Like so many excellent small businesses in archery, Carter is a family-owned and family-operated manufacturing company. It is the backbone of the American economy, the innovative heart of what once was called America’s “Can Do” Spirit. Jerry and April Carter are in the release aid business. They’re proud of it and they’re good at it.
A clean string release is absolutely necessary for precision archery shooting whether one is a bowhunter or a FITA compound shooter. At the time of this writing, Carter offers four types of release aids and many different models, all designed for comfort and accuracy on any shooting venue: thumb trigger, back tension, resistance activated and index finger.
Thumb trigger releases come in a multitude of configurations and Carter has an astonishing 18 models in its current line-up. These releases are designed so that any archer (or bowhunter) can find a style that fits: four-finger or three-finger, straight or curved body, large or small barrel, fully-enclosed or open index finger hole, open or closed jaw (reverse closed jaw releases like the Insatiable 2 can be shot with a release rope) and of course, a variety of colors: bright red or blue, lime green, black, and even brown—which Carter calls “chocolate.” The newest thumb-trigger release, self-loading and self-closing, is the four-finger Plain 1. The Plain 1 ($205) cocks and closes the jaw in one motion allowing easy loading on a D-loop. With a short head for added draw length, the Plain 1 gives a boost in speed and a quiet shot as well. Trigger travel, the degree the trigger will move prior to the release firing, is adjustable as is trigger tension and barrel position.
Carter’s Interchangeable Tension System (ITS) lets an archer change trigger spring tension quickly by putting thumb pressure on the small black box near the thumb trigger and carefully remove the case screw using a 1/16 hex key. Simply remove one spring, Jerry says, and replace it with one that is heavier or lighter as preferred and replace the box and screw. Pretty easy.
Arguably the most talked about style of release aid—and the least used—is the back tension release. This release aid is “not for everyone.” An avid bowhunter, for example, can use a back tension release only with great discipline. Almost any other style release is preferable in an environment where shots may be sudden and at awkward angles, and adrenaline causes irregular mechanics. Nevertheless, on the level, stable floor of an indoor tournament, many top shooters swear by back tension releases.
The idea of “back tension” is that when an archer learns to use it effectively, it not only functions well, but it can help prevent target panic. There’s no punching a trigger. One simply moves, fluidly, mindlessly, and “the shot happens”—it explodes.
The three finger Carter 2 Moons ($180) back tension release comes in large and small sizes and incorporates what Jerry calls “a revolutionary clicker system that has adjustment unlike anything available.” The “split moon” allows micro-adjustment for the length of a clicker in .005 increments (.0-.030). The 2 Moons is the first rotation-style back tension release to offer an adjustable clicker. In addition to the adjustable clicker, the speed of the release can be adjusted two degrees at a time with the new clamping system.
The 2011 Attraction may be considered a tension or friction release. It gives archers an option of shooting styles—moving from pull-tension activation to thumb trigger activation—by adjusting a single Allen screw. Pull tension releases have required archers to depress a trigger to activate the safety while drawing the bow, the opposite to what is done to shoot a typical thumb activation release. Not only does the Attraction ($220) have two different execution shot options, but trigger tension can be customized and it has a removable ITS magnet system, safety re-cocking lever for ease on let down and an open jaw hook for easy loading to a D-loop.
What most bowhunters will want is a Carter release attached to a wrist strap. According to Jerry, the Like Mike is built for crisp field performance and features a reliable double sear interior for accuracy and repeatability while maintaining the least amount of trigger travel of any release he has ever made. The trigger has minimal “over travel” to eliminate any “spongy” feeling when fired and is built with a 0-5 pound adjustment range just by turning a screw.
The Like Mike has an open jaw design that loads quickly and silently on a D-loop “for fast clean shots,” Jerry says, that won’t wear the loop. A longer-bodied index-finger release aid, the Like Mike ($188) is adjustable for trigger tension and travel and, by adjusting the strap, for length also. This release comes standard with the Scott Adjustable Leather Buckle Strap. Multiple strap options are available for this and other Carter bowhunting releases.
Carter Enterprises (208) 624-3467; is located at 487 N. 2300 E, Saint Anthony, ID 83445 and, to send a photo of your trophy taken while using a Carter release, write to P.O. Box 19. Log onto www.carterenterprises.com or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/56191629928.
