G5/Prime Blog: March 2016

Monday, March 7, 2016

Competitive Shooting | How to Get Started

Competitive Archery | Getting Started with the Right Archery Equipment

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We get you!

You’re the everyday bow hunter who loves to sling arrows at deer, turkey, squirrels, and anything else edible. When winter and summer months hit you are caught in a lull. Backyard practice with the friends and family turn dull and boring. Taking random, unrealistic shots becomes the norm instead of actually repeating shooting form and realistic shots. If this pinpoints your winter and summer off time, it may be time to get into completive archery shooting.

There are many types of completive shooting forms in the world of archery. The events the everyday hunter may be interested in range from local leagues and shoots in your area, target archery competitions and tournaments, to the Olympics for the hungry and ambitious archers.

How to Use 3D Targets to Improve Your Bow Hunting and Shooting Performance

Off Season Bow Hunting Practice | Effectively Using 3D Targets

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As bow hunters or competitive shooters we are always looking to up our shooting. We pay attention to the details from the accessories on our bows and our shooting form, to the way we shoot and how we practice. This winter and spring, don’t be caught inside on a day off. Hit your local archery or bow shop, see the professionals, and practice on 3D targets.

The first time shooting at a 3D target can really play tricks with your mind and cause you to fumble what should be a chip shot for you normally. If you’re used to only shooting your hunting bow at a 2D bullseye, your first time with a 3D target will cause some frustration. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid this humiliating situation.

When you take out your hunting bow at the beginning of the season, you’ll want to practice semi-regularly to get into the rhythm after a winter off. Start by going to your local bow shop and G5/Prime Dealer to tune it up. The local archery and compound bow pros will make sure your G5 Prime bow is at the top of its game before you even begin to practice.

The Perfect Pre-Shot Routine for Better Bow Hunting

Practice These Tips to Increase Your Accuracy

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Isn’t it amazing that after months of archery practice, a nice deer finally comes into range of your bow hunting stand, and you manage to get so nervous that things simply fall apart? If you’re like most hunters, nerves can rapidly get the best of you, turning what was a chip shot during summer practice sessions into a monstrous feat of concentration and willpower. The key to surviving these situations and connecting on a big animal is having a solid pre-shot routine. This routine will allow you to act on instincts alone instead of making coherent decisions when your body feels like it’s just had seven espresso shots injected straight into your heart.

It’s important to note that your pre-shot routine should be practiced throughout the summer and winter, basically the entire off season, to develop some muscle memory. When the time does come for you to make the shot, you can just react to the situation, with the knowledge that you’re routine is solid and will see you through to a mature animal at the end of the blood trail.

Of course, as important as a routine and practice are, quality archery equipment is just as important. Prime bows come in several different styles for both target and hunting focuses. The Prime Alloy hunting bow shoots at 335 feet per second, yet only weighs in at 4.2 pounds. It features premium 7000 series aluminum risers for unmatched durability and strength. These risers can be used to lift over 4,000 pounds, the equivalent of a very large vehicle, without compromising the performance of the bow. Of course, having high quality gear also means it’s all on you to make the shot count. Check out the suggested pre–shot routine steps below.

Off Season Scouting | How Important is Deer Sign?

Scrapes, Rub Lines, and Beds…Oh My!

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There are very few feelings like scouting on a crisp fall day and finding a fresh scrape dug into the earth, immediately before the season opens. Further down the trail, maybe you find a fresh rub gouged into a tree or a group of saplings all thrashed about. The late season is spent focusing on finding funnels and beds in and around food sources. Even after the season ends, our off time is a time to look for this sign and pull it all together. Once found, deer sign has you automatically thinking you hit the jackpot, and that a big mature buck will come sauntering right through your set on opening morning. But is that true?

Bringing up the word “fall” is still a sore subject with bow hunters, the off season can be tough to swallow. Off season scouting is one way to stay in the woods and at the same time improve your chances at success next season. Scouting in February and March while looking for sheds mostly, also reveals deer sign from December and November. This deer sign should be taken note of as it can be vital to next year. While heavy deer sign does indicate that deer semi-regularly use that area, that doesn’t always mean it will be useful to you as a hunter. It may make us feel better to find scrapes, rubs, beds, scat, tracks, or trails. But let’s look at three common types of deer sign and see what they really mean.

Steps You Can Take to Become a Better Bow Hunter

How to Keep Busy After Bow Hunting Season Ends

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Once our bow hunting seasons close and the winter weather sets in, it’s all too easy for us to just fall into our couches and take the winter off, so to speak. We definitely still watch our favorite hunting programs on television, but that’s about the extent of hunting activity most of us get. Many bow hunters don’t continue practicing their archery form throughout the winter, and most just toss their hunting gear into their basement, garage, or shed to sit until the weather improves next spring. This is a critical mistake.

If you want to stay at the top of your game and keep your gear in tip-top shape, you’ll need to postpone your winter hibernation a little while longer. Make a weekly goal of doing something that revolves around hunting. It could be shooting your bow at 2 to 3 yards in the garage to practice your release; it could also be washing and organizing your hunting gear. As long as it’s related to bow hunting, you’ll get a lot more accomplished over the winter than you might think. Here are some quick suggestions.

Bows

Don’t just hang up your bow and walk away at the end of the season. Keep it available and practice throughout the winter. Just take a couple shots each week – that’s all. You do want to give your body some recovery time in the offseason, but don’t want to wait so long that your form gets sloppy. If you can safely practice short shots in your garage, do it! Otherwise, head to an indoor archery range, which will help break up winter’s monotony anyway. Use fun archery drills to keep it exciting and challenge your skills.

Also take time to do any necessary bow maintenance at this time. Make sure your parallel cams are working correctly, all your peeps are aligned, your bow string looks good, and so on. The new Rize bow from Prime has features that will make the maintenance easier, including 82X aluminum risers and a Flexis FlexShock damper for smoother shooting.

Taking Post-Season Inventory of Your Archery Equipment

How to Organize Your Bow Hunting Gear and Tools

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Whether or not you had a successful bow hunting season that ended with a filled tag and you sitting behind a trophy buck, one thing is certain: your archery equipment and gear probably took a beating. Often at the end of the season, you might find your gear dirty and scattered in places it ought not to be. When you hunt whenever you can squeeze it in and travel to different properties, it’s inevitable that something will be misplaced. If you’re in that boat, don’t worry…it doesn’t take long to clean and organize your hunting mess. If you follow these tips, you’ll be that much more organized for next season too.

Clean

First things first. As you collect your various bow hunting items, the first step is to clean them. The woods and fields have a way of quickly adding dirt and debris to our equipment even if you’re seemingly perched in a stand all day long. Cleaning could mean washing your clothing, gloves, and facemask. It could also mean scrubbing your bow and arrows down with a mild soapy solution. Heck, it could even mean cleaning up and oiling your bow maintenance tools if they need it. The point is that time and grime will destroy your precious archery equipment, so you need to make sure they don’t get a foothold at the end of each season. When washing your hunting clothing, make sure to still use scent-free detergents so that they remain as neutral-smelling as possible while packed in their winter bags.

Inspection Time

Now that everything is clean, you should look through your archery equipment to see what needs to be fixed or if anything needs any special preparation before storage. Start with your most important piece of hunting gear: your Prime Rize bow. With its rugged new 82x aluminum risers and Flexis FlexShock dampers, your bow can withstand a lot. But you should inspect it from axle to axle to make sure all parts seem to be in order. If you’ll be storing it for more than a few months, it might be a good idea to back off the poundage a little with an Allen wrench to reduce tension on the bow string and prolong its life. You may even want to oil the metal parts and apply a wax to the string. Store it in a hard case and place it somewhere where it will stay cool and dry.

From there, look through your other gear. Arrows continually need re-fletching and new nocks, knives need to be sharpened, clothing and boots can be waterproofed, and the list goes on. Remove the batteries from your electronics so that if a battery explodes it won’t ruin your device. Clean the lenses on your binoculars and range finder and store them in their protective cases.

Organization

Now that everything is cleaned up for the season, it’s time to invest a little time in organizing your gear. You don’t have to go berserk on this effort, but the more time you put in now will help you out next fall when you’re wondering, “Where did I place that new box of broadheads?”

The Off Season | Improving Next Year’s Bow Hunting

Off Season Activities that Improve Next Year’s Bow Hunting

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Did you harvest a deer with your bow this year? A better question might be did your season go as planned? Regardless of your answer next year’s bow hunting can be improved by taking advantage of the off season.

Bow hunting throughout the year and not grabbing a firearm in November, is choosing to enlist into a very difficult challenge. This challenge requires stacking the odds against yourself. Because of this some years result in failure, but putting time into these activities in the off season can result in a different outcome for next year.

Find out who survived

The first priority of the off season for any bow hunter should be taking inventory of which bucks survived. A post season trail camera survey is the best way to census your deer hunting property. This will not only result in finding out which bucks survived, but will give you valuable data for the start of the year such as a sex ratio, fawn recruitment rate, and a population estimate. These results are important to have before the bitter cold of winter and before spring food plots go in. Prime pro staff and supplies great information on how to set up and run a trail camera census on your deer hunting property.

A camera survey, beyond the demographic results, will give you an indication of where bucks have spent the late season on your property. Any clues on a buck’s fall/winter home range could make all the difference for next year’s bow hunting.

2015-2016 Bow Season | Lessons Learned

What You Can Take Away from Bow Hunting the 2015 Season?

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January is a month of reflection for everyone…especially bow hunters. New Year’s resolutions are weighing on our minds. Should you put in the new food plot, shoot your bow more, or maybe just stay out of the woods and not go bow hunting as much? While the sworn in resolutions might fade away in a couple months, there are some take always and lessons learned from bow hunting this year, that you should make last!

Warm weather

The brisk frosty November mornings and bitterly cold December days never arrived. The weather we count on as bow hunters was instead replaced by warm 50-70 degree days turned into weeks and even months. For many bow hunters, more so in the Midwest, the warm weather completely shut down deer movement for much of the year. This is a very important take away…Mother Nature is cruel! Plans that were made in anticipation for a normal year were thrown out the window. Next year might require a different strategy.

Late Season Bow Hunting | Tactics for Last Minute Bucks

Utilizing Early Season Tactics for Late Season Bucks

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An empty freezer, depression, and an itchy trigger finger? All signs from a bow hunter’s worse fear…unfilled tags. You are not alone, this year was slow for everyone. Unseasonably warm temperatures have taken a toll on all stages of the rut this year. Worse yet, it is spilling over into the late season. This year the odds are stacked against you, compressing your hunting into the last week or two of the season. This is your last ditch effort…make it count!

The late season is usually an anticipated time of the year as opportunities for harvesting a mature buck start to surface. Again this year has proved difficult, even so the cold temperatures will arrive and with it your only chance at filling your tag and freezer. Luckily late season bucks express similar characteristics and patterns of their former early season, velvet totting self. The bed-feed-bed cycle has once again taken over. This enables a bow hunter to apply the same principle hunting tactics of the early season to the late season. However, there are some major differences to take note of.

Late Season Bow Hunting | Patterning Elusive Whitetails

How to Find and Hunt Cold Weather Whitetails

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Tell me if you’ve been there. You didn’t luck out with a deer this year during early archery season? It happens. But you also didn’t see anything during firearm season? Well then, it’s the fourth quarter of the game, my friend. Heck, it’s the last couple minutes. Whether your big W is a trophy set of antlers, a freezer full of venison, or a combination of the two, this is the time to pull out all the stops and really kick it into gear. Late season is your last chance to get rid of that tag sandwich that will burn a hole in your pocket all winter.

Fortunately, it is extremely possible to pattern and hunt these whitetails due to a basic and burning necessity they have. Unfortunately, late season conditions can be extremely punishing to endure, especially for a bow hunter. When you’re exposed to the elements, it’s a constant battle of mental and physical endurance. But sitting absolutely still perched in a tree stand for hours in those conditions, and then having to pull back a 70 pound bow is a Herculean effort.

Let’s look at some tips and tactics you can use during late season bow hunting to help you get your big win, whatever it might be.

Quiver or No Quiver? │ The Pros and Cons of using a Bow Mounted Quiver

Hunting with a Quiver │ The Advantages and Disadvantages

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If you were to ask 100 archery hunters if they keep their quiver on their bow while hunting or remove it for the hunt, you would probably split the pool right down the middle. While the philosophy of removing their quiver from the bow while hunting is becoming more popular, there are still advantages to keeping it locked on tight for the hunt. In this article we will explore the advantages and disadvantages to this topic.

The number one answer given by hunters when asked why they might remove their quiver while hunting is regards to limited mobility when in the deer stand or blind. There is no doubt that when you are doing your very best to conceal yourself from the wary eyes of that big buck, that having a quiver full of arrows tipped with G5s on the side of your bow can add an extra layer of complexity. If you are packed in tight to your stand or blind, your quiver on the side of your bow while bow hunting can at times limit your mobility, making it difficult to get that shot off when you need to.

The second most common answer given by hunters is the issue of balance and shot placement. Many hunters feel that having the quiver on the side of the bow can cause them to overcompensate for the shot due to the extra weight added by the quiver and arrows.

Bow Hunting | The “Magic” Year Round Stand

A bow hunting stand in a dynamite location for anytime of the year…Does it exist?

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As hunters we all look for “magic” advantages…whether it’s the magic food plot seed, the magic scent control spray, or the magic broadhead. We find out fast there is no real “magic” to any aspect of deer hunting, and if it’s labeled with “magic” it’s likely a gimmick… However, if you use magic with some vague terms, well hey, you might just have something there! At least something someone would believe! When it comes to stand location or where to hunt, any advice given seems to become vague… slathered and brushed with “specific for your situation”, “scenario”, “ your area”, and pretty soon that key stand location that is dynamite for bow hunting any time of year has become a giant slab of several locations, time of years, and scenarios.

This begs the question, if you cut through the meat of all the vagueness you see on today’s websites and shows is there any “magic” left? Is there one true dynamite stand location?

For a bow hunting stand location to truly live up to that name, it has to be effective 365 days of the year…well actually only around 105 days for bow hunter, and even less for firearm hunters. Nonetheless, it’s a long time spanning several different times of year, weather events, photoperiods, and moon phases (if you’re into that sort of thing). More importantly big changes for deer take place like changing food sources, rut phases, and hunter pressure. So what in every “situation”, “scenario”, and all the different changes stays the same, something you can count, where the deer will be throughout the entire season?

Bow Hunting | Get In and Out of the Stand Undetected

How to get into and out of your deer stand undetected

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Bow season is here…finally! Built tension and excitement are finally released by climbing up in the stand and bow hunting, but you are hesitant. You know, and have heard time after time, that bow hunting before the last week in October can be a huge mistake. Pressuring your deer too early before daylight movement starts to increase can bring your encounters with deer to a screeching halt. But then again without risk, there is no reward! How about reaping the reward without the risk? Hunt smart, and eliminate the risk by getting into and out of your bow hunting stand undetected.

The odds are not in your favor. You have an army of deer senses like hearing and eyesight stacked against you. The warmer weather of early bow hunting season has increased the potency and residual effects of scent, meaning scent spray or not, you are getting busted. To combat a deer’s nose, and the army of other sense you need a bust-proof game plan.
Every bow hunter has experienced busting deer while walking into their stand. Once in the stand your chances of this are greatly reduced. This means the majority of “human pressure” comes with walking through the property before and after you hunt. There are several steps you can use to minimize this impact while bow hunting.

Bow Hunting | Attracting Deer to Your Property

Strategies to Improve Your Bow Hunting This Season

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There’s no better feeling than sitting in your stand in the pre-dawn light, and knowing that you did absolutely everything you could to maximize your odds this year out bow hunting. While others throw chance completely to the wind, you can sit content in your tree or blind with the confidence that you did everything possible to craft your property into the ultimate deer hunting paradise. Regardless of whether you get a deer or not, you’ll still feel successful. But before you can feel that amazing sense of accomplishment, you first need to learn how to attract and hold whitetails on your property. Let’s dig in.

First, let’s review a quick biology lesson that every bow hunter knows and few do anything to improve. Whitetail deer, or any animal for that matter, require cover, food, and water to survive. If your property is lacking any of those puzzle pieces, deer may still visit your property but they will be forced to leave to find the missing pieces. Think about it. If your house was very comfortable but lacked a refrigerator or water faucet, how long would you stay put? You’d need to go somewhere else to meet your basic needs. If you want to protect deer at younger ages so that they can mature into nice deer someday, you’ll need to have all three items on your land to eliminate any excuse they have to leave.

Bow Hunting | Finding Early Season Whitetails

How to Find Early Season Whitetails

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If you had to pick your favorite time of the year to be bow hunting in the whitetail woods, what would it be? Most hunters would say those precious few weeks of the rut. But there’s another time of year that can be very productive as well. Chasing early season whitetails can be almost as exciting as and definitely more predictable than the rut. Add into the fact that you are getting tired of shooting your PRIME at a foam target, and you can see why it may be a great time to be out. If you haven’t given the early season its fair shake before, read on for some tips and techniques to have more success this year.

First, let’s discuss the optimum environmental conditions and how they affect early season whitetails. Many hunters know that temperature, wind, and moon phase can all affect deer movement. If the temperatures are warmer than average, when early season whitetails are putting on their winter coats, they can easily overheat. Whereas, colder than average temperatures allow deer to move about freely without overheating. Wind speeds above about 15 miles per hour tend to put deer movement down as well, as it reduces their ability to sense predators. There are many schools of thought on what moon phases do to deer movement, but there are many other things that can affect it. For example, overcast skies, fog, or a light rain/snow can prolong daytime deer movement as they are crepuscular creatures (they are most active at dawn and dusk, or low-light times of the day). A rising barometer has also been known to produce good deer movement.

Archery Equipment | Bow Hunting Preparation

Preparing Your Archery Equipment for Bow Hunting

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For us passionate (alright, maybe obsessed) bow hunters, sometimes it can be difficult to truly enjoy the summer when we know what’s right around the corner. Finally! Bow hunting season is just on the horizon and close enough that we can taste it. Are you prepared?

If you haven’t done so already, this is the time to take out all your archery equipment from storage and do a gear check. If you have items that need to be replaced, you should get that done as soon as possible before bow hunting season starts. Here are some quickarchery equipment tips for you to check.

This article assumes you’ve practiced a bit over the summer with your bow, so you feel comfortable at this point making accurate and consistent shots. Because you’ve been using your bow, it should be in pretty good shape. However, check your sights and arrow rest to be sure they’re functioning fine. Inspect the string for any damage or wear. Over time, repetitive use, heat, and humidity can all work to fray the string. If it’s compromised in any way, you should probably replace it sooner than later and get practicing again to make sure you still shoot consistently. If it’s fine, consider applying some wax to the bow string, which may prolong its life.

Youth Archery | Introducing Kids to Bow Hunting

Getting Kids Started in Archery and Bow Hunting

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Getting kids started in archery and bow hunting is much more than just a simple introduction to another sport or hobby. It’s introducing them to a very real passion and lifestyle. Taking up bow hunting means learning ethics, responsibility, respect, and overall involvement with nature and the environment. It’s taking up so much more than just another extracurricular activity in this fast pace world. Introducing kids to bow hunting is extremely rewarding for both you as a parent, relative, or friend as it is for the kid.

When starting kids in archery and bow hunting it’s important to always remember to keep it fun. Involvement is based on your encouragement and approach. Introducing them the right way can insure they develop the passion, love, and respect just as you did from your parent or relative.

Obviously take time to cover the basics such as safety, how to shoot, and where to shoot. But don’t forget to cover the reasons behind why you bow hunt and the bigger picture.Practice shooting in the backyard for the first year or two making sure any time spent with a bow in hand is quality time spent with dad, mom, or friend…and it’s fun!

Compound Bows for Sale | What is The Best Compound Bow for You?

What Makes the Best Compound Bow For You?

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Is it time to buy a new compound bow? Before you scour the web and multiple archery equipment stores looking at bows for sale, find out what it takes to make the best compound bows. There are many bow companies out there and they are all competing for you! While searching you will be bombarded with ads and opinions from countless companies, hunters, and archers. This can make finding a bow overwhelming, especially sifting through countless bows to find the one for you. The bow for you is one that provides the highest quality and performance for your money, while also fitting your style and use of the bow.

Archery Targets | Choosing the Right Type of Target for Your Bow

How to Choose the Best Archery Target

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Every bowhunter has at some point been puzzled over which archery target to purchase. It’s no wonder, given the range of types and styles out there. Gone are the days of ruining the fletching by shooting through old hay bales. Today’s targets are best matched to a specific style of bow, arrow, and broadhead or tip.

Let’s discuss the three main types of archery targets below. From there, you can decide which style meets your bow setup the best. Then you’re off to the races!

Bag Targets

Bag targets are the most basic style of archery target, and nearly every bowhunter has owned or practiced on one of these. Bag targets generally contain a synthetic fiber fill that easily stops your arrow, and yet still offers easy arrow removal. They are superb for repetition in the early summer practice sessions. They hold together very well and have a large surface to accommodate mishaps when sighting in during the spring or summer.

That all being said, bag targets are really only meant for field points. Broadheads will very likely stay buried in the target and they will shred the outer covering that keeps the fill contained, so avoid using them. Also, if you don’t keep your bag target out of the elements, they will likely soak up the rain and deteriorate quicker. However, many newer bag targets are made to be more weather-resistant than previous versions.

The suggested use for bag targets is to use them on an indoor range where you can leave them hung in-place. That way, you don’t have to haul around an awkward bag target every time you practice. Feel free to use any type of compound bow setup, but make sure you use field points.

Foam Layer Block Targets

Foam layer targets are the next step up from bag targets. They are lightweight and portable, offer fairly easy arrow removal for light bows, and are economical to boot. Foam layer archery targets work by pinching the arrow between foam layers, using friction to stop its momentum instead of force. Although you can use broadheads on these targets, field points will dramatically increase the life of your target.

The only real limitation to foam layer targets is that a heavy draw weight may bury arrows fairly deep before friction stops them, which means a more difficult removal process. You also need to be aware of your shooting angle. Since they work by pinching the arrow between layers, you don’t want to be shooting through or across layers if you can avoid it. One way to combat this is by turning the block so that the layers are arranged vertically instead of horizontally. This way, the arrow should slide between layers regardless of the vertical shot angle.

The suggested use for foam layer targets is for practice sessions outside, where you can quickly set it up and start shooting from a tree stand or at ground level. Again, use field points more often to extend the target’s life. Also be cognizant about heavy bows and potential arrow removal difficulties.