A couple of weeks ago I was in New Jersey at the Sportsman’s Center for their Whitetail Jamboree, which kicks off hunting season. The attendance was great and, believe me, when I tell you that Foxworthy was right when he said that being a redneck is not just a Southern thing. These guys are hardcore hunters and killing some great deer, all within two hours of New York City. I was impressed. I also enjoyed hearing all of the excitement about their upcoming trips to the Midwest.

The store is operated by Vinnie Mancini; he is a world champion indoor archer and has a great reputation in the area for expert bow service. It was fun hanging around as Vinnie and I compared tuning and setup notes, and we ragged each other about the way we both tied D-Loops. If ya’ll are in the area, stop and see him and the gang there.

I also got to go fishing within sight of the Statue of Liberty with my buddy, Big George, and his friends. They were great company and true rednecks (a.k.a. Carrot farmers). We caught bluefish and fluke. And I also got to see Bon Jovi’s childhood house. A true dream come true.

Thanks for all the response to the last blog about the certified pro shops.

T-Bone

How many folks have walked into a pro shop or box store that sales archery equipment to have work done on their bow and watched with zero confidence as someone worked on their bow that knew less than them? And then there are the times where you get home to find that the work done on your bow was done very poorly, and that doesn’t put you in a very good mood. But there is the flip side. How many people have found a great pro shop in their area where the employees are very friendly, passionate and extremely knowledgeable? Those are a great find, and it is enjoyable to go to the archery shop and hang out and get educated and know the guy is pouring his heart into your setup.

Working on bows and servicing archery equipment is a very customized field, but extremely important. A bow must be precision fit and tuned to a person for it to be at its full potential.

I have said all that to get to this: I have a vision. Scary, but give me a chance. When you get your car worked on you have the choice to take it to a CERTIFIED mechanic. The same for heating and air tecs; they go to school and get CERTIFIED. Heck, just about any type of repairmen in our normal lives are schooled, trained or licensed. And it is a nice feeling to go to the doctor and see 12 diplomas on the wall.

Here’s the point. I think the archery industry should start and offer (or demand) that if retail outlets want to service and sale archery equipment, their staff must attend this school that would be funded by manufactures, the ATA (Archery Trade Association), and those. The result is a great product for the public. With a lot of public awareness this would make it very desirable for retail shops to attain this certification.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you can walk into shops nationwide and see the credentials on the door or wall and know that the guy working on your bow is qualified and you are in good hands?

So this blog is a invitation to you… I have read so many e-mails over the years of folks complaining about not having a good pro shop in the area. I have also worked behind plenty of bows that were not set up right to start with. Please let us hear your thoughts and comments here on what you think about starting an archery certification class. And by all means, e-mail the ATA and all the archery manufactures to let them know how you feel about this. Besides, the happier people are with their archery setups, the more they shoot, the more they hunt and the more they will tell friends and teach children the joys of hunting and archery. Spreading the word helps our sport grow.

Yours in archery,
T-Bone

P. S. Don’t be shy. Let us hear from you.

I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the bowhunting only DVD from Realtree is now available. Check out the Realstore to get your copy.

And when you get done watching it. Please let us know what you think. The promo for the DVD is below.

Back in the spring I was invited by the guys at G5 to come tour the plant and see their operation. I jumped at the opportunity to see behind the scenes of a company I already knew was notorious for craftsmanship, quality and great innovations. Those who know me know that I love the what, why and how aspect of archery. I love to troubleshoot and dissect products. This was right up my alley, and if I could start back at the high school age I would love to be a machinist.

We had several great meetings while I was there and I got to meet all the employees and the Grace family (That’s what the G stands for in G5 Outdoors). This is a well-established engineering company that has only been in the archery industry for a short time. But they've definitely already made a strong mark. Several things that impressed me was the 100% steel-tough broadheads, most companies us some aluminum in there broadheads but G5’s are all steel. Their sights are so light because of being magnesium and offer such a wide range of adjustment. Their peep sights are also very popular because of being so lightweight.

They also shared with me some of their up coming products for the future. AAAAwwwwww, thought I was gonna share them with you, huh? You will have to wait. But let’s just say the future looks bright. Stay tuned.

In closing, the guys at G5 are a class act I am proud to be associated with them. Check out there website www.g5outdoors.com and tell us what you think.

Yours in archery,
Travis

Hello ladies and gentlemen—
Here are a few more questions I thought you might find entertaining, and helpful as well.
Keep Shootin'.

Michael from Texas wrote:
I just bought a deer target and a set of carbon arrows. My bow weight is set at 75 pounds and when I shoot the target it is close to impossible to get the arrows out. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do? Should I take the arrows back or the target, or neither?

My response:
That is one draw back to carbon shafts, but let's see if I can give you a few hints to make your practice sessions more enjoyable. Clean your shafts real good, then try lubricating the first 8 or 10 inches behind the broadhead, or field point, with silicone, Armour All, our even good ol' bar soap. Then buy yourself a good arrow puller, like the Gorilla Grip, and when you first start to pull an arrow out, give it about a quarter turn twist.

Mike from New Mexico wrote:
Can you describe what is the instinctive shot (referring to traditional archery) and how you practice it? I gap shoot but would like to try the instinctive shot. Thank you.

My response:
The best way I can describe an instinctive shot is comparing it to throwing a baseball. You learn your strengths and the velocity in which you throw by just doing it. How do pitchers learn to locate a pitch or outfielders learn to hit their cutoff man? It's repetition. You must practice the cast of your bow and build correct muscle memory. You will then become more accurate.