www.insidearchery.com JULY 2023 ®
4 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 20 12 28 30 42 44 32 50 52 46 48 54 64 INSIDE ARCHERY (Volume 26, #6) ISSN #1940-3879, USPS #024-412 is published 10 times per year (Jan / Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep / Oct, Nov, Dec) by Apollo Creative Inc. PO Box 15827, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. Periodical postage paid at Colorado Springs, CO 80935 and at additional offices. Postmaster please send address changes to INSIDE ARCHERY, P.O. Box 986, Levittown, PA 19055-9998. INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 | VOLUME 26 | NUMBER 6 People Morrell Targets Continuous Innovation By Michaelean Pike Market Trends New & Notable Special focus on Point-of-Purchase products Gear Report Trophy Ridge Digital React Trio Pro Pro Shop Essentials Last Chance Archery Scent Control & Attractant Juggernauts By Gary Lewis Gear Report HHA Sports Tetra Max RYZ Tournament Edition Gear Report Carter Enterprises Whisper 2 Release Leading Archery Manufacturer Maple Leaf Press Gear Report Cuddeback Tracks Pro Shop Essentials The Toxon App Gear Report PDP Arrow Tuning Kit Trail Camera & Food Plot Money Makers By Jack Borcherding Gear Report Gateway Feathers 20 64 18 32 44 30
6 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 50 8 14 10 66 16 18 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 | VOLUME 26 | NUMBER 6 28 Inside the Industry Inside Track Full Steam Ahead! Kinsey’s Business Blueprint Countdown to Archery Season: Is Your Retail Shop Ready? Your ATA Insights Check the Boxes By Kurt Smith / ATA Industry News The latest on news, events, and people in the archery industry ATA Action Mossy Oak Returns as Presenting Sponsor of Connections Celebration at 2024 ATA Show Industry 5Q Five Questions with Matt Minshall from .30-06 Outdoors. 54 52 insidearchery.comOnline Exclusives Fresh content daily on social media! WebXtras: Gear Reports: Trophy Ridge Digital React Trio Pro, HHA Sports Tetra Max RYZ Tournament Edition, Carter Enterprises Whisper 2 Release, Cuddeback Tracks, PDP Arrow Tuning Kit, and Gateway Feathers. Pro Shop Essentials: Last Chance Archery and The Toxin App. Inside Archery Digital Edition Now Inside Archery can be delivered to your door, viewed on your computer, AND on your smartphone or tablet insidearchery.com/digital How an E-Bike Will Make You a More Efficient Bowhunter 3 Reasons You Should be Hunting Hogs this Summer Bow Sight 2nd and 3rd Axis—What is it all About? Why Should I Care About Arrow F.O.C.? 46
INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 Full Steam Ahead ne of the great pleasures of my job is meeting and communicating with independent pro shop owners from across the nation and even a handful serving customers from across the pond. These conversations with the people in the proverbial trenches helps me, and Inside Archery, keep our finger on the pulse of the archery industry, current trends, and how business is going in general. I have always contended that archery and bowhunting, like Hollywood and the mafia, are fairly recession proof, despite what might be going on with national and world economies at large. Whatever terminology politicians may currently prefer, our nation, and the world as a result, are experiencing an inflationary recession. Everything from a gallon of milk to the fuel we pump into our vehicles now costs considerably more. Yet despite this reality the archery industry is still booming. Nearly all the pro shop owners I talk to these days, some of them being close friends willing to share intimate details, are running full tilt. There has been no slow period for many shop owners, with some relating that they are approaching burnout due to having difficulty finding enough help to adequately deal with increased store traffic. Too, many manufactures are still struggling to keep up with demand for their products. With higher fuel prices many people are obviously staying home, postponing expensive family vacations, and enjoying the simpler things close to home. This includes recreational archery and bowhunting close in their own backyards for local whitetails, hogs or turkeys. A higher percentage of store traffic than ever involves first-time buyers, people drawn to archery as a relaxing and engaging backyard pastime, and even those looking to lower their monthly grocery bill by securing some locally-raised and healthy venison. I mean, really, have you looked at the price of store-bought meat lately? This bodes well for the industry as a whole, and the future of archery in general. And the traditional pre-season rush has not even arrived yet. Dealers would be wise to begin preparing now, squaring away the shop for more efficient operation, stocking up on the goods bowhunters will soon be seeking in droves, and even interviewing and/or training some fill-in help that will allow you to take some of the pressure off. In this atmosphere the potential for attracting first-time customers is great, as well as getting the jump on your competition. Use advertising and social media to make newcomers aware of your shop and services, and of course leverage powerful word of mouth promotion by taking care of your current and loyal customers. Strive to keep the customers you have happy and reluctant to dabble in the bane of internet sales. The real pre-season rush may seem far away from where we sit but it will be here before you know it. No matter how busy you may be now, prepare for bigger things to come. Patrick Meitin, Executive Editor O INSIDE THE INDUSTRY INSIDE TRACK
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM Inside Archery® is a publication of Apollo Creative Inc Printed in the USA. Publisher Apollo Creative Inc Executive Editor Patrick Meitin • [email protected] Associate Editor Michaelean Pike • [email protected] Copy Editor Kat Ainsworth Stevens Contributors Jack Borcherding | Cassie Gasaway Gary Lewis | Michaelean Pike | Kurt Smith Sales & Marketing Director Stephen Mack • [email protected] (814) 341-9313 Design & Production ER Graphics / Ed Rother • [email protected] Graphic Designer Tara Bondar Social Media Manager Jason Ashe Video Editor Marc Balistreri Account Manager Pam Ludlam • [email protected] Subscription Services & Change of Address: Inside Archery® Circulation Department Inside Archery, PO Box 986, Levittown, PA 19055-9998 Phone: (844) 862-9286 • Fax: (888) 965-9961 [email protected] Publication Office Inside Archery® / Apollo Creative Inc P.O. Box 15827, Colorado Springs, CO 80935 Phone: (719) 495-9999 • www.InsideArchery.com Inside Archery founded in 1998 by Bill and Sherry Krenz Inside Archery® Copyright © 2023 Apollo Crreative Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Inside Archery® is a registered U.S. trademark of Apollo Creative Inc. Opinions expressed in by-lined articles or columns are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, the magazine or its staff. Submission Guidelines: Apollo Creative Inc and Inside Archery® magazine assume no responsibility for unsolicited editorial, photography or art submissions. Contributors submitting articles, photos or art do so at their own risk. Material will not be returned without a selfaddressed envelope with sufficient postage. No contract, agreement, term or condition provided by any contributor shall be binding on Apollo Creative Inc unless it is signed and returned by the Editor. Archery, hunting and bowhunting are inherently dangerous activities. Improper use of hunting or archery equipment may cause serious injury or death. Always follow state and local hunting safety rules, and get required permits or licenses before hunting. Apollo Creative Inc uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-todate information in our publications; however, we do not make any warranties or representations as to accuracy or completeness. All information in this magazine is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Apollo Creative Inc is not responsible for researching and investigating the accuracy of the contents of stories or advertisements published in this magazine. Readers use the information in this magazine at their own risk. Apollo Creative Inc assumes no liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this magazine, or arising from use by any person of the information in this magazine.
10 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY BUSINESS BLUEPRINT Countdown to Archery Season: Is Your Shop Ready? ers may be looking for advice on the best gear for their hunting needs. Staff members should be prepared to offer knowledgeable recommendations and to demonstrate the latest products. Focusing on Service ■ Service is a major focus during this period. It may be time to revisit your service prices, ensure you’re billing consistently for services rendered, and perhaps most importantly, that you’re offering enticing service specials. Remember, the goal is to drive customers into your shop now, rather than the day before the season starts. A well-timed Tune & Lube Special, for instance, can attract a slew of archers looking to get their bows in perfect shape for the season. By offering this and other services like string replacements and tuning checks, you can generate significant revenue. But perhaps even more critical, these services give customers a reason to visit your shop. And each visit is an opportunity for incremental sales. Leveraging Service Specials ■ Service specials are more than just revenue generators, they’re customer magnets. Offering a “Pre-Season Deal” on bow ith summer winding down and the days slowly getting shorter, it can mean one thing: archery season is just around the corner. As an archery retailer, this signifies the start of the busy season, and with it comes a wealth of opportunities for increased traffic, sales and customer engagement. Now more than ever, it is crucial to ensure your shop is adequately stocked and prepared for at least the next 60 to 90 days, if not longer. To help ensure your shop is ready to take on the archery season rush, we’ll cover our top four tips to navigate the archery season onslaught. Stocking Up for Hunting Season ■ As archery season approaches, most archers shift their focus from target archery to bowhunting. This pivot indicates a need to ready their hunting setups, and for you, the retailer, it is essential to anticipate and meet this demand. Ensure you have a broad range of hunting equipment in stock, from compound and recurve bows to arrows, broadheads, essential archery accessories like bow cases, releases, camo, boots, hunting packs, tree stands, and hunting blinds. Keep in mind that your customW tuning or a discount on string replacement for those gearing up for hunting season can lead to a surge in foot traffic. Once you’ve got customers in your shop, your knowledgeable staff, high-quality products, and excellent customer service can do the rest. Pre-Season Marketing ■ Don’t keep your pre-season preparation efforts and shop specials a secret. Now is the time to ramp up your marketing efforts. Use social media, email newsletters, and instore signage to let customers know that your shop is their one-stop destination for all their pre-archery season needs. Remember to highlight your service specials and the expert help you offer for getting hunting setups ready. You might consider running a promotion or a contest that encourages customers to visit your shop, like a raffle for a new hunting bow or a discount coupon for the most unique hunting setup. In conclusion, the approach of the archery season represents a busy but lucrative period for archery retailers. But being busy isn’t enough. You want to be productive and profitable. By focusing on stock readiness, homing in on services and specials, and leveraging marketing, you can ensure your shop isn’t just surviving the rush, but thriving in it. After all, a well-prepared archery shop isn’t just a retail outlet, it’s a hub for the local archery community. IA Kinsey’s is the leading distributor to the archery and outdoors industry. Carrying items from your favorite brands, in-stock and ready-to-ship, the well-established company offers domestic and international retailers a wide array of products and services. Kinsey’s also owns innovative consumer brands including Alpine Archery, BlackHeart, Fin-Finder, Elevation, and October Mountain Products. For more information, please visit KinseysInc.com Presented by
12 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS NEW & NOTABLE LowDown Viewer T rail cameras are hot ticket items, so you no doubt sell many of them. Then there are those customers anxious to share trail cam highlights on their phone. These encounters make the ideal lead-in for the revolutionary LowDown Viewer. The LowDown Viewer provides a hugely efficient way to review hundreds if not thousands of trail camera images or videos. The Viewer includes a 9-inch HD Color Touch Screen that allows scrolling through images and videos quickly with the swipe of a finger. Two SD card slots allow popping in a card from a camera and saving to the save card. Images are easily saved, enlarged and saved, or video freeze-framed and saved to the second card. A new formatting feature also allows cleaning SD cards in the field. Learn more at lowdownviewer.com. TargetTackTM E very archer and bowhunter shoots paper or synthetic target faces during practice, and those targets must be secured to backstops somehow. TargetTacks are an affordable and reusable problem solver every customer can relate to. While dealers can buy TargetTacks in bulk for range use, customers will also appreciate how convenient and effective they are at securing any target face to any foam, bag or fiber backstop or target butt. They include stout three-edged, serrated construction with a flat-faced head with an eyelet that can be used to hang balloons or wind flags. They can be used again and again, and will not damage arrows if accidentally hit, as can occur with steel pins. They come in 1-inch (best for bag targets) and 3-inch (best for foam or fiber targets) options, or an 8 Piece Variety Pack with four of each. Learn more at targettackllc.com. Tree Stand Buddy T oday’s whitetail hunter is an ambitious breed— and generally savvier than deer hunters of old and less dependent on blind luck. They will work harder and are not averse to moving stands often to address changing winds or to remain abreast of a target buck’s changing patterns. Starting this conversation provides an easy transition into the Tree Stand Buddy, the ideal Point of Purchase product for customers looking for an easier, and safer, way to install/move treestands quickly and efficiently. The Tree Stand Buddy includes a base receiver, anchored to the tree with heavy-duty ratchet straps, the “hitch” bolting to nearly any treestand. The receiver can be secured alone, without fighting the weight of a tree stand, the stand/hitch hauled up with the provided haul system, and then slipped into the receiver. Purchasing multiple receivers makes jockeying stands faster and easier. Learn more at treestandbuddy.com. Twisted Iron Hunting The Boot BandolierTM Pro X T he Boot Bandolier Pro X by Twisted Iron Hunting offers true bowhunting versatility. It is constructed of durable 600D/PVC-lined polyester that is waterproof and shelled with TrueTimber Kanati/Strata camouflage with a DWR coating. The cotton webbing straps, heavy-duty buckles and roomy pockets offer a convenient way for bowhunters to stash and instantly access items such as rangefinders, game calls (including cans), Thermacell units, flashlights, a 20-ounce water bottle, and more. The front waterproof pocket is an ideal place to store a hunting license and tags or gloves. It includes a shoulder strap with a rubber pad. Flap-style pockets and elastic webbing keeps gear secure. The 33-inch extension belt with three mole loops makes it ideal for treestand hunting. The patent pending design makes this the one bag for every hunt, as The Boot Bandolier Pro X can be configured for every hunting scenario imaginable, including attached to a leg, blind interior or tree trunk while on stand. It includes a one year unlimited warranty. Learn more at bootbandolier.com. POINT OF PURCHASE PRODUCTS • Every customer represents an opportunity. An opportunity to make a sale, of course, but more importantly, an opportunity to build a relationship. The ability to build close customer relationships is the biggest advantage local businesses have over internet or big box outlets. Relationships start with conversation. One of the best ways to drive conversation is through smart product placement. How many times have you walked into a grocery store for just one item but ultimately left with five because you had to walk past them to get what you were after in the first place? Point of Purchase products are the biggest money makers for grocery stores, and can be for you, too. The following eight products are perfect examples of Point of Purchase products you can stock near checkout areas to start conversations and add to any sale. Placing these items around areas where customers will spend time before exiting your store allows you to strike up conversations that relate to their purchases or conversations, leading to that one-item shopper leaving with that extra “candy bar.”
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 13 Odin’s Innovations Citronella Scent Beads and Liquid Mosquitoes—the very word can make you itch. Depending on where your shop is located, pre-season bowhunting prep or early-season typically sits parallel mosquito season. A great conversation starter, and add-on to any sale, is Odin’s Citronella products. Odin’s offers both Citronella Scent Beads and Liquid. Scent Beads include the company’s trademark biodegradable polymer beads infused with scent. Poured into the company’s net bag and hung by the provided clip, they offer an effective solution to deterring biting insects. Scent Beads dispense scent for up to 30 days. Liquid scents include a long-lasting oil base that can be squirted on hats, or vegetation near stands/blinds to repel pesky insects. Learn more at odinsinnovations.com. Bow Spider P roblem solvers are the best add-on products, and sales-counter conversations are the best way to introduce customers to a potential problem, and a valid solution. When a customer buys a bow they know they need accessories, but most don’t think about how they are going to carry their bow in the field. This makes a Bow Spider the perfect add-on sale for any bow purchase. The Bow Spider includes a slotted “puck” and separate bolt-on adaptor post. The Bow Spider puck attaches to daypacks, belts, or even a truck headrest or shop wall, the adaptor post directly to the bow. The bow-attached post slips smoothly and quietly into the base puck, holding any bow securely, while also making it instantly accessible. It makes a great storage option, and the best way to keep hands free while bowhunting but a bow handy. Learn more at bowspider.com. .30-06 Outdoors SNOT Station E very archer needs string lube, and .30-06 Outdoors offers a snazzy Point Of Purchase display shop owners can place right on the front counter. Start the conversation about string care and then point your customers to the display in front of them for a low-cost and highly effective solution. The SNOT Station 78-Piece Display includes an allinclusive countertop unit perfect for encouraging add-on Point Of Purchase sales. The display includes 30 StringSNOT Lubricants to treat, protect and prolong the life of bowstrings and buss cables; 12 ArrowSNOT Lubricants for easier arrow extraction from tough foam targets; 12 RailSNOT Crossbow Lubricants to prolong the life of crossbow strings; 12 BowSNOT Parts Pen Oiler for tight spots such as limb bolts and axles; and 12 X-Fuel Crossbow Rail Fluid formulated especially for today’s high-performance crossbows. Learn more at 30-06outdoors.com. Black Ash Outdoors Tree Stand Wingman T he Tree Stand Wingman from Black Ash Outdoors is a fine example of a product offering a solution—protecting bowhunters from potential treestand falls and resulting injury. For your customer this potential is not the reason they came into your shop, but what better way to build a relationship than by preventing injury or saving a life? The Tree Stand Wingman substantially lowers the risk of spine compression injuries by providing a smooth, controlled descent in the event of a fall. They also greatly diminish the risk of suspension trauma and reduces impact force by 66 percent compared to standard safety-harness lanyard systems. This patented, 2-pound product meets OSHA 1926.502 and ANSI Z351 safety standards and accommodates hunters weighing from 70 to 300 pounds. Learn more at treestandwingman.com.
14 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 Check the Boxes hould I sell this brand of accessories? What do you think about offering this service? Does it seem like a good idea to do this shoot on my range? I’m often asked questions like these by newer ATA members, both in retail and manufacturing. Most of the time, the ideas are solid. But giving a definitive answer of good or bad isn’t so easy. Knowing if your business is offering the right products or services really comes down to knowing yourself, your customers and your business. To know if you are making the right decisions, think about whether you can answer “yes” when asked these questions about the product or service: Do I believe in it? Does it meet a need or solve a problem for my customer? Can I sell it and be profitable? Do I believe in it? ■ There’s not much sense in offering a product or service if you know it’s likely to disappoint a customer. This doesn’t mean you should only offer high-end, high-dollar products. Lower-priced options may not offer the same features or durability as their pricier counterparts but may still provide a high value for segments of your customer base. Selling products you believe in doesn’t necessarily mean they’re what you personally use, but it does mean you are familiar enough to know what customers can expect. Believing in a product also means having confidence in the source. In manufacturing, this would be knowing and trusting the provider of your components; from fasteners to raw materials, every element that goes into the final product matters. In retail, it’s having confidence in the manufacturer and their ability to service the product after the sale. INSIDE THE INDUSTRY YOUR ATA INSIGHTS S BY KURT SMITH, COURTESY OF THE ATA Does it meet a need?■ Customers come to you because they have a need to be met or a problem to be solved. Does your product or service satisfy that need or solve that problem? To answer this question, you need to have a deep understanding of all your customer segments. There isn’t one product or service that meets every need. For example, a basic hunting tune-up probably doesn’t mean much to a competitive target archer. Think about your different customer types and make your product selections based on what will help them enjoy better experiences on the range or in the woods. By the same token, develop your service offerings with specific customer groups in mind. That could mean basic lessons paired with range time for recreational archers or a fullon long-distance group tuning session for outdoor target archers. In either case, there is purpose behind the decision and it starts with knowing the customer. Is it profitable?■ You are in this industry because you have a passion for it, but you’re reading this article because you also want (and need) to make a living. As much as you need to put the needs of customers first, it can’t happen at the expense of your profitability as a business. When determining which products and services to add to your offerings, be honest with yourself about what profit margins you must make to pay the bills and still add to your bottom line. Determining if a product can be profitable is straightforward— figure out your cost from the manufacturer or distributor and then determine the real-world selling price (considering MAP pricing, local competitors and e-commerce sites). If the math checks out, you’re probably good to go. Doing the same analysis on a service may be a little trickier. In this case, not only do you need to look at what a realistic price point may be, but also all the costs that go into offering that service. These include things like payroll for an instructor or technician and overhead expenses like rent and utilities for the space. Breaking even on the cost for the service and the pay rate for your employee likely means you are losing money when all is said and done. While everyone can give tips and insights on what products and services work in their business, only you can determine what is right for you. Know the products and services you can stand behind, as this builds trust among your customer base and makes you more than just a source for gear. Know your customers, as you are there to solve their problems. You need to have the right gear and services to accomplish that goal. And know your business, as any sale that runs through your register or invoicing system must help you achieve your goal of putting money in the bank. Be intentional about what you offer and you’ll find yourself with happier customers and a growing business. Getting into these details can be challenging. If you are looking for help, or maybe just some inspiration on how you can refine your business processes, check out the MyATA Learning Center where you can find the Archery Industry Masterclass and other business courses geared toward archery professionals. Your ATA membership gives you exclusive access and reduced pricing on a wide variety of content. If you have questions on where to start, email me at [email protected]. IA 3 3 3
Musacchia Broadheads for Sale Here is a rare opportunity to purchase a proven, turn-key archery business that can be operational in a very short time. On March 2023, John Musacchia Jr.’s home, and the headquarters of Musacchia Broadheads, suffered a devastating fire while he was away from home. While the upper floor living quarters were destroyed, the basement that held Musacchia Broadheads’ manufacturing machinery and sealed containers of parts was left relatively untouched. John “Muz” Musacchia Jr., was the CEO of Muzzy Products Corporation during its most profitable years as a privately owned company. He is willing to help the new owner set up manufacturing to compete with overseas pricing, while enjoying the luxury of on-site quality control. Further assets include all CNC programming, written and refined for maximum production and all machinery. This includes: modified Cincom b12 CNC lathe turning out a ferrule every 30 seconds; INSIDE THE INDUSTRY INDUSTRY NEWS Tormach CNC vertical milling center with custom auto loading and unload automation producing one trocar tip every 20 seconds; and a trocar tip machine capable of milling one trocar tip every 5 seconds. John will assist in start-up and training on all machinery, including the highvolume trocar machine, which he built with Ron Browne, formally the second in command of engineering at American Safety Razor—the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial razor blades at the time. John also has a fully engineered half build razor blade shuttlestyle machine shuttle estimated to produce 30 blades per minute. Other assets include a full set of drawings for a rotary indexable blade machine (valued at $150,000), knowledge of all tool feeds, speeds and programming, and the ability to set up all tooling and automation. John can help the buyer set up a quality control program and be in full production inside one year. John can aid with marketing, improving manufacturing efficiency, product handling and flow. John owns all the dies to manufacture 3- and 4- hunting and practice blades (original value $80,000), custom-built handling systems for blades, broadheads and raw materials from inspection through packaging. All packing and design is complete, with all UPC codes, trademarks, website and online shop in place. Also supplied will be a list of suppliers and contacts with solid relationships, and a huge selection of promotional materials. Current parts inventory includes 30,000 3-blade bodies, 30,000 4-blade bodies, 30,000 finished trocar tips ready for assembly/packaging and 20,000 raw tips ready for processing, 30,000 3-blade and 10,000 4-blade hunting blades, 25,000 3-blade and 20,000 4-blade practice blades, 20,000 packing boxes for completed broadheads packaging, and more. With the events of the COVID years, the loss of his mother, and the house fire, John does not have the heart to continue on his own. But he does want to see the
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM company continue, and would be happy to guide a new owner through the many pitfalls of producing and marketing a quality broadhead. | FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT JOHN AT (518) 400-0669. ATA Show Recognized Among the Top 100 Largest Trade Shows The ATA Show was recently recognized by Trade Show Executive Media Group as one of the 100 largest trade shows in 2022. The ATA Show is the largest show in the archery and bowhunting industry. “Despite a challenging post-COVID environment for the trade show business, the ATA Show is still among the largest shows in the country,“ said Jeff Poole, ATA’s president and CEO. “We look forward to welcoming ATA members to the 2024 ATA Show in St. Louis next January for another grand celebration of archery.” The 2022 ATA Show was held in Louisville, Kentucky. The 2023 ATA Show in Indianapolis built off the 2022 event with a 21 percent increase in attendance year-over-year. “We congratulate you on this amazing achievement—especially after all we went through climbing out of the pandemic in 2022,” TSE Vice President and Editor-inChief Gabrielle Weiss said. “We are all excited to see these longstanding, iconic shows continue to make the Gold 100 list and to add some new names to the ranks.” The 2024 ATA Show will be held at America’s Center in St. Louis, MO, for the first time in its history from January 11 to 13, 2024. Booth selection is already underway as the ATA looks to continue building off the growth in 2023. | COMPANIES INTERESTED IN EXHIBITING AND ARCHERY RETAILERS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION AT ATASHOW.COM. Pope & Young is Taking Over Texas Pope & Young, America’s leading bowhunting conservation organization, is excited to announce their first Texas based Bowhunters Bash, which will be held December 2nd, 2023. Pope & Young is joining forces with their good friends from YETI to create an event fitting for the great state of Texas. Make plans to join Pope & Young and YETI in Bryan/College Station on December 2nd at the Best Western Premier. Like minded, conservation minded, ethical bowhunters, are joining together for an evening packed full of fun for the entire family. Events include door prizes, raffles, The National Field Judging Championship, Tex-Mex buffet, silent auctions, vendors, outfitters, live auctions, and of course a PYnt Night, because it wouldn’t be Texas without Tex-Mex and beer. Join Pope & Young and show your support for bowhunting conservation. While there, win some prizes, swap some hunting stories, and maybe even book your next big hunt! The Pope & Young Club is North America’s leading bowhunting conservation organization. If you are a fair chase, ethical bowhunter, and you care about preserving the culture and future of bowhunting, then you belong to the Pope and Young Club | FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER GO TO BOWHUNTERS.MURADBID.COM. IA
18 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 Mossy Oak Sponsors ATA’s Connections Celebration Mossy Oak returns as presenting sponsor of Connections Celebration at the 2024 ATA Trade Show INSIDE THE INDUSTRY ATA ACTION ARCHERY TRADE ASSOCIATION archerytrade.org Oak team is excited to celebrate with ATA members. “Mossy Oak is excited to broaden our partnership with ATA in 2024,” Paradise said. “Our title sponsorship of Connections is just one way we continue to not only support our industry but all of our valued customers. We look forward to seeing everyone in St. Louis in 2024!” The Connections Celebration provides an opportunity for attendees to network with retailers, manufacturers, ATA staff, and like-minded business professionals over drinks, food, games and entertainment. The event is a perfect way to meet new contacts, gather new insights and share practical knowledge with your new friends. In addition to great entertainment, ATA awards will be presented for best new products and to those making a significant impact on the archery community. New for 2024, ATA showgoers asked for it and we delivered. Connections will feature more seating options and hearty dinner options, in addition to traditional finger foods. All food and beverages options will be free. The musical guest will be announced in the coming months. The ATA show is a members-only event. Renew your membership or join the ATA now so you can easily register for the ATA show when registration opened in August. All show goers with a valid ATA show badge are welcome to attend the Connections Celebration, no ticket necessary. The Archery Trade Association is the organization for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, sales representatives and others working in the archery and bowhunting industry. The ATA has served its members since 1953. We work to increase the recruitment and retention of new, current and once-active archers and bowhunters. We are the driving force in defending, educating, and lobbying for the greater good of the industry and sport. We preserve and promote archery and bowhunting’s rich heritage to ensure active consumer participation, and successful manufacturing and retailing for generations to come. The organization also owns and operates the ATA Trade Show, the archery and bowhunting industry’s largest and longest-running trade show worldwide. Mossy Oak was established in 1986. Haas Outdoors Inc. is headquartered in West Point, Mississippi, and is home to Mossy Oak. For more than 35 years, Mossy Oak has been a leading outdoor lifestyle brand specializing in developing and marketing modern camouflage designs for hunters and outdoors enthusiasts and helping people get closer to nature. The Mossy Oak Brand and patterns can be found on a multitude of products worldwide. Haas Outdoors Inc. is the parent company of Mossy Oak, BioLogic, Capture Productions, MOOSE Media, Nativ Nurseries, Nativ Living, GameKeepers, GameKeepers Kennels, Mossy Oak Properties, and Mossy Oak GO. Mossy Oak is the official camouflage of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Mack’s Prairie Wings, and Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. For additional show sponsorship opportunities, please contact Trey Miller, ATA’s senior manager of marketing and communications, at treymiller@ archerytrade.org. IA F or the second year in a row, the ATA is proud to partner with Mossy Oak as presenting sponsor for The Connections Celebration at the 2024 ATA show in St. Louis, Missouri, January 11-13, 2024. Connections is the ATA’s marquee show event and is held on opening night, January 11, at 6 p.m. in the America’s Ballroom of the America’s Center. All show goers are invited to attend. “We’re grateful for Mossy Oak’s continued support, and we look forward to welcoming them back as the Connections Celebration presenting sponsor,” said Jeff Poole, ATA’s president and CEO. “Connections is a highlight of the ATA show each year and features food, drinks, entertainment and most importantly, great company. It’s only fitting that Mossy Oak, a brand that’s synonymous with archery and bowhunting, joins us in creating a can’tmiss event for show attendees.” Chris Paradise, senior vice president and chief sales officer at Mossy Oak Enterprise Brands, said the sponsorship demonstrates their dedication to archery and bowhunting, and the Mossy UNITING THE INDUSTRY The Connections Celebration features food, drinks, entertainment and most importantly, great company. PHOTO © ATA.
20 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 The very foundation of Morrell Targets is innovation. That much was made clear when the company was founded in 1986 by Dale Morrell, who had spent two years working on his patented floating center bag target. It is no surprise that, nearly 40 years later, the company continues to emphasize innovation in all areas of its business. In speaking with Tanner Morrell, Dale’s son and the current vice president and marketing director, it became clear that the company is driven by a constant drive for improvement, a fact that benefits Morrell’s many retailers, end users, and the archery industry as a whole. A History of Innovation “When Dad created the patented floating center, it revolutionized the bag target world and set us apart from all the other targets,” Tanner said. “Our bag targets have not changed much. The materials inside have changed, but that floating center design has been the staple since 1986. The evolution for us in terms of bag targets has been in cover designs.” Since that time, the company has made a name for itself with products like the Yellow Jacket 425. It’s currently one of the company’s best-selling targets and can be used with both compounds and crossbows. In addition, Morrell recently introduced a new innovation in bag targets. “We are in the process of patenting new technology that has never been done before,” Tanner said. It’s in the Kinetic 1.0 and the Kinetic X. We’ve seen some very good results from this new innovation.” From bag targets, Morrell expanded into target faces and then into broadhead and 3D targets. “Our first broadhead target was the Humungo,” Tanner said. “Now we offer a superior foam Continuous Innovation BY MICHAELEAN PIKE
21 JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM target called the High Roller. We’ve seen significant growth with that when we came out with it in 2018 and cannot keep up with orders.” The company also offers 3D targets. “We actually had the first bag 3D target,” Tanner said. “We had a buck and a bear. They were the best 3D targets on the market, but people wanted to be able to shoot broadheads into their 3D targets. So, we discontinued those targets and moved to a High Roller foam 3D deer, which is now the Transformer line. We have future plans to do more expansion in 3D targets.” Quality & Service When I asked Tanner what has contributed to the company’s longevity, he didn’t need to think about his answer. “It’s quality and service,” he said without hesitation. “Our products stand for themselves,” he continued. “We build nothing but quality here. That’s what we’ve built our reputation on. We consider our brand to be the value option. We will last the longest, and per dollar you put into it, you’re going to get a lot more out of it than anything else in the archery target manufacturing space.” Morrell backs up that reputation for quality with exceptional customer service. “We’ll always do what’s right for the customer,” Tanner said. “We believe the customer is always right. Butch Thomas is the sales manager here, and ever since the beginning, he has led this company in a strategic way. The main focus is customer service. And you can always communicate with someone here. If a customer calls in, we’re still a small enough company that they can go directly to the top if they want to. That type of business is getting increasingly rare, so it’s getting more prized when a company can actually do that.” Dale Morrell also believes that customer service is key to the company’s success. “Butch really is a customer service specialist,” he said. “He takes care of the customers with kid gloves.” The company had developed a reputation for providing exceptional customer service. “I’m on the ATA Board,” Dale continued. “At our last meeting, three or four people came up to me and complimented me on
22 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 what they’ve heard about our service. When other business leaders recognize that, it makes you feel pretty good.” Constantly Testing Morrell’s reputation for offering quality products is largely thanks to its testing process. “We have different grades of material we use for our bag targets,” Tanner explained. “The grade of material you use really makes or breaks a target. If a target is a little more on the economical side, we’ll put a lighter grade in there. And if it’s a more durable, high-end target, we’ll put a higherend grade in there. It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily denser, heavier, or lighter. It just really depends on the material.” The ability to grade raw materials is a key aspect of how Morrell develops its products. “We get hundreds of samples of new material a year,” Tanner said. “We test different raw materials weekly. One thing that makes us stand out from the competition, especially in the bag world, is how we test And I do mean extensive. “It’s called the Morrell Quality Testing Range,” Tanner explained. “We elected to do a free-handed test over a machine-based test, so a human archer shoots into the target at a quarter-sized circle. A machinebased test will put an arrow in the exact same spot and measure how long it takes to get poke-throughs. We didn’t want to use the machine-based test because it’s not natural, especially when it comes to bag targets. That number would not be as accurate. When you have a human shooting, it’s not going into the exact same spot. Every time you hit just slightly off, like a human would, it will push material around, which creates longevity in a target. If you hit one point with an arrow, you create a void. So, when we test, we have a quartersized circle, and if it hits inside of the circle, we count it as a shot.” During the testing process, the company looks at the Poke-Through Count and the Fletching Friction Count. “The Poke-Through Count is how many shots it takes until the arrow tip is poking through the back of the target,” Tanner explained. “That’s the first thing we look at to measure the quality of the target. It’s an important number because that’s where you make the customer happy. If it hasn’t poked through in so many shots, they feel all sorts of raw goods. That’s pretty important. We do the same thing with solidpoured foam mixtures. We’re always looking to improve our ingredients, the formula we use for our solid-poured foam base. We continually work on that.” At Morrell, the drive for continuous improvement promotes a culture of innovation. “We have an open-door policy when it comes to new product innovation,” Tanner said. “You could be a beginner-level stuffer out in the warehouse, and if you have a good idea, we’ll listen. I think that’s where our company really shines. We listen to everyone. We all build upon each other. Once you have an idea, we’ll go out and test that feature. If it works, we’ll keep it. If it doesn’t, we’ll put it aside—no big deal. If you’re not trying anything new, then you’re not improving. You’re not innovating. That’s what we like to do, is continually try. Every time there’s something that doesn’t work, it’s an opportunity. Every time there’s something wrong, it’s a chance to do better on your next go.” Once the company implements an idea and builds a prototype, the new product is then subjected to Morrell’s extensive testing process.
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 23 they got a quality target. “Next is the Fletching Friction Count, which is where you shoot arrows into that spot, and as you shoot so many arrows, it gets to the fletching. The fletchings touch the target. That’s when customers start to get a little bit angry. You’re ruining fletch - ings at that point. Nobody likes that. That’s the most important count. We have to keep that as high as possible compared to that style of target available on the market.” The next part of the process is the Arrow Removal Poundage Test. “We hook up a metal arrow grabber to the arrow, and then we put a scale that mea - sures the weight of force and poundage that it takes to remove that bolt from the target,” Tanner said. “We use several arrows. I be - lieve they use three to five different pulls, and we’ll get an average of the poundage. We’ll know exactly how much force it takes to remove a bolt from the target.” Finally, the company performs a UV test, leaving the target in the sun to see how long it takes before the target begins to fade. “We try to make our testing thorough,” Tanner said. “We keep a log of all those re - sults. And we always write down the set - ups. Our setups will change slightly, but we’ll always note the feet per second, the arrow’s grain, the arrow’s tip, and whether it’s a vertical bow or a crossbow. We know how much kinetic energy is involved and can compare it in that way.” Morrell doesn’t just test its own products. It also puts competitors’ products through its testing process. All of its competitor’s targets have a testing score, and the com - pany applies a great deal of effort to ensure its targets maintain a higher score than other brands. “We have a mountain of competitors’ products up in our attic,” Tanner said. “It’s literally a mountain.” What’s even more impressive about the company’s process is that one employee does all that shooting. “We have one designated shooter,” Tan - ner said. “He’s the best shot in the company. Some of these targets are over 10,000 shots that he’ll have to perform. He’ll use differ - ent types of bows and crossbows. Whether it’s an adult target or a youth target, he’ll have to use the equipment associated with that target. If it’s a 30-pound-and-under target, he’ll use a youth bow. And he always
24 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 stands 15 yards back, not 20. Most people will practice at 20 yards and farther, but he does 15 to give it that extra penetration. So, we’re a little on the conservative end when we give out our numbers.” For Morrell, this exhaustive testing is critical to ensuring that each product the company sells meets customer ex - pectations. “We’ve used this process for years,” Tan - ner explained. “We don’t just throw stuff in a bag and put it on the market. We test it to see what works the best so we can de - liver the best value for people’s money and the best product we can come up with. Our quality is because of our testing and how often we test new materials.” Testing New Marketing The company’s emphasis on continual im - provement extends beyond new product de - velopment into other areas of the company as well. This is especially true of Morrell’s marketing, which has undergone numer - ous changes in recent years. When Tanner joined the company, the marketing department was shortstaffed. With a background in marketing, it made sense that he would take over that department. “When I initially came on board, we had magazine sponsorships and TV celebrity endorsements,” he said. “That was pretty much it. And we had a fairly large budget for that. But now it’s completely different.
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 25 We still do those things, and we have to do them. But the marketing plan here is to try to hit all avenues of marketing. “We started branching off and finding other marketing channels. Those include social media influencers, podcasts, website SMS messaging advertising, and email campaigns. We have Google Analytics to follow and market to. We also have YouTube-based advertisement and merchandising to pass out.” Just as with product development, the company applies its emphasis on testing and improvement to its marketing strategy. “If we discover a new marketing channel, we give it a try,” Tanner said. “We look at the KPIs (key performance indicators) from it and see if it’s valuable enough to continue. If it works, we will make it a part of the budget. A lot of these marketing approaches didn’t exist not too long ago, so we never really approached them. But now we’re starting to add the initiative to try everything once and see what happens. It’s important to test all those marketing components and see what’s worth keeping around.” Ultimately, Tanner believes all of that testing has paid off. “As far as archery target manufacturers go, I feel very strongly that we have not just the biggest marketing budget, but also, I think we execute a little better,” he said. “Of course, I’m biased, but it sure does seem that way in talking to other people and seeing what’s out there.” But Tanner doesn’t just handle the marketing. He is also heavily involved in streamlining the company’s processes as well. And it won’t surprise you to learn that the same drive for continuous improvement impacts other areas of the business. “A lot of the things I devote my time to are internal processing,” Tanner said. “That involves coming up with and innovating better ways of conducting business through our processing. I spend a lot of my time processing orders, organizing accounts and restructuring how we conduct business internally.” Investing in Archery It makes sense for a company to work hard to improve itself and its products. But Morrell Targets doesn’t stop there. As a team of passionate archers and bowhunters, they’re dedicated to ensuring the future of archery is strong and healthy. “We really push for things that help to better and grow the industry,” Tanner said. “We always talk about that. My dad is very passionate about growing youth awareness in archery. He does that in several ways. He created an organization called Youth Outdoor Education. It was a program to bring kids outdoors and shoot archery. That evolved into Archers USA/Varsity Archery, which has an umbrella of subsidiaries dedicated to growing archery. ISC (Individual Shooting Code) is the foundation of the Varsity Archery System. ISC is a measuring system allowing multiple archers to use
26 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 one bow. ISC helps the instructors measure a student archer’s draw length, release to hand measurement, anchor point to eye measurement and more. Once somebody knows this code, it can fit their profile of exactly how long their draw length needs to be and what kind of peep sight they need. If somebody has that code, they can set up a varsity bow, and they can shoot. “Varsity Archery helps introduce kids to shooting fully equipped compound bows in competitions. It’s like NASP, but it uses a fully decked-out bow with sights and pins. It’s more evolved for hunting. “Morrell supports youth archery, and we’re committed to helping other organizations continue to grow. For the past 20 years, we have been one of the top contributors to NASP. And we’re proud to be so heavily involved. NASP is so passionate about the impact the sport of archery has on children’s lives. We couldn’t be more honored to sponsor such a great program. “My goal—and it’s a large one—is to have Varsity Archery be a letter sport in “My screenplay Archers-Robin is sitting on several studio executives’ desks at the moment,” he said. “We had two studios give us feedback for script adjustments. This is going to be a really good project for the industry. It’s going to do tremendous things for archery. It’s going to show everybody in the world that if you use a pin on their archery sight, and a release and a rest and a peep sight, you can be good, quick. That’s what my system does. Instinctive shooting is great, but you must have time to do it. “This is what I do. I try to develop youth, and I try to do it in a very big way.” That passion for working to strengthen the future of archery isn’t limited to Dale Morrell. “When the owner thinks like that, we tend to all think like that,” Tanner said. “It starts from the top down. We all have a passion for archery, and I think that’s why this industry is so cool. It’s a hobby. This is what people do when they have time, and they get to choose how they want to spend that time. We’re all very passionate about high school,” Dale said. “We’re doing that right now in two or three states. But we feel strongly that archery is for everyone. Anybody can shoot archery. Varsity Archery gives these kids an opportunity to wear a high school team jersey. It’s a great way to let a kid be part of something. I think that’s a big problem today. With social media, they’re afraid they’re not part of anything. That’s why I put so much energy into expanding archery. Kids don’t play outside like they did when I was younger. I think kids are getting robbed of their childhood because they are locked up inside all the time.” Dale sees Varsity Archery as the next step up from NASP. “It creates a bridge from NASP to the lifelong archer,” he explained. “NASP is such a great program; this is the next step up. We’re working on holding a national Varsity Archery tournament next spring.” Dale has also invested a great deal of time and energy into writing novels and working on potential movie projects that would showcase archery in a very big way.
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM the industry, and we want to see it grow. Any chance we see to figure out how to make this industry larger and impact more people’s lives, we’ll typically take the extra step to be a part of that initiative.” The Future of Morrell Morrell Targets currently offers a large variety of archery targets and employs up to 100 people during its busy season. Those employees—including long-time National Sales Manager Butch Thomas, Production and Logistics Manager Tiger Backus, and Office Manager Sabrina House—ensure that Morrell remains known for quality, innovation, and service. The company has big plans for the future. “We’re looking to expand the High Roller foam in the 3D space,” Tanner said. “We want to be known for being able to supply you with anything in the way of targets. Naturally, if we’re going to do that, we need to have 3Ds. We’re definitely going to push harder toward that. We are confident from our testing that we have the best foam available. We think that High Roller foam is the best in terms of durability and ease of arrow removal.” And while Tanner couldn’t give too many details, he was particularly excited about an upcoming product. “It’s called the Mod Pro,” he said. “This target will revolutionize the archery target category. It’s one of those targets that fits just about every archer’s needs. We asked the pros, dealers, shooters and different people inside the archery industry what they would like to see in a target. We believe we have met the standards. We look forward to the feedback we will receive at all the shows next year.” And as always, the company plans to look for ways to innovate. “We’re going to offer more quality archery targets,” Tanner said. “More variety. When we see an opportunity to improve our products, process, marketing, and sales, we’re going to take that leap. We really thrive on improving and innovating—our products and every aspect of the business.” IA
28 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT T BY PATRICK MEITIN Trophy Ridge Digital React Trio Pro WebXtra ■ For a closer look at this product and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. mover, and now digital mover versions that give archers range capabilities beyond even the generous React Pro 7. You may have no intention of shooting at live game at 100-plus yards, but a full summer of extreme-range foam-target practice sharpens shooting skills to make 40 yards on a trophy whitetail or bull elk seem like a chip shot. Full disclosure: I’m not a big fan of single-pin mover sights. I’m just not cool enough under pressure to remember to jockey a single aiming point when faced with the sudden appearance of trophy game. The React Trio Pro alleviates much of that aversion by providing three fixed pin positions to cover shots at 20, 30 and 40 yards—the shorter ranges that breed urgency and compel me to loose my mind and forget to move a single pin to a precise yardage when a coveted big-game animal appears suddenly to provide a fleeting shot opportunity. Those two .019-inch diameter horizontal/vertical and .010-inch diameter vertical pins are also part of Trophy Ridge’s React technology, insofar as setting pin gaps to corelate to a specific rophy Ridge’s React Technology is something I’ve enjoyed for a decade in fixed-pin models like the React Pro (5-pin) and React Pro 7. This technology requires sighting in only a couple pins, say the 20 and 40, and then confidently knowing every pin in the stack will provide dead-nuts reliability at all other ranges, without the worry of a bad day or a bout of target panic making other pin settings questionable. Since those first fixed-pin options, Trophy Ridge has introduced both bow setup and resulting arrow speed. But, of course, the Digital React Trio Pro offers still more versatility, while still providing ultra-fast (10 minutes or less) and efficient setup and sight-in from 20 to 100-plus yards, depending on bow and arrow dynamics. All adjustments can be made on the bright LED screen, which provides a digital readout of targeted distances. Detailed instructions, and a how-to video, are provided by Trophy Ridge, so I’ll not waste limited space belaboring details. But in a nutshell, the vertical pin is sighted at 40 yards using the tool-less elevation and windage knobs, the digital component powered up, a chronographed arrow speed entered and the sight is ready. Adjustments can also be made manually, sighting in the 20- and 30-yard horizontal pins with the mover mechanism dial moved to the highest position. The LED screen offers customizable colors, brightness control, distance increments, and up to five setup profiles for specific arrow weights. Third-axis leveling is included to ensure pin-point accuracy across uneven terrain. The sight’s internal battery is rechargeable using the provided 6-foot USB cord and plug, and should battery power be exhausted in the field, backup sight tapes/yardage indicators are provided. The 13-ounce sight takes the guesswork out of sighting in, providing confidence in every shot, at any viable range. Learn more by visiting beararchery.com. IA
30 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS PRO SHOP ESSENTIALS BY PATRICK MEITIN Last Chance Archery WebXtra ■ For a closer look at these products and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. ment, it is compatible with firearms, bows, and crossbows. This vise includes a mounting clamp that spreads 2 3/8 inches to secure any bench or table, or an LCA bow press. A Multi-Axis Head and two insert sets are included—a Stabilizer Head or AR-15 Head are sold as additional options. The Multi-Axis Head holds almost anything and includes smaller flat surface inserts and larger inserts with rubber pads to provide maximum versatility. Setting any bow’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd axis becomes much easier. The Stabilizer Head uses a threaded insert to mount into a standard bow stabilizer mounting tap and will tilt in any direction. It includes levels for more precise adjustments. The threaded insert sports a quick release mechanism to quickly go on and off any bow. Finally, the AR15 Head plugs into an AR-15’s magazine well to hold it securely while mounting accessories. A 5 percent discount is offered when all three heads are purchased together through the Revolution Vise—Ultimate Kit. Find more details by visiting lastchancearchery.com. IA T ech services—working on bows and building quality arrows—are vital to operating any archery pro shop. Without the availability of these services, customers will conduct archery business online or with big box stores. Employing the right tools saves you time, and since time is money, it improves your bottom line. Last Chance Archery offers solutions, including these three must-have Last Chance Archery (LCA) shop tools. LCA’s Revolution Arrow Saw uses a water dripper system and shop vac attachment to reduce unhealthy and messy carbon dust. An attached (not-included) shop vac collects carbon dust and water during operation. This new and innovative arrow saw comes with deburring and squaring tools, an integral broadhead wrench, and assorted wire brushes and mops for cleaning shaft interiors for superior component adhesion. The integrated arrow spinner facilitates checking arrow straightness. Choose between 115 or 230-volt options, the latter of which includes an EU two-prong plug employed in most European countries. This arrow saw includes water drip and vacuum attachments and the blade and motor housing significantly reduces noise and carbon dust. Adjustments for cutting to length and ensuring 100 percent square cuts are fast and easy. The 10,000-rpm motor produces clean cuts and is exceptionally quiet. This revolutionary arrow saw retails for $595. The Revolution Arrow Tuner by LCA is the first of its kind, allowing techs to quickly square the insert and nock ends of every shaft, tune broadheads, and check arrow straightness. Tuning broadheads is made more accessible by helping to correct misalignments between arrow, insert, and broadhead. The Revolution Arrow Tuner and arrow are first leveled, a broadhead installed, the dial indicator then checking broadhead alignment to within .001-inch. Techs can also use the dial indicator to check arrow straightness. It is the perfect tool for the accuracy obsessed and retails for $539. Finally, no shop should be without LCA’s stout and versatile Revolution Vise (MSRP $350). With the proper head attachtop to bottom: LCA Revolution Vice, LCA Revolution Arrow Tuner, and LCA Revolution Arrow Saw.
32 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 Scent Control ~&~ Attractant Juggernauts ~•~ Well-stocked aisles of attractants, feed and mineral supplements, scent lure, and elimination products keep customers coming back for more. ~•~ BY GARY LEWIS Scent Control ~&~ Attractant Juggernauts ~•~ Well-stocked aisles of attractants, feed and mineral supplements, scent lure, and elimination products keep customers coming back for more. ~•~ BY GARY LEWIS
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 33 A n archery store is so much more than a place for a hunter to buy bows and arrows. It’s a community, a lifestyle. If you own a shop, you know this already, but your new customers might not realize it yet. A bowhunter, whether this is their first season or their 40th, is part of a tight-knit fraternity. At the heart of it is a new hunter walking through the door, getting a smile from the guy or girl behind the counter and being guided to the products they need to have a shot at success this season. Across the country the most popular game animal is the whitetail deer, but this doesn’t begin and end with deer season. Some hunters are targeting bears. Others are gearing up to hunt elk, either at home or on some western skyline. And many are hoping to lure hogs and set up an opportunity to run an arrow through its boiler room. Feed and mineral supplements, scents, lures, and attractants, as well as scent elimination products, are all part of your customers’ recipe for success. These products are intriguing to hunters old and new because they offer countless new ways to explore the hunt on their home ranges, on their leases, and further afield. It’s a huge growth opportunity for the archery shop that implements the right products. At Inside Archery we did the homework for you, providing a look at some of our favorites out of the newest, hottest items on the market (and some that haven’t even hit the shelves yet). Well-stocked aisles of attractants, feed and mineral supplements, scent lures and concealment products add up to a tantalizing feast for the eyes. Customers, like deer to a feeder, keep coming back for more. Feast your eyes on what your best customers will be asking for this season. Feed Attractants ANI-LOGICS OUTDOORS n New for 2023, Black Ops Special Forces Berry Blast Blocks work to attract black bears with the irresistible smell and flavor of natural wild berries. This convenient 20-pound block requires only that customers unwrap it and drop it anywhere they wish to hunt. When hunters deploy the sweet wild berry block, it draws bears in with intense and focused long-range attraction, bringing bears beneath stands. Use solo or pair with other Black Ops Special Forces products as the ultimate bear bait attraction. Implementing the most up-to-date technology in the hunting industry, Black Ops Special Forces offers a killer combination for harvesting big bears. Check them out at anilogics.com ANTLER KING n If a customer wants to supplement deer and elk feed during the peak antler growth months in their backyard or on the back 40, Antler King Deer & Elk Pellets offer a solid solution. These 50-pound bags hold a high-protein formulation that promotes antler growth with vitamins, minerals, and also a yeast culture to enhance digestion. Used by deer and elk ranchers, landowners, backyard feeders, and hunters, it’s a good supplement for use on properties big or small. Antler King’s RackMaker is another great option. Each 40-pound bag works in gravity or spin-cast feeders and contains a blend of pellets and corn coated with soybean oil and molasses for added fat and high appeal. It also includes roasted soybeans and black oil sunflower seeds and AMP, a proprietary digestive health supplement. Some states regulate baiting deer and elk in season, so check local laws prior to promoting these products to hunters. Check them out at antlerking.com. BUCK BOURBON n Buck Bourbon’s 110 Proof Deer Attractant Block offers the company’s proven formula bonded into block form. The 25-pound block provides long lasting attraction, with a sweet aroma and intoxicating taste deer love. The proprietary grain by-product recipe is made in the USA, and is a protein-rich attractant that also promotes deer health. This is also an attractant block whitetail deer will actually eat and come back to again and again, and the powerful aroma lures deer from great distances. The blocks are 9-by-9-by-9 inches. Check them out at buckbourbon.com. WILDGAME INNOVATIONS (WGI) n Sometimes deer walk away from lush food plots, soybeans, or corn to nose around in the oaks for the taste of acorns. It can even become an obsession. The same thing happens with bears and hogs. That’s
Scent Control& Attractants 34 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 the reasoning behind WGI’s Acorn Rage. Whether broadcasting it on the ground or topping off a feeder, the natural acorn scent keeps deer interested. Acorn Rage is a blend of crushed acorns and roasted soybeans invested with nutrients that support antler growth and promote better health. This is a product that will sell year-round because it works yearround for animals such as deer and wild boar. It’s offered in 15-pound bags. The Acorn Rage Brick takes the same ingredients and packages it in a convenient feed block. Other Acorn Rage products include Feeder Fat and Liquid, capturing growth and promoting body mass, along with nutritious milk production for lactating does and their new fawns. Deploy Lick Magic year-round to maximize overall herd health and to keep deer hanging around. Lick Magic contains 11-13 percent calcium, 62-67 percent salt, 0.05 percent magnesium and potassium, trace amounts of copper, selenium, zinc and manganese, and vitamins A, D and E. Check them out at antlerking.com. REDMOND HUNT n Trophy Rock is an allnatural attractant that provides 60-plus trace minerals needed for optimum deer that pure acorn scent to soak into the ground or a stump. Check them out at wildgameinnovations.com. Mineral Supplements ANTLER KING n Lick Magic Apple Flavored Mineral is packed with essential minerals and vitamins. The 23-pound bucket is easy to carry and ideal for long-term storage. The strong apple aroma will draw deer from long distances for maximum attraction. Lick Magic includes several minerals and vitamins that are essential for maximum antler Ani-logics Black Ops Special Forces Berry Blast Block Antler King Deer & Elk Pellets and RackMaker Buck Bourbon 110 Proof Deer Attractant Block Wildgame Innovations Acorn Rage
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 35 health. Deer love and lick Trophy Rock year-round, so it is perfect for attracting, inventorying and scouting. The minerals contained in Trophy Rock give deer the minerals they need to remain healthy and grow higher scoring antlers and stronger bodies. Because Trophy Rock contains no chemicals, deer return to it again and again. The mineralized salt rocks last much longer than pressed blocks, especially in wet weather. Trophy Rock is mined in the USA, providing American jobs. Check them out at redmondhunt.com. MOULTRIE n What customer would not trade a $20 bill for the chance to bring more deer down the treeline and stop them for a minute at 25 yards? That’s what the Moultrie Deer Magnet Drip Bag Attractant promises. It is ultra-easy to deploy: open the plastic bag, empty the berry or apple flavored mineral into the provided cloth bag, and hang it from a tree over a new or existing mineral site. Pre-moisten it or let natural rain activate it. The site will refresh itself each time rainwater soaks the cloth bag. Deer will nose the bag, dig, paw, and lick the soil. Check them out at moultriefeeders.com Scent Attractants MRS. DOE PEE n The Game Changer, a new product from Mrs. Doe Pee for 2023, is a 2.5-by-3.5-inch pad soaked in fresh Whitetail Doe in Estrus urine and then freeze dried. This power packed pad is sealed in a mylar bag to remain fresh for years. Once deployed, moisture in the air reactivates the freeze dried powder, and The Game Changer comes back to life to lure bucks beneath stands. Once the seal is broken, the pad can be hung by the provided hole punch over a mock scrape, or it can be dragged while entering stands to create a scent trail. Customers have reported hanging The Game Changer above a mock scrape in early October and having multiple bucks show up on camera, including the biggest bucks in the area. Check them out at mrsdoepee.com. KILLER FOOD PLOTS n SUFFUZE with RAD (React, Attract, Distract) is a positively charged liquid that triggers an immediate reaction from white-tailed deer by stimulating their keen sense of smell. Strong active scents pulls whitetails through natural attraction to these natural scents. The combination of a cover scent and highly potent attractant creates a distraction that provides the opportunity for the hunter to get off a clean shot. These spray cans can be purchased in Sweet Corn, White Oak Acorn, Sugar Beets, Red Apple, Persimmon or Peanut Butter scents, or Red Hot 24 with hot doe estrus and natural bedding scents and RIP with soothing natural bedding scents that peek interest and prove non-threatening. Check them out at killerfoodplots.com. CODE BLUE SCENTS n You and your customers likely know the Code Blue name as being synonymous with deer scents, and they unveiled several new products
Scent Control& Attractants 36 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 for 2023. One of them is the Code Blue Dripper Bag. It is designed to hang on a tree branch or it can also be used to create a scent trail. Each resealable, 2-ounce bag of Grave Digger Scrape Mate Dripper contains pure doe estrous urine that proves effective from mid- to late season. Drip rate is adjustable; simply twist the bottom to dial in the perfect amount of flow. Check it out at codebluescents.com. CRAZY ABOUT OUTDOORS n Crazy About Outdoors (CAO) has your customers covered this hunting season, by helping them disappear into the woods and create a scent barrier with CAO’s line of 100 percent all-natural odor Cover Scent Sprays and Gels. Each option is offered in five aromas common in various habitats, including dirt, oak, cedar, pine and spruce compatible with the vegetation types found in your customer’s favorite hunting grounds. Use the spray on boots, clothing and around stands and blinds. The no mess gel is a long lasting, more intense scent that evaporates in 24 to 48 hours. It can be used while on stand or on tree limbs and the foliage around blinds. All scents are made in small, fresh batches throughout the season. Beat the nose that knows this season and get lost with Crazy About Outdoors cover scents, retailing for just $6.99. Check them out at crazyaboutoutdoors.com. INVENTIVE OUTDOORS n Since Inventive Outdoors’ FUZED Whitetail Estrous is a urine-based attractant that is not collected from deer or any other cervid, it is more likely to be legal in the state you operate in. In addition, the product is found to last 66 percent longer in the field than natural deer urine. Other FUZED scents include Whitetail Buck, Doe, and Tarsal. Inventive Outdoors also offers their products as bundles, including Scent Relief Estrous, Tarsal, and Apple attractant. Check them out at inventiveoutdoors.com. LETHAL PRODUCTS n Your customers know they must cover their scent if they want the best chance at a deer, bear, coyote or hog this fall. Lethal Field Spray Antler King Lick Magic Apple Flavored Mineral Crazy About Outdoors Cover Scent Gel and Spray Inventive Outdoors FUZED Whitetail Estrous Lethal Field Spray Dirt X3 Combo Vapor Trail Scents 33 Point Buck and Vapor Maker Odin’s Innovations Liquid Scents Redmond Hunt Trophy Rock Moultrie Deer Magnet Drip Bag Attractant Mrs. Doe Pee The Game Changer Killer Food Plots SUFFUZE Code Blue Grave Digger Scrape Mate Dripper
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM Dirt X3 Combo acts as a cover agent, attractant and scent eliminator in one. The active scent-destroying ingredient is zinc ricinolate, a highly effective odor absorber. To mix the field spray, pour the boost activator into the 32-ounce spray bottle, replace sprayer and shake gently. Spray the activated product onto hunting clothes, gear, and equipment, including boot bottoms. For best results use within 90 days of activation. Check them out at lethalproducts.com. VAPOR TRAIL SCENTS n At the heart of the Vapor Trail Scents system is a powerful scent eliminator and attractant called 33 Point Buck. Sold in a 32-ounce container, it’s best deployed with the company’s Vapor Maker or Mini Vapor Maker systems. Company founder Rex Holmes, Jr. formulated 33 Point Buck from five plants gathered in the woods near his Mississippi home, so the product is all natural. The formula is also used in the company’s shampoo and body wash and can also be purchased in a 4-ounce bottle. One of Vapor Trail Scents’ bestsellers is Dig-A-Hole, which comes in persimmon, sweet corn and Hogzilla Muy Grande flavors. Use it to turn 300 pounds of corn into a pure sugar attractant that will attract animals from miles around. The company’s estrous scent comes in a 4-ounce bottle and is called My Shelia Doe-N-Heat. Retailing for $13, it is real doe estrous containing the pheromones and vaginal secretions that drive rutting bucks mad. Check them out at vaportrailscents.com. Scent Lures ODIN’S INNOVATIONS n Odin’s Innovations Scent Beads and newer Liquid Scents come in a huge assortment of aromas while offering a variety of dispersal options. And as a result of their acquisition of Hunter’s Kloak, there’s an option for misters as well. Overall, Odin’s offers a dozen liquid lure scents. The liquid comes in a 4-ounce bottle with a directional squirt cap. Just point and squeeze. That’s how easy it is to use this lure for deer, hogs, and bear. Squirt it on trees, stumps or on the ground in front of blinds, stands or trail cameras. Squirt any of the liquid scents high on tree branches or bushes to allow the wind to disperse scent over wider areas. Don’t overlook Odin’s Citronella Scent, which masks the smells of human sweat and carbon dioxide to which mosquitoes are drawn. Odin’s original long-lasting and biodegradable Scent Beads—available in 3- and 12-ounce bottles that fit easily in a backpack—come in a large variety of synthetic scent options as well, including whitetail glandular and food options. They continue to draw game for up to 30 days, remaining effective long after other scents have vanished. Odin’s provides a great choice for implementing an overall baiting strategy—including cover scents for you and your gear, and an option to keep mosquitoes away. Check them out at odinsinnovations.com
Scent Control& Attractants 38 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 BLACK WIDOW DEER LURES n If you have a special customer who needs a full scent lure system going into the rut, consider the Black Widow Ultimate Rut Package, which comes complete with HotN-Ready XXX, Dominator, Scrape Bead, Branch Butter, Scrape Master Scrape Beads, and scent sticks and wicks. Tailor the scents to your region and the time of the rut with the Ultimate Rut and/or the Ultimate Scrape package. They come in Northern and Southern options dictated by the Mason-Dixon line. Check them out at blackwidowdeerlures.com NORTHWOODS BEAR PRODUCTS n Some of your customers undoubtedly like to head to the north woods to hunt black bears, and whether they go guided or set up their own bait sites, they will be seeking an edge over other hunters. Eight-ounce Northwoods Gold Rush is a powerful butterscotch aroma that mixes easily with fryer grease at a ratio of 1 to 2 ounces per 5 gallons of grease. Northwoods Spray Scents are a great attractant or cover scent to be sprayed around the bait site. Spray out to 20 feet or use as a mist. These are available in anise, bacon, beaver castor, blueberry, butterscotch, cinnamon, donut, gold mist, grape, honey, loganberry, raspberry, watermelon, and wild cherry. Check them out at northwoodsbearproducts.com. WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER n Wildlife Research Center now offers an anywhere, anytime mock scrape solution called the Active-Branch Mock Scrape Kit. It is easily mounted on any tree, or even a wooden post in a pinch. The branch holder allows users to mount two branches on a single base; an interaction branch and a Black Widow Deer Lures Ultimate Rut Package Northwoods Bear Products Gold Rush and Blueberry Bear Attractants Wildlife Research Center Active-Branch Mock Scrape Kit Tink’s PEAK30 Peak Heat Premium Doe Estrus
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM second branch to mount the scrape dripper to so scent drips through the licking branch for added realism. The kit includes a mounting strap, Magnum Scent Dripper and 4-ounces of Golden Scrape premium scrape scent. Check them out at wildlife.com. TINK’S n Tink’s promise with the PEAK30 Peak Heat Premium Doe Estrus (1-ounce glass bottle, MSRP $15.99) is pure urine collected during the peak of standing estrus and guaranteed to contain 30pg/ml of estrogen. Apply on the ground, over a scrape or mock scrape and on low hanging limbs and leaves along main deer trails for best results. Check them out at tinks.com Scent Elimination HUNTER’S SPECIALTIES n The Scent-AWay MAX Home Kit from Hunter’s Specialties offers a cost-savings package of proven scent-elimination products. The kit contains an all-inclusive program of scent killing products, including a 12-ounce bottle of odorless Body Wash & Shampoo, odorless Antiperspirant, 18-ounce bottle of odorless Laundry Detergent and a 15-pack of odorless Dryer Sheets. Hunters can leave the house scent free and ready to hit the field without trailing offensive human odors. Check them out at hunterspec.com. DEAD DOWN WIND n The company from Covington, Georgia, has been staking their reputation on the promise in their name—Dead Down Wind—since 2006. In the field, on the body, and in the washing machine, the key to these formulas are enzymes that destroy odors at the molecular level. The latest from Dead Down Wind is Black Premium Kit, including new packaging that your customers will take notice of. The ultimate trial kit includes a 12-ounce field spray, 12-ounce 3-in-1 wash and 20-ounce laundry detergent, with an all-in retail price of just $29.99. Check them out at deaddownwind.com. ATSKO SNO-SEAL n Atsko’s N-O-DOR Oxidizer System uses oxidation compounds Hunter’s Specialties Scent-A-Way MAX Home Kit Dead Down Wind Black Premium Kit Atsko Sno-Seal N-O-DOR Oxidizer System Nose Jammer Silent Series Elimishield HUNT Core Body Foam The Outdoor Group Sensory Disruption System The best target retention for better target shooting! •Adheres paper and vinyl targets to cardboard, plastic, haybales, poly-wrapped bags, foam blocks and more! •Durable, reusable, holds on impact •Perfect for firearm, air-gun, and archery targets • 833-822-5748 • targettackllc.com Family Owned and Operated
Scent Control& Attractants 40 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 to safely destroy the organic material that causes odor. The Pro Pump Kit makes more than a gallon of N-O-DOR Oxidizer to deodorize clothing, hair, skin and other surfaces. It can be safely applied directly to the skin. Wash clothes with Atsko’s Sport-Wash and use affordable Sport-Wash hair and body soap to clean the body. The Kit creates 4 liters of Oxidizer. Use spray on clothes and boots on the way to the blind and re-apply in the field. Check them out at atsko.com. NOSE JAMMER n Olfactory-jamming technology is what this Winona, Minnesota company calls their scent elimination system. Nose Jammer overloads the animal’s sense of smell using concentrated doses of organic aromatic compounds. The new Silent Series includes a 4-ounce Silent Pump Spray to block a deer or bear’s ability to detect odors, a 2-ounce Rub On Wax Stick with time release formula, and 28-gram Dust for wind detection. Check them out at nosejammer.com. ents found in SDS are natural substances found in nature, so allow inhibiting game’s sense of smell without causing alarm. The concentrated blend of natural and synthetic compounds overpowers the sense of smell so game cannot smell the hunter, making it a more effective cover scent. Check them out at togllc.com. SCENT THIEF n The trouble with scentelimination laundry detergents is finding a product powerful enough to clean the fabric without degrading it or leaving behind scents that deer, bear, and elk can detect. Scent Thief’s answer is to temporarily disable a deer’s sense of smell rather than using chemicals to mask human odor. Scent Thief’s difference is they seek to reach the thin layer of tissue along the roof of the nasal cavity called the nasal epithelium and relax the receptors in this area of the deer’s nose and blocking the signal. During the hunt, spray at the vehicle and apply to anything that will retain scent such as boots, hats, and packs. Spray during the walk-in and spray on stand every 60 to 90 minutes. Scent Thief’s detergent is safe for technical fibers, carbon apparel and wool, and is safe to apply directly to skin. The product comes in a 32-ounce container. As a part of the total No Smell system, the Scent Thief body wash and shampoo comes in a 16-ounce bottle. Check them out at scentthief.com. SCENT ASSASSIN n Scent Assassin’s formulation prevents the growth of odorcausing microbes on clothing and the ELIMISHIELD HUNT n Formulated to apply directly to skin to eliminate the bacteria that causes human odor, Elimishield’s HUNT Core Body Foam is alcohol free, non-transdermal and includes aloe vera to help moisturize skin, all while being scent-free. Instead of chemicals, Elimishield uses a “micro-mechanical” system to breach bacteria’s exterior barriers and kill them effectively. Apply a small amount of foam into the palms and spread over the entire body, paying special attention to odor-causing areas of the body. This is used anywhere, anytime scent protection delivered in a 7-ounce package and is a great option for the hunter planning to spend two or more days in the field. Check them out at elimishieldhunt.com. THE OUTDOOR GROUP n Sensory Disruption System (SDS) powered by Duel Game Calls helps hunters avoid detection by game using odor molecules to intersect and disrupt game animals’ olfactory senses. The proprietary ingrediScent Thief Earth Scent Body Wash & Shampoo and Laundry Detergent Scent Assassin Laundry Detergent and Body Wash & Shampoo Scent Crusher Ozone Base Camp Generator Scentlok OZ Radial EZ Ozone Generator
JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM skin of hunters. Microbes naturally form a biofilm which results in increased resistance to antimicrobial compounds. Scent Assassin’s antimicrobial components destroy bacteria and target and prevent the formation of biofilms. The third component contains long lasting agents that last for days. The Personal Hygiene and Laundry categories provide a way for hunters to implement the system easily and take advantage of the benefits of scent elimination. The new body wash/shampoo formula retails for $12.99, while personal wipes sell for $5.49. On the laundry side, the detergent that treats 32 loads includes an MSRP of only $8.99, and the Pet Refresh Odor Eliminating detergent retails for $8.99. Check them out at scentassassin.com. SCENT CRUSHER n Based out of Superior, Wisconsin, Scent Crusher’s ozoneactivated technology promises to eliminate odors on clothing and gear with the Scent Crusher Ozone Base Camp Generator. Ozone is proven to reduce and eliminate odors from sweat, soaps, perfume, food and smoke. The Base Camp Generator is a portable and lightweight unit that produces up to 750mg/h of odor eliminating ozone. It includes a carry handle and rear mounting bracket. Use it in closets, cars, RVs, and in the blind. Check them out at scentcrusher.com. OZ BY SCENTLOK n The OZ Radial EZ Ozone Generator offers your customers on-demand odor control, while offering a perfect fit for campers, closets, medium-sized rooms, cabins, and more. This portable ozone generator was designed to quietly seek out and destroy odors and bacteria using ozone technology. OZ’s innovative CycleClean technology allows the generator to regulate output according to needs, which helps achieve maximum efficiency and longer battery life. The unit provides 360-degree output for thorough ozone dispersal and the rechargeable battery lasts up to eight hours. A USB port allows charging handheld devices in the field and it comes with a padded carry case. Check them out at scentlok.com. IA
42 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT A BY PATRICK MEITIN HHA Sports Tetra Max RYZ Tournament Edition WebXtra ■ For a closer look at this product and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. against the front legs of big game. These aiming points include gaps correlating to approximately 20 and 40 yards on most modern compound bows shooting average-weight carbon arrows. Fleeting shot opportunities commonly involve closer shots, inducing anxiety that can lead to forgetting to dial a correct range with a single pin. The Tetra Max RYZ arrangement allows bottoming the mover head/side yardage dial to instantly address 20-, 30-, and 40-yard shots. Less intimate shots typically allow more time for dialing while also demanding more precision as arrow trajectories steepen with distance. Other Tetra Max RYZ features are pure HHA Tetra. Initial rough sight-in requires an Allen wrench to set the Infinite Adjust Plate to zero the top pin at 20 yards when the yardage wheel is bottomed, which allows no-look resets. Once set, windage and elevation are completely toolless—involving the side/locking yardage/elevation wheel and micro-click horizontal windageadjust bar locked by a wing-head bolt. HHA supplies a multitude of water resistant yardage tapes—the longest HHA has yet created—and dual stainless steel pointers. Sight the top pin for 20 yards, carefully determine impact lthough single-pin mover sights have been a bowhunting staple for decades, the more recent trend is multi-pin movers manipulated by a side wheel that offer still more versatility and even more range capabilities. HHA Sports’ Tetra Max RYZ Tournament Edition (4-5-inch Short Bar) is the latest iteration in this revolutionary bowsight trend. The Tetra Max RYZ includes several features I see as wholly practical for bowhunting. The single vertical post holds Dual Pin Technology, each of the two aiming points (green and red in this case) backed by bright .019-inch fiber optic (.010-inch is also offered). Vertical pins obscure less target, and help align shots more quickly when indexed range for the bottom, and find the tape that fits that gap— super-simple and fast. A spare yardage wheel is supplied, allowing setting up for different arrows (heavier or lighter) or bows (faster or slower). The sight is attached to the riser via a mounting block and dovetail extension bar, locked into place with a knurled quick detach knob, or an optional Allen-head set screw, both with non-marring plastic tips. That dovetail bar is compatible with Mathews’ Bridge-Lock Technology. The Infinite Adjust Plate allows 2nd axis adjustment, 3rd axis adjustments conducted at the front of the extension bar. Elevation movement runs on a silky-smooth brass rack and pinion system. The RTA (Rapid Target Acquisition) sight head includes a bright peep alignment ring—recessed to instantly reveal full-draw torque—and integrated bubble level. The Armor-system fiber optic backing each pin is wrapped around the center of the aperture and covered for protection. A mechanical rheostat allows controlling fiber brightness. Overall, the sight includes nearly complete milled-aluminum construction for dependability in the field (it includes a 100 percent Lifetime Warranty), and all adjustment points hold white hash marks for faster sight-in. Check it out at hhasports.com. IA
44 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT U BY PATRICK MEITIN Carter Enterprises Whisper 2 Release WebXtra ■ For a closer look at this product and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. er’s new Whisper 2 release aid in hand, but unable to utilize it. And then have to watch a friend run it through the paces. First of all, Carter makes some of the finest hand-held releases in the business, designs known for exceptionally crisp triggers, flawless operation and awesome ergonomics. How I dearly wish I could have shot this release when I was still able. Instead, friend Byron Ellsworth, a long-time 3-D competitor who has been on several bow-company pro staffs over a 30-year period, got the honors while I took careful notes. Of note, and as the name hints, the Whisper 2 is remarkably quiet. Carter labels this model the quietest hand-held release ever created, which is facilitated by four strategically placed rubber sound dampeners that silence the sear mechanisms. Some handheld releases produce conspicuously auditable clicks and pings. You get none of that with the Whisper 2—a real plus while bowhunting spooky big game. Byron commented on how Carter’s Magnetic Adjustment System produced one of the crispest, creep-free trigger breaks he had ever experienced. This is accomplished without the need for a travel adjustment screw, which makes ntil recently I shot nothing but handheld/thumb-activated release aids. As a long-time finger-shooter, the transition just felt more natural, without the disconnect experienced while using a typical wrist-strap/index-finger triggered release. A major injury to my left hand that left me with an inoperable thumb, minus an index finger, and unable to hold a bow, prompted me to switch to left-hand shooting and an open-hook/wrist-strap release that allows string-loop hookup without the benefit of a working thumb. So, it pains me greatly to have Carttrigger tension customization fast and inherently simple. The system works by adding or removing trigger magnets to create the feel desired. This system is quiet and intuitively straight forward. The 100 percent hardened 440 stainless steel inner workings offer unsurpassed durability and wear resistance. Byron also enjoyed the reverse open jaw, which he found to be fast and silent during D-loop engagement, allowing him to hook up without taking eyes off the target. Byron, sporting a perpetual beard, also appreciated how the jaw opens away from the face, eliminating string and loop contact. After cut-away a magnet automatically resets the hook, though the rear “hammer-throw” lever must be thumbed downward to “cock” the release for subsequent shots. The Whisper 2 design minimizes the string-loop/release-hand gap, allowing extending draw length by a ½-inch without altering an accustomed anchor point. Byron, who shoots a 29-inch draw, tested this feature with one of my 30-inch bows, remarking that he could just nearly shoot the longer draw length comfortably. The two-finger design includes a full index finger ring, and deep crescent middle finger cradle. A polymer third-finger, angle-adjustable extension is easily added, the thumb trigger also adjustable for feel. Large and small handles are available. Byron is now begging me to keep this release… To learn more, just go to carterenterprises.com. IA
46 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY LEADING ARCHERY MANUFACTURERS Maple Leaf Press’ co-owner leadership of Vicki and Doug Patterson, with the assistance of their sons Brad and Matt and daughters-in-law, operate the company out of Grand Haven, Michigan. The Pattersons have owned the company since 1988, though Maple Leaf Press has been in the archery target business since 1969. The availability of uncoated paper continues to be tight, so Maple Leaf strives to keep a large supply of stock on hand to serve most of their needs, which is warehoused in Michigan and other states. This helps the company reduce inventory delays, as special sized uncoated paper often takes three months or more to receive, with synthetic paper often requiring up to six months to fulfill. Though official Maple Leaf Press targets are used by the world’s largest sanctioned archery tournaments—meaning the company’s role as an official target supplier is still a very large part of the business—independent dealers can dds are good that if you have shot a standardized paper archery target during the past few years, that target was printed by Maple Leaf Press. Maple Leaf Press is not only one of the world’s largest suppliers of printed target faces, but the official target supplier for the vast majority of North America and the world’s shooting organizations, including IFAA, FITA/World Archery, NFAA/Vegas, and Rushmore Rumble. Shoot a Maple Leaf target and you will see the official logos of sanctioning parties—logos conspicuously absent from competing target brands. In addition to supplying target faces for the archery world’s largest and most prestigious tournaments, Maple Leaf Press is also a huge supporter of the archery industry at large, donating approximately 5 percent of profits to major archery organizations via royalties, and direct donations and sponsorships. O BY PATRICK MEITIN purchase these targets for use on pro shop ranges, or to sell so customers can enjoy them at home. These targets are the same in every way as the official targets used in sanctioned shoots. Maple Leaf Press believes all archers deserve to shoot the same official targets shot by professionals and team archers, and no one produces as many official faces. Archers can count on the Maple Leaf targets they purchase in local pro shops to be the same as the faces used during official NFAA, IFAA, FITA/World Archery, USA Archery and other events. This means they meet the very strict standards required by these organizations. Other manufacturers may claim their targets are an “official size, color or face,” but if they do not have the official logo held by Maple Leaf Press targets, they are simply not official target faces. Under the leadership of Vicki and Doug Patterson, Maple Leaf Press has grown from a small hobby shop of a retiree to a full time and thriving business that supports and helps the worldwide archery community to flourish. This support is shown by the sheer number of official targets they offer in their impressive lineup. Each official logo represents countless hours of testing paper/material stock for printing, obtaining exact measurements for score rings, X’s and crosshairs, thousands of dollars in donated support to organizaMaple Leaf Press
47 JULY 2023 INSIDEARCHERY.COM tions, and a commitment to providing consistent and approved targets for any official or unofficial event there may be. From its simple beginnings, the first thing required to transform Maple Leaf Press from a hobby to a business was to increase target printing sizes so the company could lower costs. “This allowed Maple Leaf Press to have a stronger presence alongside unofficial competitors that often do little to nothing to support archery,” said Doug Patterson. “We also knew that in order to increase sales we would need to enlarge our official target collection and began working with official groups to move toward becoming an official manufacturer.” Through the support of Jim Easton, Don Lovo, Al Wills, and Tim Austin, by 1990 Maple Leaf Press became the first FITA (now World Archery) face licensee in the world. To this day, Maple Leaf Press remains the only official World Archery manufacturer in the entire Western Hemisphere. In 1996 Maple Leaf Press supplied targets to their first Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There it became apparent Maple Leaf Press needed a more durable and waterproof target material. After a couple test runs on multiple stocks, the company introduced a polypropylene version in several of their target faces. This material is more tear resistant than the Tyvek that was used previously, will not stretch like many plastics, and water will not cause shrinkage or expansion of the material, which could shift official scoring lines to benefit or handicap individual shooters. This material has been tested many times since its release, but its value was solidified when it was used during the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in 2016, where rain, heat, extreme humidity, and blazing sun put those targets to the ultimate test. After working closely with Ken Rogers, Wally Rueger, Bruce Cull, and Brian Scheffler, Maple Leaf Press became the exclusive NFAA target manufacturer in 2002. During that same time, Ken Rogers became the president of the IFAA and gave approval for exclusive use of Maple Leaf Press faces, allowing them to be the only official IFAA manufacturer in the Americas. With the addition of the Rushmore Rumble, private label, and the company’s No Trespassing signs, Maple Leaf Press now stocks more than 100 different target faces and six different No Trespassing signs. These targets are stocked bulk on the shelf and offered in mix-and-match with price breaks offered at 100, 500, 2,500, and 5,000 faces. Maple Leaf has also produced custom-printed targets for larger manufacturers, dealers and ranges. Maple Leaf Press offers faces in multiple stocks, from their lightweight 7-point stock (close to double the thickness of copy paper), multiple weights in cover stock, such as their heavyweight, and the waterproof and extremely tear resistant polypropylene stock ideal for outdoor and extended use faces. The polypropylene will outlast other faces many times over and water will not make the targets go out of tolerance like paper and toughened faces. Doug Patterson says, “With the utmost gratitude, Maple Leaf Press wishes to thank all those who have come along with us in support of archery around the globe. From 1988, Maple Leaf has strived to obtain and maintain the highest standards in customer service, target manufacturing, support to archery organizations, and outreach to the greater archery community. Without our customers, which include major distributors, countless dealers, clubs and organizations, and passionate individual archers, we would not be where we are now. These supporters of our business are the heart of the archery world and deserve all the praise and recognition we can give.” All Maple Leaf Press faces and signs are printed in the U.S. We encourage you to check out the company’s extensive lineup of official targets, from spot targets of various hues and configurations to realistic animal targets to durable No Trespassing signs to mark property boundaries. Learn more by visiting mapleleafpress.com. IA
48 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS GEAR REPORT I BY PATRICK MEITIN Cuddeback Tracks WebXtra ■ For a closer look at this product and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. units retail for just $119.99 and include affordable data plans through the Cuddeback App. The Tracks Series are conventional cell cameras set aside from more familiar CuddeLink units. Translated, this means Tracks trail cameras are stand-alone units designed for use in areas with adequate cell coverage, and not the multiple-unit linked system found in the CuddeLink label and used to relay data out of areas with poor cell coverage. Tracks should not be confused with CuddeLink products. Tracks is based on a compact platform that is nonetheless packed with advanced features. The Tracks combats lackluster coverage through the integration of dual high-gain external paddle antennas that provide enhanced LTE reception in areas with weak cellular coverage. The camera system itself utilizes an advanced IR image sensor, which provides superior image quality and excellent unit reliability with a 100-plus foot flash range. The unit is powered by four D-cell batteries to ensure longer battery life than commonly used AA batteries. Tracks is also compatible with all Cuddeback accessories, such as external battery would be completely lost in my vast north Idaho big woods without trail camera intel, and honestly, I enjoy physically running cameras and getting some preseason exercise. Cellular units would save me a lot of fuel and time, but unfortunately north Idaho has horrendously spotty cell service. That situation might just have been remedied by Cuddeback’s new Tracks Series cellular trail camera, as well as keeping hunting sites free of human intrusion/scent. Once the realm of well-heeled hunters, this technology has come within reach of blue-collar hunters. Cuddeback’s new Tracks Series packs, solar panels and mounting systems. Setting up and programming a Tracks trail camera can be conducted through an integrated and intuitive two-line user interface or through the Cuddeback App. Adjustments for most settings can also be conducted remotely via a smartphone, through the app, or Cuddeback’s web interface. Images (no video) can be accessed four ways: via the smartphone APP, email, text messaging, or through the online web interface. Additionally, Tracks allows sending emails and texts to up to five people should users wish to share images with friends and family, without giving them access to the account. Advanced PIR detection includes seven adjustment settings to customize capture needs. This cellular trail camera holds dual SIM slots, so allows users to choose either AT&T or Verizon cellular LTE service, according to which service provides the best reception in a particular area. Both cannot be used at the same time, but users can change back and forth as necessary without the need to contact anyone or change SIM cards. As the industry’s oldest trail camera manufacture with roots reaching back to 1989, Cuddeback has come to stand for unsurpassed performance, utter reliability, and affordability. They provide quick 0.25-second trigger speeds, fast BURST, and time lapse modes, as well as Auto Camera Delay for lingering targets, combined with great image quality. Have a look by going to cuddeback.com. IA
50 INSIDE ARCHERY JULY 2023 MARKET TRENDS PRO SHOP ESSENTIALS BY PATRICK MEITIN The Toxon App WebXtra ■ For a closer look at this product and many others, check them out at insidearchery.com. for all users to see and utilize. The app even provides driving directions, links to websites, specific event information, the ability to save interesting events to a calendar, the ability to push notifications, and much more. In the parlance of my generation, the Toxon App offers a high-tech Yellow Pages for the archery world. For archers and bowhunters, the Toxon App was created to help interested parties shoot their bows more often and/or hook up with shops that can help them find the gear wanted or services needed. The Toxon App helps bring together archers and bowhunters, archery clubs and pro shops by making it easier to promote or find archery events or services of interest. Let’s say, for example, you are on an elk hunt in a strange area and cut your bowstring in the field. To get back into the game you’ll obviously need a new string with peep and silencers installed, but because you are far from home you have no idea where to start. The app quickly directs you to the nearest archery pro shop and gets you back into action. The Toxon App includes features that make it easy to conduct searches, as well as filter upcoming events and find them on the included maps. In short, the app allows archers and bowhunters to find exactly what they are looking for, without wading through internet clutter or driving all over town. With the Toxon App, users can discover archery events and locations they didn’t know existed, or in unfamiliar areas or towns. Even for a technophobe such as myself, the Toxon App is a completely practical and easy to understand option I will gladly add to my already cluttered smartphone. It includes real world utility and helps connect you to the archery world. Get started by visiting toxonapp.com. IA I have a love-hate relationship with my smartphone. This is partly because I’ve always lived in the boonies where coverage is spotty to nonexistent. More germane, I hardly add apps to my phone because these app stores are flooded with nonsensical stuff instead of providing intuitive practicality that I might be interested in. Mindless little games or applying filters to a selfie so I can upload to my social pages are not my cup of tea. With that said, I find the Toxon App pretty intriguing. It is also very easy to understand and use. It actually serves a real-world use—at least if you are a hard-core archer or bowhunter—by helping to connect the dots for archers, archery clubs, pro shop owners and the archery events associated with these clubs or shops. For archery clubs and shops, the Toxon App was created to help connect your organization or store to those actively seeking archery events or archery products and services. This requires a simple registration process, and the ability to then add your events, store location and basic services to the app