I make my living as a full-time freelance outdoor writer, but my side-hustle for retirement is flipping houses. My wife and I have renovated three homes so far — Lord-willing, there’ll be many more. Three isn’t very many, I know, but those homes have drawn us out of our comfort zones numerous times. We’ve rewired and replumbed. We’ve demolished and rebuilt a foundation wall. We’ve torn off and reshingled roofs. We’ve vaulted a ceiling. We’ve gutted down to the studs. We’ve hung and finished Sheetrock. We’ve tiled, installed kitchen cabinets and the list could go on. You name it and we’ve likely done it.

Stay with me, I’m making a point: Bowhunting also calls us out of our comfort zones. Just like flipping houses is rarely as easy as painting walls and changing out a couple of light fixtures, bowhunting success rarely looks like a 15-yard broadside shot at your backyard deer target. Sometimes, you have to slide an arrow through a 10-inch opening behind your stand where you hadn’t planned on shooting, or chase a bull elk for a few miles before finally getting a steep downhill shot at 53 yards.

Whether I’m cutting to the 1/16th of an inch or dogging a bull elk through the mountains, nothing equals the confidence that high-quality tools instill when I’m called beyond my comfort zone. Having spent some time testing out Hoyt’s Ventum Pro 30, I believe it’s the perfect match when bowhunting calls you beyond yours. Here’s why.

 

First Impressions

You know that feeling of quality you get when you pick up a top-notch drill such as a DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee or Rigid? The Ventum Pro exudes that same feeling. It’s built like a tank, but it doesn’t achieve that by being needlessly bulky or heavy. Pick one up and you’ll understand what I’m saying. From the beefy HBX Pro Cams to the tunneled TEC Riser, it just feels like a worry-free bow that you can trust on every bowhunt, whether you’re pursuing Alabama whitetails or Alaskan brown bears.

Looks obviously aren’t everything, but when spending more than $1,000 on a bow, why not get something that looks stunning? The Ventum Pro isn’t just a past model with a new name. In every way, it has “2022” written all over it with exceptionally pleasing aesthetics. Plus, it’s available in various finishes, including four camo patterns, three solid colors, two Keep Hammering editions and two Bone Collector editions — something for everyone.

 

Test Bow Specs

• Axle to Axle Length: 30 inches
• Brace Height: 6 inches
• Draw Length: 28 inches
• Draw Weight: 71.9 pounds
• Let-off: 85%
• Bow-only Weight: 4.45 pounds
• Accessorized Total Weight: 6.3 pounds
• Velocity: 281 fps (with 468-grain Easton 6.5mm Acu-Carbon 340 arrow)Kinetic Energy: 82.04 foot-pounds
• Finish: Realtree Edge (note: solid color Wilderness shown to the left)
• MSRP: $1,249 (starting price)
• Contact: www.hoyt.com

 

The Nuts and Bolts

While the original Ventum is a proven performer, the Ventum Pro combines the best features of the Ventum with some key optimizations that undoubtedly improve the shooting experience. Let’s review some of them.

The Ventum Pro 30’s grip has a familiar feel. Hoyt’s grip ergonomics and contours have changed little over the course of many years. However, the Ventum Pro’s Vitalpoint Grip has a slightly new angle, which focuses hand pressure to the middle of the grip to improve consistency. It creates a most natural fit and feel. While shooting, I often reference the string angle in relation to the cam’s string track. The Ventum Pro’s bowstring is always centered with the string track at full draw, and that’s without paying any special attention to my hand on the grip. I just do my thing, and torque isn’t an issue.

Hoyt Archery has added a second Shock Pod location to further suppress vibrations during the shot. The original Ventum’s HBX Cam was a winner — smooth as butter and accurate. However, the HBX Pro Cams featured on the Ventum Pro do that, plus they improve center-shot, and the product is even better tunability. 

Hoyt introduced the In-Line System last year. It aligns the sight-, rest- and quiver-mounting locations for an improved accessorized balance. This year, the Picatinny sight mount is machined directly into the riser, and it’s compatible with the Garmin-powered Hoyt Picatinny Xero A1i bowsight. Upgraded quiver-mounting systems also take the In-Line System to the next level. The updates substantially streamline and simplify accessory mounting and yield a better all-around balance.

On the Range

The adjective “smooth” is used constantly in bow talk, but it’s no joke with the Ventum Pro 30. When I pulled it from the box and drew it back, it felt lighter than 70 pounds. I estimated that it was about 68 pounds. And I held that estimate while testing the bow outside. I didn’t even measure the draw weight until I was finished testing. My Last Chance scale read 71.9 pounds. To me, it draws about 4 pounds easier than expected — a huge win for the HBX Pro Cams and the Roller Cable Guard.

The Ventum Pro 30 is also very hard-hitting; I noticed that before I ever shot it through the chronograph or calculated the kinetic energy. I tested it with my Easton 6.5 Acu-Carbon arrows, which have a 468-grain finished weight. The setup shoots 281 fps and produces 82.04 foot pounds of kinetic energy. I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt any North American big game with this exact configuration.

I used accessories not compatible with the In-Line System. Still, balance and stability were excellent. Even at the beginning of the test, not once did I feel like I was fighting the bow. I don’t know another way to say it other than that aiming and follow-through are natural with the Ventum Pro 30, whether or not you’re using In-Line-compatible accessories.

Accuracy and consistency? No problem for the Ventum Pro 30. Due to the short duration of my test due to leaving for an elk hunt, I shot out to 50 yards. The Ventum Pro 30 and I quickly found our groove, and smacking 10s and 12s on my Rinehart 1/3 Scale Elk target was unchallenging. I love the simplicity and confidence of knowing that my arrow will hit where my bowsight pin is as the shot breaks, and you can expect that level of performance from the Ventum Pro 30. Not surprisingly, the new compound is very quiet and vibration-free, too.

Finishing Touches 

While the 30-inch model is stable enough for all bowhunting applications, I understand that some bowhunters desire just a little bit more. If that’s you, then I’d suggest looking at the Ventum Pro 33. It has a slightly longer riser (33 vs. 30 inches), so it weighs about two tenths of a pound more than the 30-inch model, which is next to nothing given the added stability.

If you love everything I’ve said about the Ventum Pro 30 but desire a lighter bow, then Hoyt’s Carbon RX-7 will save you about a half pound while giving you all of the same attributes. There’s also the Carbon RX-7 Ultra — 34 inches between the axles — if you want maximum stability but in a lightweight carbon platform.

No matter which Hoyt model you choose, you’ll get a high-quality bow you can depend on in the face of difficult bowhunting circumstances and landscapes. I don’t know about you, but when I’m called outside of my comfort zone, I’ll settle for nothing less than a top-notch tool.

 

Additional Notes

The Hoyt Ventum Pro 30 was set up using a Last Chance Archery EZ Green Bow Press and EZ Green Bow Vise, and draw weight was calculated using Last Chance Archery’s Digital Bow Scale. A Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph measured the 468-grain Easton 6.5mm Acu-Carbon 340 arrow’s velocity.

In-the-field photos by Darron and Rebecca McDougal