Hey guys! I am the lucky alternate. Excited to see if I can learn some things from this challenge.
I just began shooting broadheads, for the year, earlier this week. They have been flying true, so I am going to go ahead and shoot them for this challenge. Hopefully I don’t regret this decision; see above, “Excited to see if I can learn some things from this challenge.”
I am shooting a block target, I am going to use the side with the larger, white target face and allow the white portion to be my kill zone. It is approximately the size of a cantaloupe and should offer a tight, conservative kill zone. My primary species in mind is mule deer. I’m calling my MER at 50 yards.
BOW SETUP:
-Bear Arena 34 (29” draw, approx. 72#)
-Black Gold Ascent 4 pin slider
-Bee stinger Pro Hunter 12” stabilizer
w/ 4 oz. up front
-Matthews static sidebar mount w/ 5 oz. out the back (no bar, just weight, this is a new system I am tinkering with, may or may not make the cut in September, anyone with back bar mounting advice for this particular bow please PM) (for anyone concerned, any alterations to this setup will happen AFTER the challenge)
-Tightspot 5 arrow quiver (loaded with 4 arrows for the duration of the challenge, to perfectly mimic a hunting situation)
ARROW SETUP:
-Easton Carbon Injexion 4mm 280 spine
-4 fletch fusion x-ii 2.75” strait clamp w/ significant offset
-Ethics archery stainless steel half-out/collar system
-100 gr Slick Trick Magnum
-591.4 gr total weight
Release
-Carter Too Simple release
Butter-fingers cut like butter! Off to a poor start. Handle your broadheads carefully folks, they are sharp! Don’t worry, I think I’m gonna live. I’m a lefty so this may actually help me not to punch the trigger. Gonna head out to shoot here in a few.
Day 1:
Gusty today. Snuck out between scattered storms. 59 degrees, 10 mph crosswind. Not gonna lie, nerves got the best of me, rushed. Got the miss that I deserved.
Day 2:
Sunny, 55 degrees, 6 mph tailwind. Shot felt great, pulled through well. Hit a little high of center, but I am not going to beat myself up over a vital hit.
Day 3:
63 degrees, sunny, 5 mph crosswind left to right. Miss, just high. Felt solid when the shot broke, not sure what went wrong, I will get this weekend’s bear hunt to think about it. (Hopefully not too much)
Day 4:
Sunny 70 7mph tailwind. Miss, high again, shot felt good. I’m seeing a trend that I will need to look into after this challenge.
Day 5:
Sunny 71 degrees, 2mph headwind. Got in my own head about hitting high my last few shots. Decided to aim a little low. Miss, low right. Safe to say I need to work on some things.