Looking for some hot products to stock your shelves as peak season sales heat up? Archery Business Editor Mark Melotik found many great choices, as one of the attendees of the recent 6th Annual Bowhunting Writers’ Roundtable, held May 15-18 in Barry, Illinois. More than 25 industry gear manufacturers showed off their latest and greatest products, to a gathering of more than 30 writers and publishers representing leading outdoor publications.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was a chance to field-test the unique Phoenix Archery Trap Machine ($3,995) from Laporte Archery (800-335-8727; www.laporteamerica.com). This trap machine holds and flings into the air clay-pigeon-like targets made specifically for arrows; attendees using simple low-poundage recurves and flu-flu fletched arrows were kept entertained for hours. Great fun for people of all ages—and definitely something to consider if your shop has an outdoor range.
Organizers Mark Sidelinger and Kim Cahalan of Media Direct thanked all who attended for making the event a success.
One of the most enjoyable product demos was BowTech’s “100-Yard Challenge.” Mark Melotik (left) and Derrick Nawrocki of Archery Business got to shoot the speedy new Insanity CPX and the rest of the company’s 2012 line—at a 3-D target set an even 100 yards away. The challenge? All bows were sighted only to 50 yards. The result? Both of us hit the 10-ring kill zone—but we’re not telling how many attempts it took. www.bowtecharchery.com
Looking for true bowhunter-friendly clothing? A stand-out is Scent-Lok’s new Rampage Windproof Fleece, which offers some of the smartest pockets we’ve seen, as well as new premium Carbon Alloy scent protection. www.scentlok.com
Rick Mowery of Bohning Archery was on hand to show off several products that included the popular and effective Tower Fletching jig. The unique design applies three fletchings simultaneously and is available in several models to handle a wide variety of fletch types. www.bohning.com
