Although I swore I wouldn’t be one of those guys after listening to Shawn and Braden do their podcast and talk about the first Vegas targets that appear every year on social media, I can guarantee you that I’m not the first one this year. Since my schedule becomes very limited as far as free time goes when late October arrives, I decided I needed to go to the range to see how this PSE Supra Focus was going to perform indoors. I didn’t tune the bow, and I shot a Vegas round one afternoon last week. I shot the round with a Bowhunter Freestyle setup and used SuperDrive 23 arrows. I shot the entire round with a TruBall HBC 4-finger medium release and used a lighted .019 green fiber in my housing. My reason for shooting the round was to determine if I thought the bow would be forgiving and give me enough confidence to attend the Lancaster Classic in January. If I don’t think I can win, I don’t want to go just to participate. It might be a bad attitude, but that’s how I approach these things.
I didn’t perform well indoors the last few years, but I always recall the days when I felt like I couldn’t miss. I know that those days still exist somewhere in my shooting bag of tricks. After making the form changes last year, I feel like I might be able to become more consistent indoors and perform at a level that is easier for me to accept. I’m not sure one round in October after not shooting much can determine if I’m going to have a good year, but I figured I would give it a whirl and see what happened.
I headed to the range after I got out of work to meet Gary Wood for something. After talking for a few minutes, I headed into the range to fling a few arrows. Since it was 86 degrees outside, it felt cool inside. I warmed up on a few older targets that were already hung on the backstops. It took about six ends to get the bow sighted in.
After getting it to where I felt somewhat confident with it, I hung a new target. My shots were breaking clean over the course of the first few ends. I didn’t feel any tension in any part of my body, and the sight sat down nicely in the middle of the bullseye. Throughout the round, I had a hard time getting the fiber to appear the way I wanted it to appear. Some rounds it was too bright, and other rounds it appeared too dull. This kept me from maintaining a consistent aim throughout the shot. I couldn’t tell if I was hitting where the pin was or if I was hitting around the halo of it. As we go into the winter and I get more serious about it, I will probably go back to my solid black pin. It seems more reliable for me while aiming.
This round was strange. It went smoothly until the last two ends. Even though I was there by myself, and the round didn’t mean a thing, I got tight and nervous over the last two ends when I realized I was still clean. Tension crept in on the last end, and I became a viewer rather than a participant. Trying to put it in the back of my mind, I shot my last three arrows, and they all found their way into the 10-ring. Although I only shot 22xs out of the 45 arrows, I did end up with a 450. Half of the battle is staying in the 10-ring, and I managed to do that, so I feel pretty good about that, especially since it’s hunting season and I haven’t shot any type of target archery in a month or two.
So I’m guessing some of you are probably wondering about the bow. I decided to give these bows a try because the cams feel pretty good on my elbow, which appears that it will have nonstop pain in it, and my surgically repaired shoulder. As I was going through old bows, I also realized I have more PSEs than any other bows I’ve ever owned, with Hoyts running a close second.
During the round, the bow felt comfortable at full draw. I have it set on the 70% let-off, and I’m shooting it at 58lbs. The higher let-off felt too sloppy, and the lower let-off felt a hair too much for me to be consistent with, although I’m sure I could shoot it there and do okay. The bow sat down well on almost every shot. Of the 45 shots, I probably made 38 good shots, and the shots that weren’t great were still acceptable. The sight very rarely left the 10-ring. It didn’t sit as still as I’ve had some other bows sit, but I think that will come with time and familiarity with the bow.
One thing that bothers me about the bow is that it’s supposed to have 60lb limbs on it, but at 58lbs there is about a half inch left before the bow bottoms out. I’m not sure if PSE is always that much off on quality control or what the issue is, but I think it should probably be addressed if it is indeed an issue. The bow bottoms out at 64 pounds and is within all specs. I’m not comfortable shooting a bow that is backed out that far, especially when it’s supposed to be a 60-pound bow and I’m shooting it at 58 pounds. I don’t feel comfortable about the limbs staying in place when they’re backed out that far.
Another thing I’ve been battling with this bow is that the draw length is considerably shorter than the other bows I’ve been shooting. I can’t figure this one out. I think I have good line, my shots break clean, and my aim is tight. When I lengthen it out to the same length as my other bows, I can’t hold it steady and I feel like I’m driving a loose racecar. I’ve stressed about this for a while, but I’m letting it go for now until I see Mark. Maybe I need to go longer, but I just don’t notice it while shooting this bow. I’m sure I’ll figure it out as I shoot more this winter. For now, I’m going to try to let it nestle into the back of my mind, not allowing it to bother me.
When I finished the round and looked at the target, I wasn’t impressed. Since I’ve had some time to think about it, I must take a lot of things into consideration, and I’ve realized it was a damn good round for a Bowhunter Freestyle setup with 23 shafts and the first time I’ve shot that bow indoors. So what’s the decision? I believe I will be going to Lancaster.
I probably won’t be adding any entries to this journal until I start shooting in December, but this is where I stand going into the indoor season. If you want to follow me along and see what I’m doing over the course of the next few months feel free to toggle on the Hunting Journal button on my website: www.toddmead.com
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