Nine years ago, Steve MacBride left his career in finance, mortgage, annuity work and asset allocation to follow his dream. He opened The Archer’s Edge, a pro shop located in Oakdale, Pennsylvania — between Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Airport. In other words, he was willing to sacrifice income for a more fulfilling career.
The Archer’s Edge encompasses approximately 4,200 square feet, half of which is a shooting range with eight lanes. MacBride runs Techno Hunt leagues in both summer and winter. Additionally, his store offers five compound bow lines and three crossbow lines.
“I tried to fill out as many orders as possible prior to the ATA Show,” MacBride shared. “In the past, I found it difficult to look at all of the new products simply because I was spending so much time filling out orders. I brought some guys along this year strictly to grab catalogs and look for products while my manager and I filled out remaining orders. Even at that, I still found myself scrambling to look at and try new products.”
“The show floor certainly had some cool new products,” he continued. “One was the Burris Oracle bowsight. Garmin released similar technology last year, and we sold 17 of those sights in 2018. The Oracle is priced similarly to Garmin’s entry-level rangefinding bowsight. It’s less ‘techy,’ doesn’t have glass, and always has a 20-yard pin. Those are good points. It’s also ambidextrous, which means one SKU. I ordered some, and I’m excited to get them in.”
“Easton’s new tapered-diameter FMJ T64 makes a nice addition to its line,” MacBride said. “It’ll compete with GrizzlyStik arrows. It isn’t for everyone — a dozen MSRPs for $299. But, for customers looking to improve FOC and accuracy, it’s a great option. I ordered some and will test them out. If they’re all they promise to be, I’ll bring some in to sell.”
“Conquest Scents’ new remote-controlled ScentFire electronic scent vaporizer is really neat,” he added. “It has a 40-yard range and can dispense scent at the touch of a button. At this time, I’m unsure if it’s legal here in Pennsylvania, but I’ll discuss it with the PA Game Commission to find out.”
“There are a lot of cool new bows this year,” MacBride continued. “Obviously, most were launched prior to the show. Elite’s Ritual 35 exemplifies Elite’s shootability theme. Great bow. Bowtech’s Reckoning was unveiled at ATA. It will make a fantastic 3-D bow. I find the new Cam Drive technology quite impressive, and I believe it will measurably simplify tuning. I really do. It’s so impressive that I bet we’ll see the technology on Bowtech’s 2020 hunting bows.”
