2024 Cold Bow Challenge

[robby denning]

6/3/14 update. Official winner list:


@CM Phone Skope Bundle up to $150 here

@bbckfh Pyro Putty $50 firestarter package here

@Okie-hunter onX Hunt Elite $99 Membership here

@lak2004 SKRE Elite Starter Bundle $342 here

@fatlander Argali $150 High Country Pack here & MOB Pack here

@CaseyU MTNTOUGH $239, 1-Year here Subscription + Merch Package

@johnw Black Ovis' up to $79, Dozen Custom Arrow Build in Arrow ID here

@silasbowhunter Iron Will up to $119, 3-pack of broadheads to one winner.
here

Everyone who was drawn, PM me your email address and shipping address to @robby denning by June 14 to claim your prize. All trades are arranged between members and must be completed before you PM me.

Thanks Everyone! Especially all the mods working behind the scenes! And of course the sponsors who put up over $1200 in prizes to encourage better bowhunters.

Previous Post:

This challenge is designed to test your realistic Maximum Effective Range (MER).

The Challenge will start Saturday, May 11 th AT 8:15 AM MTN TIME on this thread.

You shoot one arrow each day of the challenge with no warm up or follow up shots and no practice between days, hence the name, Cold Bow Challenge. New for 2024, Broadheads or Expandable Broadheads only--no field points, and the challenge runs 3 arrows, not 5.

Below are the entry rules. READ THEM ALL OR DON’T PARTICIPATE (they’re long because Roksliders are pro’s at finding loopholes)

We delete ineligible posts without notice. If you have questions or comments, post those on the Q&A/Comment thread here so this thread stays clean.

1) Please shoot in real time! Start a post in this thread (one post per shooter) on your first shooting day (you don't have to start on day one, but you do have to be done within 4 weeks (June 7th) or within a few days when 100th shooter finishes to qualify for prizes). No reserving post slots! Start your post once you start the challenge. Most years, you need to shoot within the first week to have an open slot.

2) Call the range that you think is your REALISTIC maximum effective range (MER). You must shoot your personal MER, so if it’s 60 yards, you can’t shoot 20 because that's all you have in your backyard! Push yourself and make the effort--that's the spirit of the challenge.

3) With no warm-up shots, shoot one arrow with broadhead or expandable at your MER (you do NOT have to shoot 3 days consecutively, but there is NO PRACTICE between shooting days.)

4) Post a photo of that arrow's placement on a target that represents the kill zone size of your intended species. It's a three-day/three-arrow challenge, so post a photo each day in your original post so all arrows appear in one post. (Just use the "edit" button—bottom of your post on full-site, or if on Tapa Talk, hold your finger on your post for a few seconds to see Edit option)

5) Be sure and mention the conditions, wind direction, and it’s fine to call your shot (“pulled left" for example) and give us a quick summary on your equipment. This is a gear site and we all want to know what our buddies are shooting.


6) To qualify, you must be a member posting on your own account. If you want your kids to shoot, they need to post on their own account. (Sorry, just too messy for the judges to figure out what’s going on.)

All Traditional and Compound shooters are welcome (but there will not be separate divisions). You can shoot both Traditional for three arrows and Compound for three arrows to double your odds, (put all 6 arrows in one post and it's OK to shoot both bows on the same day—this is the only exception to the “1-arrow/day” rule )

How Points are Counted:

--Every qualified participant who finishes the challenge, gets ONE name in the hat

--For every member who has at least 300 posts (on the day we qualify you), we'll give you an additional name in the hat -it pays to be an active member!

This is not a competition, but because we're generous and we have some great sponsors, we’ll be DRAWING for some killer prizes for our qualifying members (Rokslide staff, family can shoot but can't win the prizes).

Our staff will be watching the thread to make sure entry rules are followed. If you don’t fix your post in a reasonable amount of time, we’ll delete it (sorry, we don’t have time to chase!)

We will draw from those who complete the challenge according to these rules posted above

 

[robby denning]

Each Shooter will need to copy/paste this completed table into his post:

User Name :

Bow Brand :

Bow Model :

Sight Brand :

BH Brand :

MER :

Hit (X/3) :

@CorbLand

 

[robby denning]

Thanks to these Rokslide advertisers for putting up these prizes. More prizes to come weekly! Winners drawn according to rules above


Phone Skope is always a big supporter of the CBC: This year they're offering a Phone Skope Bundle valued at $150 here



Pyro Putty is in for a $50 firestarter package here


@onX Hunt is in for an Elite Membership here


SKRE is in again with their Elite Starter Bundle (click to see all pieces included here)



Argali is in with their High Country Pack here
and their MOB Pack here


MTNTOUGH is back with a 1-Year MTNTOUGH Subscription + Merch Package (shirt, hat, hoodie, gym flag)!


@blackovis is back with a Dozen Custom Arrow Build in Arrow ID here


Iron Will is putting up a 3-pack of broadheads to one winner.
here

 

[Howard Mee]

User Name : Howard Mee

Bow Brand : Hoyt

Bow Model : RX-7 Ultra

Sight Brand : Option Archery

BH Brand : Sevr

MER : 50 yards

Hit (X/3) : 1/3

 

[realunlucky]

User Name : RealUnlucky
Bow Brand : PSE
Model :Mach34
Sight Brand : Option Archery 4
BH Brand : Sevr
MER : 65 yards - 6" circle
Hit (X/3) : 1

Day 1- breezy left to right held for a lull in the wind.

 

[NDGuy]

User Name : NDGuy
Bow Brand : Hoyt
Bow Model : Nitrum 30
Sight Brand : Black Gold Ascent Verdict
BH Brand : Slick Trick Vipertricks
MER : 50 Yards
Hit (X/3) : 3/3

Day 1: very windy, nice temps. Felt a slight drop on release, not bad for first shot of the year

Day 2: Calm and similar temps to Saturday. Shot felt great

Day 3: Windy and cool morning, felt my arm drop slightly and put the arrow damn near through my other one from Saturday lol lucky didn't wreck it with the broadhead.

I will attest my arm dropping to being weak in the bow muscles over the offseason but happy I put shots on target. Always love this challenge to break up the offseason. Thanks @robby denning, the mods, and the sponsors!

 

[TX_Diver]

Year 5 in a row for me I think.

Shooting the recurve and compound again. Thanks for putting this on.


Better start today than previous years!

With the recurve I chose 20 yards. I don’t think I could shoot a deer further than that right now. With the compound I was going to do 60 but after chasing my tail last week and not hitting well at 60, and then being gone all week I realized 50 is more realistic. Last years elk was right at 50 and was as far as I was comfortable for that particular shot. The previous years I also went like 1 or 2 of 5 so I haven't chosen well.




The gear:

User Name : TX_Diver

Bow Brand : Stalker Stickbow / RMS Gear with Tradtech Limbs

Bow Model : 19” P2P Riser

Sight Brand : None

BH Brand : Cutthroat 3 blade

MER : 20 yards

Hit (X/3) : 3/3 – Day 1 Hit - Day 2 Hit - Day 3 Hit

User Name : TX_Diver

Bow Brand : PSE

Bow Model : EVL 34 – EC Cam – 70lb Limbs

Sight Brand : Black Gold 5 pin slider

BH Brand : Sevr 2.0

MER : 50 yards

Hit (X/3) : 2/3 – Day 1 Hit - Day 2 Hit - Day 3 Miss

Day 1 – Breezy left to right, sunny and cool-ish

Recurve – Poor shot execution but snuck it in there after watching the arrow wiggle its way to the target

Compound – Ignored the wind and pulled through for a great shot today

Skipped Sunday as I got a turkey in the evening (with the shotgun) and didn't get back to shoot before dark.

Day 2 - Monday morning - 2 good shots.

Day 3 - Steady wind right to left. Made a good shot with my recurve but held center plate with the compound thinking I'd be fine. Pulled through for a good shot and watched my lighted nock drift left and land just outside the plate

 

[nphunter]

The arsenal:


Day 1: Blue sky, zero wind, got in my head with the recurve and was watching my gap. Normally I’m instinctive only. Hit the blue circle first 2 of 5 yesterday and the paper with 5/5. Compound the shot felt good, don’t remember checking my bubble but cut the edge of the paper. I’m ok with both shots compound 4” left, recurve 6” high. Both would have been dead animals.

Day 2: Another perfect day. Shot the recurve first and made a perfect shot. The compound I felt like I rushed the shot but it still found its mark. Almost doted both shot this AM.

Day 3: Blue skys but a solid 5-7mph wind blowing from left to right. I shot the compound first and wasn’t super confident with the shot but when waking up it was a great shot. I’m never confident with the trad bow but I made another great shot today!

I’m pretty happy that I could touch all three arrows from each bow with one hand.

Compound Bow:

User Name: NPHunter

Bow Brand: PSE

Bow Model: Mach 34/no stabilizer

Sight Brand: CBE Trek Pro 5 pin

BH Brand: Evolution Outdoors Jekyll (fixed)

MER: 80 yards

Hit (3/3)




Traditional Bow:

User Name: NPHunter

Bow Brand: TBOW ILF Recurve

Bow Model: Satori Clone, Uukah XT1000 Limbs

Sight Brand: No Sight, Shooting Instinctive

BH Brand: RMS Cutthroat 200gr

MER: 30 yards

Hit (2/3)




@CorbLand

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

User Name :Trumpkin The Dwarf

Bow Brand : Hoyt

Bow Model : RX4-Ultra 65@32"

Sight Brand : Black Gold

BH Brand : QAD Exodus 125 gr

MER : 45 yards

Hit (X/3) : 3/3

First arrow from the compound since I had a buck matrix my arrow in January. That was at 45 yards, so we're going with 45 as the MER. 70 degrees, nice cross breeze, not enough to care about. I didn't climb into my back wall strong enough, so I let down, took a breath, and put a strong shot down range. My sight tape might be off, I haven't shot a ton past 40.




Looks like 45 IS a good MER for me. Got some nerves, fought to stay in my back tension, and came in hot. 2/2 by the skin of my teeth.


Had the same issue as day 1... didn't get into the back wall hard enough, so I wound up too soft on the thumb button and it wasn't going off. Let down when the shot went stale, redrew with some conviction and sank one in the vitals.

User Name :Trumpkin The Dwarf

Bow Brand : Tall Tines

Bow Model : Stickflinger 53 @33"

Sight Brand : Mark 1 eyeball

BH Brand : QAD Exodus 125 gr

MER : 30

Hit (X/3) : 3/3

Not much to say. Nerves were up for this one, and I didn't quite get over the arrow with my eye like I should. Still a good shot. LOVE how quiet these QAD heads are in flight.



This arrow was gorgeous. Shot break was unanticipated, and strong. Minimal head movement after the shot as a result, so I got to see it arch in without leaving the line it started on. 2/2


Everything said yesterday applies here. I think I'm more confident in the longbow at 30 than the compound at 45 today. Probably would take one week of shooting wheels regularly to flip that though.

 

[NEPkaspot]

User name: NEPkaspot
Bow brand: Black Widow Recurve
Bow Model: PSA 62”
Sight Brand: None
BH Brand: Rocky Mtn. Cutthroat 3 Blade
MER: 40 yards
Hit (1/3): 8 inch circle, must hit white
5mm Eichler Legacy arrow, 575 grains
Calm, 64 degrees, sunny
Shot was a little quick but way better start than last year! Thanks for doing this again!

Day 2
Overcast, SSW winds @ 7, 68 degrees
Poor execution / release. Missed high. Usually that is poor aiming/ concentration for me.

Day 3
58, calm, light rain
Better execution today but poor aim. Close but not a hit on the final day. Still better than last year (missed target bale twice) but still need work. Love the format this year, thanks again for putting it on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jaden Bales]

User Name : jadenbales

Bow Brand : Bowtech

Bow Model : Realm SS

Sight Brand : Black Gold Verdict

BH Brand : Daysix 125s

MER : 50 Yards (Decent uphill, feet uneven)

Hit (X/3) : 3/3

Day 1: Beaut of a morning. Hit forward but in the kill zone I'm going for on this mini caribou.
Day 2: Another nice morning. Slight breeze from behind. Happy with the shot.
Day 3: Shot in the afternoon today with an 8-12 mph crosswind. She went where I wanted so, woohoo!

First 100% CBC (granted only 3 shots this year) but I felt much more confident this year than last. Maybe a 55 or 60 MER next year.

 

[skmartin]

User Name : skmartin

Bow Brand : Bowtech

Bow Model : Revolt X 70lb 31.75"

Sight Brand : Spott Hogg fast Eddie 3 pin (20,40,60)

BH Brand : Magnus Black Hornet 100 gr 4 blade

MER : 67 yds shooting 60 yd pin with holdover to simulate a follow up shot without adjusting sight. center white circle is 6.5"

Hit (X/3) : 3/3

User Name : skmartin

Bow Brand : Samic

Bow Model : Sage 40 lb (holds 52)

Sight Brand : none

BH Brand : Magnus Black Hornet 100 gr 4 blade

MER : 25

Hit (X/3) :1/3

Arrows: compound: GT hunter XT 340 TAW 430gr. Trad: Allen kryptos TAW 485gr

Day 1: winds 8-10 mph @ 4 o'clock

Compound was slightly low of center but felt good on release and I'm plenty happy with the placement.


Trad arrow missed the vital zone by about 1.5" low and right.



Day Two winds light @ 8 o clock
Compound was about 2.5" left of center


Trad arrow release was terrible but it still wound up hitting only slight high and right



Day 3. breezy 8-10 mph @ 5 o'clock

Compound shot broke left, but impact was within kill zone about 2" above and to the right of yesterday


Trad felt good but impact was low and right, just below day 1


I definitely have work to do with my trad bow. I knew that going into this, but this was a great kick in the pants to start thinking about it and get a sense of where things are at. Even with the compound, I started off thinking I would shoot a stiffer arrow (250) this year, but in practice I had trouble getting them to group as well as the weaker spine (340) that I've shot in the past. Thanks Rokslide for putting on this cool challenge!

 

[nubraskan]

User Name : Nubraskan

Bow Brand : PSE

Bow Model : Mach 34

Sight Brand : HHA (RYZ X3, UV3)

BH Brand : Grim Reaper (Micro Hades Pro 100gr)

MER : 60 yards

Hit (X/3) : 2/3

Day 1, no wind or any disturbances so no excuses!


Day 2, minimal wind. Got lazy and dropped my arm as I broke the shot, no follow through so no hit! Might've caught the deer if it ducked...


Day 3, very windy from the East (~20 mph, Right to Left). I did not account for the wind nearly enough, but I'm calling it close enough to count

 

[king402]

User Name : King402

Bow Brand : Bowtech

Bow Model : Revolt X 65 lbs

Sight Brand : Black Gold 5 pin slider

BH Brand : Slick Trick 4 blade 100 gr.

MER : 60 yards

Hit (X/3) : Perfect morning here in central Utah. Hit a little low and left. I felt I dropped my bow hand just a hair early. Won't do that again tomorrow! Hit 1/3

Hit 2/3


hit 3/3: this morning's shot felt a lot better.

 

[casey.draper]

User Name :casey.draper

Bow Brand :Hoyt

Bow Model Power Max

Sight Brand :Black Gold

BH Brand :QED Exodus 100 grain

MER :40

Hit (X/3) : 1/3

First shot felt slightly off. It was super cold this morning. Temperature was right at 32 degrees, wet, but no wind. My shot was low and right because I think I dropped out.

Second shot felt good today. Weather was better this morning, mid 50’s and no wind. I’m starting to think I have a trend going. My arrows seem to be consistently low and right. I’ll be making some adjustments after the challenge.

Beautiful morning today. Third shot felt good when the shot broke. I changed my aiming point slightly to the left to compensate for my two previous arrows. Hit my kill zone today. But, still slightly low.

 

[bbckfh]

Alright! This is one of my favorite events of the year! Didn’t get to shoot TAC with [mention]JG636 [/mention](was working and event filled in < 70 hrs).

User Name : bbckfh
Bow Brand : Mathews
Bow Model : Vertix
Sight Brand : Trijicon (Accupin)
BH Brand : Iron Will (s100 on a 490-gr Easton 5mm FMJ)
MER : 38 yards, elevated ~25 feet in my saddle

(1/3) : Day 1 was chilly. Got up early. Temp 43° (felt like 38°), blustery swirling wind and overcast. Shot just after first light before dropping the kids at school. Re-strung the bow last fall after I got my deer and haven’t had a chance to resight it; it’s been off 2” low and 4” left, so I’m just holding to compensate. Otherwise, this is my MER for where I hunt whitetail (the target is 3’ the other side of a huge run…they walked right in front of it 10 min before I shot). Had to tip the target back on its log for the angle. Did my balloon trick: blew it up to 7” to represent a small deer heart/lung zone or large elk heart. Shot broke perfectly and I nailed it.

(2/3) : Day 2 I shot in the evening. I’ll be honest, they come out more reliably at 4-4:30 than in the morning.

It was drizzling and maybe 48°? Wind a steady 8mph L->R with gentle gusts into the low teens. Honest assessment: with my POA/POI so far off, this one felt like a complete guess and I think I got lucky. I’m hoping to need to finish this and re-tune the bow.

(3/3) : Day 3. Shot in the evening again. High 40s. Winds swirling. Light rain.

Shot broke poorly.

Honestly, no idea how I barely tagged the right edge of the balloon, but it’s a hit. I think I got lucky. That’s pretty frustrating, and I need to do a lot of work this summer before hunting season if I’m planning to hunt ethically. Tuning, sighting and practice. And I think I need to extend my range a little.

Thank you so much for putting this on for us again! I’m not kidding when I say that this is one of the things I look forward to most all year long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[doverpack12]

User Name : Doverpack12
Bow Brand : Elite
Bow Model : Synergy 2017 model
Sight Brand : Black Gold
BH Brand : Evolution Jekyll 100 grain
MER : 67 yards
Hit (X/3) : 2/3

Switching back to my primary bow at 70 pounds this year. Shot 67 last year with my backup 80 pound Answer and didn’t hit all days. I changed the thumb barrel to a UV on my wise choice this year and feel that is helping my shot execution, in the past my thumb would slide over the barrel instead of firing.

2024 first shot, had to wait for the horse to get a drink first… adding to the nerves.
Vital is the center module on my matrix target. It’s around 8” across on the flats and if I’m in that there is some margin for additional shooter error on an elk in the heat of the moment. Using the arrow I shot my 2023 bull with and changed out the blades for new.
Barely snuck it in and cut the line, not the way I want to start but made it in the vital.

Horse in the way


Day 1


Cutting the line


Broadhead


Day 2 (1/2), shot broke just low but I thought it would be in. Fell out just low



Day 3 (2/3), shot was much better and follow through was decent but still dropped a little

 

[Warmsy]

User Name : warmsy

Bow Brand : Fleetwood

Bow Model : timber ridge record e

Sight Brand : N/A

BH Brand : Cutthroat

MER : 20 yds

Hit (X/3) : miss day 1/ miss day 2/ miss day3

Day 1:Haven't practiced for a week, missed low. Blacktail vital area. Calm, wet, sunny morning.

Day 2: cold, wet, foggy morning with no breeze. Closer, but just outside my accepted 4" radius.

Day3: cold, wet, foggy, no wind. Missed again! Surely thought I would nail it this morning.

 

[Bill V]

Good luck everyone!

I'm using 100 yards for my max effective range for an elk sized vitals. I want to keep it in the yellow square which is 13"x13". Arrows are Iron Will custom build, Match grade Axis, 3 fletch with Iron Will Hybrid Hunter vanes. Alternating between Iron Will S125 and SB125 (single bevel). Hamskea Epsilon Rest.

User Name : Bill V

Bow Brand :Mathews

Bow Model :Lift 33 75lb

Sight Brand :HHA Tetra 4 pin slider

BH Brand :Iron Will S125 & SB125 alternating

MER :100 yards

Hit (1/3) : Minimal wind today

Day 2: 100 yards. Wind at my back 4-6 mph. Iron Will SB125




Day 3 Shot: 100 yards. Iron Will S125. 5mph cross wind.



3 shot group size was 4 inches. Hits were all 3-5 inches from dead center.

 

[Jbxl20]

User Name : Jbxl20

Bow Brand : Bowtech

Bow Model : SR350

Sight Brand : MBG

BH Brand : Annihilator 100gr

MER : 60 yards

Hit (X/3) : 2/3

Arrows- match grade Easton axis 300 spines weighing in @ 495gr.
55 degrees, light drizzle. Miss to the left on my bedded whitetail target.
Day2. Sunny, 59 degrees. Hit! A little high but I’ll take it.
Day 3. Dusk shot. 65 and Calm. Hit! Close to the same spot as day 2.