Welcome to the very first Archers Review Magazine.
As well as the reviews, which are continuing apace, we here at Archers Review Towers have been busy working on a new monthly "magazine". We will be releasing a new magazine with articles, photos and various other content to keep you coming back to Archers Review. We have plenty of things planned for future issues but we kick off this first one with a look how you can try archery, some information about our new sponsors, an article on the instinctive shooting style. In addition we have our monthly feature "Shot of the Month", this first one is from our very own archives but we want to hear from you and see your shots too. Finally we have a recap of the reviews that have been released in the previous month, so you can catch up with any that you might have missed.
We want your input, so if you have an article idea get in contact and we can either publish your article or we can write about something you are interested in.
Shot of the Month
This months shot of the month comes from last years South West Challenge, let me set the scene. Take three instinctive archers in a group with a compound, a tiny paper face about 35+ yards away and an incredibly skinny fox.
Result, one inner kill for the compound and one jaw on the floor from the same compound archer when we get up to the target for him to suddenly realise his day wasn't going to look so full of glory against the three of us.
Think you can do better, send us your archery shots and see if they are good enough to be included in "Shot of the Month".
10 Minutes With...
This month it's 10 minutes with Chad Holm of Holm-Made bows, he kindly took the time to talk to us about himself and his bows.
How long have you been involved in Archery and how did you get started?
I grew up rifle hunting with my brother Shane in Grand Rapids, Mn. We followed my father and grandfather around the big woods. We always felt we were fortunate if we saw a deer a day. The focus was never trophy hunting as we didn't see many bucks. Any buck with a main beam and brow tines was considered a "nice" one. I think I shot one buck during my teen age years and that was about the only buck I saw while hunting in those years.Lessons learned in those early hunting years are lessons that have helped me to appreciate just seeing deer today. The process of hunting and carrying on the old ways are still the reasons why I love to hunt.
My dad was never much of a bowhunter. He did start bowhunting with a friend as a way to try and get a deer in the freezer before rifle season opened and Shane and I wanted to bowhunt too. When we were about 14, dad scrounged up a couple old, hand me down, bows for us from guys he worked with. I got a 45# Ben Pearson recurve with a sight. I remember sitting on a field edge and missing a deer at about 12-15 yards. The arrow hit the ground at the deer's feet. I think Shane got a fork horn that year or the year after with his bow. I guess you could say I have "traditional roots" in bowhunting, but not by choice.
I was 25 before I got my first deer with a compound bow, I shot 3 that year. I was living in Pine City, MN and heard there was a guy in town that hunted with a recurve so I called him, out of the blue, and he got me started building cedar arrows to go with my new 58# Martin Hunter. Two summers ago, I was travelling home from a shoot in Horicon, WI where I was a vendor, and I stopped by his house to visit him. I hadn't talked to him in almost 10 years. I gave him a 51# River Runner prototype as a gift for helping me get started in traditional bowhunting.
The next Fall there wasn't many deer around due the tough winters of '95-'96 and '96-97. In early October, 1997, I finally got a shot at a spike and killed him with the Hunter and cedar arrow tipped with a Magnus broadhead. I still have the picture of me and that buck.
When did you make your first bow and what was the result?
I built my first selfbow 11 years ago. It was a Hickory self bow that was homely to look at and followed the string unmercifully. I built about 10 selfbows I guess. I never got proficient enough to feel comfortable hunting with them. I started building fiberglass bows about 7 years ago for myself and friends. I started my official business 3 years ago. I enjoy building the bows and have close to 20 hours into each one. The fiberglass, epoxy and exotic wood dust can be dangerous if precautions are not taken but the finished product is a one of a kind piece of work that will last for years to be handed down from generation to generation.
What's the one tool in your workshop which you couldn't do without?
My bandsaw gets used daily as well as several sanders. My duplicating belt
sander I recently acquired is my prized machine.
What do you think the next big innovation in bow building will be ?
I'm not sure what the next big "innovation in bow building" will be. I know some bowyers are experimenting with different materials to replace fiberglass. It is my hope that traditional archery industry does not take the same path as the muzzleloader industry has where there is a push to improve efficiency to the point where we have recreated something we are trying to get away from in the first place.
What materials do you enjoy using the most ?
I enjoy working with the wood and bamboo the most. The epoxy and fiberglass is a necessary evil, I guess. Some of the exotic woods I work with are absolutely stunning. I also enjoy working with domestic hardwoods from the Midwest. I love curly cherry, figured hickory, walnut, sassaphras and maple.
What is it about your bows or the way you make bows that sets you apart from other bowyers ?
My forms and jigs are machined for perfection. I only use the best materials available and I don't rush the process. My goal has always been to produce the best bows my abilities will allow. It has never been to "crank out" bows in a short amount of time. People have told me there is a market for kids bows and starter bows in the 250.00 price range. That has never interested me. I want to build bows that I am proud to put my name on.
Do you still have time to shoot ?
I put a hundred or so arrows through each bow I build as I fine tune the tiller. Building bows does not allow me to shoot my own personal bows as much as I would like to for pleasure.
What's the best shot you ever made ?
This year when we were making our annual late season deer pushes in the snow, I made a running shot on a small doe. She was moving at about three quarter speed. passing by at 9 yards. My broadhead severed the arteries off the top of the heart. The temperature was an honest -30 degrees that day.
How many bows do you make a year ?
I build about 40-50 bows per year.
What arrows do you shoot and if it's wood which one ?
I shoot wood and carbon arrows. My wood arrows are tapered cedar with a 160 grain point. These arrows typically weight between 520-540 grains.
Archers Review is dedicated to carrying on the great tradition of sharing archery knowledge, in many ways we are still re-discovering the skills of our forefathers, unlike just about any other competitive sport, in archery the learning never stops, as we grow as archers the enjoyment increases, so we invite you to share with us all the skills, tips and hints that will help us all to be the best archer we can be.
If you have something to add feel free to mail in your articles, it can be on any aspect of archery from training to bow set up, a quick hunting tip or a specific archery question you would like to know the answer to, someone somewhere will have an answer for you.
