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A few months ago I was searching for new archery gadgetry and stumbled upon the STS. This clever device is essentially a stopper for your bow string, that helps reduce hand shock and string hum. After doing some more research I decided to purchase one as an experiment, to see if it truly quieted my bow. I was pleasantly surprised with the results I achieved.

My bow noise became nothing more than a quick thump, with absolutely no hand shock. I also gained one unexpected result, the increase of about 4 FPS on my arrow. How does the STS give you more speed? It stops your string dead at its resting point, whereas normally your string travels forward of the resting point (commonly the cause of forearm slap). When the string travels forward in the normal shot, it is being slowed by the bow. The bow wants the string to return to It’s resting position so it effectively pulls back on the string, wasting useful energy. This along with the other great results causes me to highly recommend this product to anyone wanting to make their bow quieter and faster.

Installation and Setup: 4.0/5.0

Installing the STS on your bow is a snap. If you have a threaded hole on the rear of your riser you can buy the rear mount version of the STS and install in minuets. The bow I shoot only has a front thread, so I purchased the front mount STS. I simply unscrewed my stabilizer and screwed the mounting bracket in its place. Conveniently the screw for the bracket is threaded at the rear so I was able to mount my stabilizer easily.
The more difficult part of the setup was adjusting the position of the stopper. Some bows require the stopper to be “pushing” on the string, while others require it to be forward about 1/8th of an inch. I suggest playing around with the positioning in order to find the “sweet spot” where your bow is most quiet.
Another key part of the setup is string protection. With the violent impact between the STS and the string, some type of protective serving is needed. Get your local proshop to serve the area where the STS hits or you could do what I did. I had some rubber stoppers on the string already and placed them so the STS hit them first. It helped make the bow even quieter. Below is a picture of the contact point.

Design: 4.5/5.0

The design of this product is fairly simple, stop the string’s motion dead. It does a great job of this. The one issue I had with the design was the mounting bracket. It only has one set screw, it would be more useful to have two setscrews so it would be easier to fine tune. Also I found the setscrew can come loose easily. This problem can be quickly solved with a drop of lock-tite.

Effectiveness: 5.0/5.0

This equipment lives up to its name: Shock Terminator Suppressor. It completely eliminated hand shock for me, as well as suppressed a great deal of the sound. I should also praise the added energy saving feature. A faster arrow means more kinetic energy downrange, what every hunter wants.

Possible Problems:

There are some minor issues and complaints I have heard about the STS from various users. One common complaint is that it makes the bow shoot poorly. As with anything that changes the motion of the string or arrow, retuning is a must. I checked my tuning after installation and had to make only a few minor adjustments to get my bow back in near perfect tune. Another common complaint I see is the “slapping” sound it creates. I noticed this myself when I first started using the STS. So like a good engineer I did some experiments. Using a camcorder I shot my bow with out the STS and with the STS. I set the camcorder up next to the bow as well as behind the target. The results were obvious when I watched the video. First off my bow had a loud hum without the STS, which was completely absent after installation. I did notice a slapping sound when standing next to the bow, but downrange I couldn’t even detect the bow. It is my belief that the slapping sound is loud to the shooter because it is reflected backwards from the bow. When standing in front of the bow it is almost non-existent. One tip I have if you are having trouble with the slapping sound is to put some moleskin on the STS stopper to help soften the blow.

Overall I am highly satisfied with the STS, if you have any further questions post a reply to this article and I will respond as soon as possible.

Overall Score: 4.8/5.0

Posted by E. Jones at 01:00 PM | Permalink

Ok, folks, now before we start I think we all should understand that the sight each hunter chooses to use on their bow is a personal choice, what works for one person may not be worth jack to someone else. Now having said that, if you shoot with anything other than a Spot Hogg sight you are missing out!

Do you want a sight that is durable? Do you want a sight that the manufacturer will stand behind? A sight with super bright pins? Than a sight from Spot Hogg might be the one for you!

I purchased the 5 - pin Real Deal sight, with the 2 3/8 inch guard, it comes with a horizontal level, and 0.029 pins, as well as a wire guide. This is another product in the archery world that doesn't come cheap, but it will last you provided you take care of it. The average cost I found to be in the 130.00 to 140.00 range, though if you get on EBay, you might be able to find one cheaper.

All sights developed by Spot Hogg are made of 6061 aircraft aluminum, you don't have to worry about these sights breaking on you, they are extremely durable.

The Real Deal 5 - pin sight weighs in at 6.4 oz. It provides you with a vertical and horizontal axis adjustments as well micro adjustments. To make your micro adjustments you will need a 1/16 allen wrench. Sighting your pins in can be a bit of a problem without the correct allen wrench, which is one of the problems I ran into. Another problem I ran into was the adjustment screws that control the second and fourth pins. I was unable to move the screws to adjust the pin level so I gave Spot Hogg a call and asked them about it. They had a technician on the phone within seconds and he took all of 10 minutes to explain everything I needed to do. Since I was unable to move the screws for the second and fourth pins he advised me to take it to a pro shop to let someone else try adjusting the screws, if they were unable to do so, then I should ship the sight to them. When shipping a product, if you need it returned fast send it via overnight shipping. They will ship it back to you the same way it was delivered to them, I have yet to deal with a company who provided that type of customer service. The technician also informed me that if they were unable to remove the screws then they would send me a new sight, free of charge, and that most work or repairs they will normally be completed the same day they receive your sight. So, if you are in a hurry, you could have your sight back on your bow and ready to shoot in no more than 3 days.

If you want the best sight around, I recommend the Spot Hogg sights. They provide the best customer service and really stand behind their product. It is a great sight, and I believe it will help make you a better shot.

More info can be found on the various sights provided by Spot Hogg on their website, www.Spot-Hogg.com

Posted by C. Jeans at 08:00 AM | Permalink

Well everybody, we are almost at the two week point here in Maryland, and what a great two weeks we’ve had. The weather has been perfect for early season hunting, the strong arctic cold front made it feel like mid-October last week, and I was thoroughly enjoying it. I have been able to make it out in the woods six days so far and have been seeing plenty of deer.

I was out this morning in a stand I like hunting for this moon phase, its situated on the edge of a marsh that forms a peninsula in the woods. The shape of the marsh makes the deer move around its edge and right by my stand. The key features of the stand are that it’s bordered to the south by bean fields and bedding areas to the North. With the moon peaking over head in late afternoon, I head to transition areas in the morning, and this is one of my favorite. Those deer always want to grab that last bite of food before heading into the woods to bed up, and I catch them on their way back. Not to mention the cool mornings and warm afternoons has got them moving earlier in the day. So, with the perfect SSE wind to blow my scent out over the marsh I watched as 16 deer passed by me. Mostly does and small bucks, but still enjoyable none the less.
I’d also like to share some observations I’ve noted that could help you when picking your next hunting location. First off, we’ve got another cold front headed in over the next few days, and I am anticipating a similar response to last time: they moved heavily right before it came in, and right after. So try to make time to get out and take advantage of the changing barometer. Secondly, the bucks and does are starting to not enjoy each others company as they do in the summer. As you read in my last journal, I’ve been hunting the oaks. I’ve sat in some oak patches and seen doe after doe come in and feed. Then I moved to another more remote and smaller oak patch and watched a nice 8 point feed, he wasn’t quite the buck I was going after, but it got my heart pounding as he eased out of the bedding area and I saw the horns. So what I’ve observed is that the bucks and does have declared their territory and they are not in the mood to leave. So as you find a place the does are feeding, you know its time to move on and find where the bucks are feeding, for now. This will all change in a month or so when the rut starts up. Finally, most of the corn in this area is dry and has been standing for some time. The farmers are out working long days to get it all picked. I love being in the woods when nearby fields are being picked; you will see a lot of deer activity. Also, be ready to change your strategy as the deer will be changing their patterns based on a change in food source.

Posted by E. Jones at 02:00 PM | Permalink

I had gotten permission to hunt some property in NE Texas just a few days ago, 684 acres to be exact. 60 percent is in pasture, mixture between hay fields and corn. The other 40 percent is wooded. The owner told me he had a lot of hogs tearing up his pasture and asked me to go wreck havoc on them. So, I called a buddy of mine, Case,y who loves to hunt the piggies almost as much as I do to set up a hunt.

We met Saturday morning, switched his gear over to my truck and we were off. It was cloudy and cool, around 65 degrees. As we headed north it began to rain, which was a good sign, it would cover any noise we made. It continued to rain the whole way there, and once we arrived it began to rain very hard, so we decided to do some shooting in a barn just to make sure our gear was on. Once it lightened up a little bit we headed out. The land owner told me that a creek ran the length of the northern edge of the property so we set out for the creek with the plan of spot and stalking the length of the creek. It was rough going getting to the creek due to all the rain, the pastures were soaked. Good thing we were both wearing rubber boots, each step we took we would sink past our ankles. We stopped often to rest, and on one particular break, we had a surprise. We stopped and were going over our plan we were going to use once we got into the woods that runs along the creek when we hear the shrill squeal that makes the hair standup on the back of your neck. Needless to say it scared us. Before we had a chance to catch our senses, a little meat pig about 100 pounds busts out of the brush squealing and runs right between myself and Casey, I tried to step back and fell on my rear, Casey tried to turn and run, and slipped and fell on his face, and we both turn to watch this perfect little pig running as fast as he can through a flooded hay field. It was quite comical. Once we gathered ourselves and checked over our gear, just a little bit of mud on our bows, nothing serious, we decided that was a good sign. Little did we know that that was the only pig we would see. We continued on and found the creek; we could see trails at every bend where the pigs were crossing. To say there were a lot of pigs on this place would be an understatement, it was overrun! We walked the entire length of the creek and decided to go check a pasture towards the front of the property where the owner said he had seen a few pigs in the past. When we made it to the pasture it was very clear that the pigs had taken advantage of the rain, and had bathed in this pasture! They had destroyed probably 2 acres of a 50-60 acre pasture. It was all fresh, we picked up a few strands of hair in every little mud pit these pigs had made. With hay bails littered throughout the pasture we decided to sit behind one that was within bow range to a trail running into the tree line. We didn’t see a single pig for the rest of the day, but the day was still a success in our books. We found where the pigs were, and since they had been spotted in the same pasture before, odds are that that is a frequent spot for them. It provided a few laughs, a moment of concern, and an overall good time spent in the woods with a good friend, and I think that is what hunting is really all about. I am sure the next time out will provide me with more memories and maybe a pig or two.

Posted by C. Jeans at 05:00 PM | Permalink

This is not for the faint of heart. These arrows have one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to blast through whatever it hits. These arrows fly fast, they fly straight and they hit with a punch!

I purchased one dozen of these arrows two weeks ago, and I love them! The first thing you will notice when handling them is the diameter of the shafts. They are considerably smaller than what most hunters are used to. The second thing you will notice is the price tag, 120.00 per dozen. They are not cheap, but in my opinion well worth the money. The shafts are constructed of a thick carbon core wrapped with a 7075 alloy metal jacket. The whole purpose behind these arrows is to provide hunters with increased penetration, and unmatched durability.

These arrows utilize the HIT ( Hidden Insert Technology) Technology. I recommend having the pro shop install these inserts for you if you are not familiar with them. If you will be shooting broad heads with replaceable blades then you will need the broad head adapter rings which will cost app.. 17.00 per dozen. They are small and easy to lose so I recommend getting a small case to carry them in, a 35mm film canister or a mouth reed call case works well also. The adapters are needed due to the small diameter of the shafts, they hold against the rear of the blades to prevent the blades from shifting backward when impacting your target.

Now on to the arrows themselves. I had mine cut to 28 inches, shaft size - 400 ( 9.9 gpi ) - armed with field tips. I was shooting into a Game Winner Target.

My first day to shoot these arrows the wind was blowing at 10 mph and gusting at 15-20 mph. I found no disturbance in flight due to the wind shooting from 45 yards and less. This again is due to the smaller diameter. I have found that once you extend your range past 45 yards you will have some drift due to the wind. Upon pulling my first 4 arrows I shot, I found that these arrows penetrated the target almost 4 inches farther than my previous gold tips. This is due to the smaller diameter of the shafts. I spent two hours that first day shooting the arrows and I enjoyed every shot. These arrows are much easier to extract from your target than others, even with the increased penetration. While shooting, I hit another arrow ( good shot group ) the arrow had impacted the shaft of another and followed the length of the shaft into the target. Unlike a carbon that would have either shattered or splintered and then had to have been discarded, the shaft that was hit, was slightly "dented", I immediately shot the impacted shaft from 50 yards to 10 yards in 5 yard increments. I found no problem with flight or penetration. It is still a good practice arrow, though I would not recommend hunting with it due to it having been damaged, but it does not need to be thrown away. I have not taken any big game animals as of yet with these arrows, but I must say thus far I am very impressed with them. They are durable, the fly straight, and there is a noticeable difference in penetration.

However, I would recommend having your shafts refletched, with fletchings of your choice. The factory fletchings are not very durable, they will ripple on you if shooting through a whisker biscuit and can rip off in flight. This seems to be the norm with factory fletching jobs.

All in all, for the money these are great arrows. I will recommend them to anyone looking for a tough durable arrow that will provide the hunter with unsurpassed penetration. You can read more on these arrows on Easton's website.

Posted by C. Jeans at 02:00 PM | Permalink

Anticipation is at an all-time high on opening morning. As I gather my gear and load it into the truck, thoughts of the big bucks caught by the trail cameras all summer long run through my mind. The adrenaline already running through me is the feeling that drives most hunters out of bed at 4 o’clock in the morning. As I arrive at the property I will be hunting, the excitement and possibilities of the hunt are almost too much to handle.

As I pull into the driveway and hop out of the truck almost 2 hours prior to daybreak, this uneasy feeling comes over me and the roller coaster of emotions worsens. The Wind. It’s opening morning and my early season stand is set up for the way the wind blows 90% of the time, but not this morning. This morning is the one day out of 10 that it’s blowing dead wrong. I have waited for this morning for months; I scouted, planned, and re-planned only to have everything foiled by the wind.
A decision has to be made. Do I hunt the stand anyway and hope for the best, or do I hang it up on opening morning? It’s too late to go to another property, and I am saving other stands at this property for later in the season. Should I hunt anyway and take the chance of ruining the spot, or do I put opening morning in the bag and head back to the house?
After pacing around the truck for a few minutes trying to come up with a solution, I decide to bag it and head home. This is one of the hardest decisions a hunter faces, especially on opening morning. However, it’s a decision that I had to make and one that could pay big in the end. Even though I had done everything right the morning of, from taking a scent-free shower, packing all my clothes and gear in scent-safe bags, and planning everything just right, beating a whitetail’s nose is not a risk I am willing to take. It only takes one whiff of danger for a mature buck to change his patterns, which is highly likely to happen by hunting a stand with the wrong wind even with all precautions taken.
So as I watch the sun come up through the window at the house, I take comfort in knowing I made the right decision. Although going home opening morning without hunting was very difficult, preserving all the hard work, time and preparation put into a stand location on the first morning seems well worth it.

Posted by S. Johnson at 01:00 PM | Permalink

Whitetail deer communicate through many different senses: vocally, visually, and through scents. Combining these can be a deadly combination.

A scrape is a visual sign post. Unlike rubs, which are seldom revisited once first created, some scrapes are reworked rather frequently. A whtietail buck makes a scrape to mark his territory and to communicate to other whitetail deer in the area. He leaves his scent behind for other deer to know that he is in the area and this is his ground. By making mock scrapes, you’re showing him that there is another whitetail buck in the area that thinks the spot is his. Whether or not he’s up to the challenge is up to him.

To me, mock scrapes are a vastly underused tactic for trying to harvest a whitetail deer. I hunted many years without using them. Scrapes would pop up every season, and I would hunt near them, but never with much luck. My first attempts at my own scrapes were half hearted and without much luck. My lack of scent control was to blame for that. Once I began being more careful about my clothes and what I touched, I started to see some results. My first positive experience was five years ago. I entered the timber fully clothed in scent-absorbing clothes, including a facemask and gloves. I also wore scent-free rubber boots. I had remembered a massive scrape that first popped up in the middle of October about 40 yards outside of a thicket bedding area. This area is directly between that bedding area and a food plot I had planted the year before. It was an ideal staging area that whitetail deer could hold up in just before entering the field to feed at dark. I stated the scrape rather small, just larger than a dinner plate. I checked it again 8 days later and was amazed at the amount of use it had received. One of the overhead licking branches had been broke and was hanging limp above the scrape, and the area I cleared on the ground had more than doubled in size. Unfortunately, this was before I had a trail camera so I had no idea of the size of the deer that was using the scrape.

I like to start my scrapes early. This way the deer have plenty of time to find and start using them. My target time period is the middle of September. Scrapes this time of year aren’t very numerous, but by making yours the first of the season, you’re notifying whitetail deer that there is a buck in the area. The dominant buck in your hunting spot isn’t going to take well to this. He doesn’t want an intruder coming in and challenging him. At first, there may not be much activity in your scrapes, but the closer the rut gets, the more action you’re going to see. I’ve started scrapes just bigger than a paper plate, and by the time November rolled around, they were the size of a small car hood. Nothing gets your blood going more than seeing a freshly worked scrape with some deep hoof gouges and a few broken branches hanging above.

The most important factor when making a mock scrape is scent control. The purpose of the scrape is to pattern deer by creating an area where a buck will visit regularly. No deer is going to work a scrape that is full of human scent. If you’re careless with scent control, your chances of creating a scrape that is used regularly go to 0 in a hurry. I use the same methods for making scrapes as I would if I were going hunting: take a scent free shower, dress when I arrive at the site, and then give myself a heavy dose of scent killer on my clothes and boots. I also like to wear a pair of latex surgical gloves. The first thing to focus on is location. Think back to where you have seen scrapes in past years. You want the mock scrape to be as natural as possible-not directly on a trail, preferably not on an edge of a field, and it must have one or more licking branches 4-5 feet off the ground. I also like to use them on edges of small, secluded food plots back in the woods. Once you’ve found the spot, clear out a 1-foot diameter circle. Make sure no vegetation is left in the scrape. The next step is to use a pre-orbital gland scent on the licking branch. There are a few different manufacturers who have these types of scents. Next, use a generous amount of buck urine in all areas of the scrape. Hopefully, a buck will pass by and smell the urine from an intruding buck. As long as he doesn’t smell that you’ve been there, he’s going to try to take over the scrape. I like to freshen my scrapes every 7-10 days. In doing so, you’re telling that buck that there is another buck trying to take over his area. He’s going to come back and leave his scent behind each time you freshen it.

The scrape I had mentioned earlier was one of the most successful I’ve ever had. After hunting it a few times rather unsuccessfully, I had almost given up. I decided to give it one final try just before the rut really kicked in and the bucks abandoned the scrapes. About 30 minutes before dark I heard a crack toward the bedding area, then out he stepped-a really nice deer, but needed one more year to grow. I don’t know if he was the biggest deer using the scrape, but he was the biggest I had seen over it. He didn’t work it while I was watching, but he did walk over to it and give it a good sniff. The buck was a good 3.5 year old that would have gone mid 130’s, but knowing the area, I knew he had a good chance to make it through to next season. Unfortunately, I didn’t see him anymore that season, and as far as I know, I haven’t seen him since.

As mentioned earlier, deer communicate in many different manners, and in my opinion, scrapes are one of the best ways to harvest a buck. It combines two of the ways they communicate. The key to using them to your advantage is to remain scent-free and pick a spot that is likely to be used for scraping. Finding the right area and a dominant deer that is willing to protect his territory can lead to some awesome hunting action and possibly a good set of antlers on the wall.

Posted by B. Hagemeier at 07:00 AM | Permalink

After watching, waiting, and scouting all summer long, the season is finally upon us. Tomorrow is opening day, do you know where you going to be watching the sun come up? I know where I’ll be. There is a sweet little spot where a thick bedding area opens up to large oak flat. The beauty of this spot is the fact that it is on the tip of a peninsula, surrounded by marsh and thick cover. The deer ease in out of the bedding areas and feed most of the morning on the sweet acorns from the numerous white and black oaks.

Why have I chosen this spot over the thirty other places I like to hunt? The answer is simple, scouting. I’ve been paying close attention to the times and locations I see deer in the field and when they show up on my trail cameras. We keep a corn pile out in a safe zone on our property with a trail camera set up on it. This way we can take a “deer inventory” of the farm. I’ve noticed the bucks have decreased their activity over the corn, and wondered why. It didn’t take long to figure out they are feasting on the bumper crop of acorns. High protein and sweet taste will always draw the bucks as they try to bulk up for the coming mating season.
There are two key factors for hunting this location: wind and approach. A perfect wind will blow my scent out to the open water; a moderate wind will blow away from the bedding area to the feeding area. The deer will have to pass by me before they can smell me. The approach will be a sneaky slow walk through a gap in the cover. It’s not uncommon to jump deer on the way to this stand, but they normally blow out away from the bedding areas and head to the fields, only to come back a few hours later.
Another few thoughts/tips that have made me choose this area, the moon and weather. Tomorrow will be a perfect morning hunt, with the moon in transit (directly overhead) at 7:48 am. This is the time when the deer typically feed more. Also, we’ve had rain all day today that is supposed to continue through the night. The deer will typically feed less and wait until the rain stops. According to last night’s trail pictures they fed heavily up until the rain, and then they stopped coming. The rain is supposed to stop early Friday morning before sunrise. So all in all it should be a magical morning to be in the woods. Good luck everyone, I hope you’ve put a lot of thought and planning into your hunt!

Posted by E. Jones at 09:00 AM | Permalink

The anticipation of the approaching archery season is better than the night before Christmas. I’ve been scouting since April, my stands are hung (hopefully in the right places) and my food plots are planted. My cameras have been getting pictures of countless numbers of deer, some of which would look great on my wall. The long hard hours through the summer heat are behind me, now it’s time for freezing, lightless mornings. As I prepare for another season, I can’t help but recall past hunts and the excitement that fills me when I see antlers moving through the brush.

I try to combine all of the past successes and failures in hopes of having a fool proof plan to fill my tag this season. In the back of my mind I know that none of these experiences matter. Whitetails are unpredictable. Just when you think you have them figured out, they do something completely off the wall, and to me, that’s the fun of it. When sitting in your stand, you really never know what might unfold. You could go from seeing nothing to having a monster on the ground in a matter of seconds. This sheer possibility is what gets me out of bed at 4 AM when it is drizzling and the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour. It’s all because you never know what could happen next.

Posted by B. Hagemeier at 10:00 AM | Permalink