Bow balance is crucial to consistent accuracy, and two accessory items that play a significant role in the bow-balance world are stabilizers and quivers. Here are some of our top picks.
The archery accessory world can be as fickle as a high-mountain breeze. The quality is always top notch, but one year manufacturers will launch a plethora of new sights — the following year, it will be rests — and then broadheads. It seems cyclical, and each year those looking to outfit their favorite rig with the latest and greatest ponder long and hard about what’s to come.
Aside from being an uber-challenging year, archery accessory manufacturers once again didn’t disappoint. Yes, there are plenty of innovative sights and rests to pick from, but the trend in the mind of this gear junkie for 2022 is stabilizers and quivers.
Why?
Bowhunters have become increasingly obsessed with accuracy. A big part of putting carbon on the mark is bow balance. The more balanced you are, the tighter your pin float, and the better your ability to relax and allow the release to fire the bow. As is the case for many, a quality stabilizer, or a pair of stabs — one out the front and one offset toward the back — can boost bow balance at full draw like nothing else. When I’m roaming the western hills, I always run a counter-slide stabilizer or a front and back bar system. They help the bow sit in hand like a well-trained Labrador and promote shot-to-shot accuracy.
What about quivers? Why all the hoopla?
While many whitetail fanatics remove their quivers the second they hit the tree or ground blind; there are a fair amount of deer slayers that prefer to hunt with their quivers attached to their bow. Whitetail legend Mark Drury is one of them. Western hunters are a different crowd with different needs. Most spot-and-stalk hunters prefer to run-and-gun with their quivers attached to their riser. A less-than-par arrow holder will let arrows rattle, or worse, fall to the ground. These quivers are also heavy, clunky, and promote poor bow balance. Western roamers need good quiver options, and the industry has responded.
If you’re in the market and looking to up your bow-balance game, here are some great options to consider.
Bee Stinger MicroHex System
Stab kingpin, Bee Stinger, continues to up the bow-balance bar. For 2022, the manufacturer has added 12- and 10-inch bars to its popular MicroHex Kit. This new system provides bowhunters a longer front MicroHex stabilizer and a two-inch-shorter back bar stabilizer to ensure superior balance and control at full draw. Each stab comes with a trio of 1-ounce weights to ensure proper weight customization can be achieved, and an Elite Adjustable Side Arm with quick disconnects is part of the package. With the Side Arm connect, you can run one stab out the front, and angle the other where you want it out the back. This kit includes everything you need to take your accuracy to the next level. $284.99; beestinger.com.
Axcel Antler Ridge Stabilizer
When Axcel builds a product, archers take notice. Why? The manufacturer is trusted by top-tier bowhunters and targets archers worldwide. Enter the new-for-2022 Antler Ridge Stabilizer Series. Comprised of 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-inch models, these fancy-to-do stabs were designed using CarbonFlex Technology to thwart vibration and add stiffness. Axcel achieved this by overlaying Ultra-High Modulus Carbon (UHM) with natural Flax fiber. The Kryptos Arch Vibration Dampener works like an accordion to remove Z-axis vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted to the hand. The arc shape coils traverse over one another to effectively reduce vibrations rather than smashing into each other. The Antler Ridge Series is offered in solid colors of Black, Coyote Tan, and Olive Drab Green. $154.99-$194.99; truball.com.
TightSpot ShiftLock
When it comes to quiver design and function, you can’t ignore a builder whose year-round purpose is to create products that hold arrows tight, provide maximum adjustment, hug the bow like a glove, and promote better bow balance. TightSpot has been doing this for years, and this quiver-crafter has given us some remarkable models. The story, for 2022, is a repeat of year’s past — more innovation and a unique make. Slugged the Shift Lock, this uber-adjustable quiver maximizes arrow security and reduces noise when set in its full-extend mode. This is perfect for those that roam the west and need two-point arrow contact. Users will undoubtedly appreciate the ability to shorten the quiver into a super-compact model when they climb a tree or hide in a ground blind to play the sit-and-wait whitetail game. The Shift Lock has 9 inches of overall length adjustment, and of course, showcases proven TightSpot innovations that boost bow balance and squelch noise. $219.99; tightspotquiver.com.
Fuse AlphaStrike Stabilizer Series
We’ve seen lots of good come out of Fuse Archery over the years, and 2022 is no different. Launching a pair of racy, eyebrow-raising quivers, slugged the AlphaStrike and AlphaStrike XL, both will get plenty of attention from the bowhunting masses. The duo is engineered to sit close to the riser, making the quiver part of the bow and not an awkward accessory that sticks out from it. The GearLock Quick-Detach provides a sure grip for tightening and loosening, and both the AlphaStrike and the AlphaStrike XL work with right- and left-handed bows. The big difference between the two is the AlphaStrike hood is fitted with a hang-up feature that quiver-taker-offers will appreciate when hunting from a stand or elevated ground blind. The hood on the XL is more extended to provide enhanced arrow security and promotes a rock-solid shaft hold. $139.99 AlphaStrike, 149.99 AlphaStrike XL; fusearchery.com.
Redline RL-1 Carbon Stabilizer Series
A new accessory maker, Redline’s new archery accessory series, is making a splash. The newbie manufacturer launched an impressive stabilizer line that includes RL-1 stabilizer options in lengths of 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches. Each stabilizer comes with a threesome of customizable weights so you can achieve that just-right feel, and a front RL rubber dampening addition drowns out unwanted noise and vibration. Stabilizers can be combined to create an effective front and back bar system, and their sleek, carbon build is bulletproof. $59.99-$74.99; redlinebowhunting.com.
All you need to do know is visit a trusted archery dealer, play with a few of the models and find which ones are right for your vertical killer.
