Bowhunting has brought me some of my best hunting memories over the past half century. I’ll never forget two specific bowhunting trips. One was my first archery deer, which I stalked on my knees through a sandbur patch in a 30 mph wind and put an arrow right through the boiler room. Talk about exciting! The other was my last compound bow kill, when I tore the ligaments in my right shoulder drawing the bow with my body turned at a very odd angle. The deer went down, but so did I, and I later had to have that shoulder replaced because of the damage that began that day. Still, it was an unforgettable memory.
There’s just something about bowhunting that is especially intriguing to many hunters. Not only does it yield the thrill of getting up close and personal with a big-game animal, but it also allows hunters to use tools not quite so advanced as a centerfire rifle to bring home the venison.
Of course, at the center of bowhunting for most archery hunters is a good compound bow. Buying a new compound bow for hunting can be quite an investment. As with other kinds of hunting gear, there tend to be two main types of users: those who upgrade their hunting bow every year or so and those who are content to hunt with their trusty 20-year-old bow that they swear they’ll never give up.
What the latter hunters might not realize is that compound bows get better each year. Bows are faster, smoother, quieter and more accurate, all leading to a better experience in the field and more venison on the table.
Let’s take a look at a few new compound bows introduced by some of the best archery equipment manufacturers this year. These might be just the bows that pique the interest of the new-bow-every-year hunter, while also getting that hunter with an old bow off the fence and pulling out his credit card heading into this fall’s hunting seasons.
Bowtech has been making and selling very high-quality compound bows for 25 years, and the Core SR introduced this year definitely fits into that category. Engineered to deliver extreme speed, an incredibly smooth draw and unparalleled accuracy, the Core SR, according to Bowtech, sets the new standard for high-performance bows.
In fact, the Core SR delivers many of the high-performance features bowhunters are looking for when shopping for a new bow. The bow’s CenterMass technology precisely aligns the sight to optimize stability and accuracy, while the company’s DeadLock technology yields the quickest, simplest way to achieve perfect arrow flight and repeatable accuracy.
Additionally, the Core SR’s TimeLock technology allows for quick and easy cam position adjustment without a bow press (only an Allen wrench is needed). GripLock technology allows for custom positioning of the grip angle to fine-tune the bow to an individual bowhunter’s preference.
As far as specifications, the bow has an axle-to-axle length of 33 inches and weighs in at a svelte 4.5 pounds. It’s available in 50-, 60- and 70-pound draw, and adjustability allows max draw weight to be reduced by about 10 pounds.
Faster bows deliver more downrange accuracy, and the Core SR has hunters covered there, also. It slings arrows at 344 feet per second (fps), offering more forgiveness on the shot compared to slower bows. Brace height is 6 inches, and the draw length can be adjusted anywhere from 25 to 30 inches, fitting the majority of archery customers. It’s also available in 11 different finishes, including seven camouflage patterns.
With an MSRP starting at $1,399, the Core SR isn’t a budget bow. But shoppers will certainly get what they pay for if they choose this model for their next treestand companion.
Prime Archer, the leading manufacturer of center-grip bows, knows a thing or two about building a great hunting bow. And this year’s Prime RVX takes the company’s technological savvy at building bows to a new height.
The RVX features the company’s CORE Cam system, the smoothest Prime has ever developed, to give bowhunters an outstanding shooting experience. The only system on the market that actively works to reduce cam lean, the CORE Cam system’s balancing technology brings the strings and cables in line with each other, making the cam perfectly balanced throughout the entire draw. Additionally, the RVX features Prime’s Quik Tune technology so users need not add extra modifications to their bow to perfectly tune it. This system allows for the cam to be shifted left or right very precisely and rigidly without extra weight or complexity in a straight-forward way without needing to pull the axle.
The Prime RVX is available in three different length models: 32, 34 and 36 inches. The RVX32 has an adjustable draw length of 26 to 30 inches and a draw weight of 40 to 80 pounds, and it flings an arrow at 340 fps. The RVX34 has a draw length of 26.5 to 30.5 inches, draw weight of 40 to 80 pounds and 342 fps velocity. The longest model, the RVX 36, has a draw length of 27.5 to 30.5 inches and a draw weight of 40 to 80 pounds, and it shoots 332 fps. All have a let-off of 80%, and weight is 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6 pounds, respectively.
The Prime RVX is available in 19 different finishes and carries an MSRP of $1,299.
Bear Archery has been packing their hunting compound bows from axle to axle with industry-leading technologies and designs for decades. The company’s flagship model for 2024 is the Bear Persist, a bow that with just one look will have customers wanting to give it a try.
The Persist is made for stealth and features strategically placed in-riser dampeners, an innovative string stop with built-in dampening and new silent shelf technology to make errant arrow contact with the riser undetectable. A new Picatinny mount for the user’s preferred sighting system and the Integrate Mounting System for the arrow rest make streamlining the bow easier than ever.
With treestand hunters in mind, Bear equipped the Persist with an integrated limb pocket for quick, secure connection of a pull-up rope. And a convenient, quick-disconnect shoulder sling attachment point makes the bow easy to carry on a long trek through the woods or mountains.
With an axle-to-axle length of 31 inches, the Persist has a draw length range of 26 to 30 inches. And with up to 90% let-off, the bow’s EKO cam system can generate velocities of up to 340 fps. Draw weight is available in 45 to 60 pounds or 55 to 70 pounds, and the bow weighs in at 4.6 pounds.
It’s available in five finishes: olive, stone, Mossy Oak Break Up, Mossy Oak Bottomland and Fred Bear camo. Similar to the other two bows, the MSRP isn’t cheap at $1,249. But the Persist is a lot of bow for the money and should last for years.
Wrapping It Up
Thanks to advanced technology, hunting bows just keep getting better, and these three new-for-2024 compound bows should turn a few heads with shoppers this fall. Consider stocking one, two or all three of them in your inventory to bolster your bottom line heading into this year’s archery hunting seasons.
