It’s mid October – there is frost on the ground, the bucks are starting to move, and the wind is just right for you to finally hunt “the stand”. Here comes the buck you have scouted all summer; he presents you with a shot, you pull back your bow only to realize your arrow is sitting wrong in your rest, as you try to fix it you make a slight sound, he blows the scent out of his nose as he trots away. You are left sitting there knowing that you blew the perfect opportunity because of equipment failure. How do we keep this heartbreaking moment from happening again?
I recently received the New PSE Evolve 31 bow, the first thing I did after unboxing was start thinking about how I could make this the most versatile bow with no potential mishaps. I knew going in that a quality bow is only as good as the accessories you add onto it. Accessories such as, quality sights that you can see early in the morning and/or late evenings, a good peep sight that is easy to see through on every draw of the string, and a good stabilizer that helps balance your whole bow once drawn on a target or an animal. However, in my opinion the most important accessory is a quality rest. A quality rest effects your shot more than any other piece of equipment. The rest I chose was the NAP Apache Micro. Like NAP’s original Apache rest, the Micro features tool-less adjustments and laser-indexed horizontal and vertical marks for fine tuning, which gives top-notch accuracy. While at my local archery pro shop we begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together, we quickly and easily began driving tacks by using the NAP rest, with a few adjustments to the rest from the shop pro, my arrows were hitting exactly where I was aiming in no time.
Once my bow was set-up properly at the pro shop, it was time to start preparing for real hunting situations. It is common to hear a lot of bowhunters say “I’m shooting good enough to harvest a deer” I’ve actually heard some hunters say “if you can hit a pie plate, you can shoot a deer”. Although that may be true, is that really the attitude we as hunters should have when it comes to harvesting a deer clean and ethically? Another excuse I have heard bowhunters say is “I am not a competition shooter, I am just a hunter.” I agree with those hunters, I am no professional shooter by any means. However, my goal is to have the tightest groups on a consistent basis that my shooting ability as well as my equipment’s ability can do. This is what truly boost my confidence when in the field hunting.
How can something as simple as a shooting rest make you a better shooter and hunter? With a drop a way style rest such as the NAP Apache Micro, the goal is to have consistent accuracy. The V-shaped cradle that the arrow is anchored on assures that the arrow is in exactly the same position every time that the string is pulled back. Once the string is released, the rope style rest allows the V-shaped prongs to fall out of the way, eliminating any contact of the fletchings on the arrows, which obviously allows the arrow to fly true every time. These features are what gives those tight groups that everyone is looking for. The metal ring style protection around the arrow that the Apache Micro gives, prevents anything from knocking the arrow off of the rest while in the tree or while maneuvering around in a blind. Things such as limbs, other hunting equipment or even the sudden movement that a hunter may have to make when an animal is fast approaching, can all knock the arrow off of the rest. As hunters, we can be pretty rough on our equipment, which is why durability in our shooting equipment is a must to assure that when a shot opportunity presents itself, everything is performing properly. There are other rests on the market that do an excellent job at protecting your arrow, such as a Whisker Biscuit style rest. However, those style rest are in constant contact with the arrow. Yes, it is a great way to keep the arrow on the rest, but as hunters we don’t want anything touching the arrow when drawing the string back that can cause unwanted noise when an animal is in close range. Plus, the dead on accuracy from nothing touching the fletchings when actually released, is something only a drop a way rest can offer.
In conclusion, a good rest protects the arrow from the elements that we put ourselves through while hunting and yet still has that ‘practice range accuracy’. Having both of these things in one rest is how that you have quality equipment that won’t let you down.
Article compliments of Heath Wood of Bass Pro 1Source: https://1source.basspro.com
