2018 Hunting Bow Setup
If there’s one thing that’s true about bow hunting, it’s that practice makes perfect. Hopefully you took the time this summer to sling some arrows down range and figure out the best bow setup for you personally. Each person has their own particular style of shooting and each body type and size means one person’s setup might not work for another exactly the same. In this video, Michael walks you through his own simple hunting bow setup for 2018, right before he heads out to Wyoming for his first archery hunt of the season. Simple is often best when it comes to archery gear, because that means there’s less that can go wrong! Check out the video and see how the list stacks up to your own.
Waddy’s Hunting Bow Setup
The most important part of your bow setup is, of course, your bow! Many people worry about setting up a compound bow for hunting, especially if they’re beginners. But you can see in the video that this is a straight-forward approach that anyone can tackle.
The Bow
Michael is shooting the Hoyt® RX-1 REDWRX bow with the factory string on it. Hoyt® Bone Collector compound bows can be customized a bit with the right gear. He sets his draw weight at about 76 to 77 pounds, which is on the high side for many people’s bow setup. But he explains that he is trying to make up for his draw length of 28 inches, and still shoots arrows about 280 to 290 feet per second. The bow string has a D-loop for easy release and a larger objective peep sight for shooting with both eyes open. He also uses a simple sling using tactical grommets attached to his bow so that he can quickly move with his bow or climb into a tree stand without having to use his hands to carry it.
Bow Sights
Michael shoots his bow with a Dead Ringer Starvation Bead bow sight attached. The glowing pin and sight aperture allow him to shoot in low light conditions from 20 yards out to 60 yards.
Release
Bow releases are something that each person shoots differently with. Michael has been shooting his T.R.U. Ball® Beast release for 12 years and it keeps working for him. Find a bow hunting release that works for you personally that you really like using.
Bow Stabilizer/Camera
If you’re just out in the woods to hunt, most stabilizers will work for you. But if you want to film your hunt and produce some memorable (and high quality) footage to enjoy for years, consider installing a Tactacam® with a stabilizer mount. Michael has filmed several hunts using this approach. It’s very simple to use – simply press one button to record as the deer approaches.
Quiver
People have a love/hate relationship with quivers – you either love using them or have sworn them off. Since Michael hunts elk and does spot-and-stalk hunts, quivers are pretty much necessary. He is using a Fuse Archery® quiver for his 2018 bow setup, and finds that it doesn’t interfere with his shooting unless it is really windy, when you likely wouldn’t take a shot anyway.
Bow Rest
Michael shoots with a HHA® drop away bow rest, which is simple to use and great for ensuring accurate arrow placement. This means it is a very good option for a hunting bow.
Arrows
Michael is using Bone Collector 350 spine arrows, which are heavy enough when combined with the 70+ pound draw weight to produce some serious arrow momentum. He uses Nockturnal nocks to clearly see the arrow path and where he hits his target. These arrows, developed by Michael and the Bone Collector team, are available at Walmart!
Broadhead
On the other side, he uses either the G5® Striker fixed broadhead or the G5® Havoc mechanical broadhead – both of which are ridiculously sharp and deadly.
Rangefinder
Last, it’s great to have all of this in your bow setup, but if you can’t accurately range your target, you’re probably missing something. Michael carries a Bushnell® rangefinder with the angle range compensation (ARC) feature to help him judge distances correctly.
Target
Michael shoots Morrel targets as they have a wide variety of targets including the Back to Back Combo target and the Bone Collector Targets available at Walmart.
Your Own Bow Setup
With Michael’s bow setup in mind, is there anything you want to tweak or add on your setup to make it the best compound bow setup for you? But remember what he said in the video too – simple setups can work. You don’t need to get too complicated with it as long as it works for you!
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