Equipment

I don’t have any pictures or video because it is dark right now, but I am very excited.  I just went out and shot my Zebco 733 with the 50lb test Spiderwire and it functioned flawlessly!! The arrow flew well and seemed to have minimal energy loss especially compared to the AMS which isn’t a very fair comparison.  Now it’s time to test it on some ducks.  I’ll report later on how the field tests go.

I have struggled to find an optimal arrow retrieval system for hunting waterfowl.  For me it’s hard not to get haunted by the thought of having my arrow show up in the city park protruding from a duck or goose when I am hunting any where near populated areas.  I have spent quite a bit of time with my AMS rigging and have accepted it’s limitations.  The AMS can be an acceptable option when freezing temperatures and medium to long range shots won’t be encountered.  If you have been hunting waterfowl very long, you know that freezing temps and wary ducks and geese are the norm.  So to open up more hunting locations and opportunities my search for a better system continues. 

So my next step was to try a spincast reel.  Nearly six weeks ago I chose the Zebco 733 because of it larger line capacity.  I wish the reel wasn’t so bulky, but I think I’ll need the extra line capacity for the heavy line.  For line, I pulled off the stock 20lb monofilament and replaced it with 50lb SpiderWire EZ Braid.  SpiderWire states that it is a 12lb test diameter so I think I was able to get close to 50 yards of line on the reel (that’s just a guess).  It is a braid, but it doesn’t look or feel like it will absorb much, if any, water which is very important in freezing temperatures.  The last piece of the puzzle was the reel seat that screws into the stabilizer hole on the front of a bow’s riser.  And that is it!

 What’s my motivation to get it finished today after so many weeks you wonder?  For about six weeks now, our limited water has been frozen which pushed all the waterfowl out of the area.  After grumbling today about our short waterfowl season, I decided to make the long drive to open water to catch the last couple days of the season. 

I know this setup isn’t perfect but I think we are getting closer and Todd Davis can take some of the credit.  Todd had a great idea and commented on a previous post.  He suggested using a light line to keep the archer safe from an arrow snap back.  If the line somehow bound up during the shot, the line line would simply break and pose no risk to the shooter.  From there we came to the conclusion that it would be possible to use a heavy main line and light line tippet or leader to connect to the arrow.  This would control the amount of line lost if it were to break and also prevent the arrow from snapping back because the tippet would simply break.  Some controlled testing will have to be done to figure out the heaviest tippet possible while light enough to break when it is supposed to.  As always, I appreciate any suggestions or feedback on what might work better.

***Disclaimer 1***  Some states require “flu flus” for bowhunting birds.  These line setups will not likely meet those states requirements if you are using an unfletched arrow shaft like I do.  Double check your local regs. 

***Disclaimer 2***  Testing this stuff can get you killed!!  If you insist on testing different setups yourself, please use extreme caution! 

Give this a try to work out some of the kinks of becoming a truly well rounded aerial archer. 

Rico, my lab, posed nicely as we waited for some birds to come.  You’ll remember that I hadn’t had a chance to test the 80# line in the field, so that is what I had attached to my Centaur longbow.  It took a little while before I could convince a nice fat greenhead to drop his bright orange feet and glide into the ultra close bow range.  I let the string slide from my fingers as he started to backpedal.  My excitement vanished in a blur when the bow lurched forward and my arrow whipped behind me and then again in front of me.  The arrow stood there in the mud as I figured out what had just happened. 

I thought that I might have gotten the string wrapped around some part on the reel but that was not the case.  The light line that I had tested flawlessly at home, had somehow managed to only pull four feet of line out before binding up in a pile of knots.  I had just warned you of this danger and then it happens to me.  The line abruptly stopped, stored enough energy, and launched the arrow dangerously back past me. 

I was very blessed that I came out unscathed and can easily conclude that the 80# line out of the AMS reel is a complete and dangerous failure and should not be attempted.  The search for the perfect waterfowl arrow retrieval system continues…