Feeble attempts at sleep on the floor of an old Army tent with my sunburned body encased in a moth tattered sleeping bag. I can still smell the musty aroma of moldy canvas that overpowered all else. It was intoxicating, it was heaven.
When sleep would finally triumph over my anticipation of the upcoming day, I
would dream of the giant bass dutifully guarding her bed. For in my dreams she would attack my every offering and tug heavily on my line once we both were committed to battle. Leaping into the air amidst a constellation of water, she’d ever so slowly give way while I recovered the old dry rotted monofilament. Gliding into my grasp, mouth agape, I'd heave her mass into the air and loud cheers would rise from the crowd......it's a dream people, there's always a cheering crowd.
In contrast, the reality was a subtle bite on the first cast into her nest, an awkward hook set, one jump and the betrayal of the aforementioned dry rotted monofilament. Days of torment followed as the old bass snubbed my every attempt with such a degree of indifference that I questioned whether the first bite was a dream itself.
They say that lessons learned from failure are those that resonate the loudest in
the human brain. For me, those lessons translated quickly into an understanding of a cause and effect. While solutions came into focus more naturally for me than most, those solutions still only offered modest success afield. Only with repetitive failure did the evolution of sound strategies emerge.
What I took away from my parlay with the giant bass (probably only 3 pounds
upon reflection) that summer are two things;
- One, your first chance is always your best chance and you better make it
count.
- Two, your tackle is the connection between you and the game and it must
be in perfect working order.
Sound familiar? It should, as it translates to all pursuits of game whether by flood or field.
A hyper focus on these two points is the difference between a consistently successful outdoorsman and someone with a lot of “the one that got away” stories.
As it relates to archery hunting, there’s a reason the same ten percent of hunters
fill ninety percent of the tags......details. Those who are obsessive with their archery
tackle understand the concept of “chips make a pile.” Those willing to invest the time or energy to make one percent improvements to their gear will realize substantial gains in the collective of those small details. If you improve twenty things one percent, it’s a net gain of twenty percent improvement.
To that end, not all adjustments yield only a one percent gain, some may be worth more as it pertains to success. For example, see the following breakdown.
- If your drop away rest has a 1% chance of failure.
- If your mechanical broadhead has a 5% chance of failure.
- If bare shaft tuning increases your chances of a pass through by 10% due to
perfect arrow flight.
- If reducing the draw weight improves your accuracy by 5%.
- If lighted nocks have a 1% chance of failure.
I could go on and on but you get the concept, chips make a pile.
The time to make improvements to your gear is now, in the off season. That
doesn’t mean setting up your bow differently from how you’re going to hunt with it
just for 3D events this summer. It should be set up exactly how it will be taken afield
and practiced with as much as possible. That way, if there’s a potential failure point
you’ll have plenty of time to discover it and implement a remedy.
How do you determine what’s suspect and ripe for improvement and what’s not?
If you shoot your bow often and with a lot of reps those potential failure points will reveal themselves. I assure you of this, you won’t find the info on YouTube...go shoot your bow.
Hopefully this is helpful info and will motivate some to begin their preparation
now instead of waiting until the last minute. Remember, chips make a pile so if you
can spend the next few months making incremental improvements you’ll reap the
benefits in the Fall.
As always, thank you so much for your continued support of this small, family run company. We are truly blessed and will continue to strive for improvement daily.
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I see so many different “schools, courses, or classes” lately touting their ability to make you a better hunter, archer, etc. While I’m sure there are many great bits of knowledge the student can take away, there’s no substitute for lessons learned in the field on your own.
In the famous words of Bear Claw Chris Lapp, “Can't cheat the mountain, Pilgrim, the mountain got its own ways.” In a nutshell, there’s no shortcut to becoming a proficient hunter, it has to be earned in the field. I say this often, the guys that are consistently successful have learned from their mistakes and use those lessons to capitalize on the opportunities given to them in the field.
To that end, I’d like to share something I’ve never heard any of the “experts” discuss which is where to aim on certain types of animals. Most guys aim at the lower third line right behind the crease of the shoulder, which is great for some situations. However, there are many variables involved as to that being correct; species, distance, angle, and the animals level of alertness.
If you’re questioning as to why the species matters, let me explain what I’ve observed over the last 35+ years as a bow hunter. Being blessed to have been raised in the south, I had the opportunity to match wits with southern whitetails (aka crackheads) and the wild hog basically on a year round basis. The benefit of hunting those two species on the regular was the distinct difference in their reaction at the sound of the shot. Let me expand...
What I started to notice was that I would hit many deer high and forward into the shoulder but with hogs I’d find a lot of shots were further back towards the middle. If I’m being honest, it took a while to realize what was happening but once I did the light bulb went off in my head. With deer, the majority would drop and swing their head towards their tail but in contrast the hogs would usually lunge forward.
So, what to do in response to this new discovery? From that moment onwards I would pick a spot 6” back from the shoulder on deer and with hogs I’d hold up tight to the shoulder. Subsequently, as my experience expanded into other species across the globe I found myself studying videos to see how certain species would react to the sound of the shot prior to hunts. What I found fascinating is that most pig species regardless of location were forward lunging animals as are most antelope species whether it be in Wyoming or Africa. This information became a critical factor in consistent success for me over the years.
Distance; Anyone that knows me is aware of my aversion to long shots, especially on whitetail. To each his own and what some consider ethical shot distance is their business.
With that said, distance is a major factor in point of aim as animals will have more or less time to react as well as their proximity to the sound of the bow will determine the extent of their reaction in most cases. Now, taking into consideration the previous discussion regarding species; my experience with antelope ranging between 25 and 40 yards will find my point of aim almost straight up the leg while on whitetail I’m closer to low center to the point of being on the belly.
Angle; This does not just apply to tree stand hunters as many western hunts have steep shot angles as well. If you aim at the same spot every time regardless of angle you’re going to experience failures at some point. For downward angles the point of aim should be higher than normal to ensure that the arrow will pass through vitals all the way through the animal. In contrast, an upward angle may find the point of aim almost at the bottom of the animal. The key here is to imagine the arrow’s path and where the exit will be. This is a major problem I have with the scoring rings on 3D targets but I will digress.
The animals level of alertness is one of the most crucial aspects with regards to point of aim as well as ethical distance but that’s for another time. I see so many hunters make a bleating sound to stop an animal that is barely moving and within close range. They have immediately converted an otherwise calm animal to a coiled spring as well as given away their position. Chalk it up as another gift from the tragedy that is hunting television.
A calm animal is always a better situation and yes I’ve seen the graphics of how an alert animal drops less than one with its head down but it’s not a one size fits all thing. While it may be controversial, I much prefer a slow moving animal that is not alert to a fully alert, motionless animal. Of course, range will factor in on this as well.
To wrap this up, there is a lot of nuance in all the above but it’s lessons that will come from experience.....your own experience. If I had one piece of advice for bow hunters that are striving to learn it’s to get as many doe tags available in your area as well as destination hunts. Killing big bucks and bulls is great, but if it’s your first shot of the season or even longer it’s not going to be tough to execute. If you’re putting arrows through does often the shots become second nature.
I hope this helps and as always thank you for your continued support of this small, family owned company.
In June of 2019, I designed a glue-in or screw-in style broadhead system that had an extended shank with the goal of achieving maximum durability and concentricity when used with micro (4mm) diameter shafts. Once prototyped, simple testing would reveal that while it did improve concentricity it was actually less durable.
Simply put, any arrow component, head, point, etc is only as strong as its weakest part. What was discovered to be the weakest point on this style system was the shoulder, or shank of the head, where it enters the shaft. By reducing this section to .165” from the standard .204” diameter to allow total immersion into the micro diameter shaft it created a noticeable weak point (see below) and the head/point would snap off on the slightest of angled impacts. So I scrapped it.
When we are designing anything here at Day Six, we are always conscious of “the weakest unsupported point”. What does that mean you ask? Well, when a weak point is discovered we try and develop a way to “bridge” or “support” it with another component or material creating an overlap. Even with the addition of a collar, it still leaves the weak point exposed and unsupported so we had to come up with another solution.
Our solution, the new EVO CS (Centric Series).
Available in three weights, the EVO CS (Centric Series) will be offered for our 4mm shafts. Featuring an integrated collar, this is essentially a “one-piece” monolithic unit that will provide the ultimate in durability as well as concentricity.
With matching weight field points, they can be installed using hot melt glue for easy exchange and broadhead alignment.
4mm total weights.
150, 175, 200.
While these are designed to fit perfectly with Day Six shafts, they will fit shafts from all other manufacturers as well. The OD of other manufacturers shafts will have to be cross referenced to determine the proper size.
The EVO Centric System will be available for immediate shipping February 1st and as with all Day Six broadheads they are 100% American made right here in WYOMING.
As always, thank you for your continued support of this small family run company.
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Among the many requests we receive for new products, a lighter 5mm shaft is by far the most highly requested. While we still firmly believe that our HD series shafts combined with our Centric system is the best hunting arrow ever produced, we certainly want to be conscious of what our customers want.
Historically the 5mm shaft is less durable because of thinner walls or less material required to achieve each size spine due to the larger diameter. The byproduct of that is a lighter GPI (grains per inch), that will allow for more point weight should one want that. They also allow for more lighted nock options that are a little more durable than those offered for 4mm shafts due to more material around the lighting apparatus.
Please note, we are still not fans of lighted nocks, as we feel the nock is quite possibly the most critical component in achieving consistent, repeatable arrow flight.
With that said, we developed the XD series of shafts to address the common issues associated with 5mm shafts.
So what did we do differently?
Durability was our biggest issue with 5mm shafts and with such little carbon material required to produce them we knew we had to reinforce them at their weak points, the ends.
Our Centric system easily handles the task on the front as well as offering different weights for those wanting higher point weight. By adding an alloy bushing we are able to add reinforcement on the nock end as well as allow for our nock which we feel is the best nock available. The smaller the nock the less nock pinch you will have, pretty simple stuff.
These shafts have the same tight production tolerances as our HD series and will be offered in both .001” and .003” straightness.
Should you have any questions, not addressed here, please feel free to give us a call. We are always happy to help in any way that we can.
As always, thanks for your continued support of this small, family operated company. We are truly grateful.
The mere fact that we have a mad August rush is problematic in that it indicates a clear lack of planning and preparation prior to the seasons opening. You would be shocked at how many customers ordered arrows or broadheads the same week they were to leave on a hunt. (I think everyone went to CO elk hunting this year...)
This will not be a lengthy article as there’s very little to say other than “failing to plan is planning to fail”, but here are a few points.
If not enough time is allowed for proper tuning, practice and sorting out potential problems with your equipment, you’re leaving your success to chance. Let me be VERY clear in the following point; the guys that fill tags every single year leave absolutely nothing to chance; rather, they have their equipment 100% ready months before seasons begin.
The advantage of early preparation aside from the obvious are the resources available to you for assistance. When you wait until August, even July really, to get your equipment ready its at a time when pro shops, manufacturers, and retailers are at their busiest. Therefore, they are not going to have time to give you the proper attention you may need to sort out an issue. In contrast, if you’ll begin in January or February you will get the best one on one service possible, as it’s the slowest time of the year and there is a surplus of time and man power.
Hear this clearly, if you wait until the last minute to prepare, odds are that you are not going to be successful. Bowhunting is hard and it’s not something you can shortcut in any way, and for a lot of us that’s why we love it so much.
We are going to come up with ideas to encourage our customers to get what they need in the “off season” in hopes that the byproduct of that will be more people preparing earlier and subsequently being more successful. At the end of the day, that’s our number one goal.
As always, thanks for your support! We are truly blessed to be doing what we love.
-BB
]]> So what are some of the common issues that bowhunters are experiencing and looking for assistance with? Well most are self induced due to the lack of a strong archery foundation. What does that mean exactly? I’ll do my best to explain and hopefully provide clarity in hopes of saving people a lot of undue stress.
We ask four questions when folks reach out to us through our website; com-pound/traditional, draw length, draw weight, and point weight. Those four answers will provide us the foundational information we need to provide the best possible assistance. Here’s an example of what we receive:
Only compound is answered, the other three questions are blank and it goes a little something like this......
“Right now I’m shooting a 420 grain arrow at 292 fps with an FOC of 13.9%. I want to increase my FOC to at least 19% and still maintain my arrow weight and speed. Can you make a recommendation?”
“With regards to your broadheads, what Rockwell Hardness do you treat your blades to and do you have batch reports for each treatment? Will you be offering your heads in single bevel in the future?”
“Do you fletch left helical and to what degree? My arrow clocks left off my bow
and I have to maintain that rotation for optimum accuracy. Also, do you mark the spine of your shafts for spine alignment? Are your shafts weight matched within one grain?”
Whew....exhausting just reading all that isn’t it? What I want to answer is simply this; TURN OFF YOUTUBE!!!
I’m sure this is going to offend many, but sometimes you have to hurt a few feel-ings to enact much needed change. Here’s the hard truth, you can’t shoot well enough to notice the difference of most of that stuff, none of us can.
Archers are skipping over the foundational aspects of shooting a bow and going right to the finite details that honestly don’t matter, and here’s why. Content creators are always starving for content in order to stay relevant and they put out information that is just not accurate and causes more harm than good. In most cases it’s not intentional, it’s just that they lack the knowledge themselves and are just repeating what they’ve heard elsewhere. Unfortunately, the consumer is the ultimate victim of this misinformation.
When you’re learning to drive, your parents put you in the family truckster and slow and steady is the only speed. You don’t learn to drive in a Formula One race car at 250mph. The same applies with archery, if you are slow and steady you’re going to develop the fundamentals of shooting that are critical in order to accurately shoot broadheads at game.
The best shooters in the world don’t even know what their FOC is. Just ask Levi Morgan, he couldn’t tell you because he doesn’t care. Additionally, I’ve heard him say in person and on multiple podcasts that he gets his competition arrows within 6 grains....and he’s literally shooting spots the size of a dime at unknown yardages. The difference in performance over 5-10% of FOC variance is not measurable by human shooting standards, it’s just not.
With regards to clocking arrows based on their natural rotation off the string, we humans just can’t execute a repeatable shot well enough to notice. We’ve shot hun-dreds of arrows fletched both left and right together at distance and if the bow is re-motely tuned they group all together.
Spine alignment is real and it’s a difference maker. Here’s the kicker.....it’s only an issue on some arrows. Quality shafts that are manufactured properly don’t require spine alignment, ours don’t. I’m sure this will get all the micro influencers up in arms because they have to spine align the expensive arrows they’re promoting but the truth is what it is, sorry.
I could go on and on listing all the finite details that many archers are obsessed
with but I’ll summarize what’s truly important instead, and this is in no particular order.
1. Shoot a heavier arrow at a slower speed and focus on executing perfect shots. Make sure that you can shoot accurately enough first to even at-
tempt to micro-tune your set up.
2. Learn the arrow’s trajectory and try shooting multiple ranges with one pin.
This will force you to learn the cast of your arrow. I promise you that having
that capability will pay dividends in the field.
3. Practice forcing yourself to induce bad grip torque a certain way as to
achieve poor arrow flight. Torque a group left, then right and you’ll amazed
what you’ll learn by intentionally doing it wrong.
4. Fletch your own arrows, tie your own D-loop and peep, and re-serve your
string. Get very familiar with your equipment because five miles in the
backcountry is not the place to learn.
5. You DO NOT have to get a new bow every year. It would be much better to
keep a bow as long as possible to become intimately familiar with it.
6. Keep your bow simple, simple, simple! If I could weld everything to my
bow to eliminate screws, springs, etc I’d be overjoyed.
7. Don’t follow every new trend, gadget, or product. There’s really not been
any new product in the last ten years that I would consider a “game chang-
er”. In fact, the majority of new products I’ve seen released in the last few
years have been worse rather than an improvement.
8. Do not set your bow up one way for 3D and another way for hunting.
You’re defeating the purpose.
I know that some of this may come across as pessimistic to an extent, but there’s no other way to communicate the difference between BS and the truth without sounding that way. Our goal is to see more guy’s success stories each year and the only way to do that is impart what knowledge we have from a lifetime of experiences, both good and bad.
As always, thank you for your continued support of this little company we love so
much. It’s brings great joy to us each day as we continue to expand our reach to those seeking guidance in their journey to becoming a better bowhunter.
I firmly believe that we at Day Six are the perfect blend of real world experience hunters combined with engineering backgrounds. While the “science” and “data” may say one thing, the empirical evidence from decades in the field may tell another story. So at the end of the day it really boils down to a few simple factors and a little common sense.
Penetration is a result of perfect arrow flight for the most part, with only a small fraction of the contributing factors being everything else....including the actual gear. However, a quick scroll through social media or the internet will result in a multitude of micro influencers touting the latest scientific break through in arrow or broadhead performance that is the magic bean. While some things do create small percentage improvements, without perfect arrow flight nothing else matters.
So, how do you achieve perfect arrow flight? Well there’s many approaches to the tuning process, but here’s how we do it at Day Six:
Concepts:
1. The concept is simple, if the vanes don’t have to steer or correct the shaft, then all they have to do is make corrections for the broadhead steerage.
2. Paper tuning is the equivalent of bore sighting a rifle, it only gets you started.
3. Most importantly, if the vanes don’t have to steer the arrow on a perfectly executed shot by the shooter, then they are in “reserve” for when the shooter torques the crap out of his bow. For those readers that are thinking that this doesn’t apply to you.....it 100% applies to you! Bad form and specifically grip torque is the num- ber one reason for bad arrow flight.
The Set Up:
1. Set your rest center at 13/16” from the side of the riser.
2. Set your rest and nock point height to allow the shaft to be centered on the Berger hole.
3. Paper tune at 10’ or so as a starting point. Rest adjustments should be opposite that of the nock tear left to right and the same direction up and down.
The Day Six bare shaft tuning process:
1. Sight your bow in with a fletched arrow and field point at 20 yards.
2. Once sighted in, shoot a bare shaft and field point to see when and how the shaft impacts in relation to the fletched arrow.
3. For left or right impacts move the rest 1/32” at a time towards the bare shaft. As a note: if you’re 6” or more left or right of the fletched arrow, the adjustments needed will be more than what can be accomplished with rest adjustments and you’ll need to have the cams adjusted.
4. For high and low impacts you’ll want to move your rest opposite of the bare shaft impact point. As a note: some high and low impacts cannot be corrected with simple rest and nock point adjustments. If so, you’re most likely experiencing a cam timing issue and need to have them adjusted.
The goal is to have the bare shaft and fletched arrow hitting in the same spot. At that point the fletchings are only “along for the ride” until a broadhead is installed.
Remember, when you make a rest adjustment both the fletched and bare shafts are going to move towards the direction the rest was adjusted. Once the two are hitting together you can then make the necessary sight adjustments to bring both back to bullseye.
It’s really a very simple process and if you are executing a good repeatable shot it, shouldn’t take long. The beauty of this is that you don’t need to shoot expensive broadheads to “broadhead tune”, once the bare shaft and fletched arrow are hitting together your broadheads will hit the same.
Good luck and as always we are here to help so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance.
]]>Over the years I’ve skinned lots of whitetails and hogs with a simple two blade trapper style folding knife. When one blade dulls, I’d just switch over to the other blade. Once home I’d sit down and quickly sharpen the two blades and it was ready for service again when needed.
In the early nineties, when I started western hunting, I quickly realized that there was a big difference between a whitetail and an elk or a moose. My two blade trapper was not at all what I needed, and I had to learn that the hard way.
So many factors contribute to the requirements of a field knife and how it needs to perform. Here are what I consider some of the most important;
The Achilles heel of all knives is edge retention. Whether it be the quality of the steel and its ability to retain an edge on a fixed blade knife or how often you have to change out the cheap blades on the replaceable blade knives, keeping a sharp blade is everything.
Hand fatigue or comfort is not something most think about until they’re half way through an elk for the first time, but it’s a serious concern. As mentioned earlier, this was a major lesson learned the hard way on my first elk in 1991. The little hard corners and edges on a knife that don’t register while holding a knife for short durations become excruciating after a few hours in on big game. With paracord wrapped handles being the craze, it’s obvious to me that most people are not actually using these knives.
While listed third here, safety is probably the most important factor for a field knife. Over the years I’ve seen and experienced some serious injuries resulting from fixed, folding and replaceable blade knives alike and all could have been avoided if the chance of failure was eliminated before the knife was even made. The two most common safety failures are the locking mechanism on a folder failing during use and of course the thin blades breaking on a replaceable blade knife. At one point I would use a box blade to do all the skinning as the handle was actually quite comfortable and the short razor blade was actually very durable. I would then use a custom fixed blade to work through the quartering process and removing meat from the bone. Having to have both combined with having not only change out the razor blades but then dispose of them was more trouble than it was worth.
Size and weight seems to have risen to the forefront of importance for most gear, especially when it comes to knives. Companies that produce “hunting” knives are loving it because it is extremely cheap to make the one piece, ultra-light “frame” knives that have become en vogue and is in the majority of hunters packs regardless of the exorbitant price tags of said knives. Wrap $2 worth of paracord around the frame and it’s been upgraded to “custom” status.
As with all things Day Six, our products stem from personal experiences and frustrations using the products available from the hunting industry proper. Most of the time I was led to source a true custom made or hybridized product to have what I really needed in the field but of course that was always at a premium price. If I had a Sudbury big nickel for every time I heard “where’d you get that?”.....well, do the math.
So here we are over 30 years later from my first experience working up an elk and I’m astonished at what is being sold to and accepted by the hunting community as proper field knives. How has there been such little advancement in design, materials, etc I often wonder, but it seems to be the modus operandi of the hunting industry......sell them what’s the most profitable, not what’s actually needed.
We are not a marketing company that happens to produce gear.....rather, we are a gear company that manufactures products to solve problems.....that happens to suck at marketing.
So how can we improve on an age old tool like the knife you ask? Well we heard the same exact question when we set out to improve the arrow and broadhead that’s also been around forever......well that worked out pretty good so far.
Here’s our solution, the Dragonfly.
Featuring a patent pending dual blade system utilizing Magnacut, the undeniable king of custom knife steels, the durability and edge retention is unmatched so it’s the best of both worlds between a fixed and replaceable blade knife.
At a mere 1.8 ounces, the Dragonfly is built with a removable carbon fiber handle that encapsulates the auxiliary blade while in use. Slots or “keys” are placed at exact locations to ensure zero blade movement while in use.
The ergonomics of the handle have been meticulously designed, tested, and
then changed multiple times to provide the most comfortable grip possible without any compromise to eliminate hand fatigue.
For field proof operation, the titanium hardware is “captive” so there’s no risk of losing anything. With the hardware key embedded in the Kydex sheath, an extra tool in the field to swap the blade over is not needed.
I believe that for the ten percent who actually use their knives the Dragonfly will
be the answer to their prayers and will be the last knife they ever buy.
As always, thanks for your support of this little company and we promise to keep innovating.
SPECS:
Blade length - 3.25”
Overall length - 6.75”
Weight - 1.8 oz
Blade material - Magnacut
Hardware materiel - Grade IV Titanium
Handle material - Carbon Fiber
Patent Pending
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we started Day Six. In that time we’ve experienced many highs and lows not uncommon with new companies and through it all we’ve been grateful for the opportunity to live out our dream. We’ve formed incredible friendships with first class humans that otherwise would never be a part of lives without this little company. We’ve also dealt with some world class pecker heads that make you appreciate the good guys that much more. In the end it’s all part of the process and we are still excited to go to work every day.
Prior to Day Six I was somewhat oblivious to the inner workings of the hunting industry, especially as it pertains to social media. I had an idea that product promotion through influencers was a big component of most marketing strategies and was fine with it for the most part. What I did take issue with was how hunting was portrayed publicly and as a whole viewed it as disrespectful and destructive to this thing that I love so much.
Fast forward five years now and my original opinion on most everything perceived as damaging has been confirmed. What has changed 180 degrees though is the who.....as in who is the enemy.
It has always been my contention that the hunting industry and its marketing campaigns would actually provide anti-hunting organizations with the ammunition they need to take away our god given right to hunt by way of our own “content” posted publicly. It’s becoming very clear that I’ve been partially wrong..... the number one threat facing the future of hunting is the enemy within, the modern hunter and the hunting industry.
With the advent of social media, the barrier to entry of becoming a outdoor industry promoter is all but nonexistent. With the new flood of “influencers” and those hopeful to become influencers also comes the noose by which we will hang our selves and subsequently the future of hunting. That noose is the singular tool of our demise.....CONTENT.
As a sidebar, for those who dream of being on brand X “pro-staff”, “pro” is not short for professional it’s an abbreviation for promotional....sorry to burst your bubble.
The quest, demand, need for content by so many is beyond a sustainable level. Not sustainable by what you ask.... nature, that’s what. The resource is what will ultimately fail long before the anti-hunting organizations gain enough traction to make a difference.
At the end of the day, the one thing you can’t cheat or BS your way through is
hunting. So at the end of each season there’s always the same ten percent of hunters that are successful and the ninety percent that are unsuccessful. This ratio is probably more like 5% or 95% when it comes to influencers if I’m being honest.
To that end, there is a deficiency of “content” for many so enter the “participation trophies”....ie shed antlers, turkeys, etc. by which massive amounts of content is created to fill the void from unsuccessful fall seasons. The problem with some of these easier endeavors is that the impact on the resource is just not sustainable and the byproduct will be wildlife populations being adversely affected and subsequently less opportunity for all in the future.
In many areas turkey populations are on the decline and it’s difficult for game and fish agencies to react quickly enough to change regulations. When hunter (I use that term loosely) success goes up exponentially through unconventional means like reaping or fanning, the results will be devastating to the long term turkey populations and ultimately reducing opportunity.
With regards to shed antler hunting, the timeframe of this activity coincides with the critical time of year when big game animals are at their weakest and most vulnerable. So while game and fish agencies are frantically trying to determine winter kill and the overall health of herds coming out of winter, shed antler hunters are combing the mountains adding more stress to already exhausted animals. I’m certainly not advocating for a ban on shed hunting, but I strongly feel that content creators have generated such a buzz over the activity that the number of participants is beyond sustainable to wildlife health and some strong measures need to be adopted soon.
So it all boils down to the theme of content and promotion above all else including the wildlife resource, habitat and ultimately the future of hunting. When a circus environment is created around wildlife, it is the wildlife itself that will ultimately pay the price of exploitation.
Here’s the line we won’t cross.....
•We will not put our business needs over wildlife and the future of hunting, period.
•We will not post bloody wound channel videos or pictures on social media just to
sell product.
•We will not support anyone who puts the quest for content and fame above all
else regardless of the negative consequences suffered by wildlife and the future of
hunting.
•We will not support anyone who promotes what we feel is unethical or dangerous
hunting practices regardless of its legality. Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right.
Unfortunately, the ripple effect we have in the hunting industry cesspool is minimal so the real influence for change has to come from you the consumer by voting with your wallet. The only way to enact change in any industry is by way of their bottom line as it’s a direct line to the decision makers ears.
So if you love the pursuit of wildlife as we do and want to preserve it for future generations, make your voice heard in any way you can. Hold these companies (including us if we lose perspective) and their influencers accountable for their actions. If there’s someone shooting holes in the bottom of your boat, ignoring it is the equivalent of handing them more bullets.
As always, thank you all for your support over the last five years and we look for-
ward to the years ahead.
Bryan Broderick - Day Six Gear
]]>For most bowhunters, regardless of experience level, the quest for maximum penetration is priority number one. Unfortunately, the lion's share of information and resources available (whether it be the local shop, YouTube or social media) are all steered towards promotion of a certain product or products. These resources, cleverly disguised as unbiased product “testing” and/or an organic “discovery” of the latest and greatest (enter revolutionary widget X here), when you strip it down, it’s really just a commercial.
Day Six was started for one reason and one reason only; to help bowhunters become more successful, in spite of the hunting industry, by creating products that actually contribute to the hunter’s success, rather than padding a corporate bottom line. We manufacture gear by utilizing processes and materials that are just not possible for companies only interested in profit. But it’s not all about the gear.
Every day our mission gets harder and harder to achieve as “marketing companies” disguised as archery manufacturers send forth their army of influencers, “experts”, and gurus to flood all available platforms with “data”, “testing”, and of course the unbiased reviews. We truly empathize with todays bowhunter as they attempt to filter through all the information out there to achieve the common goal we all have, be the most efficient and successful as possible in the field.
To that end, we have comprised what we feel are the twelve factors needed to achieve maximum penetration on big game and here they are in order of importance.
1. Arrow flight
2. Arrow flight
3. Arrow flight
4. Arrow flight
5. Arrow flight
6. Arrow flight
7. Arrow flight
8. Arrow flight
9. Structural integrity
10. Arrow mass
11. Broadhead efficiency
12. Arrow geometry/reduced diameter
As you can see, we have a very strong opinion on the importance of arrow flight with the actual gear falling towards the bottom of the list. In a nutshell, arrow flight is 90% of what generates maximum penetration and all the other things comprise the remaining 10% but that’s where all the goobers on the internet direct their focus. Why is that you ask? It’s simple, you can’t package and sell the majority of factors that contribute to good arrow flight, ie. a tuned bow (not just paper tuned but that’s for another time), a proper release, a myriad of other variables, but most importantly the grip hand and applying consistent, repeatable pressure to reduce torque.
Arrow flight is EVERYTHING! So what’s the easiest way to achieve great arrow flight consistently, for us it boils down to bare shafts. The bare shaft has no mercy, no tolerance for error, and will show you exactly what you are doing wrong. If archers would practice with bare shafts instead of fletched arrows, it would force them to perfect their complete system with every shot. The fletched arrow is the enabler of the mediocre, it’s the make-up covering one’s flaws, it’s a participation trophy....you showed up, you shot some groups, but you’re still far from winning.
In a former life I spent a little time in a race car and during practice sessions we would set the car up to be really loose so it took major focus to keep it out of the wall. As a result of practicing with a very unforgiving set up, once the car was dialed in correctly I would be incredibly smooth and consistently fast. The concept of practicing with bare shafts is the same premise.
It is important to note that you should never shoot bare shafts with broadheads, only field points.
In future articles we will discuss proper bow tuning, shot execution, and several other aspects to achieve the best arrow flight possible. We will also discuss the gear and while secondary to arrow flight, still all important factors to optimum penetration and success. We just want to get the message out there first that the gear isn’t a magic bean that will solve all problems, rather attempt to get hunters focused on what’s truly important and within their control regardless of budget constraints.
Having trouble getting good flight with your bare shafts? Pick up the phone and give us a call. It’s why we do what we do as we love helping folks get where they need to be.
Bryan Broderick - Day Six Gear
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The Achilles heel of the micro diameter arrow has always been the components.
Either they don’t spin true, they hang up in bag targets, or they simply come off in the target, leaving the shooter with a useless arrow. While the advantages of the micro diameter arrow far outweigh that of larger diameter shafts (for another discussion), the clunky components offered with them have historically been a deterrent.
So what makes our Centric System any different? Well, there’s quite a few advantages to the design that address the common problems normally associated with micro diameter components. Let’s start with achieving the best concentricity (spinning true). The part of a shaft that’s perfectly straight is the inside, so in order to achieve the best concentricity, you need to index the component there instead of the outside. To paint a mental picture, imagine an arrow shaft like a roll of paper towels. The cardboard tube on the inside is perfect, but after many layers of paper towels, the outside isn’t perfectly round. Our components rely on the inside of the shaft for alignment and by having the collar mechanically attached via threads it can “float” around the outside of the shaft and not be pushed to one side. By machining our collars to be just .002” larger than the outside diameter of our shafts, once the .001” gap is filled with epoxy it becomes a monolithic unit with the shaft and spins perfectly true and is extremely tough.
Another common issue solved by having the collar and insert mechanically attached via threads, is the tendency for components to come off in a target. The threads provide a mechanical bond, and the epoxy provides a chemical bond. Additionally, by having both components epoxied to the shaft both inside and out, you’re effectively doubling the surface area for the epoxy to bond.
Hate getting the components stuck trying to remove an arrow from a bag target? So do we! Having each component machined to such a tight tolerance with each size 2 shaft allows us to taper the trailing end of the collar down to .010” thickness, hence reducing the edge that tends to stick in a bag target making it a breeze to remove. This also reduces the amount of rearward force on the component when pulling the arrow out of a target and helps eliminate components coming off.
In summary, the Centric System components are great on their own, but when married precisely to our thick wall shafts, the result is a solid, bombproof front of the arrow that maintains its structural integrity as well as concentricity. All Day Six arrows come standard with our patented Centric System components.
We have included a link to our video tutorial on installing the Centric compo-
nents. It’s super easy, and our design makes it achievable by even the most novice arrow builder.
As always, thank you for all your support! We are truly blessed with the best cus-tomers and we love coming to work every day because of you.
-Bryan Broderick, Day Six Gear
]]>To four fletch or not to four fletch, that is the question.....
One of the most common questions we receive daily is whether to choose four fletch or three fletch? What are the benefits and advantages of each, and why?
The answer is not a simple yes or no for most, but for experienced hunters it
is....yes. But, before the “grain counters” revolt in horror and declare their dissatisfaction in the lack of detail, graphs, charts and spread sheets with such a simple answer, I’ll expand with the DATA to keep all contingents happy.
The primary job of fletching is to stabilize an arrow as quickly as possible by way
of rotation. For most shooters, the fletching has to work “overtime” to accomplish this task due to poor tune or poor shot execution. So a four fletch arrow will “recover” faster which is an advantage. Should the arrow encounter a deflection on its path to the target, a four fletch will “recover” slightly faster and stabilize the arrow before impact. With the addition of a broadhead, the above issues are only magnified, further reinforcing the benefits of four fletch.
So, why doesn’t everyone shoot for fletch then? Well, there’s always cons to accompany pros.....
Noise is certainly a major consideration for a hunting arrow and a four fletch arrow does generate a higher decibel level than three fletch by way of additional drag. To that end, that additional drag also reduces speed slightly. How much, well our testing only indicates only 1-2 fps....which to some (the grain counting contingent) is a deal breaker. In truth, if a bow is properly tuned and shot execution is correct, the fletchings should just be “along for the ride” as their primary task is correction. If there’s nothing to correct, then they serve no purpose.
So now that the details have been discussed and the “grain counters” are slightly satisfied, why is the answer a simple yes for experienced hunters? The follow up shot....that’s it in a nutshell.
Experienced hunters know that the follow up shot whether because of an initial miss or just an insurance second arrow is a reality and being prepared for that is paramount. So how does a four fletch arrow aid in this? The ability to load a second arrow quickly without having to take your eyes off the animal is more important than all the pros and cons above in my opinion. As a traditional hunter for more than 25 years, the reality is MANY of the animals I’ve killed have come after I’ve sent a “warning” shot down range. Additionally, even with a compound many times a follow up arrow on an animal I knew was hit “perfect” has been the fatal arrow.
To put a bow on this, we are a hunting company. Our philosophies only center
around filling tags consistently and with efficiency. We are not going to make deci-
sions and recommendations based upon “data”, rather real world experience that we love to share to make you, our customers, more successful.
- Bryan Broderick, Day Six Gear
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