I have tried several different kinds but never been completely happy.
For me it came down to thinking about side quivers and bow quivers. When I am stalking and sneaking around; what kind of quiver I have is a huge factor- compared to what I have when I am in a stand; be it on the ground or in a tree.
The bowquiver is excellent except when your in a tree; as the movement of the quiver full of arrows is pretty easy for critters to see.
With trad bows; especially longbows; there seems to be no bowquiver to take off easy when in a treestand.
The side quiver can come off easy and be hung up and not seen while treestand hunting. In a ground blind its the same thing- less chance of a fletch making a noise while moving for a shot; if the quiver is off.
For stalking; well maybe its my 32 inch arrows; but back quivers seem to be always catching on things; and it for me it takes an exaggerated movement to take an arrow out. Fine for small game- but a problem with big game for me. I have tried crawling on the ground to get closer many many times; and with a back quiver- the arrows have fallen out or clanked around enough to alert my prey.
The bow quiver; save the inconvenience of the treestand issue is my favorite. I can hold it it close to the ground while stalking; and keep it out of sight; where the side quiver does have the 'peacock' effect.
I like bowquivers best- but a close second is the side quiver.
The kwickey quiver is a neat concept; until you need to sit down. And too - if you have a pack frame for carrying meat out while elk hunting; the kwickey quiver gets in the way- while strapping a back pack to the pack frame allows you to carry stuff; and if you get an elk down; and need the pack frame- just take off the pack and carry it in one hand.
I vote bowquivers. With a decided second close vote for the side quivers.
I voted Cat quiver style.. I used my Cat III for years and years. Stalking, walking and falling down bluffs it was my "goto".. Until I bought my GFA. For me the best by far quiver for every style of bowhunting. It goes on every trip with me.
John III
I've used them all, but since I got a Safari Tuff, I think my search has ended.
I made myself a "GFA" style side quiver and use a skookum 1 arrow quiver on my bow. Best combination I've come up with so far, but I am thinking about a real bow quiver for my new recurve.
Back quiver.
I hate bow quivers; but it is what I use.
side quiver.
Don't really have a favorite, I dislike them all. But I use a bow quiver.
I Love the romance of the Trad Back Quiver they're tuff to beat.But,I think the GN strap on Long Bow quiver is the most functional for me,as you always have a 2nd arrow readily available.But in Archery,as in life,each to their own!!
I use a GFA (Asbell) and a Great Northern side quiver 99% of the time.
I take them off and lay them on the ground next to me when in a ground blind which is most of the time. I seldom, if ever hunt from a tree.
I also have a strap-on bow quiver, but use it very seldom.
John
the one i made ;)
I prefer my great northern side quiver over my bow mounted one. It seems quieter for me when in the woods. I take it off lie it next to me when on the ground or sit it behind me on my climber when in stand.
I haven't used a back quiver but seems like ti wouldn't be very quiet for me.
HTH
lakota Quiver
I use both a side quiver (Safari Tuff Arrowmaster) and bow quivers (EFA and Selway). Both have their benefits and draw backs. I picked the side quiver as that is the style of hunting I like to do the most... spot and stalk. If I'm tree stand hunting I like to have a bow quiver as I don't have to find somewhere to put the side quiver...
I voted side quiver--specifically the Safari Tuff Arrowmaster. I could have saved a lot of money if Rod had just invented it sooner.
Howard Hill BQ
Beating thru the brush we have up here, I find the SafariTuff to be the best I've ever tried!
I carry it more vertically behind me and can still withdraw an arrow without looking for it.
No worries about losing any arrows from it either!
Bow quiver for ease of use.
Like many of you,I haven`t found that perfect quiver.But it seems i keep going back to the bow quiver(for deer hunting).When small game hunting,I`ll use a back quiver. :archer:
I found that a bow quiver changed my arrow spine, and it was hard to work through thick cover. For the last decade or so I've used my bow quiver on my back cat-quiver style by hanging it with leather laces. I hook the laces together after running one end under my belt. Arrows are out of the way of brush and easy to get to. They also are hidden from game while stalking.
I've used and still own many different types of quivers. But, I always seem to go back to my Cat quiver I. It does require some practice taking an arrow from and reinserting though. I've recently been thinking about trying a GFA side quiver or making one simular to it.
I voted side quiver. I've spent a lot of money on quivers over the years till I started using a Safari Tuff Arrowmaster........IJ
Back quiver
Bow quivers dont change arrow spine. Adding weight to a bow can change how an arrow reacts out of a specific bow due to a dynamic change on arrow flight. Static spine stays the same. If putting a bow quiver on your bow causes poor arrow flight....the arrows were never right to begin with or they were to close to the stiff or weak side of spine. Start with correctly spined arrows tuned for your bow and tune with your quiver on for the ultimate arrow flight. This statement implies all bow quivers...no matter the model or what a manufactuer would tell you.
I prefer a bow quiver for deer hunting but I recently purchased an Arrow Master to use Turkey Hunting this spring and 3d shooting in the summer.
I Voted Bow Quiver to Hunt With, but it all depends on WHAT I am Doing! Stumping & Messing Around, Sorry, ROVING :thumbsup: ...I prefer a Back Quiver. If I am Showin' off at the Local Range/Shop I use a Side Quiver. I do believe I have Every Quiver Created.. But a Lakota Quiver, so far!! :archer:
I have always been a bow quiver guy and it looks like I always will be.I have used an Asbell and plan to use a Catquiver for cat hunting.
I do like a bow quiver that hugs the bow very close,with the hood not protruding much past the riser and the fletch angled back,to be next to the lower limb tip.Set up like that,distributes the weight a little better and it glides through the brush better.
I just put this 5 arrow one together using a Great Northern gripper,a Delta bracket system and a hood that I made from fiberglass.It is fairly light at 7 oz. and is oriented to the bow exactly as I like mine to be.I don't find them bothersome and they may even help stabilize my bow,especially the lighter mass ones.
I think a lot of it has to do with starting out hunting with one when I was a kid in the '60's,but it just seems handy.If I have the bow,the arrows are always at my finger tips and in my view.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/jbrandenburg/MagnesiumTD012.jpg)
For hunting, I HATE them all! The only one I can live with is the Cat - the small one. H
Hill style BQ.
I like bow quivers. I do all my hunting from treestands and always take the quiver off when I get up the tree.
Some guys have put a bow quiver on their bow and then experienced bad arrow flight. It was obvious that the extra weight of the quiver caused the arrow to hit to the left. Many of them took the quiver off and never put one back on.
A couple of years ago I gathered several popular bow quivers in order to test them along with our ultra-light EFA bowquivers. They were each installed on two different bows and shot at a 1" dot at about 15 yards by two different shooters. The bows were also shot without quivers for comparison.
The results were both bows with the EFA 4 arrow quiver shot exactly the same as the bow did without the quiver. Also, each of the two archers had the same results. The other quivers generally shot about 2 inches left of the dot at that 15 yards. This test was repeated several times for accuracy. Each quiver was filled with 4 arrows with these arrows being removed one at a time and shot for this testing.
The immediate thought was to attribute the difference to the different weights of the quivers. The EFA quiver was by far the lightest at 5.2 ounces so that would explain why it performed best. However, one of the larger and heavier quivers performed better than a medium weight quiver. That seemed to indicate that there is more involved then just weight. Things like how it fastens, distance from the limbs, and where it's located all play some part.
The EFA bowquivers are designed to not change how your bow shoots. If you look at the avatar to the left you will see the same EFA quiver tested, being used on a Saluki horsebow. I also used this same quiver on a Beeler longbow to win the "Eagle Eye" at Denton Hill.
Our quiver is not for everyone though, some guys will want to carry 6 or more arrows. For that they will have to use someone else's quiver and will have to make the adjustment to how it changes the shot.
"Travel light with Eagle's Flight"
I like fairly stiff, big back quivers for general use. For big game hunting, I really like side quivers.
I think bow mounted quivers are the most convenient and accessible way to carry your arrows in nearly any situation. They are not getting in the way anymore that what your bow already is and they can also help stabilize and quieting your bow.
Bow quivers dont change arrow spine. Adding weight to a bow can change how an arrow reacts out of a specific bow due to a dynamic change on arrow flight. Static spine stays the same. If putting a bow quiver on your bow causes poor arrow flight....the arrows were never right to begin with or they were to close to the stiff or weak side of spine. Start with correctly spined arrows tuned for your bow and tune with your quiver on for the ultimate arrow flight. This statement implies all bow quivers...no matter the brand or what a manufactuer would tell you.
I love a bow quiver, especially on a longbow. Like others have stated, having everything in one area to maneuver quietly and with less snags in the woods is crucial for me. It also helps me keep my arm a bit more stable with the added weight.
I get bored sometimes though. I used my backquiver this weekend. It was nice when we were in an open field but I didn't like how hard it was to draw quickly.
I also took a spill off a 6 foot brush pile and was lucky I didn't bend an arrow or stab myself!
I like em' on my bow where I can see them.
I use the bow quiver,most are really light and well designed;then on elk hunting with bulky backpacks is the only one really handy.Maybe from a tree stand in the future I can look for something different.
I have tried other bow quivers and not been satisfied for one reason or another. I order a new quiver this week. It is a Kanati Angle bow quiver with limb bolt mounts. I have only heard good things about them and John made me laugh. Not much else to it.
Any thing thats not on the bow...
My favorite at the moment is my quiver i have on my Widow. It pops right off and i can stick it in my back pack while sitting in my stand.
I've tried them all. There are good points for all as well as bad points for all. Never liked the extra weight added to the bow with a bow quiver. The bow just (IMHO) didn't feel right. Side quivers are OK, but were troublesome in getting through some brushy areas. Had a catquiver, sold it. Now I carry my stuff in a back quiver and when in a tree stand, I use a Kwikee with a cord looped around it and hang it from a limb.
I always have a quiver on my bow full with 5 arrows, then I also carry a back quiver. I like the feel of a back quiver when roaming, but like the arrows to be at my finger tips when hunting.
Yea i have the EFA quiver on a couple of my bows and it doesnt effect the way my bow shoots at all.
If anything it helps improve my shooting with the very light added weight.
I voted "side quiver", but I hesitate to call my GFA just a side quiver. I was using it today on a 3D range....it was a side quiver, a back quiver, and every position in between. Great quiver.
When using a recurve I like a bow quiver, with a longbow my Bowers "Chief" gets the nod.
Tried 'em all. Settled on a side quiver from Stephen Catts, aka The Hide Handler. It has 5 "slots" to accept either 5 2-bladed broadheads or 10 fieldpoint/blunts. Absolutely will not "flag" like most sidequivers. Does not need to be tied to your leg. It stays put. Arrow retrieval is quiet, with minimal movement; muchless movement than any other I've tried. If you like white fletching, that's okay, because you can slide the quiver behind your back and the fletching end of your arrows tuck in behind you, but are still readily accessible. The best quiver ever built, IMO. That said, I added sheep shearling to keep my aluminum shafts from making noise against the leather. Easy to do.
In an ideal world, my bow would not have anything attached to it. But having it mounted to my bow is soooo convenient and easy.
I like bow quivers, perfer GN. Never take them off, even in off season when shooting 3D.
Cat mini for hunting.....open back for roving and target.
John, perhaps I oversimplified, but the fact is my bow required 5# less spine to bare shaft correctly with a quiver on the bow, and I found the same to be true for many other people when I was in the arrow shaft business and bare shaft matching people regularly.
Don Stokes
Its like runnin barefooted all your life....then one day you put some shoes on and it all feels and performs diffrent. Tune your bow to what your wearing.
Im glad to see Im not the only one that has not found "the perfect" Quiver. I like the idea of having my arrows handy and on my bow, but I do not like the idea of the arrows adding visual mass to my bow for the deer to spot when trying to draw. I also believe that I should be using the same quiver when practicing or hunting, not constantly changing like I find myself doing. I think Im going to give a sidequiver a serious try again. Hopefully someone posts the perfect answer ! LOL
Dan
Kind of hard to answer. I use a belt cruiser quiver for 3-D, an Arrowmaster on the ground for deer, small game, and stumping, a bow quiver from a tree for deer. All 3 are my favorites depending on what I'm doing.
I like the limb bolt on. It's stable and quiet for me. Sure wouldn't put any holes in any of my bows.
I love my strap on EFA totem 4 arrow quiver!
Great quiver makes no noise and is the lightes I have tried. I like to shoot without a quiver but whith my hunting style a back or side quiver is not an option. The EFA is about as close I came to having nothing on the bow. I am very pleased with it!
This is for me a quest for the perfect quiver pack combo. I do use the gfa and it works good. I just purchased a smaller pack with a side quiver attached on the side I will see how it works. So for now the search goes on.
I voted for side quiver as it is the one that most often goes with me. I do not like a quiver on the bow.
Just bought a GFA quiver. I have always used a bow quiver untin now. I really like this one, well, as much as a person can like a quiver.
However, this one is really special. I ordered the moose hide one from Ron LaClair and asked him to sign it also. 2 signatures,sweet!
I like the side quiver but have had bad experiences while still hunting. Going to try a "boa".
Although visibility and wind catching tendency of fletching in a bow quiver can be a factor when hunting from a tree stand, in my opinion the practical aspects more than make up for it.
Some mention not liking the feel of their bow with a quiver on but it doesn't bother me in the least. I've gone full circle a few times, having tried 5 different types (with an open mind let me add) and I prefer a bow quiver for what I do.
There is no such thing as an even near perfect quiver because of what they are made to carry and what we are doing when we carry them. Arrows are long, fragile, and must be kept dangerously sharp. The fletching is noisy when scraped, is usually bright and may be rendered useless if wet. We carry several and they must be readily accessible...that is quite a list when you think of it!