The Skinny on Stabilizers for Bowhunting

by , on
Jul 22, 2023
Josh Kirchner's Bow sitting up against the tire of his truck

You don’t know what you don’t know right? I always thought it looked so funny when archers and bowhunters had that long stick-looking deal hanging off the front of their bow. Stabilizers weren’t really something I’d worry too much about in my early years. And with how many “correct opinions” there are in the bowhunting world, taking advice on the topic isn’t straightforward in the least. Everyone is a little different in their bowhunting journey and what works for them.

With all of that said, stabilizers are an effective tool that really can elevate your shooting from good to great. So, down below I’m going to go through what I’ve learned about stabilizers for bowhunting through the years and how I personally go about finding the right recipe for success.

What Makes a Good Bow Sight?

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Jun 29, 2023
Canyon Pounder Bow Sight from Option Archery

We were so stoked. After months of planning, we were finally loading up our backpacks at the truck, getting ready to hike a few miles in for an archery deer hunt. It was my buddy’s first backpack hunt ever, and I couldn’t wait to show him the ropes. About 5 minutes into our hike, I was coming down a hill and heard my friend start tumbling behind me. Luckily, he was ok. His bow sight on the other hand was not. It had snapped.

A compound bow sitting on a hunter's lap while turkey hunting

The bow sight is an intricate part of any modern-day bowhunter’s arsenal. It helps connect the dots between us and the animal via our arrow with precision. That’s no duty to snuff at and shouldn’t be taken lightly. With that in mind, I’m going to run through a few key things that I believe make up a good bow sight. Keep in mind, these are just my opinions that are based on my experiences. You may have different views, and that’s totally fine. These are mine.

Durability

Right off the rip, let’s touch on durability. That story above was a prime reminder for me of why durability is so important in a bow sight. I think this is something that we take for granted because in all honesty, most bow sights these days are pretty dang durable. With that said, there are still a few that fall short.

Josh Kirchner bowhunting in Arizona

The bow sight mentioned above snapped on the mount. That particular mount was plastic. This is a big no-go for me. Plastic parts on a bow sight are destined to break, especially if you’re doing things like backpack hunting where the rugged factor gets cranked up. It doesn’t stop at sight mounts either. There are sights with plastic housings and pins as well. It’s not worth it.

In light of durability, I also need to touch on just how the overall sight holds up to wear and tear. Things like pins coming loose, slider locks coming unlocked, and even sight housings coming loose from mounts. While these don’t equate to a snap, they sure as hell can turn a good situation sour. Structural integrity need not fly under the radar.

Versatility

Josh Kirchner shooting his bow at the archery range

A bow sight needs to be versatile. Something that is only good at one thing will bite you in the field eventually. Bowhunting doesn’t always present black-and-white opportunities. It’s not a cookie-cutter process. Because of that you need to be able to adapt and the same goes for your bow sight.

In terms of versatility, the first thing that comes to mind is using a multi-pin sight. Before you single-pin folks get all huffy and puffy, let me elaborate. Multiple pins offer multiple yardage references instantly. Now, I’m not saying that people should be lobbing arrows in quick-draw style, but sometimes things happen quickly. I know there are some single-pin sights that have 3 yardage references on them, and that is way better than just one. It will never beat 5 though and certainly not 7. Your sight picture isn’t as clear as it would be with a single pin, but I’d rather cut the fat on time than on sight picture.

Next, a slider is a must. Since getting my first slider sight many years ago my accuracy and precision have increased tenfold. They allow the ability to practice at long-range distances, which makes the shorter shots seem like chip shots. At a distance, all of your imperfections are magnified. If you don’t know they are there, because you’re stuck shooting at 50 yards, then you’re not moving forward if you ask me. And while it is controversial, I personally don’t see anything wrong with taking a shot at an animal at a greater distance. As long as your ability is there as is the right situation(no wind, unaware animal, etc.). At the least, you’ll have the option of making a possible long-range follow-up shot, if given the opportunity.

2nd and 3rd Axis

Not having a 2nd and 3rd axis adjustment is simply not an option. These are crucial for accuracy in the field. For those that are unfamiliar with what these are, let me spell it out real quick before moving on.

Your 2nd axis adjustment is basically calibrating the bubble level on your sight to make sure it’s actually level. If this is off, even though your bubble is in the middle, you will be unknowingly canting your bow one way or the other. This will cause left/right inconsistencies.

Josh Kirchner shooting his bow at an angle making sure is 2nd and 3rd axis are set on his bow sight

The 3rd axis adjustment has to do with the bubble level as well, but it’s more geared toward uphill and downhill shots. This is adjusting the left/right angle of the sight housing. If this is off, your bubble level won’t read true when aiming up or downhill. The result would be left/right inconsistencies on angled shots even if your bubble level was in the middle.

Both of these need to be present on a bow sight for it to be truly practical for bowhunting. It’s a great example of how the little things actually matter. In this case, they do immensely. You need to know your sight is level at full draw whether aiming on flat ground or steep angled shots. It can literally mean the difference in filling your tag or not. I’ve been there.

Simpler is Better

Axcel bow sight and Black Gold bow sight
Axcell Accustat II vs. Black Gold Ascent Verdict

Some bow sights are way more complicated than others. Be it a ton of screws or even the addition of electronics. All of this stuff can be nice at the range, but in the field, it’s a different story. And how something performs in the field is the number 1 thing on my radar. For that reason, I try to keep things as simple as I can with a bow sight.

Option Archery Canyon Pounder Bow Sight
Canyon Pounder from Option Archery

Bow sights these days have a ton of screws on them, but some have more than others. Every extra screw or moving part is one more thing to potentially come loose in the field. Every lever is one more thing to accidentally move. If you are in love with a certain sight that has a lot of moving parts on it, it might be wise to apply string wax to your threads to help keep some of that hardware in place.

There are also bow sights that are digital. I’ve been super impressed with the accuracy of these and can totally see why some are drawn to them. While that is true, I’ve also experienced one that just decided to not work. Once that happened, I was done with it. If something like that happens in the field, you’re out of the game. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.

Final Thoughts

Josh Kirchner with his 2022 archery spring bear from Arizona
Watch this spring bear hunt!

There are some pieces of gear that mean more than others. Their weight has a greater impact on us wrapping a hard-earned tag on a hard-earned animal. The bow sight falls into that category and the story I told above is a great example of why. We ended up taping his sight back together and got a day of hunting out of it before the sight broke again. This ended the hunt for a few days, which was such a shame. Waiting all that time only to have your bow sight rob a slice of what we’d been waiting so long for. Not again. Not again.

Watch the Video Version!

Backup Release Aid – Have One and Know How to Use It

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Jun 7, 2023
An archery release aid attached to Josh Kirchner's bow from Dialed in Hunter

An early morning archery hunt. Sun up would come in about 30 minutes and I had a brush blind set up not far away. Just as I was coming down the hill that led to the blind, I fell, and I fell right on my release aid. It seemed ok until I tried to do a practice draw inside the blind. Can you guess what happened? Yup, clocked myself right in the face. Luckily, I had the tools to fix it. Had I not though, I would have been up the creek without a paddle. I didn’t have a backup release aid either. It was a turning point for me.

The Road to Bow Season

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May 1, 2023
Josh Kirchner's Bow sitting up against the tire of his truck

Bow season is something that I look forward to literally every single day of the year. I fell in love with archery hunting many years ago and it was for several reasons. Some of them are the sheer difficulty involved, intimate encounters with animals, and honestly just the act of shooting a bow and arrow. Along the way to each bow season, there is an immense amount of preparation. This is what I want to share with you. The Road to Bow Season if you will.

Glassing Tip – Switching from Binocular to Spotting Scope

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Feb 14, 2023
Josh Kirchner from Dialed in Hunter glassing with an angled spotting scope in the high desert of Arizona

Down here in the southwest desert that I call home, glassing efficiently is the key to success. It’s a wide-open landscape that will eat through its fair share of boots in a hurry. Not to mention animals tend to be more spread out, due to the overall vastness of the landscape. So, in terms of efficiency sitting high on a vantage point and surveying the surrounding country with high-powered optics on a tripod is about as good as it gets.

In doing so, there can be a lot of switching between binoculars and spotting scopes. I prefer to glass with a smaller more general magnification like a 10×42 binocular. When I do find something I want a closer look at, I’ll pop those off and mount up a 65mm spotting scope. It sounds much easier than it is, and I’m mainly referring to target acquisition when switching between the two. There’s a trick to it that will save you time and time is money.

Broadhead Tuning – Less is More

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Dec 28, 2022
Evolution Outdoors Jekyll broadhead

You’ve been lacing bullseye after bullseye most of the year with your bow. Confidence levels are at an all-time high as is the anticipation of the coming archery hunting season. In light of that, you finally pick up those broadheads and give em a whirl downrange. Suddenly, the confidence that once stood tall is squashed into the very ground you stand upon. While your field-tipped arrows rest in the bullseye they’ve grown to know so well, your broadhead-tipped arrow does not. It is the outlier in a suddenly uneasy situation. The reality of broadhead tuning is now present.

The Angle Compensating Rangefinder – Why You Need One for Bowhunting

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Oct 7, 2022
Vortex Razor 4000 Rangefinder on an archery bear hunt in Arizona

Throughout my childhood, my Dad would tell me old hunting stories from before I was around. At the time, I hadn’t really experienced much of the hunting life, so these stories sunk deep in my mind. One of those stories was of an archery deer hunt in upstate New York. It was just him and his bow. No rangefinder to speak of.

My Dad was sitting up in a tree and a lone buck came in beneath. He pulled his bow back, aimed, and let it loose thinking that deer steaks wouldn’t be far away. What really happened was he watched the arrow fly right over the buck’s back, followed by said buck running out of his life. “Should have aimed lower” my Dad said. It was my first lesson on shooting up or downhill with a bow.

Spot and Stalk Bowhunting – Do You Really Need to Drop Your Boots?

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Sep 30, 2022
a coues buck that josh kirchner from dialed in hunter shot with his bow spot and stalk

It was just after Christmas. A new bow rested in my lap and I had a nice buck located in the desert that morning. He was in a lust crazed stare at a few does beneath him. All I had to do was make a small loop and my first archery deer would lay at my feet. Once I reached the base of the hill I needed to climb that would put me in shooting range, I dropped my boots and pack. Long story short, I ended up going way farther than I thought looking for the deer. I also stepped on a jumping cactus in my socks. These two instances made me question if this whole “dropping your boots” thing was really necessary for successful spot and stalk bowhunting. More experience in the coming years would tell me it wasn’t.

Solo Backcountry Bowhunting for Mule Deer – *NEW FILM* – ABSOLUTE

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Sep 12, 2022
Josh Kirchner from Dialed in Hunter packing out a mule deer on his solo backcountry bowhunting trip to Utah

Each turn of the calendar I have grown to look forward to a few certain times of year. One of those times that has stolen a piece of my heart is early season high country mule deer hunting with a bow. The views are nothing short of breathtaking, as is the country beneath my feet. It steals my breath in more ways than one. And the sight of big velvet bucks feeding in what resembles a golf course and bedding in what resembles Mordor is addictive beyond measure. This past August I found myself on a solo backcountry bowhunting trip to Utah in search of such things. Along with what I’ve mentioned, I found something else. Something that will hold its weight throughout my days. Perspective.

New Film Teaser: Absolute – A Solo Backcountry Mule Deer Hunt

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Aug 31, 2022
Bowhunting for Mule Deer in the High Country

I just returned from Utah not that long ago. It was a wicked backcountry hunt with just me and my bow that truly threw all of the highs and lows of bowhunting my way. I return to the very area that sparked my love for high country mule deer hunting and this time, the mountains rewarded me in more ways than one. So, naturally I’ve got another film in the works. It’s called “Absolute.” The teaser for this film is down below. Stay tuned in the near future for the full film release.

Absolute Teaser – A Solo Backcountry Mule Deer Hunt

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