HAMBURG
With the Saturday, Oct. 5, opening day of Pennsylvania's six-week archery deer season five weeks away, there is still plenty of time for those who have procrastinated about replacing their present bow, or for those shopping for their first bow, to pull the trigger - on their string release, of course.
Earlier this year, Cabela's special events coordinator Harold Luther invited members of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association to the Hamburg store for the opportunity to test some of the compound bows and crossbows that are new to the market this year. Samples from almost every manufacturer in prices that ranged from entry level to borrowing from one's line of credit were available in all the popular camo patterns and even flat black.
For me, this was an offer I couldn't refuse because of my plans to make my fourth trip to Quebec in June to take a black bear with a bow. After three failed attempts, I wanted the option on this trip to be able to hunt from treestands and ground blinds, which meant focusing on a bow with a short axel-to-axel length.
Looking over the selection of compound bows, one in particular seemed to be calling out "try me, you'll like me." Although the bow carried the Cabela's brand, it was actually manufactured by BowTech, so when two of the biggest names in the outdoors industry combine to put their names on a product, it stands to reason the bow will perform as advertised.
When I had the opportunity to test the Cabela's Regulator Camo Bow Package Powered by BowTech, it felt and shot as good as it looked and equalled to one bow tested earlier that had a suggested retail price nearly double the $549 of the Regulator package. And, after archery technician Tim Billet of New Ringgold set up the sample bow for me, I was shooting three-shot groups at 16 yards that had the shafts touching.
With the Regulator's axel-to-axel length of just 32 inches with a 6½-inch brace height, I knew one of the bows would be going with me on the bear hunt. It proved to be a wise decision when I finally scored out of a ground blind at 18 yards on the fourth night of my hunt at Domaine Shannon. Although the bow is available only in a right-handed model, its single-cam design with a rotating mod system can be adjusted for draw lengths from 26-30 inches without needing a bow press.
Hunters will be impressed with the smooth, easy draw and minimal hand shock of the Regulator, which can be set for a draw weight between 50-70 pounds with a let-off of 80 percent. At 3.9 pounds, the bow can achieve a top arrow speed of 325 fps and produces 82 foot-pounds of kinetic energy.
I opted for the Realtree AP finish over the Black Ops and the complete package is comprised of a matching Dead Lock Lite five-arrow quiver, Hostage XL arrow rest, a five-inch Octane Hunter stabilizer, three-pin Apex sight, wrist sling, alloy peep sight and D-loop. Noise reduction has also been achieved with a carbon-rod stop on the Premium Octane string and cable that transfers vibration from the string to the stabilizer.
In addition to being totally pleased by the performance of the Regulator used on my bear hunt, I'll also be using 100-grain Muzzy Trocar fixed broadheads in the deer woods this archery season.
Since breaking into the bowhunting scene in 1984, Muzzy has established itself as the No. 1 name in fixed broadheads and the three-blade Trocar is the newest design from the Minnesota-based company. These blades were engineered specifically for toughness and accuracy with a 0.035-inch-thick helix-blade design that achieves deep penetration on game - achieving a complete pass-through, double-lung shot on the bear - and the accuracy of field points on the range.
Trocar broadheads feature a razor-sharp steel ferrule with a 1 3/16-inch cutting diameter that produced a blood trail from the point of impact on the bear to the 30 yards it travelled and are available in a standard 100-grain, a Deep SixO 100-grain, a 100-grain crossbow and a 125-grain crossbow. Suggested retail price for a three-pack is $29.95, and an eight-pack of replacement blades is $17.95.
One item for all outdoors enthusiasts - from hunters and anglers to hikers and campers - is the Bushnell BackTrack GPS Digital Compass, which not only gets one to where they're going, but makes sure they get back. This "backtrack" feature is especially useful when exploring new territory, as it allows for using the route in as the route out by marking as many as five locations.
Although the unit weights just 4 ounces and fits inside a shirt pocket, it is loaded with technology and is compatible with both Mac and PC to upload data. Bushnell BackTrack has a suggested retail price of $59.95, but most online shopping websites and box stores sell it for less.
(Dietz is outdoors editor)