I wanted to see what the latest in archery technology had to offer today's hunters. With 10 years passing since I acquired my last bow, I decided to check out current technology.

With some help I started first by selecting the BowTech Allegiance VFT bow. This model uses the new Equalizer Binary Cam System — the newest technology on the market. This is also a very fast bow, reaching speeds of 322-328 fps.

It has taken me many years to finally get over the Macho Mistake. What is the Macho Mistake you say? Well, just like in firearms, it is overgunning yourself. That's right, it's buying a bow with too heavy a draw weight, making it difficult for you to draw the bow without throwing off your form.

My first hunting bow was a Bear Kodiak Magnum, a short recurve at 65 pounds. It really stacked when drawing back and I found I couldn't shoot very many arrows before all my effort was spent on the draw instead of my shooting form. Then add the cold temperatures on a hunting morning, a hunting jacket and, boy, was the Macho Mistake magnified.

Well, I wasn't going to make the Macho Mistake this time, so I looked for the closest authorized BowTech dealer for advice. I found it at Sierra Mountain Archery in Orangevale, California. While I thought I wanted a 70-pound bow, Robert Eckles, the pro shop owner, convinced me that the current technology made a 60-pound bow shooting carbon arrows equal to or better than the 70-pound bows of 10 years ago.

My conversation with Eckles also had me step up to carbon arrows, a new release, a drop-away arrow rest, an S-Coil stabilizer and Ultimate Steel 125 broadheads.


Eckles has an indoor range in his shop and spends time with each of his customers making sure their complete system is working for them. Eckles set up my new archery system and gave me shooting tips on how to get more accuracy out of the new technology.

I love this new system and the ease of switching from a 65-pound let-off to an 80-pound let-off. While it is legal in California to shoot with an 80-pound let-off, states like Oregon and Idaho don't allow it. It is simple and takes less than 30 seconds to change, so who cares about having to switch back and forth?!?.

Next to the new BowTech bow, my Carbon Tech CT Whitetail Hunter arrows have been a major change for me. I started shooting cedar shafts and moved to aluminum. I spent a lot of time spinning those shafts to check for straightness after missing a target or clipping another arrow. Other than a broken nock and some loose fletchings from my carbon arrows hitting too close to each other, every one of my new carbon shafts is still in great shape even after a lot of practice. They fly straight and are easy to pull from my Block 4x4 target.

Unless you really know what you are doing, it's best to use the knowledge of pro staff like Eckles to set you up with the latest archery equipment. Even small changes you order from a catalog might produce negative results unless you know what you are doing.

While this new technology hasn't made walking on those crispy potatoe-chip-like leaves any quieter and it can't counterbalance a case of buck fever, it can make you more accurate and that's what counts when you make that perfect stalk.

Don't wait until next summer to raise your level of excitement. Using an ancient weapon that takes advantage of new technology still provides a real challenge when you go one-on-one with your quarry.

For more archery information, contact Robert Eckles at Sierra Mountain Archery, 6326 Main Ave, Suite 22, Orangevale, CA 95662 or check them out on the web at www.sierramountainarchery.com.