In 2015 the trend for
archery bows was a longer axel-to-axel. Just before that, it was all about speed bows. Before that it was bows that were more compact.
If you are looking for a more balanced, longer ATA bow, then 2015 is the year for you to start searching. Most of the major manufacturers are there, as expected. Bear came out of the woodworks over in Michigan with the impressive Arena series of compound bows. Hoyt had the smooth as silk Nitrium Turbo. Matthews pushed the boundaries with the No CAM. PSE keeps pushing speed at a great price point with the Bowmadness 34, and Bowtech came out with the Bowtech Prodigy, which is actually 3 bows in 1. Those of you on the market for a new bow will be impressed with the specs shown below.
Bear Archery Arena 34 & 30
Bear Archery has been on the upswing for the past couple of years and this year they produced a real show stopper. The H15 cams give this bow a smooth draw cycle and an easy let down. The cams are also what produce the Arena’s speed. It sends arrows speeding off of your arrow rest at 340 feet per second for the Arena 34 and 335 feet per second for the Arena 30. The longer ATA on the 34 gets this bow to the “sweet spot” between speed and balance. The longer axel-to-axel also allows the bow to have a shorter brace height which means you get more speed and don’t sacrifice much in terms of usability. You can also adjust the back wall on this bow to a limb or cable stop. This bow will definitely give you the confidence to put your arrow on the bullseye.
Hoyt Nitrum Turbo
Hoyt just keeps on producing. The Turbo is something else. You can tell that they placed an emphasis on reducing torque and and increasing forgiveness if you have ever shot one. The Turbo also shoots at a blazing fast 350 feet per second! Other manufacturers might add speed at the cost of a decent let-off, but Hoyt designed this with a 75% let-off, which allows for a generous valley. What really stood out to me was the aesthetically pleasing riser which is offset on top. This construction allows for a stiffer feel on the shot. The 33’’ ATA Turbo has a brace height of 6’’ and weighs just 4.2 pounds. This bow is being touted as the “most advanced aluminum bow in history.”
PSE Bowmadness 34
PSE decided to add a hybrid cam system to their Mainline Series offerings. Even though the Bowmadness 34 is a mid-price point model, it performs like a flagship, or top of the line model. You get many of the specs of the flagship models at a fraction of the price. The Bowmadness 34 shoots 342 feet per second and has a 34-1/4’’ ATA and a 6’’ brace height, giving you this same balance/speed relationship we referenced earlier. The price might make buyers think that this bow is somehow inferior to the others, but I can assure you it performs just as well out in the field.
Mathews No Cam HTR
Everyone did a double take when they first saw the Mathews No Cam. There were a lot of naysayers out there, but once they experienced the ridiculously smooth draw cycle coupled with speeds in the 330 feet per second range, they were quickly silenced. The long riser provides unprecedented levels of balance that are complimented by a 6-5/8’’ brace height. The synchronized system is extremely simple to tune, making almost everything about this bow effortless. Matthews continues to produce some of the best bows in the industry because they are not afraid to push the boundaries. Test out the No Cam and you’ll see what we are talking about.
Bowtech had the hit of the season with the Prodigy. The reason that it stood out was because Bowtech introduced a gear that can be modified to adjust the draw force curve on its compound bow. What this means to you is that you can have 3 very distinctly different shooting experiences from the same bow and all you will need is an allen wrench. In the bows fastest setting, you can muster out 343 feet per second of speed. It also has a longer brace height than the other archery bows mentioned in this article, measuring 7’’, which aids in its smoothness. Purchasing this one bow is like purchasing 3 different bows so you can test them out, and keep the one that you like.
It was an interesting 2015 season for compound bows. All of the big names had something to add to the mix. Bow hunting season is just around the corner, so if you are going to get a new archery bow, now is the time to do it. You are going to need sometime to practice with it and get it tuned. If you are in the market for a new bow, then all of these have something different to offer you. There is a lot of technology that came out this year. Head out to your local pro shop and see if you can test them out.
Leave a comment