Press Release:

Feb. 16, 2010

     Up North Journal would like to thank Scott Briner of DragonFire ThermoGrips for becoming our newest sponsor for the UNJ team.  “DragonFire ThermoGrip” produces a heated hand grip and stabilizer for your bow!  You will see this product on the UNJ team’s bows this year on the ranges and in the field. 

     Their stabilizer which doubles as the battery pack has been put through rigorous testing and has come out on top in dampening and vibration canceling qualities against some of the best stabilizers on the market.  The thermo grip will provide up to three hours of warmth, it has two settings to provide a comfortable amount of warmth to your hand depending on the conditions.  Set it on high for cold conditions or choose the low setting for those cool mornings and evenings.

     Don’t get caught with your bow on the hook because your hands are cold.  Check out this “HOT” new product over at our website www.upnorthjournal.com and follow the links for more information on DragonFire ThermoGrips or visit them at www.dragonfirethermogrip.com.  You Can also email Scott Briner directly at:  scott@dragonfirethermogrip.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New T3^TM expandable 3 blade broadhead

creates massive entrance and exit wounds.

MEMPHIS, Mich., G5^® Outdoors, the leading manufacturer in archery equipment and design, introduces its newest expandable broadhead – the T3^TM.  This new 100% steel broadhead features 3 expandable blades to produce a 1.5″ wound channel. 

“The new design of the T3^TM eliminates the shortfalls and failings that are common with other brands of expandables,” stated G5 Outdoors President and Co-Owner, Matt Grace. “In addition, the T3^TM features a first of its kind blade retention system the Spider Clip^TM.”

The broadhead includes the new Spider Clip^TM blade retention system. This system allows the shooter to tune their blade deployment based on their hunting scenario.  Each package of broadheads comes with 2 different tension clips.  One clip provides easier deployment for use with lower poundage bows.  The second has a stronger tension setting for use with high speed bows, crossbows, and for shooting through blind windows.   In addition, the Spider Clips eliminate the need for rubber bands or O-rings.  The new Spider Clip retention system also eliminates any risk of blade pre-deployment. 

With its Metal Injection Mold Technology, 100% steel construction, field tip accuracy, truly replaceable blades and 1.5″ cutting diameter the big cut expandable T3^TM leaves a blood trail that looks like a red carpet leading to your harvest.

MSRP for the T3^TM is $39.99 Replacement blades are $19.99 and replacement spider clips are $12.99.

About G5^® Outdoors

G5^® Outdoors L.L.C. is a family owned business established in 2000 and backed by more than 40 years of precision manufacturing experience. G5^® strives to provide superior products that are Designed to Hunt^TM through precision manufacturing and innovative design.  To learn more about G5^® Outdoors, visit www.g5outdoors.com or call (866)456-8836.

Contact: Jeff Bergmann

763.232.5452

Jeff@providencemarketinggroup.net

Press Release:

WINCHESTER SUPER-X POWER MAX BONDED A NEW BONDED BULLET FOR WHITETAIL

Winchester® Ammunition introduces its new 2009 line of centerfire rifle ammunition. Super-X® Power Max Bonded^TM is specifically designed for the whitetail deer hunter and takes the time-proven jacketed bullet design to a new level of performance at an affordable price. Winchester’s proprietary bonding process welds lead to a copper alloy jacket where the two act together during expansion for improved penetration and retained weight.

“The bonding technology improves bullet performance with increased retained weight and deeper penetration, while still providing a quick and lethal knock-down,” said Glen Weeks, Centerfire Product Manager for Winchester Ammunition. “For any whitetail hunter who is interested in bullet strength and penetration, the new Power Max Bonded is it.”

Key features of the Super-X bullet include:

Protected hollow point PHP design
Lead core bonded to jacket with proprietary process
Massive frontal area of mushroom is more than double original diameter
Lead remains bonded to jacket after impact
Super-X Power Max Bonded will be offered in the following calibers and bullet weights, with expected store delivery set for June of 2009:

Cartridge Grain                    Muzzle Velocity     Symbol
.270 Win 130 PHP              3060                          X2705BP
.270 WSM 130 PHP            3275                          X270SBP
.30-30 Win 150 PHP           2390                          X30306BP
.308 Win 150 PHP              2820                          X3085BP
.30-06 Sprg 150 PHP         2700                          X30061BP
.300 WSM 150 PHP            2970                         X300SBP
.300 Win Mag 150 PHP       2960                         X30WM1BP
PHP = Protected Hollow Point
For more information about this Winchester product, visit Power Max information page.

Winchester Ammunition prides itself being a leader in conservation efforts. The company is involved with numerous partnerships at local, state and national levels. For more than 12 years Winchester has been a proud sponsor of Whitetails Unlimited. During this partnership Winchester has contributed funding to support P.O.L.I.T.E (Permission of Landowner in Order to Enter) and Chronic Wasting Disease projects. In addition, the Winchester Library is housed at Whitetails Unlimited headquarters and Winchester supports many local and state Whitetails Unlimited chapters. For more information about Whitetails Unlimited, visit www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

     By now your probably asking yourself, what the heck are you talking about here?  What I’m speaking of is the recent passage of a law allowing crossbows to be used liberally in the upcoming Michigan hunting seasons.  Before, during and after the discussion and passage of this new law there was a strong force opposing this and another that strongly supported this law.  I did some research on the subject by looking at what the weapon was, what other states have faced since they allowed them, and then I looked at what both sides were saying before I formed an educated opinion on them.

     Once the new rules were voted on and passed I began to think about what arguments both sides used to sway the Legislature into seeing their side of the equation.  I thought about why I thought this would be a good weapon to allow people to hunt with and looked at some of the problems that might arise along with the arguments of the non-crossbow hunters.  It was then that I thought about doing a field test of my own to see what arguments held water and which ones were a wash!

     Since I had no experience using a crossbow or hunting with one for that matter, I thought I could be as unbiased as they come to try and figure out just how viable a weapon this would be.  So I began the task of contacting each and every crossbow manufacture that I could find to see if they would be willing to allow us to shoot, test, and hunt with their offerings.  I had three companies step to the plate and take the challenge.  The first company was Ten Point, they allowed us to put their “Titan” crossbow to the test.  Next was PSE, which chose to offer the Sidewinder out of their stable.  The third company to take the challenge was Excalibur which selected their Phoenix recurve crossbow to be put up against the other two companies.

     Each of the three crossbows have very different features that distinguishes them from one another, yet they all still offer the crossbow hunter or shooter the basics in what one would expect in a newer crossbow package.

     The first experience we had was with the Titan from Ten Point during a spot and stalk hog hunt at a hunting enclosure, basically we had live practice.  I thought that this would be a good opportunity to see what a crossbow could do, so I took one of our staff members along and allowed him to use the Titan for his stalk.  Chuck who used the Titan had never spent any time with a crossbow before, so he didn’t have an informed opinion one way or another.  We took some time for him to practice with it at the archery range and get familiar with the gear before heading out to the field with it.  Let me stop right here and say this:  We should have spent much more time practicing with it before heading to the field, just as we should if it were a bow, shotgun, or rifle!  That was one of the first myths that was being spread about crossbows, “they are too easy to shoot, they shoot like a rifle”.  Many people assumed or misstated the fact that they were so accurate and easy to use that you could just pick one up and if it had a scope on it you could hit the field running.  Wrong!

     After spending a day at the archery range shooting and practicing we thought that we could just hit the field running with it, although Chuck did get his hog, we later found out during testing that you need to spend time with the crossbow practicing to become proficient with it.  Just like any other weapon of choice you need to spend time with a crossbow to improve your accuracy and safety skills with it.  I will get into that later, but when Chuck took his hog, he was at close range when he placed the shot on it.  This crossbow shot just shy of 300 feet per second when we later tested it with a bolt and fixed three blade broadhead combined weight of 418 grains, the same setup as what Chuck used in the field.  We expected that this bow would have had a pass through shot at less than 20 yards, that wasn’t the case.  Chuck placed the shot just behind the front shoulder and it didn’t exit the other side what so ever, this with a 175 lb. Limb package.  The Titan was the fastest of the three weapons we shot, so this claim of super powered strength is not exactly what some are claiming.

     The Titan was unique from the other two crossbows in the fact that it had a draw assist device on the unit.  This allows the shooter to use a hand crank to draw the string into the cocked position.  This is a very important feature that we will cover later in this review.  When the crossbow is cocked the safety is automatically placed in the safe position.  This is a very important safety feature on this weapon.  The Titan also sported a 40mm multi dot scope for distances of 20, 30, and 40 yards respectively.  With an 11 1/8″” power stroke, it boasts a 300 feet per second speed which is close to what we tested it at.  Our chronograph speed was 298.7 fps with a total bolt & head weight of 417.9 grains and 287.9 fps with a bolt & head weight of 466 grains.  This crossbow weighs in at 7lbs 12 oz without any accessories, which is in the middle for weight for the three companies we tested.  The Titan HLX package starts out at around $519 and can be built with extras depending on the features you want with it.

     The next piece of gear we obtained was the Excalibur Phoenix of which I wrote a first impression review on earlier this season, you can find that review here.  This crossbow was different from the first two in the fact that it sports recurve limbs on it which boast a draw weight of 175 lbs.  They advertise a speed of 305 feet per second with a 14 ½” power stroke, but we measured speeds of 285 fps with the 417.9 bolt and 280 fps with the 466 grain bolt respectively.  The Phoenix must be drawn by hand or with the aid of a cocking draw string.   The safety on the Phoenix must be engaged manually every time it is loaded unlike the other two offerings.  This is the lightest of the three crossbows we shot, coming in at 6lbs 3oz.  This is due to the stock thickness being machined down, thus keeping the weight at a minimum.  This crossbow starts out at $519 and can also be built with extras as you see fit.  The model we obtained came with the “Lite-Stuff” package, which included a scope, quiver and bolts for a total of $770.

     Last but not least is the PSE Sidewinder XB.  This crossbow has compound bow limbs with a draw weight of 185 lbs.  The Sidewinder has a power stroke of 12 ½” which produces a claimed speed of 310 feet per second.  Once again we saw something a little different with the two bolts we shot.  The bolt that weighed in at 417.9 grains chronographed at 317.6 fps and the bolt weighing 466 grains came in at 301.3!  The Sidewinder must be drawn manually also or with the aid of a draw string, it also locks the safety in the on position when cocked.  This is the heaviest of the three crossbows weighing in at 8 lbs.  The Sidewinder comes in a package deal that includes a scope, quiver, and bolts  for $400.

     That covers the basics, now let’s get to the other aspects of our test.  When we set this up for the accuracy and penetration testing we did so with a bench rest shooting vice and an uncompromised broadhead shooting block.  We took a new broadhead and placed it on the bolt for each penetration shot we did for each crossbow with the two different weighted bolts we used.  The Excalibur Phoenix with the 417.9 grain bolt penetrated 15 7/8″ in the block and the 466 grain bolt penetrated 16 7/8″ deep.  The Titan from Ten Point with the 417.9 grain bolt penetrated 18 7/8″ in the block and the 466 grain bolt penetrated 20 1/8″ deep.  Last is the Sidewinder from PSE  and with the 417.9 grain bolt we had a penetration of  19 5/8″ in the block and with the 466 grain bolt we had a penetration of 19 5/8″ deep .  Why we obtained the same depth with this last crossbow we haven’t figured out, except for the fact that there might have been a harder spot on the target with the last shot?   

     When it came to the accuracy test we had an interesting dilemma.   We began to shoot the Excalibur by hand cocking the crossbow, we soon saw accuracy results all over the page with one eventually missing the target completely!  Remember we were shooting off of a bench rest gun vice!  We then started looking at how the crossbow was loaded and cocked.  It was then that we realized something was wrong when we saw that the serving on the string was longer on one side of the rail than the other after being cocked.  I called the Excalibur factory rep and explained what was happening.  He told me that there was virtually no way to hand cock any crossbow and get any consistency out of them.  What happens he explained, is that everyone is either right or left hand dominant which leads to one pulling harder on one side of the string than the other.  This leads to power loading or over cocking one side of the crossbow than the other, thus ruining your accuracy!  This is very important to understand since it caused us to completely miss a target at 20 yards!  Imagine what could happen in the field, either a missed game animal or worse yet an injured game animal!  The rep also explained that this could happen with a string aided cocking device if the string hooks and guides are not placed directly against the rail before you start to load the string.  So much for once again picking one up with no practice and heading to the field like some do with a rifle!

     Once we got the loading issue worked out, everything started to fall into place.  At a distance of 20 yards we saw all three bows basically shoot groups of 3″ to 4″ groups.  Not what I would call the accuracy of a rifle by any stretch of the imagination!  We found one other surprise while shooting these crossbows, especially with the PSE and Ten Point Packages.  Both of these crossbows came with scopes that had multiple dots or crosshairs for distances of 20 yds, 30 yds, and 40 yds.  The gap or what we archers refer to as pin gap was pretty wide.  With that being said, if you tried to shoot out to 60 or 70 yards or even 100 yards you would have to aim so high to get the bolt to fly to that distance you wouldn’t be able to see the target through the scope!  These crossbows might shoot out to those distances if you arc them high enough, but how in the world are you going to see your target through the scope?  Accuracy and distances of 100 yards like a rifle myth? Busted!    Then naturally the next argument will be that the TAC 15 by PSE claims 400 fps and 100 yard accuracy.  The State of Michigan has put an end to that argument as well.  They will not allow any crossbow that shoots over 350 fps to be used for hunting.  The Michigan DNR has said that they will ticket anyone who is caught with a crossbow that the manufacture claims will shoot over 350 fps, PERIOD!

     We did a comparison shot with a Bowtech Guardian set at 66 lbs, 29.5″ draw with a 29.5″ Carbon Express Aramid KV arrow @ 273 grains with a measured 106 grain broadhead.  We chronographed the bow at 280 fps with  a penetration of 23″ from a total arrow weight of 379 grains.  We saw better penetration with the conventional compound than that with a crossbow!  I can hold tighter groups with my compound also than what we experienced with a crossbow on a shooters bench!  One of the biggest things that everyone that was around us when we shot them noticed immediately was how loud the crossbows were!  That was their first comment, “Man that thing is loud!”  Noise is a huge concern for hunters who have to take their game up close and personal.    With those observations, I will stick with my compound bow until I can no longer effectively use it.  Then I will gladly take up a crossbow  to hit the field with.  I want to take the most effective tool to the field to use legally that I can when I’m pursuing game.

     While shooting these crossbows, one of my staff members had his daughter with us as did I also.  We naturally thought that these would be good choices for youth who couldn’t pull a high enough draw weight on a bow to effectively take a deer, so we had them try out all three crossbows.  Both of the girls liked the PSE Sidewinder for the simple fact that there was less hand shock from the forearm and stock.  Even though it was the heaviest of the three it was the favorite of the two girls.  We also had them try to draw  the string manually and with the draw string aid with no luck!  The only crossbow they could load themselves was the Ten Point Titan with the draw assist hand crank.  With that said, a parent would definitely have to be afield with them to aid them with handling of the crossbow.  This alone teaches parental supervision!

     Some other observations we found were mostly related to safety handling of the crossbows.  We found ourselves handing the loaded crossbows to each other to place into the bench rest and the person on the receiving end more than once started to grab the rail thought the already loaded strings!  Also, YOU MUST keep your thumb and fingers down off of the rail when shooting!  I have seen more than one instance where a shooter has lost the tip of a finger or thumb that got in the way of the cables or string coming down the rail!  Last point of safety we thought of, it might not be wise to use these in a simple treestand since you must bend over the crossbow to pull the cocking aid draw string or to manually load it by hand.  Doing so could cause one to become unbalanced and lose your footing or balance in the treestand!  If I were going to hunt out of a treestand, I would want a crank style device to load the string!

     All in all, I don’t feel that the people who spoke out against the crossbow issues have anything to worry about.  These are not the magic weapon of choice that they claim them to be.  They do have a place in our woods and should be welcomed to encourage those who can’t take advantage of the archery season for what ever reason to now do so.  Since I have spent some time shooting these three crossbows, I have learned a lot about them.  They are not like a rifle so don’t treat them like one!  They will not shoot accurately over a long distance and they are not quiet by any means.  Most newer compound bows can out perform them with a little practice.  A lot of people who are speaking out against them claim that crossbow shooters have an advantage by having the string pulled back and locked, which they do, but is that any reason to keep them out of the archery season?  I think not!  Modern compounds are more effective than a crossbow so should they too be disallowed from the woods?  Traditional archers have an advantage of an easier let down if busted by an animal than that of a compound shooter who has a hard time letting down with out a jerking motion once the cams roll back!  Should we disallow the traditional shooters for that advantage?  We can find an advantage or disadvantage with any weapon of choice.  Instead of knocking down one another, we need to be supporting one another instead!  The anti’s don’t have to fight us if we are killing our own!   No matter what weapon you choose to take into the field this fall, remember to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!  When you get done with that, practice some more!

     Dead Down Wind has come up with a new way to make field spray easy for those outdoorsmen who travel.  It eliminates the need to try to pack a bottle of field spray for a long trip, besides you cannot take a large bottle of liquid on a plane anymore. 

     This new Pac-it system consists of three packages of field spray mix.  You take any water from the tap or in the field as long as it doesn’t have algea or pond scum floating in it, and mix 11 ounces of water with the contents of the package!  By doing that you now have 12 ounces of field spray for your hunt.  What could be easier to use? 

     I just recently talked with fellow Up North Journal pro staff member Jim Stephan wh0 was worried how he would take field spray on his trip this fall back to Michigan for the firearm deer season.  I mentioned this product to him and he was glad to know that he could pick this up and not have to worry about boarding a plane back home.  Check out Dead Down Wind’s site to learn more about this easy to use product.

     The Up North Journal Team has launched their new website and they invite you to stop by and check out the new digs! You can find it at the same ‘ol place: www.upnorthjournal.com you will find a new interactive video panel that will play their most current video and will eventually have the most current episode of their upcoming new video show. You will also be able to click the link to take you to the archive page of all their videos. Not only does it have the video player but it also offers an audio panel that has the most current episode of their podcast with a scrolling banner with an outline of the current show. The link below the player also takes you to an archive page of past episodes for download or playing right from the site.

     The site is not 100% completed but the important items are there, so keep looking for further updates to the site and bios on the prostaff pages. When your finished taking the tour, be sure to drop them an email and let them know what you think about the new digs!

     Last weekend fellow Up North Journal Pro Staffer Matt Woodbury and myself conducted our soil sampling of the area we plan to plant and hunt this upcoming deer season.  We surveyed the area as to where the best places would be to put a plot, then we got busy.  We took several samples from just below the surface to obtain a good representation of the entire plot area.  After getting plenty of samples we mixed the dirt together for a good mixture, then shook off the dirt and headed home. 

     Today I got busy obtaining the information from the Michigan State University extension office for soil testing in our area.  I found out that they require just about a quart of dirt for the sample to send in to test along with a $12 fee for each sample sent in.  This fits right in with what Steve Scott of the Whitetail Institute told us a couple of weeks ago during the interview I did with him on the Up North Journal Podcast.  I also packaged up the samples to send to Whitetail Institute to see how they compare to the MSU extension office testing.  It cost $10 for the testing at Whitetail Institute along with $7.10 for postage on each sample sent in for a total of just over $17.  I sent in two samples since I obtained a soil sample from our property up north this weekend also.  We are going to plant a test plot on the property we hunt up north to see how it compares to what we are currently doing.

     So we are well on our way to getting ready to plant.  We hopefully will clear the local plot this weekend and get it ready to plant as soon as the results come back in from our soil test.  We will keep you updated on the progress!

     The purpose of this year’s review is to check performance and learn as much as possible about crossbows to pass along to you the readers.  Michigan and Pennsylvania both passed legislation this year allowing the use of crossbows in their archery deer seasons.  Since these weapons have now been included for use in these two states and a few others, we thought it would be a good time to see what the buzz is all about and learn a few things along the way.   We hope to either prove or disprove any myths about crossbows and find out just how viable they are to use in the field.  We have confirmation from three companies this year to help us in the testing, with that said, lets get to it!

     Upon opening the box, I knew I had an assembly job in front of me!  At first glance I was glad to see that most of the detailed pieces had already been assembled.  I then began my reading of the manual!  Yes I read the intructions, I know most men don’t but I figured this was a little too important to pass them by.  The kit also came with an instructional DVD which I refered to quite a bit.  It was easier to use and it was nice to see how a particular item was assembled, that made the job a lot easier.

     After unpacking the box, I checked the inventory of the items to make sure everything was there and began the task of assembly.  It took me about an hour or so to finish the job.  The hardest part was stringing the crossbow.  This model is a recurve style crossbow, so I naturally thought it would be an easy task of putting the string on.  Let me say this first, my compound is set to a 60lb. draw weight, I had to use all the strength I had to put this string on manually.  They offer a stringing device that would have made the job much easier, so I suggest you purchase one for this bow.  With that said, I do like the idea of being able to string this bow yourself.  I can see this being very useful in the field incase a string breaks, you can restring the bow in the field and get back to hunting!  This is something we will be checking on the compound style bows to see if it is possible.

     Everything went together with ease and I was off to the range to sight in the scope that came with the bow.  When I arrived at the range, I got everything out and was getting ready to start shooting, when I noticed that the box of bolts that was sent with the bow was missing the nocks!  I searched everything I had and then searched again at home with no luck.  I then went to my local proshop to obtain some nocks for the bolts only to be told they were already on the bolt!  These bolts use the flat style nock on them, but these have a screw insert which led me to believe they were missing something.  I was told by the tech at the shop that this is a new style nock system that allows a screw in insert to be attatched for fletching purposes.  This is an interesting and inovative design to help re-fletch the bolts.  Boy did I feel stupid! 

     The first impression of the bow is good, it is extremely light weight and sleek looking.  It came in Realtree camo and outfitted with everything you need to hit the field running!  Now I just have to get back to the range to do some testing!  Stay tuned for the other bows as they come in for our reviews and testing of them.