Hi everyone. My name is Kurt, and I am a bowhunting gear addict.
I’ll be the first to admit it. I might have a problem…or a craving, rather. An addiction that spans over decades of my bowhunting career. All 27 of them to be exact. A compulsion that has worsened since joining a hunting show.
What innocently started with a Lil Sioux youth recurve bow at the age of 4 has transformed into an addiction not even The Cartel could supply. Brand new bows, innovative sights, the latest broadheads, the sleek new arrows, fletching configurations, camo clothing options, treestands, saddles, and packs.
The options for upgrades go on and on. Just typing this is making my neck itch!
Is this an intervention? I’m not sure.
I could have stopped after I had purchased my 3rd bow, a deer killing machine. But I’m currently on my 12th. I could have stuck with that first 3-pin sight I bought in 2008…but did you hear HHA will be dropping their new sight soon?
Yet here I sit, typing an article about the revolving door of gear change whilst my mouse hovers over an open tab at Lancasterarcherysupply.com, researching the new 2025 products that I will be buying for a bow that I don’t even own yet.
It’s endless altering and change. That’s human nature, of course. So, I’ll blame my problems on biology.
This begs the question, why are we so addicted to new products, and do we really need them? What gear do we, or should we, most often change?
Are they truly better than our old equipment? And finally, is there such thing as the “perfect system” for our bowhunting gear?
Like many things in life, our upgrades boil down to two important factors; want vs. need. For example, my golf game. I may want that new driver that definitely won’t fix my terrible swing, but what I need is another box of balls, and some time spent at the range because I’ve launched them all into an unfindable orbit.
In archery, I want that brand new Mathews Lift X. What I need is to revisit my ShotIQ course with Joel Turner and spend hours on the range with my current setup. New gear doesn’t always equate to better results.
It is easy for us to be enticed by marketing advertisements and social media influencers to get the latest and greatest gear. However, our trusty old equipment is often beyond effective for the average hunter.
Maggie Carsello, Professional Fun Haver, Hunter and Angler agrees. “The issue for me is always wanting an entirely new bow, even though mine is shooting great,” she said when asked about her addiction to changing her archery setup.
As the Social Media Specialist for Vortex Optics, she knows all too well about the power of social media and marketing. “Bow manufacturers are constantly releasing new bows, making tweaks and improvements, and I think we just always want the very best gear available,” she stated.
“Plus, it’s a shiny new toy getting plastered all over social media. We’re always going to give in eventually!”
Sometimes, gear changes are necessary. Equipment gets older with time, old gear breaks down, inconsistencies begin to creep in. And in a recreation that is filled with heavy breathing, heart pounding, adrenaline dumping action, inconsistencies and unclear thinking lead to catastrophic failure or worse, wounded and unrecovered game.
Embracing your old gear and being effective with it is one thing. Neglecting the need for equipment upgrades because you are too stubborn or cheap is downright unethical.
Thankfully, the majority of hunters take upgrading their equipment seriously.
After conducting a survey on the Bowhunt or Die Instagram story, nearly 80% of the responses to the question “What bowhunting gear do you change most often and why?” referred to broadheads and arrow platforms as being their most often upgraded piece of equipment year after year.
If there is one system to constantly check for flaws, in my opinion, would be your arrow and broadhead setup. To me, they are the most important items because together they are what ultimately take the life of the animals we pursue.
A duty that we as hunters strive to do so as efficiently and effectively as possible. I’m not alone in this opinion. “The biggest thing I change is my arrows and broadheads,” said Corey “Overtime” Anderson, UFC vet, Bellator Champion and passionate bowhunter. “I’m always looking for the best solution to put the deer down the fastest and giving me the best blood trail if I have to track it.”
Other gear that was listed by followers in the Instagram survey included bows, releases, camo, packs and one follower who said toilet paper was his most often changed piece of equipment (an important piece undoubtably).
Anderson also finds himself often replacing his packs as well. “Something that’s not that important, but I tend to use different ones quite often are packs. I hunt as a minimalist, using a fanny pack type bag just to carry my camera, camera arm, mic, pruners, tree saw, etc.” he said. The reasoning for his constant pack replacement? “Some packs feel better to haul, some have different shape and fits gear better, some hang better on the tree hook. It’s the little details that drive us nuts.”
This brings me to the next question, is new gear better than old gear? The answer to that is somewhat difficult to determine as it depends on so many variables and how you define the word “better.”
While some old gear is made with better material, it may not functionally work as well as newer equipment and vise vera.
Let’s take broadheads as an example. Old steel, fixed blade broadheads were built simplistic and to last the test of time while new broadheads are packed full of impressive improvements, mechanical advantages and thrive in categories such as larger wound channels.
But with those improvements you can sacrifice penetration and durability that can be found in those designs from the past. It depends entirely on your setup and your gear goals as an archer. An example of gear that has improved over time for the better in general would be bows.
It amazes me to see how far every bow manufacture has come in designing and creating new compound bows year after year. Each season the bar is raised and there is a new ceiling to chase because of one simple word, innovation.
As for some specific examples of gear that are timeless, many come to mind such as Mossy Oak Bottomland Camo, the Buck 110 hunting knife, a sharp tipped Zwickey Eskimo broadhead or even the Stanley Thermos that has kept morning brews warm since 1913.
Some items, no matter how old, continue to find their way into the field season after season providing success to those who carry them afield.
So, what does the perfect gear kit look like? Or is there even such a thing as the perfect system for our bowhunting gear? That answer is as variable as a bluff country wind.
Ask a room full of 100 hunters and you’ll find 100 different answers, guaranteed. “I might be the odd ball here, but I haven’t changed anything for going on 4 years,” said Erik Barber, Vortex Optics Content Manager. “I added some camo pieces this year but mainly because of wearing out some older pieces.”
Ultimately, the perfect setup is one that provides you with confidence and comfort that makes you the most efficient and effective hunter that you can be.
There are other hunters like Barber as well who have found what works best for them. My father, for example, still uses his 2008 Fred Bear bow, Easton arrows tipped with WASP fixed blade broadheads and has no intention of changing anytime soon.
“They say if it’s not broke don’t fix it,” Anderson answered when asked about finding the perfect setup. “But we always try to find ways to improve to be faster and more efficient.” Innovation and customization for the individual hunter is vital.
“Truthfully, once I have a bow setup and shooting well, I tend to leave it alone,” said Carsello about her archery tackle. Other gear modifications, however, stem from a more meaningful source all together. “The only thing I’ve changed on my current bow setup is the color of the fletchings on my arrows to honor someone close to me who passed away.”
A simple gear change that holds a lot of value for Maggie.
As someone who is officially addicted to changing gear, I believe I can speak on behalf of many of my fellow hunters. We enjoy replacing gear because innovation is intriguing, modifications build confidence, and customization ultimately makes our bowhunting system our own.
We strive to hone our skills and our gear each season so that we are the best hunters that we can be.
While some items are timeless and have found their way into the field for decades, others must endure the test of time and become the next ageless pieces of equipment for many years to come and the only way to find out if they will be legendary items is to use them.
And if you are fortunate enough to find what works right for you, then there is no shame in sticking to it. Regardless of what they say in the commercials!
So, head afield this season with confidence in your setup whether it is old or new and do your best to avoid breaking the bank in the process. And I suppose if you do, you can always resort to hosting a hunting gear garage sale to climb yourself out of debt.
P.S. Send me the address if you do!
