As this year’s Archery Trade Association show rolls on, we continue to search the aisles for exciting new products designed to improve your bowhunting next season. The quantity of top-level products coming to market are significant, and we’ll have in-depth coverage of some of the best of the best in the coming months. In the meantime, we want to show you some of the new items that stood out for us at today’s archery industry gathering…
Easton T-64 FMJ Arrow
We have been using Easton’s Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) line of hunting shafts as our go-tos for several years now because, simply put, their combination of a durable, small-diameter carbon core combined with the precision straightness, solid weight, and high friction coefficient aluminum jacket delivers unmatched penetration on big game animals. With the FMJs, we enjoy minimal wind drift on those long shots and reliable accuracy downrange with assurance that we’ll achieve maximum penetration.
This year, Easton steps up the FMJ game with the introduction of the new T-64 FMJ. The T-64 is the first tapered shaft to come out of the FMJ lineup. The forward end starts with a 6mm shaft diameter that tapers down to 4mm at the nock end. The advantages of this shaft profile are two-fold. First, the larger forward diameter effectively builds in a front-of-center weight bias, making it easier to achieve a hefty F.O.C. percentage that is important for obtaining good flight stability and long-range accuracy. Second, by presenting a decreasing shaft diameter as the arrow passes through an animal effectively creates a larger channel for the back of the arrow to follow. The result should deliver even greater penetration potential.
Summit Chair Pack 2.5
Sitting comfortably is vital to effective hunting. If you’re uncomfortable, it’s tough to stay focused, stay still, and be ready for the shot. For ground hunters, that usually means having a good folding seat, whether you are in a make-shift ground blind or in a pop-up. Unfortunately, hauling around a seat in addition to the gear we like to take into the field can be a burden.
Summit solves this problem with their new Chair Pack 2.5. The Chair Pack is a combination day pack and folding chair. Folded up, the unit wears like a daypack, with a volume suitable for carrying everything you need for the day’s hunt. Once you’re at your stand, the pack unfolds to make a chair with a seat back that reduces back tension. Interestingly, the chair has two different modes. The high mode makes this like a traditional folding chair, giving you a high posture that is perfect for drawing a vertical bow or crossbow. The low mode is designed for turkey hunting, which would play well if you are pursuing toms with a crossbow.
Bog Pod Death Grip and Field Pod
Crossbow hunters understand that a solid rest is key to ensuring good shot placement. Without a solid rest, it’s difficult to keep a crossbow lined up when waiting for the perfect shot can stretch on for minutes.
The new Death Grip and Field Pod from Bog Pod cures that problem. Designed for ground hunters and ideally suited for ground blind setups where shots can extend out to the functional limit of a crossbow’s range, these tripod systems deliver a rock-solid rest that won’t wear you out. The Death Grip model features a lock-down clamp that you can use to secure the crossbow’s fore end while the pivoting head lets you track game to make the shot. The Field Pod is more like a bench rest on a tripod, providing a rest for both the fore end and the buttstock of the crossbow.
Rhino Outpost Feeder
If you’ve ever wanted to run a feeder in a remote location but don’t like the idea of hauling 50-pound bags of feed and a heavy, conventional feeder system, the new Outpost Feeder from Rhino Outpost solves the problem.
The Outpost Feeder has a slim, tubular-style hopper with a battery-powered spinner on the bottom and an easy-fill lid on top. It’s made of a lightweight, subdued-color plastic body that weighs five pounds empty, so it is easy to pack to your most distant hunting locations. Hang it from a limb and fill with up to 20 pounds of feed (which is an easy daypack carry for refilling throughout the season). The spinner runs on AA batteries and can be set to run once or twice a day. Depending on the setting, this gives you up to three weeks of feeding per hopper load. A carry bag is included.
