Brian Kightlinger takes a look at a few products he’s going to be using this upcoming bowhunting seasons.
Every year I get excited to see what new archery products are introduced at the ATA show. Personally, I have never been to the ATA show, but I have many friends who attend. These friends will often send me video clips and pictures of new products. This year was no different, and I am excited to see some really neat products coming out. So let me share with you what I fell in love with for 2019!
Probably the most exciting change for me this year comes from Mathews! For the past few years, I have been shooting Athens bows, and they were nice. This year, I fell in love with the new line from Mathews. I was lucky enough to find a left handed Vertix (bottom left) to shoot at one of my local shops. This bow is a dream to shoot! Some of the new features are the Engage Grip, Switchweight Technology Mods, and 80% and 85% let off. This 30 inch axle to axle bow has a 6 inch brace height and can come in 60, 65, 70, and 75 lb. draw weights. It will fit many shooters with draws from 26 to 30.5 inches and comes in a variety of colors. When I shot this bow, the thing that stuck with me the most was how smooth the draw cycle was, and then how dead in the hand it was on the release. The Vertix comes in at 4.67 pounds but I love a heavier bow. This bow has an IBO rating of 343 feet per second. This will be my hunting bow for this year.
Mathews hit another home run with the Traverse. The Traverse (top right) is a 33 inch axle to axle bow that will be my 3D rig for the year. This bow uses Mathews Crosscentric Cam Technology and also has the new Engage Grip. The Traverse weighs 4.7 lbs. and is available in 50, 60, or 70 lb. draw weights. It has a 6 ? brace height and will produce IBO speeds up to 338. This bow fits shooters who have draws from 26.6 to 32.5 and can be ordered in 5 different camo patterns and 5 solid colors. I ordered this bow right away in hopes of getting it before the 3D season gets into full swing.
If you are like me and want to video your hunting adventures, then check out the new cameras from Tactacam. Tactacam has two new cameras, the 5.0 and 5.0 wide lens. Both of these cameras have 3 options for filming: 4K, 8 X zoom, and slow motion. A really neat feature with both of these cameras is that you can download an app and control the camera from your smartphone. This allows you to share your hunts on Facebook and other social media. Tactacam offers packages for bow hunters and gun hunters, so the cameras will attach to the weapon of choice. These cameras have a one touch record power button, and the battery life is solid, up to 2 ½ hours. Tactacam also recently introduced a remote that will work 5 cameras at once. This allows you to get creative with how you want to use the cameras. Turkey season is only a few months away, and I am looking forward to putting these cameras to good use.
Grim Reaper Broadheads have been my go to broadhead for a long time. This year they are introducing a variety of new broadheads. I am very excited about the new heads they are bringing out for archers. Grim Reaper Broadheads are entirely made in the USA, and that is awesome. Some of the new heads this year are Micro Hybrid Heads (below). These heads are part fixed blade and part mechanical. They can be purchased in 100 and 125 grains and 1 ? or 1 ¼ cut diameters.
They also have a crossbow Hybrid head as well that can be purchased in 1 ½ inch or 2 inch cutting diameter in 125 and 150 grains. The Mini Mag is a new 4 blade 1 ¼ cut head that can be found in 100 and 125 grains. The Whitetail Extreme is a 4 blade mechanical that has a 3 ½ inch total cutting surface area. Available in 100 and 125 grain, this broadhead looks devastating (below).
This head is also great for Turkey hunting as well. Lastly, The Pro Line 2 Blade 2 Inch cut can be used with a crossbow or regular compound. This head comes in 100, 125, and 150 grain and is stout! I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these new broadheads from Grim Reaper! Watch Em’ Drop!
Glorynock arrived on the lighted nock scene in 2018. New for 2019 are the G Nock and Crossbow lighted nocks. Glorynocks are available in 4 colors: blue, pink, red, and green. They are also available in a few different sizes. Glorynock has a universal fit system that will fit a wide variety of arrow diameters. The universal fit nocks will fit in .204, .233, .244, and .246 diameter arrows. The GT nock will fit .245-.246 diameter arrows. The S Nock will fit .244 diameter arrows while the X nock will fit the .204 diameter arrows. The X nock fits great in the Black Eagle Spartan arrows! New for this year the G nock will fit those small diameter arrows that are .166 in diameter. Glorynock did not forget about those who shoot a crossbow. The new Glorynock crossbow lighted nock is durable and bright just like all the other Glorynock products. Glorynock prides itself on being the easiest lighted nock to install and turn off and on. I used them through the 2018 season and they were amazing. (Universal Fit, GT, S, and X nocks weigh 21 grains). (G Nocks weigh 15 grains). (Crossbow Nocks weigh 30 grains).
For over 10 years, I have been hooked on making mock scrapes and licking branches. I have spent countless hours in the woods trying to find the perfect location to create these mock scrapes. Well Buckstik, a new company has made the work easier for me. Buckstik was developed by Chris Strussion and it is a slick invention. The Buckstik comes in two pieces and when put together is over 60 inches tall. There are three models of Buckstik: Original, Pine, and Cedar. All of them come shipped in a 3×40 tube for safe storage. Buckstik allows you to use 3 to 4 natural gland lures in on spot. With your Buckstik order, you will get 3 different gland lures: Preorbital, Forehead, and Interdigital. These will come in easy spray bottles so you can apply them to the correct areas on the Buckstik. The top of the Buckstik has leaves and organic rope to hold the Preorbital gland lure. In the middle of the Buckstik is an interactive rough center. This holds the Forehead gland lure and gives a real feel for the bucks. At the bottom of the Buckstik there is a scent pad strip for the Interdigital gland lure. When I saw this product, I ordered one right away. One of the great benefits of the Buckstik is all shipping is free! I am so excited to get it out into the woods and start seeing what bucks made it through the season.
Early in 2018, I had a few trail cameras stop working. They were a few years old and worked great but I kept seeing cellular trail cameras and decided to try one out. I chose a Spypoint Link Evo camera, and I was impressed with the overall performance of the camera. The pictures were great! The app on my phone allowed me to change the setting on the camera, without having to go and get it from the tree. In 2019, Spypoint is hitting the ground sprinting. They have introduced a Mini Cellular camera that will retail for $149.00. That is right! Along with that, they are dropping their prices for their cellular packages. I can’t wait to get a few of these cameras and set them up in the woods. Spypoint cameras come with a 2 year warranty, and their customer service is amazing. If the new Mini is anything like the Link Evo I have, I know it will be fantastic.
There are many new exciting archery products coming out in 2019. These are some of the products I look forward to using this season. Feel free to visit the websites of these companies and watch for more announcements from them.
For more please go to: Brian Kightlinger,
got to try the buckstik
Great article Brian!
Hi I’m a disabled hunter so I have to hunt with a cross bow but yet to get a deer with it I just love being in the woods. It’s not always about the kill.