The Archery Project

Buying your first hunting compound bow should feel exciting, not confusing and expensive. We see tons of new archers get stuck comparing brands, speed ratings, and “flagship vs budget” arguments, then end up with a bow that never feels right because it was not fitted or tuned correctly. So we go straight at the real problem: how to choose a compound bow you can grow with, and how to make sure it a...

A turkey can look huge in the field, right up until you try to thread an arrow into a tiny vital zone on a bird that never stops moving. That’s why broadhead choice matters more for archery turkey hunting than most people want to admit. Zach from Extreme Outfitters sits down with JR Gettler to sort through the real tradeoffs between mechanical broadheads, fixed blade broadheads, and guillotine or...

TAC doesn’t care how confident you feel in the parking lot. Once you’re on a steep hillside, shooting in the rain, trying to range a dark 3D target through brush with a group watching, you find out what’s real about your setup and your shot process. We’re fresh back from Total Archery Challenge in Indiana and Kentucky, and we’re unpacking the stuff you only learn by being there: the terrain that s...

Your bow can be perfectly tuned and still throw random arrows if your shot process changes from one rep to the next. We get real about the hardest part of archery: consistency. I walk through the shot sequence I rely on when I’m trying to tighten groups on the range and carry that calm, repeatable execution into bowhunting season. If you’ve ever blamed your gear for a flyer, this conversation is a...

Buying a compound bow shouldn’t feel like a guessing game where the only safe answer is “spend more.” I’m Zakk Plocica from Extreme Outfitters, and I walk you through a clear, practical way to pick the right compound bow based on how you actually hunt, how often you shoot, and what you can realistically budget. We break the market into three price tiers: entry level, mid price, and flagship. You’l...

Feeling buried under bow specs, tuning hacks, and must-have accessories? We take a hard look at modern archery’s tech surge and make a case for something rarer and far more effective for bowhunters: simplicity with a purpose. Instead of chasing every new sight, rest, and arrow layout, we walk through a clean, goal-driven setup that holds up in the woods and under pressure. We start by drawing a cl...

Misses that drift left, right, high, or low rarely start at the target—they start in your hands. We dig into the small, overlooked habits that make or break accuracy and share the exact steps we use to tighten groups fast. No gear hype, just clear fixes you can test today. We start with the bow hand, because torque is the first domino. Learn how to set the grip into your lifeline, relax the finger...

Imagine picking up a 33-inch bow that feels almost weightless, settles like a target rig, and tunes in under a minute without touching a press. That’s where our conversation with Jared McCoy from Xpedition Archery lands as we dive into the NexLight series, a complete rethink of what “light, strong, and simple” can mean for bowhunters who live in treestands and saddle platforms, not just on spec sh...

Your groups drift, your bow feels jumpy, and broadheads don't impact with your field points. Let’s fix that with a simple, proven order of operations that turns chaos into confidence. We walk through the exact checkpoints that separate a smooth, accurate setup from a tiring fight: start with draw length that matches your body, lock a reliable anchor, set peep height to your natural sightline,...

Buying a bow shouldn’t feel like a gamble. We walk through a practical, no‑nonsense checklist for finding an archery shop that sells confidence first and gear second. It starts with trust: the right tech listens before recommending anything, asks about your goals and budget, measures you correctly, and keeps jargon out of the conversation. From there, we dig into the essentials that separate great...

Steep angles, sketchy footing, and fast-changing light can make even a solid archer feel shaky. We dig into what actually matters for Total Archery Challenge so your sight keeps up when the mountain starts moving: true second and third axis, durable builds that don’t drift, tool-free micro adjustments, and sight tapes that hold up in rain, mud, and fog. We also unpack the tradeoffs that decide whe...

New arrows landed hard this year, but not all “premium” builds delivered. We dig into why some custom builders Chinese shafts struggled with spine and straightness, where penetration fell apart even at high poundage, and how a simpler approach turned our bows quieter, our tuning faster, and our blood trails undeniable. From Easton’s 5.0 and FMJ Max to Victory’s HLR, VLR, and the new Rival/Rival X...

Ever wonder where marketing hype ends and real performance begins? We sit down with Cody Griffin of Easton and map the line from factory floor to broadhead pass‑throughs, from ATA buzz to TAC mountainsides, and from spec sheets to shots that actually land in the vitals. It’s a candid tour of what works, what fails, and how to build smarter without getting lost in the weeds. We start with the backb...

The 2026 bow class draws a hard line: speed is great, but fast, simple tuning is what saves time and stacks tight groups. We sat down and compared the biggest launches head to head—Hoyt’s new XTS tuning system, PSE’s redesigned FDS cam and blazing Sicario, Matthews’ all-new ARC series, and the return-to-form feel of Prime’s Divide lineup—using real shop results, paper tears, and range impressions...

What if the pack on your back is costing you shots? We bring on Jake Roberts, retired Green Beret and founder of Wayward Ridge, to rethink bowhunting from the ground up: less weight, less noise, more purpose. Jake came to archery at 30 with a clean slate and a Special Forces mindset—focus on what matters, remove what doesn’t, and test until you can’t get it wrong. We dig into minimalist hunting th...

Looking for flagship performance without the flagship price tag? We put five mid-price compound bows through their paces and found real standouts that deliver speed, tuning ease, and shootability for hunters and 3D shooters alike. From the steady Prime Ronin to the surprising Hoyt Enduro, the feature-packed Bowtech Ascend, and Bear’s Alaskan Pro and Adapt 2 HP, this guide helps you pick the right...

Forget marketing numbers—let’s talk verified speed you can actually shoot. We put PSE’s 2026 bows on the line and dig into the two big stories: the new FDS cam and the Sicario’s shockingly manageable velocity. We share real chrono data, how the draw force is front‑loaded to your strongest range, and why dynamic brace height at full draw matters more than the spec on the limb sticker. If you’ve eve...

Ever feel like your trail cameras are running you, not the other way around? We sat down with outfitter and taxidermist Joe Kolaszewski to turn scattered photos into a system you can trust. Joe runs 65 cameras in Kentucky and spreads more across the Carolinas and Virginia, so we dug into what actually moves the needle: e-scouting smart, placing for terrain, and adjusting with intent. We start with...

Bowhunting feels different when your season stretches from North Carolina’s vine-choked swamps to Kentucky’s rolling hills and straight into Ohio’s ag edges. We open with the truth about why NC forges better woodsmanship—tight cover, fickle wind, and micro terrain that forces clean access and constant adjustments. Then we rewind to a velvet Kentucky buck and unpack why a risky wind still produced,...

A pricier bow won’t fix a shaky shot, and that’s exactly where we go today. We unpack why fundamentals—not accessories—decide whether your arrows fly clean or drift off, and we break the process into three pillars you can master: a torque-free grip, a repeatable anchor tied to proper draw length, and a calm, shot execution that kills target panic instead of feeding it. Zakk brings shop-floor exper...

The question isn’t just “Is a crossbow a bow?”—it’s what archery season is supposed to mean. We sit down to unpack New York’s decision to allow crossbows throughout the entire archery season, why the change matters, and how it collides with tradition, ethics, and the rapid march of hunting technology. From shop stories about blown limbs and mis-cocked rigs to real talk about broadhead tuning, safe...

A sobering wake-up call strikes the hunting community as we examine the tragic loss of two young bow hunters in Colorado's backcountry. When lightning claimed the lives of Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko—both experienced outdoorsmen—it highlighted a danger many of us never consider when planning our hunts. The mountains of Colorado host nearly half a million lightning strikes annually, creating...

Choosing the right broadhead might be the most crucial gear decision you'll make as a bowhunter, yet countless hunters struggle with this selection. With North Carolina's archery season opening tomorrow, host Zakk Plocica tackles the confusing world of broadhead selection with clarity and practical advice based on scientific testing. Recent ballistic testing by James Yates and Easton rev...

When Kolby Hanley started 3D printing archery accessories in his Georgia Tech dorm room, he never imagined he was building what would become one of the industry's most innovative brands. In this candid conversation, the 28-year-old UltraView Archery founder shares the remarkable journey from selling water bottles at tournaments to fund his first equipment to partnering with industry giant Mat...

Success leaves clues. After years of conversations with consistently successful bow hunters, a clear pattern emerges – three distinct traits that separate the truly elite from those who occasionally get lucky. The first trait is composure under pressure. When that moment of truth arrives and a mature animal presents a shot opportunity, these hunters maintain remarkable control over their physiolog...