We wait 11 months for that one magical stretch of time that our passion for bowhunting is allowed to be exercised. Crisp mornings, autumn colors, and if you’re lucky, an opportunity to harvest one of the wild game animals that we love. Then, just as it came, it’s over. We return to civilization, the hunting gear goes back in the closet, and for many, the bow goes into the case where it will reside in neglectful solitude until August. But for a rapidly increasing number of bowhunters, that bow is getting to stretch its limbs all year long. This is often referred to as hybrid or crossover archery.
It goes without saying that there is simply no substitute for that moment at full draw with an animal in front of you. However, archery is so much deeper than carrying your bow around for a few weeks of the year. With numerous events catering to the hybrid archer continuing to emerge, it has become easier than ever to simulate the hunting experience all year long. Simply put, hybrid/crossover archery is the act of adapting your hunting bow setup to handle more like a target archery setup, allowing you to be more accurate in offseason practice. There is no denying that when you hit the center, you enjoy shooting a lot more than when you don’t! So, the question remains, why would you want to change your hunting setup just to practice in the offseason? The answer is simple, ACCURACY! The more you’re able to practice, and practice effectively, the better your shot execution will become. Sure, you can shoot your hunting setup in the offseason, but take it onto a 3D course, or even a Total Archery Challenge (totalarcherychallenge.com) or Mountain Archery Fest (mountainarcheryfest.com) course, and you’ll soon find that you’re leaving a lot to be desired!
Today’s hunting bows have come a long way from those of years past, higher let off, more efficient cam systems, and more stable riser and limb designs that produce nearly no hand shock. That being said, if you look at a hunting bow setup next to a target bow setup, you won’t find a lot of similarities from an equipment standpoint. Target bows are considerably longer axle to axle, and are set to lower poundage for the shooter. Target sights typically house a single pin, or magnified lens with a spot, resulting in a cleaner, more precise sight picture. Target arrow setups are considerably lighter than most hunting setups because you don’t need to worry about breaking the shoulder blade of a rubber deer target! The most noticeable difference is the stabilizer lengths. We’ve all seen the target archers with 30” front bars and either a rear V bar or rear offset bar setup. Some hunters don’t even have a stabilizer on their bow.
Where to begin? The number one accessory to consider changing is your sight. A fixed five pin is the most popular for most hunting applications. The multiple pins provide an efficient way to be prepared for any shot within the pin ranges you have set. But what happens when you need to shoot between pins? Most archers don’t feel nearly as confident when the shot requires pin gapping or holding high or low. The natural tendency is to hold dead on. That is where a single pin slider sight comes in. This style allows you to dial to the exact yardage you’re shooting. Say there’s a 3D elk target at 56 yards, with your fixed pin sight you need to hold either high with your 50 or low with your 60. At that distance a few inches of incorrect holding height can result in nearly a full yard of impact point drop! With a single pin slider, dial to 56 and put your pin right where you want to hit. With fewer pins in your sight picture, (the view at full draw through your peep) it will appear much less crowded as well, allowing your brain to more easily process the shot without distraction from additional pins. And we can’t forget to mention the additional yardage you can get out of a slider. Where
your pins stop at 60 yards often on a fixed five pin, you can likely have a pin all the way out to or even past 100 yards with a slider. At a Total Archery Challenge event a few years ago, I was faced with a 107-yard uphill Dahl Sheep target. I was able to dial to that distance, hold dead on and walked away with a nice shot that hit in the vitals.
So, you’ve saved up for a few weeks and purchased your single pin slider sight. You’ve been shooting longer distances and making some great shots, but it feels really difficult to keep your pin on target. Your pin float pattern is HUGE, and you find that target out there at 80 yards looks awfully small. The next change to make is to your stabilizers. By simply increasing the length of your front stabilizer you can exponentially improve your accuracy by tightening pin float, and slowing down bow movement. A great length for a hybrid archer is a 12” bar. This length will adequately accomplish the above two tasks and, come hunting season you might find yourself keeping it on your bow! Increasing the length of lever will greatly improve bow balance and tighten the pattern of your pin floating on target at distance.
With the above improvements, you will likely find that your accuracy and effective range in practice have both skyrocketed, but what if you could make both even better? One of the easiest ways to increase your accuracy and consistency is to decrease the size of your peep. By matching the size of your sight aperture perfectly, you ensure a consistent, centered position of your pin every single shot. For a hunting application, the objective is to get as much light to our eye as possible since dawn and dusk are when the critters come out in most instances. In a target or practice environment, this isn’t the case, so its perfectly acceptable and practical to decrease peep sight size. Say you’re shooting a 3/16” peep for hunting, going to a 5/32” or 1/8” peep for target shooting is an excellent idea. Now your peep perfectly lines up with the outside ring of your sight housing and you have created a “tunnel of accuracy” from the target directly to your eye.
It’s early June, you’ve been hitting the range and the local 3D course once a week and have been POUNDING bullseyes! But in the process, you’ve managed to miss a few times as well. Your dozen hunting arrows are now a slightly less assuring seven survivors. Its decision time, do you buy more hunting arrows to shoot at rubber deer or do you build a new set of arrows specifically for target shooting, allowing your hunting arrows to remain pristine and perfect for your moment of truth come September? For me, the decision is simple. I downgrade one step from my hunting arrows, and build designated target arrows. For example, if you hunt with Gold Tip Hunter Pros, your target arrows would be Hunter XT’s. With less demanding weight and straightness tolerances per dozen, they are about $65 cheaper, making it a little easier on your wallet when you accidentally hit a rock. Most arrow models are offered in cheaper, looser tolerance options. The way to go is purchasing bare shafts. This way you can build them to be just as you want. By following a few simple steps, you can actually improve the grade of the arrow back up to the better model. I’ll cover arrow building in detail in a future article. Fletching options are plentiful, and without the need to steer a broadhead, you can decrease the size of the vane you are running, thus improving clearance and decreasing facial contact. A short, low profile vane in a 4 fletch configuration is my go-to for 3D and target shooting. Point weight can be decreased to aid in flatter trajectory since we aren’t worried about momentum or kinetic energy in this application. Be sure to check the arrow spine chart that corresponds with the arrow you choose, as changing point weight may change the desired spine of the arrow.
You now have a designated setup custom built to help you get maximum accuracy and efficiency out of your hunting bow in target applications. You’re shooting great, and feel extremely confident as late August turns to September. Your form and technique are the best they’ve ever been simply because you’ve been working on them all year! It shouldn’t come as a surprise if some elements of your target setup may just find themselves staying on your bow as you hit the woods this coming season. Hybrid archery is a great way to achieve the best possible accuracy from your hunting bow. 3D targets force you to pick a spot, offer a chance to shoot on uneven terrain, and push past your comfort zone of effective distance. All these elements will provide you with an edge when it’s crunch time and that tag in your pocket wants to find its way onto the antler of the game you’re pursuing.
