Hey Guys,, Now I won't bore you with what stabilizer is best for a Hunting Bow, but although I've been Bow hunting for some years now, I have never bothered with a stabilizer, nor did I ever have reason to think i needed one, but after reading the forums a lot on this and other similar sites I notice Bow Hunters saying that they believe using a Satbilizer will help to steady your bow before the shot as well as help eliminate some Bow Noise. Now come on Guys ??? Please be truthful, will having a stabilizer on your bow really help to steady a wobbly sight picture?? I understand the concept, I just wonder if it's worth the investment. I think I'm in the average group of Bow hunters (shooters) when I say that i usually hit the 3 inch bull at 20 yards whan I'm practising out in the yard, but there is definately wobble in my sight picture which I would like to eliminate. If adding a stabilizer would help me achieve this please inform me. I live in a part of the world where it is just about impossible to go to a Bow shop that stocks quality gear, so I don't have the advantage most of you have to go and try the product before I buy it, With me it's ususally Buy it on line and if you don't like it, send it back. Well quite frankly that senerio Sucks big time, but it's all we have around here. So I have to depend on people like yourselves that have first hand experience and knowledge on the subject to help out. I really appareciate any input you care to pass along. For what it's worth I've been looking at the B-Stinger 10 inch with maybe 14oz. or the Posten fat max similar length, what do you think am I in the ball park?? Thanks in advance for you well intended and expert advice. C YA HAVE AN INJOYABLE SUMMER
IMO, stabilizers on hunting bows are a waste of money. Even if it actually did stabilize while you are shooting parallel to the ground once your aim starts going down (as in a tree stand) the balance point changes totally so the stabilizer is now ineffective.
The only reason I put stubby stabilizer on my bow is sound damping. Otherwise I believe they are just adding weight that you don't need.
They do give noise and vibration somewhere else to go, but if the now has a string suppressor it's a moot point.
I'm usually in agreement with Bruce but not on this subject. I will preface by saying that your style of hunting will dictate the validity and necessity of a stabilizer. If your a tree stand hunter taking shots on relatively flat ground from 15'-20' in a tree @ deer 25 yards and less,then they may not be necessary.However,if you hunt on field edges and a 40 yard shot is a possibility or hunt hills where stability is key(I disagree with bruce on this as well)(I used an 18" for 3-d back when I shot open class and there were plenty of uphill and downill shots) a stabilizer is a huge help on these uphill and downhill shots,when balanced properly. I will say most "hunting" stabilizers are useless.The shorties are a waist of money.IMO,you don't get much stabilization until you get a stabilizer about 8" long. I prefer front loaded stabilizers and I am using a 10" fuse blade at the present time. And I really like this setup.:D
Actually you agree with me for the most part . Yes, the right stabilizer in the right situation(s) can be useful but, from all of the pictures I see of bows and all of the hunts i read about, the right stabilizer in the right situation occurs a tiny percentage of the time. The number of folks that actually know how to setup the right stabilizer so that it is effective is probably smaller (I am not one of those people LOL ).
Actually I thought you might have been keeping your reply short and sweet. :p Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I'd probably take mine off, but I use it to attach and dampen vibrations for my Insane Archery camera mount.
funny story about stabilizers...Last year,I bought a Bear Lights Out with sight, rest, and stablizer included. For some reason my brother removed the stablizer for a second to get to something else on the bow. When he screwed it back in he completely cross-threaded it which caused it to stick out cross eyed. We must have tried to get the thing unscrewed for 45 minutes but had no luck. So finally he went outside to his truck and returned with a massive pair of channel lock pliers. We were able to unscrew the stablizer alright but we succeded in completely stripping the threading. Long story short im a newb bow hunter and manage to shoot fine without one.
I would rather my stabilzer take a beating than my sight! It's sure to hit the ground first if you have enough weight out in front.
I agree and disagree to tfox and bruce here. I do agree that for the most part, these hunting stabilizers, that are either super light, super short or both are pretty much useless with the exception of sound dampening qualities. I know a particular bow I had sounded very different when I switched stabilizers and yes it did have a string suppressor. So there is some merit to sound with the right stabilizer. As for weight, I personally shoot a slightly heavier bow much better than I do a lighter one. For me, if I were to buy say, a Heli-M for example, the first thing I would do is look for a heavy stabilizer for it. That bow is way too light for my tastes. But tfox and bruce are right, for most whitetail applications a stabilizer really isn't necessary. I just think bows look odd without one. :P
I have always agreed about heavier bows being more stable but the balance of this element with the weight out front is just amazing.How a bow balances and where the weight is is more important than overall weight,or atleast it seems to be with this setup.
My stabilizer is purpose built for just that, Stablizing. I am using one I custom built. Took an old Kodiak Archery 4 arrow stab and extended it out to 8". Then added a 3oz. weight to the end. My bow does not move at full draw, at all. Just gotta get the weight in the right place.
For those that don't use a stab for hunting. Just try a Doinker DISH that is properly set up for you! If you don't see, feel a difference I would be amazed. We were demoing bows last year and their rep was there as well. He wanted to put some on our bows and work with people shooting them. I asked what do you mean??? Just put the things on and let them shoot, they just dampen vibration...if they are good. Well to make a long story short, I had to go get more arrows. I never seen so many robin hoods and broken nocks ever demoing bows. Please understand, most shooters had little to no experience, and there was no targets on the butts and most had no sights. Even if they did, they surely were not set up for the users! So, I put one on my personal bow and tested it out. Needless to say I don't go in the woods without them now and before that didn't believe in them for hunting either. BTW, I am not on their staff or sell them or affilated with them in anyway.
Great to read all the responses on this subject, and i couldn't agree more. I must say I find this site very informative and folks are very willing to share their thoughts and experiences. Thanks again for all the replies, you've been very helpful and I appreciate it.
my quiver on the side of my bow acts as a stablizer. i notice when i take off the bows lighter but i shake more and shoot less accurately. put it back on and i shoot good
I don't know what the technical term is (tfox, bruce, backcountry help me out there), but I think its most important to have a bow that is balanced at full draw than at rest. I don't care if the bow rolls over after the shot, what I care most about is how it feels at full draw. I believe it is a combination of bow mass weight and the weight you add out in front of the bow that makes the difference. These really ultra light weight bows are great for carrying through the woods or at the range, but I highly doubt most of them are very stable at full draw. Most of them, IMO, could use about 10-15 ounces of weight to them.
td8541, whats the theory behind those doinker stabilizers that make them different/better than any other stabilizer? Im kinda intrigued by these things :D
