Was wondering how many out there use arrow holders while hunting and what's your favorite kind?
no
While I was resistant to the idea I've found they are almost a necessity for my stand hunting. I stand up and sit down and move around and the holder keeps the arrow on the shelf. I just use the stick-on version from 3 Rivers. I usually have to trim the part that sticks on the bow to clear the grip. Others put them on at more of an angle so no trimming is necessary.
Just received (2) Solo Stalkers as part of a trade. They actually tie onto the limbs for immediate & handy arrow retrieval. Too set in my backquiver ways to use them.
Been wrestling with the idea for awhile now. I've used them in the distant past and they are very useful, but I just don't like the looks of them on my bow. I may still decide to use one again anyway, though! I have one with the metal piece, with the holes in it, connected to a rubber gripper thing.
I use them for stand hunting. Have for more than 40 years. Favorite is a Sta-jac. Sitting in a tree stand all day, particularly in windy weather, they're indespensible.
Tipit (or Whip?)posted a pic of the best one I have ever seen/used. A toothpick and a rubberband.....
Thanks Doc/Whip/ whomever, that was the nuts! :thumbsup:
BobW, Close...it was a match stick & rubber band. I use it on my selfbows to keep it all natural. Just keep a few in my pack...Doc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/MatchStickArrowKeeper001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/MatchStickArrowKeeper002.jpg)
thats pretty slick tippit i may have to try that
This is my set up on my DAS bow. An old Saunders Silver Star rest and the arrow holder is called a Sta Jac arrow cinch. I believe you can still get them from some of the trad suppliers and I sometimes find them on the auction site. Game Tracker made one called Magic Finger and I found a source that had two of them....exactly the same as the Sta Jac.
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/riserandrest.jpg)
i've got one hanging up in my shop that I'm planning on using (Kwik lok). I guarantee you (in the past) I've averaged dropping one arrow/hunt out of a treestand.
I keep my bow on a hook when I hunt. It's a necessity (IMO). If I hate it, I'll re-group. If someone has a better mousetrap, please share your plans.
Not me
Kwik lok...I love them!
Got away from them for a while for no reason except that I just never got around to buying and installing oneon my Kwik Styks...but I have recently.
Over the last few years I've spent some very windy days in a treesatand and have had to stay on my toes so the arrow didn't fall. But a few have gotten away! Not anymore....
So simple, no worries, just flips off when you start your draw....
My Silvertip has had the same one on it since 1986...
no, don't use one.
Cool tippit :thumbsup: ...Van
I do not use one but I do get tired of keeping my finger on the arrow all the time.
I sometimes will hang my bow on a nearby branch while I dig out a snack or a drink or something and I have had the arrow fall off and sail to the ground.
I used the match and rubber band years ago and it does work, I may have to go back to it this year.
I like the Kwik-Lok. The StayJac looks good too though. I tried the cheaper Aro Holder from 3Rivers. Don't waste your money on that one. It was too stiff in warm weather and unusable in our cold North Iowa deer season. The Kwik-Lok stays pliable and pops right off as you draw. I, too, like to hang my bow when in a tree stand.
Use one all the time. Kinda like having an extra hand and no worry about having the arrow get away accidently... I really like the StaJac, though I've used the Kwik Loc as well.
Tip... once had a buck approach my stand so I got the bow in position and started my draw as he entered my window of opportunity.
The arrow nock came off the string before the StaJac released and for a moment the arrow was kind of balanced on the rest.
Killed him anyway, but with a much longer shot... he spooked away at the flinch I made grabbing the arrow.
I now pull back the string until the StaJac releases and wait for the coming shot.
QuoteOriginally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Tip... once had a buck approach my stand so I got the bow in position and started my draw as he entered my window of opportunity.
The arrow nock came off the string before the StaJac released and for a moment the arrow was kind of balanced on the rest.
I now pull back the string until the StaJac releases and wait for the coming shot.
I had the same thing happen with the KwikLok, except the arrow didn't balance :mad: Apparently deer are not fond of the sound of an arrow clattering off the steps of a ladder stand because by the time I realized what had happened and sort of regained my composure, the arrow was sticking in the ground and the deer was nowhere to be seen.
Now I do what you do, grab the nock and give a slight pull until the arrow holder lets go, then get ready to shoot.
If I had one 3 years ago in NM it would have been a different story for a 200+'' muledeer.Hard lesson to learn but they are one of those must have tools in my book.
The only "accessories" I have on my bow are string silencers, the simplest possible. Remember Murphy's Law.
I have been using this style since the mid 70"s
I make myself from very rare plastika wood only found in China and also used in T.V. manuf.Kip
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/Kip_album/2007_0212Image0058.jpg)
Murphy's Law cuts two ways. I had a ten point coming at me about 3 seasons ago. My bow was on a hanger without the Sta Jac. I reached for the bow and the arrow slipped off. Fortunately the arrow missed the metal stand and stuck in the ground under me. Acorns were falling and the sound of the arrow made the buck look at the base of my tree but he didn't startle. I was able to get another arrow on the bow without him seeing me and I heart shot him at 22 paces. That night I went thru all my old stuff and found two old Sta Jacs. One went on my bow and the other went on Laura's. We love them.
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p31/smallwood1972/7723.jpg)
I use the Kwic Lok on both of my bows and consider them a must have item. I do a lot of treestand hunting with my bow hanging on a hanger and in the wind you will be chasing arrows all day without one. Have never tried any of the other styles but figure they will work just as well.
Good tip, Charlie. I shoot split fingers so usually don't have to worry about the StaJack pulling the arrow off the string as I draw, but I developed the habit long ago of pulling the string slightly to release it as the possibility for a shot approaches.
An arrow holder is as neccesary as my hook that holds my bow in the tree. The only thing I don't like about them is trying to put my bow in a bow sock.
I use a homemade version on my bows....a necessity in cold weather, and while using the leather "rests" that I like on selfbows. I think it is a bit less obtrusive than the commercial ones. It is simply a small (1/4 inch) long piece of brass rod set into the back of the riser with a small rubber band attached that wraps the arrow. The rubber band will come off upon draw, though I usually flip it off the arrow when I think I'm getting ready for a shot. Here's a couple pics ....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/arrowholder.jpg)
This pic shows the "spur" a bit, but is blurry. You get the idea anyway.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/arrowholder2.jpg)
I use just a tooth pic and a rubberband ,easy to assemble and cheap!!
I remember several years ago an article in Traditional Bowhunter magazine that showed how a guy drilled a hole in the front of his riser just below the shelf and then epoxied in a piece of brass rod that stuck out about a quarter inch. Wrapped a rubber band around the arrow and attached to the brass rod. Very similar to what Mark Baker has shown above. I thought it was a neat idea, but could never bring myself to start drilling a hole in my Blacktail, Fox, Brack...etc
Wouldn't be without one. Having an arrow rattle off your treestand on a windy day will convince a guy to use one. beem there.
Okay, after reading these posts and looking in my 3 Rivers catalog, I see that I have a Sta-Jac arrow holder stored in my tacklebox. So, do I use two-sided tape to attach it to the side of my bow or what? Will it hurt the finish/bow if I decide to remove it someday?
Depending on the bow, I use double backed tape. Easy to put on and take off. Sometimes, I'll slide it under the leather grip very carefully. It could scratch the riser under the leather, but wouldn't be visible there. I've also used contact cement to attach the mounting bracket to leather grips on the outside and cover it with another piece of leather to match the leather grip. Obviously, when I slip the mounting bracket under or glue it to the grip area, it is under thumb area. I've never found that to be a problem. When I use the double backed tape, I run the bracked on the side of the bow, facing down, above the grip area. In all cases, the mounting bracket is mounted vertically, either facing up or down, and the spring arm is positioned 90 degrees to it even with the arrow shelf. Good luck.
Thanks for the great info there, Orion. I would not have thought about putting it under the grip.
Sta Jac :thumbsup:
Kwik-loc has been the best. Sta-jac too. But do be careful with the plastic "sta-jac type" that is a one piece plastic. It cost me a PY deer in the cold . . .sat all day waiting for him- knew he would be coming. . . last light. . . here it is. . . 14 yds. . . checkmate. . . I draw and the arrow does not come back but suspends in mid air stuck to the cold rigid plastic!! :scared: :banghead:
love the Kwik-loc here.