Shootability — that’s been the calling card for Elite Archery bows the past several years. What that means to the West Henrietta, New York, company in the simplest terms is that Elite bows are nice to shoot. They’ve got all the performance you want from a compound bow. And they’re nice to shoot — easy to draw, no vibration. For 2022, Elite keeps that shootability ball rolling with its flagship hunting bow EnVision.

Actually, I think simply describing the EnVision as “shootable” doesn’t do it justice. “Shooter friendly” is a better description in my opinion. Of course, I recognize that doesn’t carry anywhere near the marketing sexiness of “shootability.” But “shooter friendly” gives a better sense of the EnVision’s flexibility to conform to a shooter’s needs. It’s a shootable bow because there are several features unique to this bow that allow a shooter to make it fit him or her like a custom pair of gloves.

Test Bow Specs

• LETOFF: 90%
• BRACE HEIGHT: 6.8 inches
• WEIGHT: 4.63 pounds
• AXLE-TO-AXLE LENGTH: 31 inches
• SPEED: 270 fps (with 479-grain Black Eagle Spartan)
• DRAW WEIGHT: 68 pounds
• DRAW LENGTH: 29.75 inches
• FINISH: Mountain Tan
• SUGGESTED RETAIL: $1,199
• CONTACT: www.elitearchery.com

Before we dive into those special features and more, I should state for the record that I have worked on bows in one of the largest archery pro shops in the country — Lancaster Archery Supply — for nearly a decade. So I am comfortable making tuning adjustments to any compound bow. But I believe that experience qualifies me to know what truly is doable by the average person, as compared to what bow work is best left to a qualified technician. In the following paragraphs, I’m going to discuss several adjustments to the EnVision that I believe can be done by anyone, without the need for any special training or equipment.

From the first time you pick up the EnVision, you can tell it’s an Elite. It has the signature riser cutouts, bridges above and below the grip, the slender grip and just that tell-tale overall shape that says “Elite.” Following an industry trend with flagship hunting bows, the EnVision features a longer-than-normal riser, with short, wide limbs. With the shorter, wider limbs, Elite was able to avoid creating a severe deflex in the riser, which usually makes bows feel top heavy. With no accessories attached, the EnVision balances nicely in the hand.

There are a total of 15 finishes available for the EnVision, but six of those are bright, solid colors probably favored only by target archers. Nine finishes are likely to appeal to bowhunters. Two colors are new — Mountain Tan and Sienna Brown — and are sure to be popular among western hunters.

The look of the bow is nice, but that’s not what makes the Envision stand out. It’s the ability to make this bow fit you, rather than vice versa.

The Tech

Let’s start with the cam. The EnVision’s ASYM Tri-Track cam features a rotating module for making draw length adjustments from 23.5-30.5 inches. That’s pretty normal. What’s unique is that module can be adjusted in quarter-inch increments. Nearly every other bow on the market with rotating modules allows only half-inch adjustments.

So what? What difference is a quarter-inch going to make?

It can mean the difference between aiming with a dancing pin and aiming with a pin that sits still. Target archers play with draw length all the time to find the one that allows them to hold steadiest. Bowhunters typically don’t; they simply accept the set draw length of their bow.

The usual way target archers make quarter-inch draw length adjustments is by setting the module on a half-inch or whole-inch mark and then twisting cables to fine tune the length. But you must have a bow press to do that, and twisting cables also affects cam timing and draw weight. So it’s not ideal for the masses.

The EnVision’s quarter-inch adjustment module eliminates all of that. Remove two screws with an Allen wrench and move the module to the length desired. That’s it.

Also on that module, the end piece features a slotted block for adjusting let-off. With the EnVision, you can turn a screw to change the let-off from 90 percent to 85, 80 or 75 percent. Again, customization.

You choose your draw stop, too. Do you like hitting a brick wall when you reach full draw? Choose the limb stop. Or do you prefer a little bit of give at the back end to pull through your release? Choose the cable stop. “Choosing” involves simply screwing a limb stop onto the cam or taking it off.

Shifting to the limb pocket, we come to the easiest, most foolproof tuning system on the market today. Elite’s S.E.T. Technology is unrivaled in its simplicity for producing perfect bullet holes while paper tuning.

S.E.T. stands for Simplified Exact Tuning. The EnVision has a bolt at the top of the riser that you turn one way or the other with an Allen key to shift the limb pocket left or right, which has the same effect as moving the cam left or right on the axle. With many other bows, you need a bow press to do this and it can be tricky because you have to move around spacers on the axle between the cam and the limb.

With S.E.T., you never have to leave the shooting line, let alone use a bow press. Elite even has a sticker on the riser that tells you which way to turn the S.E.T. bolt depending if you get a left or right tear while paper tuning.

Take a shot, view the tear. Turn the Allen key, take another shot. Repeat until the tear is gone. It really is that simple.

Driving Tacks

For my test, I didn’t have to do any of that. I set my arrow rest so the center of my Black Eagle Spartan sat 13/16 inch from the riser, and so my arrow was level from my nocking point to the rest. That gave me a first-shot bullet hole.

Now that I was shooting arrows, I got to experience the EnVision’s “shootability.” The draw is silky smooth. I would have guessed the peak weight to be 60 pounds, versus the actual 68.5. At full draw, my holding weight measured 7.3 pounds, thanks to 90 percent let-off. I could have held that bow all day, and I immediately thought about drawing back and having to wait a minute or more for a buck to step into my shooting lane.

The long, straight riser aimed like a dream, once I dialed in my draw length to 29.75 inches. I’m a huge fan of long risers because they’re just easier to hold still while aiming — especially at my draw length. Bows with shorter risers can be tippy side to side,  especially at draw lengths at or above the axle-to-axle length.

The EnVision’s grip is similar to what you’ll find on target bows. That makes sense, since the people who had input into the grip’s design are Elite target archers. The grip is slim, flat on the back with definable — yet not sharp — edges, and angled just right for putting pressure into the bow with the heel of your hand.

So the EnVision drew nice, held nice and aimed nice. At the shot, there’s virtually no recoil. I usually shoot with a wrist sling or finger sling to keep a bow from jumping out of my hand. I didn’t need either shooting the EnVision. I could keep my hand relaxed all the way through the shot and the bow simply stayed there.

Grouping arrows at 20, 30 and 50 yards was effortless. Draw, hold release. I have shot bows that forced me to work hard to hold them steady. The EnVision was not one of those. I could just relax and shoot.

Final Thoughts

Yes, the Elite EnVision has a high “shootability” rating. That’s because there are so many ways to make this bow fit the way you shoot. This is good news for your customers who prefer tweaking their archery gear; you don’t have to be an expert to make those adjustments.

For more information about Elite’s lineup of 2022 bows, visit www.elitearchery.com.