straight, fixed-position post opposite the jaw. When two jaws move, it’s possible they move differently from shot to shot, which can cause the D-loop to come out differently.

As I mentioned, the Little Goose II is a release where the trigger tension needed to activate the release changes as the bow’s draw weight changes. So it’s light when the draw weight is light, and it gets heavier as the draw weight increases. But that doesn’t mean the trigger is heavy at 70 pounds. It’s still pretty light. It’s just heavier than if the draw weight is 40 pounds. The only adjustment in the Little Goose II is trigger travel.

Best Wrist Strap Thumb Release: B3 Exit Hunter

B3

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Key Features

• Thumb trigger release connected to wrist strap
• Open hook
• Infinitely adjustable web strap connecting release to the wrist
• Large thumb barrel
• Comfortable, three-finger handle

Pros

• You get the wrist strap with the release
• Simple to cock
• Open hook allows for fast connection to the D-loop
• Available in Cerakote finish which is strong and has no glare

Cons

• Release settings for trigger travel and tension are fixed and cannot be adjusted

More and more bowhunters recognize the benefits of drawing a bow with a handheld release connected to a wrist strap. Not many manufacturers offer a release-and-wrist-strap combo. Bowhunters have to buy extra parts to piece together their own. This is a combo package, and it’s a good one by a solid manufacturer.

The B3 Exit Hunter Thumb Release is a handheld, thumb-trigger release that comes with a wrist strap. Many bowhunters today choose thumb-trigger releases because they like how they draw, hold, and fire, compared to index-finger releases. And as they choose these handheld releases, they are adding wrist straps because of the aid they offer in drawing heavy draw-weight bows.

When you draw a bow with a handheld release alone, all the weight of the bow is put on your hand. When you connect that release to a wrist strap, you add your arm to the drawing process, and it makes the draw easier. It also makes it easier to hold the bow at full draw for extended periods.

A web strap connecting the release to the wrist strap is infinitely adjustable, so you can get the distance between the two exactly right for your shooting style. Also, you can remove the wrist strap if you want.

The Exit Hunter is available in an anodized finish or Cerakote. The Cerakote is a super-hard ceramic coating that can stand up to the abuse bowhunters are sure to inflict.

In the name of keeping things simple, the release cannot be adjusted for trigger tension or travel. But the folks at B3 have been around the industry for a long time, and the Exit Hunter is set basically with no travel, and it requires a little bit of pressure to fire. So it’s not scary light, nor is it too heavy.

Similarly simple, to cock the release, you simply have to press on the open hook. There’s no fumbling to try to find a separate cocking button.

Best Hunting Thumb Trigger: UltraView Button

UltraView

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Key Features

• Thumb-activated trigger
• Handle shape based off measurements of hundreds of archers’ hands
• Heavy stainless steel or light aluminum construction
• Wrist strap connection built into finger extension
• Spring clip captures D-loop so release stays put when connected
• Internal “Ultraglide” system minimizes metal-to-metal contact

Pros

• Arguably the most comfortable handle on the market, which precisely matches my pick for best hinge
• Big thumb barrel made to promote traction
• Wide range of adjustments
• Can be connected to a wrist strap
• Can be hung from a D-loop
• Releases the string crisply

Cons

• Expensive
• Currently only available in medium size

This release was just introduced in 2022, and you might be so you’re wondering, how can it be considered the best bowhunting thumb trigger when it’s just been around for one hunting season. That’s a valid question, but after spending a year with one, I think it’s a winner.

The UltraView Button is the culmination of years of meticulous research by the crew at UltraView. The handle was designed after engineers measured hundreds and hundreds of archers’ hands to figure out how to make a handle that fits most people. You’ll appreciate that research when you pick up this release. It doesn’t feel like any other thumb-button handle. It sits in your fingers comfortably with the right pressure in the right places.

The big thumb barrel is concave and has big grooves in it. It kind of looks like a monster truck tire. Those design features are intentional so that no matter how you like your thumb to interact with the barrel, you’re going to get the traction needed to make the release fire. And you can move the barrel in, out, left, and right a good bit to get it in precisely the right place.

The adjustments for trigger travel and tension are pretty generous. So whether you like the release to go off if you blow on it or you like to squeeze the trigger as hard as you can before it fires—or you’re somewhere in between—you can set it the way you want. 

Internally, the Button features Ultraview’s “Ultraglide” technology, which utilizes washers to separate metal parts, making the release quiet and preventing future grittiness.

A key reason I picked the UltraView Button is that it’s virtually identical to the UltraView Hinge 2, which is my pick for best hinge. 

Most target archers will have a hinge and a thumb trigger in their release pouches so they can switch between the two for training purposes or if conditions change during competition. Having a hinge and thumb trigger that fit the same and can be anchored the same is key to same-hole accuracy when switching between the two. 

Bowhunters will benefit from owning and shooting both types of bow releases as well. A hinge will help stave off target panic and promote a relaxed aim. A thumb trigger is better suited to hunting situations when you might have to make a shot happen quickly. 

Best Hinge: UltraView The Hinge 2

UltraView

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Key Features

• Hook releases the D-loop by rotating the handle
• Handle shape based off measurements of hundreds of archers’ hands
• Handle comes as three-finger or four-finger
• Add-on bracket available to attach wrist strap
• Micro-adjustable moons for fire and click-to-fire settings
• Can be set with or without click

Pros

• Comfortable handle that matches the Button
• Individual moon adjustments for travel and click distance
• Hook positioned over middle finger for better leverage
• Can add a wrist strap via an add-on bracket
• Can use with or without a thumb peg
• Free try before you buy option 

Cons

• Expensive 

Having a handle that matches the Button is a big plus for The Hinge 2, but it’s not the only reason it’s my pick. The handle and unique positioning of the string hook combine to make this one of the most user-friendly back-tension releases. It’s also easy to draw a bow comfortably with this release, without fear of punching yourself in the nose. And having individual moons for setting the travel position and the distance from click to fire is extremely beneficial. (I’ll explain that more in a bit.)

The Hinge 2 came before the Button in UltraView’s sequence of product offerings, and so it was the release that introduced the archery world to their super-comfortable and form-fitting handle. Hinge releases, no doubt, are more associated with target archery than hunting, but there are a growing number of bowhunters picking up these releases. 

Leverage points are critical with hinges because you need leverage on one side of the handle when drawing and on the other side when firing. The Hinge 2 makes it comfortable to draw, hold, and activate the release because the leverage points across the user’s hand are in the right places.

As mentioned, the Hinge 2 has separate moons that can be set for travel and click distance. The travel moon is set to make the hook release the string at a certain point in the rotation of the handle, and it’s up to you to set it for your comfort. 

The click moon can be set to create an audible click just before the release fires, so the user knows the release is imminent. Infinite adjustment of that click-to-fire distance allows the user to set it precisely where you want. If you prefer no click, you can set the Hinge 2 without a click as well.

The Hinge 2 has a magnetic hook return, so the hook is always ready to connect to the D-loop, and the magnet eliminates the noise of a flopping metallic head. That feature was included primarily for bowhunters. UltraView also makes a bracket that can be added to the Hinge 2 so a wrist strap can be connected to the release. 

The Hinge 2 is an expensive release, but like the best hunting arrows, you get what you pay for. 

Most Versatile Release: TRUBall GOAT

TRUBall

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Key Features

• Hand-held, thumb-activated trigger release that converts to a hinge
• Half aluminum, half brass gives the release some nice heft in the hand
• Open hook
• Can be used as a two-finger, three-finger, or four-finger release
• Finger extension can be moved forward or back to change the feel of the release at activation

Pros

• It’s one release that can be used two different ways
• Easy to convert back and forth
• Comfortable handle
• Separate adjustments for each configuration
• Price is nice when you figure you’re getting two releases

Cons

• The pin used in the conversion is small and easy to lose
• No connection for a wrist strap

The only thing better than having a thumb trigger and hinge with matching handles is to have one release that can be shot both ways. Now you’re really talking about matching geometry.

The GOAT is a bow release that comes from the factory set up as a thumb trigger, but is easily converted to a hinge simply by turning a couple screws and moving a pin. What’s more, the adjustments for trigger travel and sensitivity when the release is set as a thumb trigger are separate from the adjustment for hook travel when the release is set as a hinge. So you customize each setting, and your settings don’t change when you move from one configuration to the other.

As a thumb trigger, you can set this release with zero travel and get a crisp release with a fairly wide adjustment range for trigger tension. As a hinge, this release has good leverage points to make the release rotation smooth simply by pulling through the shot.

The release was designed in conjunction with Reo Wilde, who is one of the most decorated target archers in the U.S., so it has a strong pedigree. It’s got that target release feel, since it’s anodized aluminum on one side and nickel-plated brass on the other. The release has heft, which just feels better in the hand while you’re shooting.

The hook is open, so it will not fully capture the D-loop. That means you can’t hang it on the loop while your bow is hanging in the tree. However, an open hook means you don’t have to look at the release to hook it to the D-loop. You can keep your eyes on that big buck while you feel your way into the D-loop. Or, in low light, you can connect to the loop by feel, rather than having to see it. Some bowhunters prefer that simplicity.

Best Budget Hand-Held: Booster Ignite

Booster

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 Key Features

• Hand-held, thumb-activated trigger
• Comes set as a three-finger release, but an extension is included to make it a four-finger
• Wrist lanyard included
• Separate adjustments for trigger travel and tension
• Adjustable thumb-barrel position
• Lightweight

Pros

• Single moving jaw facing a solid post
• Can be clipped to the string and left there
• Separate adjustments for travel and tension
• Comes as a three-finger release, but includes an extension to make it four-finger
• Costs $100

Cons

• There are other less expensive hand-helds
• The trigger is not as crisp as more expensive thumb triggers

The Booster Ignite is a nice release that is not the least expensive hand-held out there, but it is much higher functioning than the cheaper models. The $100 price is a bargain for this release’s features.

It has a comfortable metal handle with a solid thumb trigger that can be adjusted to the most comfortable position for the user. The release operates how I like—press the trigger, and a single hook flies open when an adjustable amount of tension is applied. Most of the cheaper hand-held releases are spring loaded, so the jaws open and close as you pull and release the trigger. Those are nowhere near as consistent as the Ignite.

Push a button on the back of the release to set the trigger. When you do that, the jaw automatically closes against the solid post, so there is no need to manipulate it with a frigid finger on a frosty November morning. 

The adjustments for trigger travel and tension are generous. You can have the release fire with very little tension, or a lot; and with zero travel, or a fair amount. Set light with zero travel, this release is money. It rivals other, more expensive models, but at a fraction of the cost.

Carter Like Mike II

Carter

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Key Features

• Index finger trigger attached to a wrist strap
• Sets by holding the hook with index finger and pressing trigger set with thumb
• Hefty head is easy to grab onto to hook to D-loop
• Trigger sensitivity has wide adjustability
• Zero trigger travel

Pros

• Zero travel
• Open hook for easy D-loop connection without looking
• Nylon strap connection lets you set the head precisely where you want it
• Comfortable wrist strap with buckle
• Especially good for archers who like to set the trigger heavy

Cons

• You have to hold down the hook with a finger while you set the trigger
• Expensive for this release type

The Carter Like Mike II is one of those releases that has been around for a while, and has earned its stripes through the test of time. It was the best index finger release pick in 2022, and it remains one of the best release aid options.

It’s an open hook release, which means it’s ideal for hunters who like to keep their eyes up while connecting their release to the string or would rather feel their way to the loop in low light. You hold the hook with your forefinger and push the trigger set with your thumb. It feels awkward the first few times, but you get used to it quickly.

The reason the Like Mike II is my pick as the best wrist strap is primarily for its action. There is zero trigger travel, and all you have to set is the tension. This release is especially ideal if you like a heavy trigger set because the trigger just feels solid, and the release head doesn’t twist as you’re pulling through the shot. 

When the release breaks, it’s as clean a release as you can imagine. There’s a faint “click,” and the arrow is gone. A number of top target archers who shoot index-finger releases use this release because of its adjustability and consistency.

The nylon connection strap is ideal for getting the release head to sit precisely where you want it for optimum engagement between your finger and the trigger. And the buckle strap ensures consistent, comfortable attachment to your wrist. 

Things to Consider When Buying a Release

Choosing the best bow release is a lot like choosing the best compound bow, you have to try a bunch to see what you like best. But, here are some qualities you should look for in good bow releases and answers to common questions. 

Hinge vs. Trigger Release 

Hinge releases have no trigger, so they are great for killing target panic. The handle must rotate for the release to fire, which requires the user to simply keep pulling back after coming to full draw. Many bowhunters are going to find the lack of a trigger unnerving. They want to control exactly when the shot goes off, especially in urgent situations, like when they stop a running whitetail with a grunt. 

It is possible to make a hinge go off on command, but it’s not as easy to do as it is with a trigger. When activated properly by simply pulling at full draw, a hinge produces surprise shots that are associated with pinpoint accuracy.

Index vs. Hand-Held

This is the first issue you must resolve because the style you choose takes you to very different releases. What bowhunters like about index-finger releases is the wrist strap aid in drawing back the string, and the trigger affords great control over the shot. You decide when the bow fires. Also, the release is always on your wrist, so it’s always at the ready.

What bowhunters like about hand-helds is they promote cleaner shots. Index-finger releases are difficult to shoot without punching the trigger. And when you punch, you can flinch. Thumb triggers and hinges can be activated to create surprise shots that kill anticipation. Also, some bowhunters don’t like anything attached to their wrist while they’re sitting in a tree stand or stalking. With some hand-helds, you can hang the release on the D-loop until it’s time to shoot.

Wrist Strap

If you use an index-finger release or you like to connect your hand-held release to a strap, so it’s always at the ready while hunting, be sure to think about how the strap connects to your wrist. The only two options are a buckle or Velcro. Velcro might seem nice because it’s infinitely adjustable, but that also leads to inconsistent connection. And Velcro can slip over time.

A buckle, on the other hand, attaches via the same hole in the strap every time. Yes, it might feel like one hole is too tight, but the next one is too loose, but consistency is the key to achieving the same anchor from shot to shot. And the buckle does that better in the long run.

Jaw Function

There are two ways the release jaws open. Either they are spring loaded, or they operate off a sear. The spring-loaded releases generally are going to be less expensive, but the sears are far more consistent.

As I’ve described, spring-loaded releases open and close the jaws as you press and release the trigger. A certain amount of trigger travel is required with these releases to open the jaws far enough to release the D-loop.

Sears operate opposite that. You pull until the sear releases the trigger, and the jaw or jaws then fly open. They can be set with zero trigger travel, which many bowhunters prefer. 

FAQs

Final Thoughts on the Best Release Aids

The compound bow release market is one of the most diverse that you’ll find. There are many manufacturers with lots of offerings. That’s a testament to the fact that no two people are alike when it comes to finding the release. Play around with a few at your local pro shop before you decide on one. And if it turns out you don’t like it, try a different style. The best bow releases feel like an extension of your hand and shots break cleanly without anticipation. When you find a release aid like that, it’s the perfect release for you.

• Best Index Finger: Scott S2
• Best Practice Release: Stan Onnex Resistance
• Best Budget Index: Scott Little Goose II
• Best Hunting Thumb Trigger: Ultraview Button
• Best Hunting Hinge: Ultraview Hinge 2
• Most Versatile: TruBall Goat
• Best Budget Hand-Held: Booster Ignite
• Carter Like Mike II

The post The Best Bow Releases of 2023, Tested and Reviewed appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Best Overall		Bear Legend XR	SEE IT
Ready to Hunt		PSE Stinger	SEE IT
Lightweight		BlackOut Intrigue XST	SEE IT

My first bow was a fiberglass recurve that I found in my grandparent’s attic. It would barely stick arrows into the target, but you couldn’t pry that thing from my grimy five-year-old hands. Youth bows have gotten much better since then. With a modern bow, a youth archer will be able to get arrows to stick in the target, and with a little coaching they’ll all be in the middle. The best youth bows will ensure your kid has fun at the backyard target range, and will help them become a successful bowhunter.

Whether your child is a future bowhunter or the next world champion archer, finding the best youth compound bow for them is an important first step. I’ll help you do just that using data I’ve collected from the annual Outdoor Life bow test and experience from my time as an archery coach. Here are my picks for the best youth compound bows.

• Best Overall: Bear Legend XR
• Best for Serious Archers: Elite Terrain
• BlackOut Intrigue XST
• PSE Stinger
• Diamond Edge 320
• Bear Archery Limitless 

How I Chose the Best Youth Compound Bows

Outdoor Life staff and contributors meet at Lancaster Archery Supply each year to test the newly released compound bows. While flagship bows are the main event, we don’t forget bows under $800 and test several each year. We put the best compound bows for the money through the same rigorous testing protocol as the flagships, and they’re evaluated for speed, accuracy, and shooting characteristics. My picks for the best youth compound bows combine top performers at the 2023 Outdoor Life Bow Test and those I’ve had personal experience with while coaching.

Carefully consider bow fit while making your choice. A bow that doesn’t fit an archer is just as useful as clown shoes on a sprinter. An archery shop or coach can help you determine your child’s draw weight and draw length, which are the two critical measurements for bow fit. If you don’t have a shop or coach nearby, many of the bows listed below are highly adjustable and can be made to fit most kids that are about eight years or older. The lightest draw weight in the group is 7 pounds and the shortest draw length is 15 inches. Because these bows are so adjustable, they’ll grow with your kid.

The Best Youth Compound Bows Tested at the 2023 Outdoor Life Bow Test

Best Overall: Bear Legend 

Scott Einsmann

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 32 inches
• Weight: 5.2 pounds (w/ sight and arrow rest)
• Draw Length: 18 to 31 inches
• Draw Weight: 14 to 70 pounds
• Let Off: 85 percent 
• Price: $460

Test Results

• Speed: 263 fps (Measured with a 420-grain arrow, 60-pound draw weight, and 29-inch draw length)
• 50-yard Group Average: 6.75 inches Average of five, five-shot groups shot by two testers)

You will not find a smoother drawing bow for the money than the Legend XR. It’s one of those bows that feels lighter than its actual draw weight. That’s going to make it nice to pull back for archers moving up in weight.

The smooth draw cycle is the hallmark of the Legend XR, but it also has one of the widest adjustment ranges. It can fit a youth archer with an 18-inch draw length and pulling 14 pounds. With some quick adjustments, it can then fit a tall adult with a 31-inch draw length pulling a hefty 70 pounds. The Legend XR is a quiet bow, which is nice for hunting and it also makes target shooting more fun.

The grip is a little too rounded, but it didn’t stop us from shooting a 6.75-inch, 50-yard group average. The bow’s affordable price tag will help you look beyond any of its minor flaws. I think it’s the best youth compound bow available.

Best for Serious Archers: Elite Terrain

Scott Einsmann

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 32.5 inches
• Weight: 3.9 pounds 
• Draw Length: 25.5 to 31.5 inches
• Draw Weight: 45 to 60 or 55 to 70 pounds 
• Let Off: 85 percent
• Price: $700

Test Results

• Speed: 270 fps (Measured with a 420-grain arrow, 60-pound draw weight, and 29-inch draw length)
• 50-yard Group Average: 5.9 inches (Average of five, five-shot groups shot by two testers)

When I think of a youth bow, I think of huge adjustment ranges, slow arrow speeds, and a lot of hand shock. Those affordable bows are a great first step, but when a youth archer progresses to the point where their skills and commitment to archery are outperforming the bow, it’s time to upgrade. The Terrain is the perfect next step up from a starter bow.

The fit and finish is on par with the best flagships we tested this year. The Terrain doesn’t feel like a budget bow as you draw it and shoot it, which is just as impressive.

In accuracy testing, our test panel averaged a respectable 5.9-inch group average at 50 yards. Our biggest group average among the flagship bows tested was the Bear Execute ($1,200), which had a 5.43-inch group average. So this $700 bow is hanging in there with a bow costing $500 more.
A major contributor to the accuracy was the fantastic grip. It’s a similar grip that’s on Elite’s more expensive bows, and it promotes proper technique with very little torque. That’s a big deal for youth archers because it will help them learn good form, which they’ll use for the rest of their life.

An overlooked factor in buying a bow is how fun it is to shoot. Fun bows are shot more often, which makes for better archers and bowhunters. The Terrain’s draw cycle is easy, the back wall is solid, and it doesn’t rattle when you shoot—all the makings of a fun bow.

A lot of budget-orientated bows have a wide adjustment range, but that usually comes at the expense of performance and a smooth draw. Elite’s engineers have managed to hit the sweet spot between a bow that’s adjustable from 25.5 to 31.5 inches and has 15 pounds of adjustment. Yet we measured the bow’s speed at 270 fps. Like the accuracy test, we tested the budget bows with the same draw weight, draw length, and arrow as the flagships. Our editor’s choice winner, the Elite Era, shot 271.5 fps and is more than twice the Terrain’s price.

It’s exciting to see a bow provide so much value, and if you’re looking to spend less than $1,000, you must try this bow at an archery shop.

BlackOut Intrigue XST

Scott Einsmann

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 30.25 inches
• Weight: 4 pounds
• Draw Length: 19 to 31 inches
• Draw Weight: 30 to 70 pounds
• Let Off: 80 percent
• Price: $350 (Ready to hunt package)

Test Results

• Speed: 244.3 fps (Measured with a 420-grain arrow, 60-pound draw weight, and 29-inch draw length)
• 50-yard Group Average: 7.15 inches Average of five, five-shot groups shot by two testers)

There were no surprises while testing the Intrigue XST. It shoots like an inexpensive bow, and it won’t win any awards for smoothest draw, most accurate, or least hand shock. A positive note is that the Intrigue XST has a light mass weight. That’s an often overlooked aspect for youth archers you can struggle holding a heavier bow on target.

While it doesn’t satisfy my refined taste in bows, it is a fine option for getting started in archery at a low price point. For $350, you walk away with a complete setup—you just have to add arrows and a release aid. 

Other Great Youth Compound Bows

Here are some other great youth bows that we didn’t test at the 2023 bow test.

PSE Stinger

PSE

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 32 inches
• Weight: 4 pounds 
• Draw Length: 21.5 to 30 inches
• Draw Weight: 50, 60, or 70-pound peak weight
• Let Off: 80 percent 
• Price: $500 (Ready to hunt)

When I was coaching archery, I suggested the PSE Stinger to students as a first bow after graduating from a Genesis. That’s because the PSE Stinger is known for being a high-value bow and a great shooter for the money. It will fit just about anyone and is a good option for youth archers who will need to adjust their draw length and draw weight as they grow. It has a single cam, which means it will draw smoothly, but be average in arrow speed. 

Diamond Edge 320

Diamond

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 32 inches
• Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Draw Length: 15 to 31 inches
• Draw Weight: 7 to 70 pounds
• Let Off: 85 percent
• Price: $470 (Ready to hunt)

Most bows adjust from the mid 20s to low 30s in draw length. But, the Edge 320 can adjust from 15 inches to 31 inches of draw length and 7 to 70 pounds in draw weight. That’s a huge benefit because it allows you to find the proper draw length for your kid and start with a low draw weight. A proper draw length means steadier aiming and better accuracy. A comfortable draw weight that you can slowly increase means avoiding injury and bad form. If you’re looking for a bow with tons of adjustment, the Edge 320 should be on your list of bows to try. 

Bear Archery Limitless 

Bear Archery

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Specs

• Axle-to-axle: 28 inches
• Draw Length: 19 to 29 inches
• Draw Weight: 25 to 50 pounds
• Let Off: 50 percent 
• Price: $250

We’ve seen a lot of bows that can work for both adults and kids, but the Limitless is made specifically for youth archers. That’s important, especially for hunting, because bows that have a wide adjustment range will typically lack performance at short draw lengths. The Limitless adjusts from 19 to 29 inches, so the cam design is optimized for shorter draw lengths. It adjusts in draw weight from 25 to 50 pounds. For an adult, 25 pounds is pretty light and easy to draw. But it’s still a significant draw weight and not the starting point for a brand-new youth archer. Most young archers can comfortably draw 15 pounds and will be able to shoot 25 pounds and up as they progress. That’s why I would suggest a Genesis bow or something similar for a first bow, and then the Limitless would make a great first hunting bow. 

Genesis Bow

Genesis

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Specs

• Draw Weight: 10 to 20 pounds
• Draw Length: 15 to 30 inches
• Right or Left Hand
• Weighs 2.9 pounds

The Genesis bow is the default starter bow and it’s the official bow for the National Archery in the Schools Program. It’s a compound bow, but the draw length doesn’t have to be adjusted and it doesn’t have let-off like most compounds. That makes it easy for the whole family to share one bow. I’d recommend the Genesis for kids from eight years old through high schoolers just getting started. For younger archers, the Mini Genesis is a better fit due to its smaller size.

How to Choose a Youth Compound Bow

Archery Lessons and Youth Programs

You don’t have to buy a bow to get a kid started in archery. Many youth programs and archery shops offer loaner bows that allow people to try the sport and learn the basics. Once they have a grasp of the fundamentals and you’ve confirmed they like archery, you can move on to buying them their first bow.

Go to an Archery Shop

I recommend using this review as a starting point to narrow your search to a few options. Then you’ll go with your child to an archery pro shop (not a big box store). The bow technicians will allow them to try out the bows you’ve selected, and that test drive will be the final decider. The bow techs will then make sure you leave the shop with a bow that fits properly and is tuned.

How to Guess Draw Length

Unfortunately, really good archery shops aren’t in every town, and if you don’t have a shop near you, you can still get your kid started properly. The first thing you’ll want to do is get a rough idea of their draw length. Measure their wingspan and divide that number by 2.5. That will give you a starting point to fine tune their draw length as they start shooting. Most youth bows don’t require a bow press to make draw length or draw weight adjustments. All you’ll need is Allen wrenches and the instructions that came with the bow.

Where to Start on Draw Weight

One of the worst things you can do is start someone off with too much draw weight—it causes bad habits and could cause injury. I’d recommend starting with the lowest draw weight setting and then slowly increasing from there. Drawing the bow should be easy, and they should be able to pull it straight back without any big movements.

FAQs

Final Thoughts on the Best Youth Compound Bows

Archery is just a sport that kids can do from kindergarten through high school. It’s a sport they can do for the rest of their lives. So an investment in the best youth compound bow can set them up for a lifetime of fun. Just be sure that the bow you choose fits them properly, and consider a few archery lessons to help them learn the basics.

The post The Best Youth Compound Bows of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

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Best Budget		Samick Sage	SEE IT
Best New Riser		Amagi	SEE IT
Best Custom		Wengerd	SEE IT

Recurve bows are challenging to shoot well but all the more rewarding when you unlock the keys to accuracy. If you want to head down the trad road and embrace the challenge, you’ll need a few things to get started: coaching, patience, and the right equipment. 

I’ve shot, competed, and hunted with everything from Olympic recurves to selfbows in the last 16 years. During that time I’ve owned dozens of bows. I was also an archery instructor and helped many students pick out their first bow. Over the past month, I’ve been testing some of the top readily-available recurves for their grip, features, speed, draw cycle, and shooting experience. Here’s my roster of the best recurve bows that I’ve shot. 

• Best Budget: Samick Sage
• Best Mid-Priced: Galaxy Vega
• Best for Shooting an Elevated Rest: TradTech Titan III with TradTech Carbon Wood Limbs
• Quietest Metal Riser: DAS 
• Best New Riser: Amagi Archery 
• Best Complete ILF Bow: Hoyt Satori
• Best Custom: Wengerd 
• Best U.S.A. Made: CD Archery
• Buy Used

How I Evaluated Recurve Bows

I can’t stress enough that there is no one best recurve bow, and choosing a bow that you like is very subjective. The absolute best way to choose one is to shoot it. But, if you can’t shoot all the bows, I reviewed them on the following criteria to help you make a decision. 

Grip

I look for grips that encourage proper technique and consistent grip pressure. Bows with grips that are too rounded or wide can cause inconsistent results. 

Tuning

I set up and bareshaft tuned each bow at 20 yards. This improved accuracy and helped me provide accurate speed data. 

Speed

Speed was measured using a Lab Radar Chronograph, and the figure provided is based on a ten-shot average. I went to ten shots because I wasn’t using a shooting machine or draw check, and a bad release or ¼ inch of draw length variation can cause speed to vary. Not every bow tuned with the same arrow, so I listed the arrow weight for each bow in the key features section as well as the brace height and draw weight. 

The speeds given must be taken with a grain of salt. There are many factors that can change a bow’s speed by 5 fps up or down, and I don’t recommend using speed as a factor for determining which bow to buy. If anything, the speed of each bow shows how similar each of these bows perform. 

Shot Reaction, Sound, and Vibration 

While shooting the bows, I noted the perceived vibration and sound each produced. I also took note of their post-shot reaction. 

Features and Build Quality

I’ve owned some of the bows in this review for years and have hunted or competed with them. Others in the test are new to me, and I’ve only been shooting them for about a month. I’ve bought several bows that missed the mark on the details. They had poor tolerances, which meant certain limbs didn’t fit, or it was very difficult to get limbs to align. Some didn’t have set screws for key adjustment points, so the tune was always moving. Others had a riser geometry or limb design that made them difficult to shoot. I’ve also shot bows that felt like a tuning fork no matter how I tuned them or what arrows I shot. 

I judged each of these bows with those poor experiences in the back of my mind. 

The Bows

Most of the bows featured in this review were bought by me and are part of my personal collection. Below is a list of products I received to test for the purpose of this review:

• Samick Sage
• Galaxy Vega
• TradTech RC/Wood Limbs
• Hoyt Satori Limbs
• Amagi Riser

Best Recurve Bows Reviews and Recommendations

Best Budget: Samick Sage

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 62 inches
• Draw Weight: 46 pounds
• Speed: 154 fps 
• Arrow Weight: 517 grains 
• Brace Height: 7 ¾”

Pros

• Good performance for the money
• Easy to change limbs 

Cons

• Poor quality control  

I’ve recommended Samick Sage recurves to many trad converts because they’re under $200, and extra limbs run around $75. That price point and the interchangeable limbs make it easy to avoid the most common mistake new archers make, which is shooting too much draw weight. I don’t care if you’re a seasoned compound shooter who normally shoots 70 pounds. Your starting recurve weight should be under 40 pounds at your draw length. 

If you buy a 30-pound Sage to learn proper form but want to build up to 40 or more pounds for hunting, you can buy limbs in five-pound increments as you get stronger. You can sell the limbs you don’t need anymore to recoup some of your costs. In my opinion, it’s the best way to get started in traditional archery. 

The Sage is a capable hunting or 3D archery bow with surprisingly good performance. My 46-pound Sage shot 154 fps with a 517-grain arrow at my 30-inch draw length. That falls into the fast-enough category with .354 slugs of momentum. 

The Samick Sage has a medium-low wrist grip, which is a nice angle for compound converts and one that most shooters will find comfortable. I like that the grip isn’t too wide, and its shape is similar to what I prefer for competition shooting. I had no problem maintaining even grip pressure, and with a proper grip, you’ll have a hard time torquing the bow. 

The limbs I usually shoot are four times the price of a complete Sage. Yes, those pricier limbs are much smoother. But the Samick Sage’s draw cycle is good enough that it won’t hurt accuracy or be uncomfortable at full draw. 

One area where the Sage shows its price point is post-shot vibration. Even with the heavy arrows I was shooting, there was a fair amount of vibration after the shot, and it took longer for the Sage limbs to stop vibrating than other bows. 

Another area of concern is that you’ll have to perform your own quality assurance check. I’ve set up several Sage recurves that came with twisted limbs. So, when you receive your Samick Sage, string it using a bow stringer and sight down the string. You want to look to see if you notice any twists in the limbs and that the limb tips are aligned. It will be obvious if the limbs are crooked. If your limbs aren’t straight, send the bow back and get a replacement. 

I also recommend throwing out the string that comes with the bow and buying a quality bowstring. You can expect to pay $20 to $50 for quality strings from makers like Mountain Muffler, America’s Best, and OCD Strings. That’s an investment that will make your bow faster and your tune more stable. Plus, they will last longer than a cheap string. 

You can buy better bows, but not for under $200. That’s why the Samick Sage is the best bow to start learning recurve form, and you can absolutely use it to hunt or shoot 3D competitions. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to do a quality check and buy a new string. 

Best Mid-Priced: Galaxy Vega

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 60 inches
• Draw Weight: 45 pounds
• Speed: 152
• Arrow Weight: 567 grains
• Brace Height: 7.5 inches

Pros 

• Smooth
• Quiet
• Great value for the price

Cons

• Grip might be too wide for archers with small hands
• I would prefer a more neutral grip 

The Galaxy Vega is a 60-inch, three-piece recurve bow with a hardwood riser. The contrasting dark and light wood isn’t custom bow quality, but it looks very nice to my eyes. It comes with black glass limbs with a maple core. 

To me, the Vega’s grip is good, not great. The left side of the grip is rounded, which can encourage an improper grip if you’re not careful, and it could be too wide for archers with small hands. With that said, I could still shoot it accurately and maintain even grip pressure—it just took more focus.

60-inch bows aren’t supposed to be smooth at long draw lengths, but I found the Vega to be a surprisingly shootable bow at my 30-inch draw. The bow steadily gains draw weight, and I can feel it starting to gain more weight-per-inch past 28 inches, but it’s not an extreme stack. Once in my holding position, I could expand without feeling like I was hitting a wall. I’d still recommend this bow for shooters with draw lengths less than 29 inches. The 62-inch Galaxy Ursa, is better for longer draws. 

I was also impressed by the Vega’s lack of vibration and dead quiet shot. Granted, I used a Mountain Muffler bowstring on the Vega and heavy arrows, but I wouldn’t think twice about taking this bow after spooky southern whitetails. 

The limbs come in 5-pound increments. That’s important to note because a bow that’s marked 45-pound bows might not be 45 pounds. The limbs could be 43 pounds and are marked as the closest 5-pound increment. This isn’t something unique to Galaxy bows and is very common for production bow limbs. The good news is that Lancaster Archery has great customer service, and you can contact them to make sure you get limbs that are the close to your target draw weight. 

Best for Shooting an Elevated Rest: TradTech Titan III with TradTech RC Carbon Wood Limbs

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 64 inches
• Riser Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Draw Weight: 45
• Speed: 152 fps
• Arrow Weight: 567 grains 
• Brace Height: 8.25 inches 

Pros

• Great for hunting
• Works well with bolt-on arrow rests and plungers

Cons

• No stock option for off-the-shelf shooting

Rob Kaufhold and the good folks at Lancaster Archery Supply are a pillar of the archery community, and TradTech is their traditional line of products. The TradTech Titan risers come in 17-inch and 19-inch lengths (the 19-inch riser is my favorite). I’ve hunted with the Titan III for years and even shot it at the IBO Traditional World Championship. TradTech also makes excellent, affordable limbs, and I’ve tested the TradTech RC Carbon/Wood limbs over the past month. While they were new to me, the RC Carbon/Wood limbs have a long reputation of being an accurate limb. Barebow G.O.A.T., John Demmer III, used them to win several tournaments. 

The Titan’s stock wood grip is serviceable, but it could be better. To me, it’s much too rounded and wide for accurate shooting. Like most ILF risers, I swapped it for a grip that I shoot better. 

One thing I like about the TradTech is that it has all the features I want in an ILF riser: A good limb alignment system. It has bolt holes for attaching an arrow rest and shooting a plunger. I’ve never had an issue attaching limbs from multiple manufacturers. It has a nice geometry for forgiving shooting. 

I mostly shoot the TradTech with an elevated arrow rest and a plunger. It’s not the most traditional setup, but it is forgiving and accurate. I think the Titan’s wide shelf and proper mounting holes make it ideal for an elevated rest. I’ve even been using the Titan to experiment with shooting a sighted recurve for hunting. 

The RC Carbon/Woods are now my favorite hunting limbs in the $500 range. Like the riser, they strike a nice balance between performance and accuracy. A nice comfortable draw is followed by a snappy release and very little post-shot vibration. They also have a matte finish for hunting, but I’ll likely apply a spray paint camo finish. 

Quietest Metal Riser: DAS 

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 17 inches
• ILF or DAS Limb Attachment 
• 6061-T6 Aluminum 

Pros

• Versatile 
• Nice finish 

Cons

• More radius on the shelf would be preferred for off-the-shelf shooting

DAS bows are one of the original hunting length metal recurve risers. They were originally brought to market by modern recurve pioneer, David Sosa. There’s a lot to like about DAS bows, but the signature feature is how the limbs attach. The limb attachment system used on the DAS risers combines the best attributes of ILF and bolt-down bows. Like an ILF, you get a toolless and fast takedown system, with tiller, limb alignment, and draw weight adjustment. Combined with the inherent stealth of a bolt-down bow. 

DAS risers are available with DAS pads or ILF pads. I have both for my 17-inch riser, and I most commonly use the ILF configuration because I have a lot of ILF limbs that I swap between all my risers. But, I do think the DAS system is superior for hunting because it’s quieter than ILF.  

DAS risers come with a Jager grip, and they offer a lot of choices when you order. I think that’s a major selling point because you get the exact grip you want without having to chuck one and spend $50 on another grip. 

I typically shoot my DAS with a Springy Rest, which is a very accurate and forgiving way to shoot this riser. It also has a radiused shelf hump and an adjustable side plate for archers that want the rugged reliability of shooting off the shelf. I do wish there was a stock option to increase the amount of radius, but it’s not a difficult thing to DIY if you find you’re getting contact when shooting off the shelf. 

DAS gets all the important things right with their risers: The ILF specs are accurate so you won’t have issues swapping limbs. The limb alignment adjustment works well. They’re finished nicely. The riser geometry is right in the happy medium zone. What you end up with is one of the best ILF hunting bows. 

Best New ILF Riser: Amagi Archery

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 19 inches
• Internal weight system
• Lifetime Warranty
• Jager Best 2.0 grip

Pros

• Excellent for shooting off the shelf
• Perfect neutral balance 

Cons

• Some archers might not like the weight 

John Wert is a well-known name in traditional archery circles and helped design the TradTech risers. He recently broke the internet when he released a riser under his new company, Amagi Archery. The first batch sold out in a matter of days, but don’t worry, a resupply should arrive before hunting season. Wert’s riser design uses proven ILF geometry, with just the right amount of deflex, and some new innovations that make it stand out in this crowded product category. 

One of my favorite features of the bow is how it balances. My target bow has a neutral balance, and it doesn’t roll backward on the release. The Amagi riser has the exact same balance, which makes it a stable arrow-launching platform. You can achieve that same balance on any ILF riser by screwing in a barebow weight or stabilizer into the stabilizer bushing. But, Amagi uses an integral weight for a sleek look—keeping the trad bow aesthetic. It’s very easy for me to aim steady and keep a solid follow-through with the Amagi, due to its balance. That means it’s an easy bow to be accurate with and one I trust to make up for my mistakes under pressure. 

You can use a bolt-on rest and plunger, springy rest, or shoot off the shelf with the Amagi. The system Wert developed for shooting off the shelf is the best I’ve seen on an ILF recurve. It looks like it’s part of the bow, has an ideal radius, and is solid. It’s also easy to install and remove. The only thing that could make it better would be if the center shot was adjustable. 

Amagi didn’t skimp on the grip, and they’ve included a Jager Best 2.0, low-wrist grip. It has the right shape and size to fit most hand sizes, and it’s a difficult grip to torque. 

Wert’s innovation and contribution to trad archery is in his well-designed riser. But he’s also offering limbs to go with the riser. At this time, the limbs are a budget, sub $200, limb, and he plans to have a mid-priced limb available soon. The limbs are good for their price, and I don’t think they’re costing me much in the way of accuracy. But, I like nice limbs and I really like this riser, so it’s getting an upgrade in the way of Hoyt Velos limbs. 

If you like a feather-light bow, this isn’t the riser for you. Likewise, if your bow must be made in America, this riser isn’t for you. But, if you want an ILF riser that gets all the details right, is balanced like a target bow, and has great customer service to back it up, then take a look at the Amagi. 

Best Complete ILF Bow: Hoyt Satori 

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 66 inches 
• Draw Weight: 45
• Speed: 154 fps
• Arrow Weight: 567 grains
• Brace Height: 8.5 inches

Pros

• Well-made riser
• Durable finish

Cons

• Only one rest bolt hole 

The Hoyt Satori is an ILF recurve from the company that introduced ILF technology to the world. It comes in 17-, 19-, and 21-inch lengths. They all shoot great and share the same qualities, but I prefer the 21-inch Satori. It’s not too heavy for a long riser, and it has the geometry I like. The 17-inch riser is also excellent for hunters looking for a light, compact bow they plan to shoot off the shelf. 

I didn’t like the grip on the Satori and couldn’t shoot it well. The grip had a seam down the middle where the two halves were glued together, which I found uncomfortable. The good news is that it’s not a big deal on a metal riser because you can buy great grips from companies like Jager. In fact, the first thing I change on all my ILF bows is the grip. Once I had my Jager JD3 grip on the bow, my accuracy improved, and life was good. 

You can buy a Satori Riser separately and attach any ILF limb to it—including Hoyt’s awesome, but pricey, Velos limbs. It’s also sold as a complete bow with Satori limbs, which are what I had on my riser. The Satori Limbs have a wood core with carbon and glass layers. The limbs feel good on the draw but don’t feel nearly as smooth as the Velos limbs. On the shot, the Satori Limbs are snappy, and they settle quickly once the arrow is gone. 

Hoyt got a lot of things right on the Satori. But, one of the biggest misses is there’s just one hole for an arrow rest. That isn’t a big deal if you plan to shoot off the shelf, but it is a big deal if you want to use a cushion plunger and bolt-on arrow rest. On the flip side, the Satori has a nice system for shooting off the shelf with an adjustable side plate. 

If you’re looking to buy a complete ILF bow, it’s hard to beat the Hoyt Satori. You’ll get a good riser and limbs for under $1,000, and it’s available from 60 to 66-inch lengths to fit any archer. 

Best Custom: Wengerd

Scott Einsmann

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Key Features

• Length: 66 inches
• Draw Weight: 40 pounds 
• Speed: 160 fps
• Arrow Weight: 517 grains
• Brace Height: 8.5 inches

Pros

• High-end craftsmanship
• Great performance

Cons

• Long waitlist 

Trent Wengerd builds bows one at a time in his Idaho shop. Each one is a masterpiece that balances craftsmanship and performance. I currently own two bows from Wengerd and will soon take delivery of my third. It’s safe to say I’m a huge fan of his bows. 

The standard Wengerd grip is a good grip, but I think his best grip is his take on the Jager 2.0. I have one bow with each and I can shoot the standard grip well, but his version of the Jager grip is slimmer and I shoot it more consistently. The nice thing about custom bows is that they are truly custom, and you can order any grip you want on your bow. 

Wengerd offers wood or carbon limbs. I own two pairs of his carbon limbs and one set of wood limbs. My overwhelming preference is for the carbon limbs. They are much more stable, slightly smoother, and quieter. The wood limbs have the advantage of aesthetics. 

You can choose from a wide variety of exotic woods or heavy G10 for your riser. Choosing your wood combo is the fun part of buying a custom recurve, and it’s your chance to make the bow your own. That’s where most custom bows end. But, with Wengerd you can add carving, checkering, or silver inlays which turn a nice bow into an heirloom. 

If you want a Wengerd bow, you better get in line—literally. There’s a two-year wait to get your custom bow made. Your patience will be rewarded with a one-of-a-kind bow that shoots as good as it looks. 

Best Made in U.S.A.: CD Archery

Scott Einsmann

SEE IT

Key Features

• Lengths: 19, 21, 25, 27, and 29 inches 
• Forward weighted 
• Made in the U.S.A.

Pros

• Unique weight forward design 
• Integrated “hump” for shooting off the shelf
• Excellent machining 

Cons

• Might be too heavy for some archers

Calvin Smock and Dewayne Martin are world champion archers that took their combined experience to make an ILF riser. If you look at the podiums at indoor, 3D, field, and outdoor archery competitions, you’ll often see CD Archery represented. I’ve owned and competed with their 27-inch riser for three years. I’ve also owned their 19-inch riser. 

One thing that I love about the CD risers is the build quality. From the bolts to the machining, everything is high quality. When you click limbs into the riser or make adjustments, you can feel that quality. Much in the same way the best pocket knives feel better in your hand than one you get at a gas station. 

CD is known for their unique design, which shifts the bow’s weight forward, a great design for a discipline where we can’t use stabilizers. You can also add weight to the riser, and I like a 16-ounce Yost weight on mine. 

I’ve noticed my CD risers have a straighter geometry, which I think makes them have more vibration. I’ve shot my personal best indoor scores with the WF-27, so I can’t say it is holding me back from shooting to my full potential. 

Buy Used

There’s one thing you should know about recurve bows before buying one: You can find them for 40 to 50 percent off when you buy used. You’ll find custom, vintage, and production bows on thriving used trad bow marketplaces like Facebook groups, The Leatherwall, TradGang, and TradTalk. I’ve been buying and selling used bows for years (to feed my insatiable bow addiction). Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way. 

Don’t Buy a Bow That’s not in Your Specs

You might stumble upon a great deal or a hard-to-find bow that’s a little too heavy or a little too short for you. Don’t let the scarcity or the deal pull you into buying a bow that you won’t shoot well. You’ll end up selling it after a few frustrating months. 

Don’t Pay with Paypal “Pay to Someone You Trust”

Paypal charges a fee if you use their protected payment, but when you’re making transactions online to strangers, it’s worth the 5 percent fee. With the protection, if you don’t get the bow, you have some recourse to get your money back. If you go without the protection, you’re out of luck. 

Know the Lingo 

Bow listings often have shorthand terminology that you’ll need to know. Here are some common ones. 

• OBO: Or best offer
• TYD: To your door (shipping included)
• Firm: Don’t make an offer 

Final Tips

Traditional archery is a small community, so be nice and be courteous when making a transaction. Don’t low ball. For example, if someone has a bow listed for $500, don’t offer them $250. 

Don’t say “I’ll take it,” unless you are going to buy the bow. Bailing on a transaction won’t make you any friends. Taking a long time to pay for a bow will also make people nervous. 

Most folks you buy bows from online are great people, and buying used is an excellent way to try a bunch of nice bows while saving money. Just make sure you sell as many as you buy, or you’ll end up with a large collection, like me. 

Honorable Mentions 

There are a lot of fantastic recurve bows out there, many of them are made by individual craftsmen, and I could not test them all. Below is a list of notable bows that I didn’t test.  

• Black Widow
• Bob Lee Shikari
• Bear Archery Fred Bear Takedown 
• Schafer Silvertip
• Stalker Stickbows

How to Choose a Recurve Bow

There are very few rules in buying a recurve bow because so much of the decision will be up to your personal preference. The most important factors are that the bow fits you properly and helps you achieve your goals. 

Length

Your bow length and draw length are linked together. You’ll lose performance if your bow is too long for your draw length, and if your bow is too short for your draw length, it will be difficult to shoot and won’t be smooth to draw. I have a 30-inch draw length, and I shoot bows from 62-inches to 74-inches long. That’s a huge range of bow lengths, but it’s important to realize that the bows on either end of that range have very different designs and riser lengths. So how do you know what length bow to buy? Manufacturers and custom builders usually have charts with recommended bow lengths for draw length ranges. If you cannot find that info, here are my recommendations for a three-piece recurve with a 19-inch riser. 

• 60-inch bow: Less than 27 inch draw length 
• 62-inch bow: 27 to 29 inch draw length 
• 64-inch bow: 29 to 31 inch draw length 
• If your draw length is longer than 31 inches, consider going to a 21-inch riser with long limbs for a 66-inch bow

Those recommendations are for hunting-length recurves. But, you can use those recommendations as you increase or decrease your riser length. Just add or subtract the difference in riser length to the lengths above. So, if your bow has a 25-inch riser you can shoot a 66-inch bow with a draw length less than 27 inches. 

Draw Weight

The most common mistake new recurve archers make is buying a bow with too heavy of a draw weight. Even if you’re already shooting a compound bow, you’ll want to start with a much lighter draw weight than you currently shoot. I recommend new archers start with a draw weight under 35 pounds at their draw length. The “at your draw length” portion is an important thing to note. 

Recurve and longbows gain draw weight as they are pulled back. Most bow draw weights are rated at 28 inches of draw length. So, if your bow is 40 pounds and you have a 26-inch draw length, the bow’s draw weight won’t be 40 pounds. It will be closer to 35 pounds. As a general rule of thumb, add 2.5 pounds for every inch above 28 inches, and subtract 2.5 pounds for every inch below 28. 

How do you know if your draw weight is too high? Here’s a simple test. Draw your bow and aim at the target. If you start shaking after five seconds, then your draw weight is too heavy. With a recurve, it’s not enough to be able to pull the bow back. You must be able to control the bow through the shot. 

Most target archers use draw weights between 35 and 45 pounds. While most hunters draw 40 to 55 pounds pounds. Where you fall in those ranges is a matter of personal preference. I mostly hunt whitetails at close ranges and my hunting bows are mostly 40 to 45 pounds. I get excellent control at those draw weights and can stay at full draw for several seconds while waiting for an opportunity. 

Bow Style

I generally recommend a three-piece bow for new archers because the limbs are easily changed as they increase draw weight. They’re also the easiest to transport. If you love the look of a traditional one-piece bow, like a Bear Kodiak, then by all means follow your heart. 

Another consideration is the type of shooting you’re interested in. Are you looking to hunt, compete, or just have fun? Hunting bows are typically shorter to make them more maneuverable and easier to shoot from blinds and the best tree stands. Competition bows are usually longer, have lower draw weight, and have heavier mass weight. 

Grip

One of the most important considerations when buying a bow is the grip. It’s your sole interface with the bow during the shot, and a bad grip will drastically reduce your accuracy. But, just like how there’s no one best recurve bow, there’s no one best grip. One thing all good grips should do is provide consistent grip pressure and a torque-free shot. Beyond that, your shooting style, hand size, and personal preference will influence your grip choice.

Speed

I don’t recommend making a bow choice based on speed. I’ve been shooting recurve bows for a very long time, and I’ve owned dozens. In that experience, I’ve found most bows are fast enough, and the really fast bows I’ve owned were difficult to shoot. 

FAQ

Why Trust Outdoor Life?

Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.

Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.

Final Thoughts 

Making your choice among the best recurve bows is all about what you like best in a bow. If you go to a traditional archery event like ETAR, you can try many of the best bows and figure out which you like best.

• Best Budget: Samick Sage
• Best Mid-Priced: Galaxy Vega
• Best for Shooting an Elevated Rest: TradTech Titan III with TradTech Carbon Wood Limbs
• Quietest Metal Riser: DAS 
• Best New Riser: Amagi Archery 
• Best Complete ILF Bow: Hoyt Satori
• Best Custom: Wengerd 
• Best U.S.A. Made: CD Archery
• Buy Used

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While many state agencies reported a welcome bump in hunting-license sales in recent years, the so-called Covid-19 bump in hunting participation has flattened out. Hunting license sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports. Overall, sales were down 3.1 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

CAHSS began tracking hunting license sales during Covid lockdowns, when anecdotal reports indicated there were more hunters in the woods. State agency data backed that up: hunting license sales jumped by nearly 5 percent in 2020, a deviation from the decades-long decline. Here’s a glance at the last three years of overall hunting license sales in the U.S.

• From 2019 to 2020, hunting license sales increased 5 percent
• From 2020 to 2021, hunting license sales decreased 1.9 percent
• From 2021 to 2022, hunting license sales decreased 3.1 percent

This year’s survey indicates that the modest gains made during the pandemic era have mostly subsided. Just six of 46 states saw an overall increase in hunting licenses sold in 2022 when compared to 2021. CAHSS did not make public which six states saw increased license sales due to privacy agreements with state agencies; Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, and Montana did not provide data for this year’s report.

Still, we do know that hunting license sales were down overall in all four geographical regions: the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West.

Why Are Hunting License Sales Down?

The report from CAHSS only analyzed license data provided by state agencies and did not examine potential causes of the decline or survey hunters. Still, there’s one major difference between 2020 and 2022 that could explain the return to pre-pandemic hunting license sales.

“Probably the biggest factor that we were dealing with through the pandemic was time. A lot of people started working from home,” says Swanny Evans, director of research and partnerships at CAHSS. “And we’ve seen people get back to work, we’ve seen travel pick up. We’re back in the real world, kind of, and I think time has become a constraint once again.”

While the pandemic was indisputably a tough period for many Americans, hunters were often able to embrace lockdowns. The conferences and work travel that normally filled Evans’ own schedule vanished. Suddenly he had more time to turkey hunt.

“But everybody else had a lot of time to turkey hunt, too,” says Evans. “And I could attest to that from not only the sign-ins on public land in Georgia that year but also the harvest on public land, and the anecdotal evidence of seeing people everywhere.”

There are plenty of tactics that R3 professionals (folks whose jobs revolve around recruiting, reactivating, and retaining hunters) can do to encourage hunting participation, but troubleshooting what could be the main culprit of these declining license sales isn’t one of them.

“When you start asking people about why they don’t hunt or they don’t hunt as much as they want to, time is the number one factor,” says Evans. “And it’s something that we can’t control. We can try to improve access and we can try to reduce hunting regulation complexity. We can try to make sure that more opportunity is there, that [would-be hunters] have the knowledge to hunt—whatever it is. But we can’t give people more of their own time.”

Another factor could be a more stable supply chain. Surveys and anecdotal evidence revealed that nearly half of “Covid-bump hunters” were motivated to secure their own meat at a time when it was difficult to find in grocery stores.

“For the overwhelming majority of hunters, one of the primary reasons that they hunt is for the food,” says Evans. “During the pandemic, people kind of saw that as an opportunity. ‘If we’re gonna have supply chain issues, I want to be self sufficient. Maybe I should give this a try, or maybe I should get back into it.’”

Yes, Nonresident Hunting License Sales Are Declining, Too

While nonresident hunting license sales were up nearly 13 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, they’ve mostly declined in 2022 with an overall drop of 3.1 percent. (Coincidentally, overall resident sales also dropped by 3.1 percent.)

Three out of four U.S. regions saw declines in nonresident licenses last year, with the West leading the pack at a 7.2 percent decrease from 2021, followed by a 2 percent decrease in the Southeast and a 1.5 percent decrease in the Midwest. Only the Northeast experienced a modest increase of 1.4 percent.

The surge in 2021 nonresident licenses tracks with national trends at the time, when many states had relaxed Covid-related travel restrictions, but plenty of would-be hunters hadn’t yet returned to their places of work.

CAHSS is working to collect additional data about hunting license sales to better understand hunter participation, including digging into common complaints about overcrowding on public lands and excess hunting pressure. Investigating these trends is tough work considering it requires wrangling 50 state government agencies, all of which sell hunting licenses slightly differently.

“It’s important to keep in mind that unfortunately we don’t have any perfect data sources when it comes to counting hunters,” says Evans. “A license sale doesn’t necessarily equal a participant for a variety of reasons. And then when we start looking at resident versus nonresidents, well, how many people are hunting numerous states each year? So looking at these overall license sales, we’re going to see fluctuations. We try to track them as best we can and we use that as an indicator of participation. But it’s not exactly a hard metric for what’s going on with hunting participation.”

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WHEN JORDI VAQUER and I finally locate the herd, it’s nearly noon and the big ibex males are bedded high in the rocks, soaking up the sun and recovering from what had sounded like a boisterous morning of rut-season sparring. Hours earlier, long before the sun had warmed this limestone canyon in Spain’s remote ­Aragon region, Jordi and I had stood on the rim, the ­December moon luminescing an overnight snow, listening to what sounded like a succession of rifle shots in the cliffs below. “Los machos,” said Jordi, his native Spanish momentarily trumping his excellent English. “The males are fighting.”

Below us, the wild goats were crashing their immense horns in a violent demonstration of dominance. All day, the ibex have remained hidden from us by the verticality of the limestone canyon, and it takes hours of hiking to find them. By the time we spot the herd above us in the rocks, any chance of approaching them unseen is gone.

A few nannies and their short-faced kids graze lower on the south-facing slope, but their movement is slowly, methodically uphill, toward the crenellation of van-size boulders where the rest of the herd, including at least four trophy billies, alternately dozes and scans for danger above in this valley stitched with old stone walls, fuzzed with fields of wild thyme, and studded with the ruins of ancient huts.

Jordi and I, huddled on a limestone ledge a good half-mile away, review our options, which will be ­familiar to any mountain hunter.

We could back out from our perch, keeping our profiles low, and sneak into the stand of wind-blasted pine trees that cloaks the north-facing side of this mountain. The timber promises to hide our approach to the very top of the ridge, just above the herd. If the wind is right and we correctly guess where to emerge from cover, there is a chance the biggest billy might be in range of my crossbow.

There’s an equal chance the wind could shift and blow our scent right to the herd, or that the expanse of open, fissured limestone between the edge of the trees and the bedded ibex is too far for a crossbow shot. There’s also the chance that the animals will have moved by the time we work our way through the timber.

Alternatively, we could emulate the goats and stay put on our stony ledge, resting in the bright sun until later in the day. If we read the tracks in the snow correctly as we approached this ledge, then we are set up along a travel corridor, a pasture of wild lavender and pennyroyal behind us. When the ibex rouse and graze away from their beds in the afternoon, there’s a chance they might move past us to feed in the alpine herb garden.

Jordi and I whisper the pros and cons of this universal hunter’s dilemma—to push and make our luck or to wait and have our luck decided by the animals—with our heads together so our conversation doesn’t disturb the ibex. There’s slim chance of that; the mole-colored goats are so far away that we’d have to shout to alarm them. But there’s another reason for our conspiratorial huddle. I speak lousy Spanish. Jordi speaks very good English, but occasionally we get stumped on a term critical to our mission.

“Keep your prismatico on los machos. I’ll watch el barranco,” Jordi says. He reads my incomprehension. “Prismatico…” he points to the binoculars on my chest.

“El barranco?”

“You call it ‘the canyon,’ I believe.”

He sweeps his hand across the vista below us, across terraces of neglected pastures and ancient stone dwellings. During our morning hike, I counted more than a dozen caved-in huts, evidence that at one time—centuries ago, by all appearances—many sheep-herding families lived in this place. In the past few days, we’d hunted nearby barrancos, all uninhabited but with plenty of archaeological evidence of intensive human settlement.

These days, Aragon’s canyons are home to a few ribby cows, a horse or two, and increasing numbers of soaring-horned Beceite ibex.

Layers of History

The story of this place is older than even the ruins below us. Down in the medieval castle town where we’re staying—in a former orphanage—a church dates to 1048. This region of northeastern Spain, called “El Maestrazgo” (in English: “The Master”) after a number of Crusades-era military and religious leaders, is the least inhabited district of the country. It has been serially occupied and abandoned for 1,200 years by Christians, Moors, Knights Templar, and both nationalists and republicans during the Spanish Civil War. Not far from here is a complex of caves adorned with Bronze Age paintings depicting ibex being shot with arrows.

I have come to this remote spot in Western ­Europe with three other Americans to hunt the descendants of those prehistoric ibex. Like the ancient hunters who painted those cave walls with charcoal and goat’s blood, we’re launching arrows. Our bows are high-tech Ravin crossbows, and we aim to test the capabilities of this radical bow design far beyond the Wisconsin whitetail woods of its origin.

In a fresco at a 10th-century castle on the drive here, we see knights depicted with crossbows. It occurs to me that we might be the first people in this region to use these implements in a thousand years—not to defend castles from marauding Moors, but to hunt ibex.

I shot my Ravin all fall at targets, stretching my range to 100 yards off shooting sticks. I have no intention of shooting an animal at that range, but I don’t know what to expect in Spain. I understand ibex are creatures of vertical country and that we’ll be on foot, so I practiced shooting at extreme angles.

Arranging an international hunt can be fraught, with uncertainty defining everything from destination, hunting styles and traditions, and even the ability to bring certain types of guns or bows to some jurisdictions. Most traveling hunters make arrangements with a hunt broker, initiating contact at trade shows or online. The brokers often then contract with outfitters in-country to actually guide the hunt.

Our group cut out the middleman. Mutual friends had connected our party’s leader, Ryan Chuckel, who runs Ravin’s media relations, with Jordi ­Vaquer, who works as a chemical engineer in Barcelona. Jordi and his father, Manolo, are evangelists for the nascent sport of bowhunting in Spain. They teach classes, host shoots, and enthusiastically promote archery to Spanish hunters who are more accustomed to hunting driven boar with rifles.

Jordi put us in touch with outfitter Alejo Sopena, who had four tags for trophy-class Beceite ibex in the Maestrazgo area. Sopena doesn’t have a booth at sporting shows or advertise online, but he’s one of Spain’s go-to outfitters for trophy ibex, not just the Beceite subspecies but also Spain’s other three (Gredos, Ronda, and Southeastern), in addition to chamois in the Pyrenees Mountains.

Because Sopena’s guides were unfamiliar with bows—not to mention crossbows—Jordi took time off from his job to join us. He acted not only as interpreter but also as an intermediary who could explain the limitations of bowhunting to guides more accustomed to shooting ibex from several hundred yards.

Though he didn’t have a tag himself, Jordi was eager to hunt with us. For most workaday Spaniards, ibex are out of reach geographically and financially. They live in fairly defined places, and because tags are valued at several thousand euros, access to most ibex habitat is closely controlled.

Also, Jordi explained to me as we sat on our limestone ledge, watching the bedded goats, there’s a class distinction when it comes to ibex and chamois, the two species of Spanish big game that attract the most international attention.

“Most of Spain’s hunting population belongs to rural areas where hunting used to be a way of providing meat,” he says. “Of course, the situation has changed. Nobody hunts just for meat anymore, but the feeling still remains, and most hunting is based on wild boar, which is as common here as the whitetail deer is in the U.S. Hunting is nearly free, and it is organized in hunting groups that drive the woods with dogs. Every rural village has a hunting group, and they hold drives most weekends throughout the year. These groups measure their success by the number of animals they kill, not by the size. Trophies are not a consideration.

“Then a foreign hunter shows up after paying thousands of euros to someone to be guided to a trophy ibex in a protected area. Well, the local people think that he is not like them. And the locals think this person cannot be a hunter, because he can’t hunt the wild boar in the woods, like we do.

“But here’s the thing: If even one of those local hunters had the chance to hunt an ibex, they would drop everything to come, and they would love it.”

Jordi, on his first-ever ibex hunt, is learning the animal’s habits and habitats in step with me, also on my first ibex hunt. I compare hunting here, in the band of cliffs above alpine pastures, to hunting bighorn in the Rockies. Like sheep, ibex are herding animals. They rely on their eyesight for protection but seek sanctuary on exposed promontories, where they can see and react to danger from a distance, using their cloven hooves and powerful shoulders to scamper up sheer stone faces.

Like mountain sheep, ibex seek safety in numbers. The big machos are protected by a phalanx of younger males and ewes and kids, which spread out lower on the slope. I’d be happy killing any of the four mature billies in the herd we’re watching. Two of them have horns that curl out into a distinctive Y. Jordi calls this winglike spreading-horn style “avion,” or airplane. But two of the males have horns that curl in and back, making a shape like a heart. “Lira,” Jordi calls this horn conformation, reminiscent of a lyre (the instrument).

One of these lira males is especially grand. He’s bedded just under the horizon, so we can only see the tips of his horns. Through my prismatico, I can count ridges, like the segments of a nautilus shell, on the edge of his horns. These are age rings. I can’t count them all, but I stop at 10. If I have a shot and a choice, then this is the ibex I want.

Jordi sees which billy I’m watching. “El macho montes,” he calls the old ibex. The male of the mountains.

The Making of a Bowhunter

Though it’s lunchtime and we’ve brought no food, I’m uncharacteristically not hungry. Jordi and I are by ourselves, a rare DIY hunt for European game. Sopena has allowed us to hunt together, partly because he trusts our abilities, but also because he has recognized that Jordi knows far more about bowhunting than his guides do. On the first day, one of the guides had spotted a mature billy on a distant cliff face and rushed straight toward the animal, spreading shooting sticks when he got about 150 yards away, expecting the crossbow hunter to make a shot at that distance, and at a running animal, no less.

“I see the appeal of la ballesta,” says Lionel Mantorell Torres, using the word for crossbow. Torres is the landowner whose remote canyon Jordi and I are hunting, and we meet him every evening in town for a dinner of jamon or paella, always with Spanish wine, olives, and cheese. “With a bow, the hunt lasts longer and is very romantic.” Then he looks skeptically at my Ravin. “But I can also see why your Indians lost.”

Spain may be full of hunters, but bowhunters remain a vanishingly small percentage of the population. If it hadn’t been for a serendipitous trip to the U.S., Jordi might not have been among them.

He was visiting Minnesota on business, and a co-worker invited Jordi to shoot arrows at targets.

“It was an incredible feeling, because I was in a moment when I needed a challenge in my hunting life,” says Jordi. “Shooting wild boars at home with a rifle was fun, but it wasn’t a challenge anymore. I came back home with a brand-new bow. I showed it to my father, and a few days later I had to buy another one because he took mine. Everything changed for us, from having to get close to reading the wind to our clothing to learning to draw the bow to waiting for the boar to turn broadside.

“It was like starting hunting again. My father and I felt the same feelings of being a child. This is why we got hooked by archery—tiro el arco, we call it. We kill less, but we hunt more.”

Jordi’s enthusiasm was infectious, and soon he was one of Spain’s leading ambassadors for archery. Across a country with no archery pro shops, Jordi and Manolo taught classes, lent equipment, and preached ethical shots and the gospel of restraint.

Our Ravin crossbows represented yet another challenge to Jordi. He had shot crossbows—Spain is one of the few European countries that allow bowhunting—but had never seen them in the field.

“I don’t know that crossbows will experience a big growth in Spain’s hunting market,” he concluded. “The situation is different in America because a crossbow allows a rifle hunter to hunt during archery season, but we don’t have a particular archery season in Spain, so a decision to take a crossbow or a bow hunting is driven by how a hunter feels about challenging themselves.”

After three days of hunting ibex with a crossbow, the idea seemed challenging, indeed.

Ibex Renaissance

It wasn’t very many years ago that ibex were protected across Spain. The iconic goat of the Iberian Peninsula was limited to a few refuges. Ibex had been dwindling for centuries, their populations reduced by subsistence hunting and their habitat diminished by sheep herders and cattle grazers. The Spanish Civil War, which raged across the Maestrazgo in the 1930s, nearly finished off the country’s wild ibex.

Some of the herds never recovered. The Pyrenean subspecies went extinct in 2000, but a refuge established near Madrid allowed the Gredos subspecies to flourish. The Beceite Hunting Preserve near ­Tarragona was established in the 1960s to protect the remaining 400 individuals of the Beceite subspecies.

Over the past decades, ibex have wandered away from the preserve to establish herds in the surrounding mountains. The area of the Maestrazgo we hunted is only about 50 miles south of the refuge, in the province of Teruel, which now contains more than 12,000 of the Beceite subspecies.

Torres, the landowner, whose family lived and grazed in this limestone canyon for generations, said when he was a child, ibex were like mythical creatures, often described but never seen.

“The last of the ibex in this area were killed during la Guerra civil,” Torres told me. “You look up in the cliffs and you’ll find caves where the guerrillas hid. Then, about 30 years ago, we started seeing ibex come back. They’ve been slowly increasing since.”

Torres allows only four ibex to be shot every year off his lands and those of his neighbors. These are the four tags my friends and I hold.

The Endgame

I’ve been so busy taking notes, I don’t notice that los machos are on their feet and milling in the rocks. Jordi hisses at me that I should cock my bow and nock an arrow. A few nannies are moving our way.

We press ourselves to the stone and watch as the herd approaches, a ragged line headed to feed. I push my bow in front of me, realizing the ibex will be too close for me to set up sticks for a measured shot. Earlier I ranged landmarks—trees, boulders, and a ruined stone wall—but the herd has moved inside those marks and into a little trough in the limestone ledge. Their bodies drop out of sight; all I can see are the tips of horns, gathered too tightly for a clean shot.

Then Jordi whistles to stop the herd, and I rise out of the rocks, crossbow already on my shoulder. A big-horned macho is in the clear, about 20 yards away. Instinctively, I center the crosshair and send an arrow. I see orange fletching zip through the air before it contacts the billy with a hollow thump. The herd scatters like the red-legged partridge we’ve seen in the canyon, pours over the rim, and vanishes out of sight.

I get up, my legs shaking both from adrenaline and from our hours of cramped waiting, and wobble over to where the ibex was standing when I shot. I find hair, but no arrow. Jordi, looking over the rim and into the canyon, whistles again. He’s found blood.

I join him, and a few drops turn to a splatter and then a spurt. Crimson is splashed across the gray limestone. We follow the trail over the rim. I cannot believe an animal losing this much blood—mucho sangre, Jordi says—can keep its feet, but we find where the ibex vaulted from the fissure to scarp down the cliff.

We lower ourselves down the 50-foot wall, and when Jordi and I get to the base of the cliff, we pick up the blood trail. Now we find bits of lung tissue, and as we round a boulder field, we see el macho, crashed into a sulago bush, dead when he hit the ground, his life released by a two-bladed broadhead gash just behind his massive shoulders.

I approach the ibex slowly, tentatively, as though he were royalty, and lift his heavy head. His Old World horns are even thicker than I had imagined. I count rings, stopping when I reach 10.

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