Check out what is red hot for this year; blazing speeds – forgiving – torque free!
Take a sneak peek into the lineup of 2012 bows to see the type of technology that has been packed in. Torque reduction, smooth drawing, and blazing speeds are a theme. So many companies are designing faster bows which have smoother draw cycles making them better hunting bows. During the moment of truth hunters need a forgiving bow to help them pull it together when their heart is racing. Come along to see what is NEW for 2012!
LIMBSAVER Proton
The moment of truth can come together with this bow. The smooth draw cycle of this bow will impress anyone that picks it up. The cam and ½ design allows for the smooth draw. When drawing down on a trophy animal, it’s all about shootability! All of this is packed into 335 fps. There is nothing else that is dead in the hand like this bow. This bow lives up to the company name – no vibration. The noise suppressers and vibration dampeners are designed to make this an impressive bow.
There is a one click design to change the draw weight. The aluminum riser has a light weight design that makes it easy to carry in the field for a full day, only 3.8 lbs. The brace height is 7 inches and is 32 inches from axle to axle. At full draw the 80% let-off and rock hard back wall allows the hunter to stay at full draw for those few extra moments. This short design is great for ground blinds or maneuvering into unusual positions within the treestand. Simply pick it up and you will not want to put it down.
DARTON DS3900
This bow has speed packed into it like a jet engine. It flies a boasting IBO speed of 350-355 fps which is one of the fastest bows you can find. Combined with speed are a short brace height and an aggressive cam. Darton uses the latest Dual Sync Cam to help eliminate vibration. There are two bowstring suppressers on the riser. The bow is equipped with Laminated Quad limbs and a lighter riser. This combination makes for a bow that loads up quickly and drops into a hard back wall. Treestand maneuverability is effortless with an axle to axle length down to 32 7/8 inches. Let an arrow fly through this bow and you can feel how fast it takes off.
BEAR Anarchy
Looking for a shootable bow, then you can stop here. The Anarchy has a nice draw cycle with a forgiving 7 ¼ inch brace height. One of the first attributes that pops out is a skinny grip that virtually eliminates bow torque. The draw cycle is smooth, falls into the valley easy, and has a hard back wall. If you loved the Bear Carnage from last year then the Anarchy will continue to impress you.
Jason Herbert, Bear Archery Prostaffer, says, “Bear really raised the bar with their Anarchy. With its generous brace height and longer axle to axle, it’s the smoothest, quietest, most forgiving bow I’ve ever shot.” Its mass weight is only 3.8 lbs. with an axle to axle of 35.25 inches. This is a forgiving bow that stretches the boundaries at 340 fps making it a flat shooting bow.
STROTHER ARCHERY Wrath
Think Michigan! That’s right; Strother Archery is another great Michigan archery company. The Wrath has the longest brace height of all the 2012 bows, 8 inches. This was designed for the hunter who needs the confidence of a forgiving
and deadly accurate bow. This gives it a smooth draw cycle so when the moment of truth comes a hunter has no problem coming to full draw. The split limbs are structurally strengthened and the parallel limb design packs a punch. This provides a great amount of stored energy and speeds of 330 fps. The new Badger Cam is so efficient is allows the archer to “Extend Their Range.”There is nothing like a Strother’s bow, it feels fast right out of the box.
BOWTECH Insanity CPXL
BowTech has unleashed the Insanity. The CPXL version is a longer bow with a 35 inch axle to axle. This is a very solid shooting bow with overdrive binary cams. This comes with a 27.5 to 32 inch draw length which makes it great for taller shooters. Not many bows stretch beyond 30 inches of draw length. There is a weighted dampener on the flex guard. It is a quiet bow and sits in the hand after the shot. I was impressed with how dead it was in the hand. The draw cycle is great and falls nice into the valley. This bow comes with a 7 inch brace height and 340 fps. This is scary deadly, it combines forgiving with speed.
ELITE Answer
Elite has come with the Answer for two types of hunters Speed vs. Smooth. The bow has two types of cams modules, smooth and speed. The speed cams make it a bit stiffer to pull but add an extra 10 fps. The smooth cams come on the bow and are a two track binary cam system. The draw cycle is very nice and smooth all the way back.
Axle to axle is 33.5 inches with a forgiving 7 inch brace height. The mass weight is a reasonable 4.1 lbs. With the smooth modules it pushes 330 fps and the speed modules add 10 fps making it 340 fps. Elite has been working hard to bring the best of several years of innovation into one incredible shooting machine, the Answer.
PRIME BY G5 Shift LR
Talk to any of the Prime engineers and you will quickly discover this crew really knows their bows. Parallel Cam Technology has a dual track so it can pull from the center bow. This design is revolutionizing the cam designs. I’ve seen video of this bow under slow speed and there is no cam lean giving you a shooting experience unlike any other. The axle to axle length is 30.25 inches with a mass weight of 3.7 lbs. 7000 series aluminum is used within the riser and some high quality laminated limbs. The limb design is beyond-parallel limbs and riser gives you stability. For forgiveness there is a 7 inch brace height and an 80% let-off. Arrows out of this bow fly 333 fps. Prime by G5 indicates, “They take the extra effort of cycling every bow 100 times on an automated cycling machine, and then super tunes the bow again. This process ensures that strings are properly stretched, and limbs and limb pockets have properly settled.”
HOYT Carbon Element RKT
Hoyt has pushed the boundaries of bows and this year continues to improve upon those designs. The bow is lightweight and provides a low-profile design. The advanced carbon fibers are tough while resisting fatigue providing a durable bow even through the toughest hunting conditions. The cam and a half design provides a smooth draw even with the short axle-to-axle of 32 inches. This little bow only weighs in at 3.6 lbs. with a bolstering 6 ¾ inch brace height. All of these features are packed into a bow that flies 330 fps.
Outside of those features this bow falls into the hand and shoots nice. The prefect balance insures there is no rock after the trigger is pulled. Aligning is a natural in-line positioned roller guard that provides little pull on the cables. These designs come with a nock splitting accuracy that is guaranteed with all Hoyt bows.
MATHEWS Helim
It’s all about the lightness in the Helim. It weighs in at 3.5 lbs. making it great to carry mounts on a spot and stalk adventure. Mathews has always been known for their smooth drawing bow and the cam designs allow for a steady build. Additionally this falls smooth into the valley with a hard stop on the back wall. This really feels like you are drawing less weight than you are.
The brace height is 7 inches with the draw weight ranging from 40-70 lbs. This range of draw weight is ideal for hunters who require a lighter draw weight to the heavier pounds needed for large elk. When the moment of truth comes an 80% allows the hunter to stay ready for longer periods. This bow only measures 30 inches from axle-to-axle. That is dangerously short but don’t worry it can still throw arrows up to 332 fps.
PARKER Python
This is a tack driving bow that is dead on accurate. I challenge you to pick up the Python and feel the smooth draw cycle. There is a split limb with an extreme parallel limb design that packs in the power. Parker bows have always put forth
great quality at an affordable price. Part of a
nice bow is a torque free bow. This has a nicely finished dark walnut grip that looks sharp and is skinny so it falls into the hand. It really is dead in the hand, very little vibration. It is only 30 inches from axle to axle, a forgiving 7 inch brace height, and has an 80% let-off. This also accommodates a longer draw length, out to 31 inches. This bow will come ready to make a devastating shot in your next game animal as it rips out to screaming 325 fps.
WINCHESTER ARCHERY Lighting
Winchester was new to the archery industry in 2011 but has some great bows. The 2012 designs look and feel completely different. A new design has eliminated the limb pockets with screw nuts to adjust the weight; they have called this the Pro Link Pocket System. Three turns on the screw nuts make a 10 pound change. A sliding yoke allows the bow cables to stay centered. The short bow design carries a 6 inch brace height and an axle to axle that is only 32.5 inches. The short length would make for a great ground blind bow. All of that creates lightning speeds of 350 fps. Even those with a longer draw length of 30 inches can use this bow. Everything under the mass weight of 4 lbs. with let-off up to 80%. Then everything is coated with a Proveil Reaper Woods camo pattern that has some wicked skulls hidden into the design.
QUEST BY G5 Torrent
The new Torrent offers a quiet, smooth, accurate and fun to shoot bow. All of this is packed into a price that won’t break the bank. The single cam design allows for a smooth drawing bow all the way to the backstop. The all new Fluid Cam allows you to switch the draw length without a bow press. Consistent shooting requires no torque, the Torrent comes with an anti-slip black grip plate that boasts to be scent-free.
The bow is already quiet but also comes with Bow Jax limb silencers to add to a deadly combination. This bow shoots 322 fps, plenty fast enough for any big game. The short axle to axle length is 31 inches and a forgiving brace height of 7 inches. The peak let-off is 75% and comes with a standard finish of Realtree AP to blend into the surroundings.
PSE Dream Season EVO
Redesigned for 2012 the Dream Season EVO continues to build upon their designs. PSE makes some of the fastest bows on the market today. The draw cycle starts tight but draws back smooth afterwards. There is a solid wall and a short valley. With so much energy stored any creeping forward on the bow causes the bow to jerk forward. A short valley is common with any bow that has an aggressive cam. There is no noise after the shot. It is dead in the hand but roles forward slightly as it is a little top heavy. The EVO Cam can adjust in ½ inch increments to length adjustments. The brace height is 6 inches, 32.25 inches long, and has an IBO rating of 345 fps. The limbs almost look preloaded at rest as they role inward. This is a bow to pick up to make your next season a dream come true.
APA Sidewinder HE2
If a lightweight compact bow is something you’re after then this one is built for you. At 30 inches axle to axle this is a great compact bow for blinds or other tight locations. The Sidewinder HE2 is built with the bowhunter in mind; it has so many added features that only a bowhunter would think about adding. The fang of the front of the riser is a hook for hanging the bow off any nearby limb. While on stand the broadhead wrench built into the riser can safely tighten any loose broadheads.
All of this and it is also a fast shooting, smooth bow. It is no joke to have 330 fps of speed with a 7 inch brace height for forgiveness. The cams are designed to make it feel like you are pulling much less weight than you are drawing. The playing field is no longer level when you have the APA Sidewinder HE2 in your hands.
