My Bow Setup
Posted By
Bill Winke
at
12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM
Filed under:
journal
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2009 buck: I have been hunting with the AlphaMax for the past two seasons but plan |
I love the fact that I am able to work with companies whose gear I have used for years. I already believed in this stuff before Midwest Whitetail was even a dream. That makes it a lot easier to recommend sponsor gear to the viewers and visitors of Midwest Whitetail. I can do it with a clear conscience and feel good about it – because I believe I am doing you a service.
I am going to run through my bow setup and tell you why I use the items I do – maybe a little something about how I use them.
BOW:
I have shot Hoyt bows for about 12 to 13 years, not exclusively, but most of the time. I have always liked their grips, their balance and their precision design. The result has always been easy tuning and accurate shooting. Right now, I am shooting either the AlphaMax 35 that I set up during the 2009 season or a new Carbon Matrix Plus. I just received the Carbon Matrix Plus, so I have been working at getting it set up and tuned. I have not quite got the bow tweaked in yet – things have been hectic here – but I plan to have it ready for late season hunting. I love how smoothly it shoots and how quiet this bow is during the shot. I also like the fact that my hand doesn’t instantly turn to ice when I grab the grip.
I took the grip off both the Carbon Matrix Plus and the AlphaMax. I shoot both bows better without a grip. If you have never tried that, you may find it a worthwhile experiment. Just be forewarned, removing the grip will extend the draw length of the bow by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. It won’t affect the arrow length you need – you can still use the same arrows - but you will be drawing the string back a bit farther.
ACCESSORIES:
Sight: When selecting a sight, I like rugged pin protection, a round pin guard and bright wrapped or spooled fiber optic pins. That is what I get with the new Pilot series sights. I have a Pilot M series on my Carbon Matrix Plus. However, the G Series is totally fine and less expensive. I have the larger .029-inch pin on the top and the rest of the pins are .019-inch diameter. That seems to work fine for me, but I think I may custom order .029 on all the pins in the future if possible.
I like larger pins because they just show up better for me. I realize that it is easier to be precise on long shots with the .019 pins, but I have shot .029 forever and I have not struggled too badly on the longer shots. Really, I rarely shoot past 40 yards anyway, and when I do it is likely in a food plot where the deer are calm and stationary – that is usually toward last light when the larger pin makes a lot of sense from a visibility standpoint.
Both G and M series sights have round pin guards. I can (and do) center the pin guard inside my large 1/4 inch diameter peep sight, producing maximum visibility in low light and maximum field of view without sacrificing accuracy.
Rest:I like the Fuse drop-away rests because I feel that the arrow gets free of the bow a bit more quickly than it does with a full-capture rest. This is just splitting hairs and for most bowhunters who never shoot past 40 yards, I doubt you will tell a difference. Also, if your form is good and you have a good follow-through, the Whisker Biscuit version of the Fuse rests are both quiet and entirely foolproof (idiot-proof).
I have been using the Accu-Launch Fall-Away. It does a great job. I have used Hoyt Fall-Away rests before Fuse came on board and they are much the same. However, I did just receive the new Fuse Fall-Away Ultra-Rest and I am looking forward to testing that rest. It has a full-containment feature lacking in the Accu-Launch and I really like full-containment. If I can eliminate the risk of the arrow falling off the rest without affecting my accuracy – I am definitely going to do it. There is no reason not to take full advantage of anything will make the bow a bit more efficient and/or idiot-proof!
OK, that is my bow setup. I also use a Fuse stabilizer (a short one) and a Fuse Ventera quiver. Both do a great job. I'll probably offer a few more ideas about bow setup for hunting in this column over the next few weeks. I will also go through some of my other gear, such as arrows, broadheads, etc. soon.
Thanks for your support. Good luck in the late season!
