2021 Rokslide Cold Bow Challenge

[180splitg3]

I'm at 50 yards for my MER. I'm using field points this year along with a turkey target my wife got me for Christmas! First shot was a little left. Bow is a Bowtech Reign 6 set at 62 lbs. Axis 300 arrows with 50 grain brass!





Day#2 was a little better. Still a little left of center on the vitals though...





Day #3 - crushed the turkey finally. Temp dropped about 25 degrees today - high of around 40 and overcast - he didn't go 20!




Day #4 - still hitting left on the bird at 50. I think I'm centering my pin on the target overall and not holding far enough forward. Either that or I need a little sight adjustment...




Last day (shot #5) hit was a little low today but not terrible. This wraps it up for me...

 

[doverpack12]

Same MER for me as last year. 60 yards center module on the matrix. That would be the limit for vital size on a deer and something I’m really comfortable with on an elk when I may not make my best shot.
73 pound Elite Synergy, gold tip pro Hunter at 455 grains with an ATAC broadhead (arrow 23), Quivalizer full of arrows (forgot to take the first out for the shot), Black Gold ascent 3 pin set with bottom pin as my dial. Using a hinge this year instead or my usual wise choice. Truball HT 4 cut down to 3 finger matches POI.

34 degrees no wind and sun just broke over the mountains.



Day 2
Frost on the ground where the sun hasn’t hit. No wind, wasn’t very steady today but kept pulling through


Day 3, high 30’s with variable right to left wind 5-10 mph. I hit the lower end in a lull. Just below day 1. Felt much steadier today shot broke nice.

Day 4 around 45 degrees, sunny and variable wind. 5-10 mph right to left. I didn’t time my shot very well and caught a gust and was on the bottom edge when I let it go. Still in the middle hex but not my best shot.


Day 5, brisk with frost on the ground. No wind just not my best shot again.

 

[CM]

Equipment:
PSE Omen Pro 70 lbs
Gold Tip Expedition Hunters 300 Spine
Ulmer Edge 100 grain broadheads
Total arrow weight 420 grains
Black Gold Ascent 5 pin sight
Schaffer Opposition Rest
Tight Spot Quiver

MER: 60 yards,
Target Species: Mule Deer (8 inch diameter vitals)

Day 1: No wind, shot felt good, just a touch high and a little left.


Day 2: Shot felt good. Just a slight tailwind.


Day 3: Pretty significant headwind, with a little bit of a left to right component, ~20mph. I am pretty happy with the shot given the wind.


Day 4: My dad watched me shoot this one today, so the pressure was on. The conditions were pretty ideal, it's a little high, but not horrible.


Day 5: A bit of wind left to right, maybe 5 mph, shot felt good.


Summary: I think my bow might be a tiche left, either that or I have a first shot tick that is pulling me left. I will have to investigate. This is a great challenge, it really helps you know where you really are. It's easy to go shoot 20+ arrows and take the "average" in your mind and think you are good to go. But that first arrow is really the only one that matters. It might also be time for me to come out of 2010 and upgrade my archery equipment. Thanks for putting this on!

 

[KickinNDishin]

47 yards, my last pin is 40 so I rolled the Fast Eddie down.

Bowtech Eva Shockey
~52lbs 25" Performance
25" Gold Tip Pierce 400 with Ethics 170gr insert/outsert 125gr point, (3) Rapt-x 2" Vanes around 505 grains total
Hamskea Trinity
Hamskea Raptor Peep
Spot Hogg Fast Eddie 3 pin; 20/30/40 and my bottom pin can slide to 61.
Tight Spot 5 arrow
10" Bee Stinger Microhex
Tru Ball Champ


First shot, last night.



2nd shot

3rd shot - it was a windy morning

4th shot- Killer! no wind but a bit of bright snow




Day 5 - slight wind from the south but pulled left and high, probably punched it.

 

[tuk]

Being pretty new at archery i am at 40 yards with a bowtech zion set at 63#. Using muzzy broadhead with 350 grn buck buster arrows. 36 degrees out this fine morning. Day 2 pulled it to the left 0730 39 degrees. Day 3 a great shot for me. Even with practice 1730 66 degrees a bit overcast. Day 4 1630 pulled to the right. Abot 55 degrees. Day 5 a bit left of center at 0730 34 degrees sunny and crisp. I really need to do a lot of practice. Glad i did the challenge to show how much work i need todo. Have a wonderful day. I would like to start hunting deer hopefully this year.

 

[steelheadmike]

I’m for 2021. I’ve got a place to shoot broadheads now, so I’m going with 50yds as that has been my self imposed max. I’m shooting Exodus full blade heads.

Set up:
Mathews Traverse 29” @ 68lbs
BE rampage 300 @ 28”
Ethics 120gr
100gr head
4 fletch Max Stealth
TAW ~510gr


Shot 1. (Note to self: I need to put a dot on the target as I can barely see this in the shade at 50yds.).

Shot 2. Little windy and I got a a little punchy. Not my best showing.

Shot 3 felt good with a little wind

Shot 4

Shot 5....just punched it...

 

[Sdsmith1002]

This is my first year doing the CBC! Really excited.
I’m calling my MER at 50 yards.
My set up is as follows:
Hoyt Torrex 70# 28.5”DL
QAD Hunter Ultrarest
Fuse fixed 5 pin sight
Black Eagle Renegade 300 spine
53 gr. half out insert
125 gr. field points

Day 1
conditions for the shot were pretty nice, sunny morning here in central Oregon, light but noticeable crosswind from left to right.
The vitals are the large white center circle.

Day 2
Colder and less wind this morning. Shot felt good

Day 3
VERY windy today. I struggled keeping my bow on target, and punched the trigger like I was mad at it. Full on miss. I am glad these arrows are tough.

Day 4
Less wind, got to put the cold bow to use in low light. Shot felt good, little high though

Day 5
Conditions were fantastic tonight, shot was good, I’m happy with the way I ended my first year doing the CBC

 

[UP NORTH]

First time taking part in CBC. Thank you for putting this on. My MER is going to be 40 yds. Target circle is 8" wide, this will be the vital size for deer.

Elite Kure at 61# and 29", 340 Easton axis arrow with 75 gr brass insert with TAW at 500 grains, and standard slick trick broadhead.

Day 1

40 degrees with a little wind, 8-10 mph. Had quite a bit of pin movement but was able to get it in there.
Day 2
A frosty 33 degrees this morning with no wind. The shot felt real good and hit its mark. Definitely hard to not keep shooting!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Day 3
Didn't shoot yesterday. Some good wind today, gusts around 15-18mph. 35 degrees. Shooting into the setting sun. Maybe I sold myself short on my MER. Next year it will be pushed out.

Day 4

Still windy. The execution of the shot wasn't good. My release went off right after releasing the safety so my form wasn't where it should of been. Got lucky and hit the vitals.

The Final Arrow

Another breezy day. The shot felt alright. Within the vital zone but the furthest impact I've had from center. Definitely will be pushing the distance further back next year. Thanks again for putting this on. Enjoyed everyday of the challenge.

 

[Ten Bears]

Went with a 50 yard MER this year after switching back to my thumb release. I had been using the back tension for a few weeks with shaky results and it messed with my normal shot.

Shooting a PSE Carbon Stealth Mach 1 at 28’ and 63lbs. VAP SS 300 arrows with Valkyrie heads and components. 480 grain total weight.

1st Shot April 17th 11am no wind


Day 2. No wind. Really nice morning. While the shot looks great that doesn’t tell the entire story. I totally grooved that arrow in with a mild trigger punch. Results were good but not ideal.



Day 3. Light beeeze from behind me. Shot felt crisp even with my dog between my legs. Tomorrow winter is supposed to come back to Michigan so conditions should be fun.


Day 4. It’s cold and not just that it’s cold more so that I am not used to it. So so shot today with my cold weather gear on (puffy, gloves, and mid weight gaiter). Definitely changes the feel of everything. Shot felt ok, I hate shooting with my gaiter on, changes my anchor. It shows.


Day 5. Cold. Windy. Anger. No NM tag again. Just finished up 1:15 minutes of PT for my stroke/back. The wind doesn’t care about how big of a baby I am being, blowing my bow all over. Shot was “ok”

THANKS AGAIN to all that make this fun challenge happen. Much appreciated.

 

[MuleyFever]

40yds this year as I'm working with a new bow.

Hoyt pro defiant turbo at 65lbs.
GT hunter pro 400s.
100gr slick tricks.

Day 1. No wind. As a side note you can see my 5 shots from last year as I do not shoot at this side of the target for practice.


Day 2. Perfect morning, no wind. The shadow messed with me a bit. I was worried about hitting low again and pushed it high.


Day 3. Decent wind today swirling around.



Day 4. Little wind. I think I need to try shooting with glasses. Over the last year my distance vision in my right eye is noticeably worse.


Day 5. Very windy and I had a hard time seeing my dot today. Rushed it trying to beat the wind gusts.

 

[Randle]

Wow it's here already..
Parker bow 62 lbs
Beman ICS hunters
G5 striker V2'S 125 grain
Bumped my MER up to 60 yards this year I am shooting for the orange patch in the vitals

Started off with a great shot this morning, calm, sunny, and a balmy 45 degrees

Day 2
Sunny no wind
I believe I relaxed my bow arm and shot low, now a whole day to shoot again

Day 3
Sunny 55 and no wind woo-hoo
Shot went right and true
Felt like it should

Day 4
Not sure what happened but a complete miss
Focus Grasshopper

Day 5
Last humbling arrow,

 

[isItFallYet]

MER 52ish yards (Glad I didn't go farther because I haven't shot this bow since I killed my bull last Sep), making this an extended cold bow challenge.
Mathews Vertix 70lbs
Axis 5mm (427 gr tw)
QAD Exodus 100 grain BH
Temperature 52 degrees with light rain, winds light and variable
Target is a 10 inch whitetail. I suppose this would be a kill shot but would be a tracking job.
Note to self, shoot before second cup of coffee.



Day 2:


Day 3: It was a nice day. I shot after working out! I sure am ruining the kill area of my son's target (yeah right). Guess we'd have to see how hard that shoulder is.

Day 4: It got pretty cold and is supposed to freeze tonight. 10 mph winds. I just ruined some fletching with this. I'm obviously shooting to the right.




Day 5: 50 degrees, no wind. Used the same broad head I used to kill my first archery bull at 68 yards. Cleaned it up of course. QAD BHs are amazing! I obviously am not dialed in right now!

 

[cjdewese]

1st time CBCer.

Diamond Edge SB1 set right at 62-63 lbs.
Shooting Field Tips set my vitals as a 4.5X6 small envelope. Small so Cal Mulies
45 Yards MER.

I am pretty proud of myself. Bought my 1st bow ever at the age of 36 online and haven't had anyone touch my bow since I bought it. Had 1 hell of a time getting it all tuned last year as it was a pretty steep learning curve but was able to harvest my 1st deer ever the 1st day I ever went hunting.

This year just put on new Catfish Customs strings about 2 weeks ago and a new HDX Ultra Rest, Got to shoot it for the 1st time in months about 2 weeks ago. Got it tuned OK not great, shot some good groups at 15 earlier this week, pushed it out to 25 on Thursday and finally got a 45 pin setup yesterday. I never shot past 40 yards all last year, I just couldn't get my tune right. I tried 50 twice, broke 1 arrow and lost another...

My setup at 45 yards.

Day 1) (4-17-2021) So far so good, shot 1 felt REALLY good slight wind but a beautiful sunny southern California morning.

#2) (4-18-2021) Punched the trigger a bit and ended up a bit low and to the left? Does cutting lines count in hunting?

Day 3: No wind another pretty perfect day. Got it done but I feel like I need to work on my follow through a bit. It just seems inconsistent, something to work on this summer as I start to shoot more.

DAY 4: Felt that I rushed this one a bit and the results show that. BARELY snuck this one in, still a kill but not as "in the middle" as I would like.


Day 5: Probably should have waited some to shoot. Woke up really tired and rushed this shot without really settling on the target. Right to left was good but just a tad high.


Thanks again for everyone putting this on, lot of fun. Definitely doing this with broadheads next time.

 

[philcox]

Nexus 2 @ 70#, 28.5DL. Scott Trigger release. Shooting 29” Blackout X3 with 125gr Viper Trick BH (443gr total). (Bow in pic). Crossover 821 Stabilizer. Black Gold Hunter Pro 3-Pin slider (actually the S&S Archery Custom one) set at 30-40-50, Hameska Trinity Hunter Pro rest. (Everything new for this year)

Target is std Shooter Buck (size of a medium black tail or Cous deer). 90yds, and about a 50’ vertical drop (guessing). (Pic below)

Spent the past 5 days determining if I could consistent hit at 90yds, answer was “yes”. So that is what I choose.

Day 1: 4/17/21 - 53deg, clear 6mph wind at my back. Shot at 8am.Looks like I should have shot before my hike, but rules are rules (no mulligans). Kill shot? Maybe... In the zone? Nope ... always tomorrow...




Day 2: 4/18/21 similar conditions. Forgot to extend my stabilizer (which I would have likely also forgot in the field in heat of the moment). Shot High (clean miss though). Improved the Horizontal. Looks like I picked DER vice MER (Desired vs Maximum) at this point ... Loving this challenge though, as it is definitely pointing out that I am “rushing” (e.g., not thinking about) just about everything. Tomorrow, will be a “slow down” day ... let down at least once before the actual shot...



Day 3: 4/19/21 - Still shooting high. Missed again. Stabilizer extended this time. No excuses.



Day 4: Not where it needs to be, I think this is a wounded deer. Shot mid day, in the mid 60’s, about a 10mph R->L wind. Sunny.



Day 5: pretty calm, 65deg. Finally in the zone on day 5 ...

 

[Daniel Bybee]

First year in the CBC, excited to shoot and be humbled haha. Chose to shoot my MBR at 60 yards, shooting from my knees with my backpack on. Getting ready for my first Az archery antelope hunt this year. Shooting a small deer 3D and just trying to keep it in the vitals.
Setup:
Elite Answer- 70# 27” draw
Goldtip Hunter-100 gr Montec
Aae pro drop
Aae stabilizer

Day 1- not so good haha, anticipated the hell out of the shot and dropped my arm to watch the arrow fly! Calm conditions 7am.

Day 2- this is the type of practice I need to see what happens in stress situations. Did a few slow sprints with my backpack on and then settled on my knees for the shot. Shot felt great while battling a right to left crosswind. Would have had to let him sit. Special note I think I’ll be revisiting some equipment choices after this challenge and going back to my heavier axis arrows.

Day 3- the wind never stops in the spring. 10mph wind coming from my back to the target.

Day 4- same wind as previous day, noticed string loop frayed so will shoot last day with a new string loop!
Day 5- brand new string loop and calm day. Shot this arrow at last light to finish up the challenge! Thanks for a great time!

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I shot this at 20 yards last year and fell apart a bit (recurve). Shooting it again at 20 yards this year. Bow is a Black Widow PMA, 64" long, and 43lbs @ 32". BE Renegade 400's full length, with half outs, and 125 grain Magnus Stingers and Buzzcuts for an arrow weight right around 500 grains. 4 fletch Razyr feathers. Yes, I'd shoot this for elk, although I'd swap to Iron Will heads. This year my main hunt is mule deer, so the circle insert on my rinehart is my kill zone. Right now if I went hunting, I'd not feel confident past 20. Hoping to push that 10 yards by September, but I am not shooting every day right now.

Day 1: Load the pack! Mule deer loins for dinner tonight!

Day 2: calm and cool. I added a bit of spice with a draw and 5 second hold before acquiring my aim and executing the shot. Backstraps tonight!

Day 3: Still calm and cool. I hope I'm not using all my good weather up on this challenge. Kneeling shots are my nemesis lately, so I decided to shoot one kneeling. Almost exactly the same spot as day 1. Tonight I'm eating venison fajitas!

Day 4: Calm and cool again. I shot this one without any coffee or breakfast or even a hill climb to loosen up and payed for it. I knew my anchor wasn't quite right, but I was sleepy and didn't have enough discipline to let down and make it right. Mental failures are the worst.

Day 5: weather as nothing to speak of, and the wind was mild. Dead deer and done!

 

[ROJO GRANDE]

Last year I missed a bull that was standing at 38 yards which I thought was within my range. Since then I changed my bow, arrows and have not been out shooting much. To boost my confidence I chose to do 40 yards for this years challenge.
Shooting a pse evolve 35 set at 31.5 inches and 72 pounds, black eagle
rampage arrows with a tooth of the arrow 1” Broadhead. Total arrow weight around 515 grains.
day 1- wow shooting a shot knowing your posting it makes you more jittery than you’d think. I’m actually happy with the shot practicing yesterday my groups were to the right and not as consistent as I’d like. We’ll see what tomorrow brings

Day 2 weather was hot and the wind was calm felt like I punched the shot a little. I marked my day 1 shot and hit a little right of it. Definitely not as happy with this shot but it was still in the zone.


Day 3 was really windy, the weather said 20 mph with gusts to 40. While at full draw the wind blew my pins completely off target a couple times took a few breaths and waited for a little calm and let her rip. I was so focused on the wind I don’t think I let me pin settle which I think led to hitting low. Back at it tomorrow


day 4 shot just at sunrise 39 degrees with 14 mph winds a little swirly but at my back. The shot felt good and broke clean. I think I’m seeing a trend that my Broadheads are hitting about two inches high. I’ll look into that more once the challenge is over
.
Day 5 weather was nice about 45 degrees and wind was calm. I held a little low knowing my bow has been hitting high. Hit level with the dot but about two inches right.

Over all I thought I shot decent, not my best shooting but for how little I’ve shot this year I’ll take it. I danced around the bullseye but never took it out but was able to keep all five shots in the vital zone. With practice I’ll feel very confident taking an animal at 40 yards this year. Next year I’ll push it out further

 

[Jimbob]

MER of 60 yds

Mathews Vertix 71lbs 29"
Axis 300 with 125-grain SEVR 1.5

9" black circle with a 6" inner circle in black sharpie. The goal is to stay within the 6" circle.

Day 1 - A touch low and left but on the 6" line



Day 2 - felt good but also felt the pressure


Day 3 - a little wind, actually let down because I got distracted. Trending in the right direction.


Day 4- another beautiful day, I want to shoot more arrows


Day 5 - ahh crap! did not get a clean release, I felt a little struggle to get the hinge to go off, thinking about it now I'm pretty sure I was not pulling through the shot but instead just rotating my hand. I love archery, everything matters so much.

 

[TripleJ]

55 yds MER. I am calling the green center core of my target the vitals. Bowtech RealmX, 70 lbs @ 28”. Option 8 sight, 465 gr Axis 5mm, Sevr 100 gr 2.0 broadhead with 25 gr iron will footer.

Day 1 calm no wind


Day 2 another calm morning


Day 3. Calm conditions but pulled it right for a miss.


Day 4...a bit breezy but not too bad. Pulled it a tad left.


Day 5. Decent breeze from left to right. Shot went low left, a miss to end the challenge this year. Great practice though, thanks for putting it on @rokslide !

 

[bozeman]

57 yards
Mathews Vertix @ 63lbs
28” draw
Easton FMJ arrows with Field Points
MBG Ascent Single Pin slider. Fighting the wind in west AL