So I recently picked up a Leupold Vendetta, and have been very impressed with how easy it is to use once you get used to it.  Setting the Vendetta up on my Matthew Switchback was very easy.  Using a couple of included brackets and screws, I had it mounted in a matter of minutes.  This might not have been so easy, had it not been for the YouTube videos that Leupold posted, walking you through the installation process.  I was happy to find out that this didn't interfere with the mounting bracket for my bow quiver either.  I was able to mount that back onto the Vendetta's bracket.

After installing the Vendetta, there is a calibration process that you need to go through.  They provide you an alignment sheet to use for this process.  Again, there was a YouTube video showing you how to do this, and it was really helpful to see someone else walk through this process before attempting it myself.  You essentially hang up this alignment sheet, and step back approximately 20 yards.  Just for the setup process, there is a visible laser.  You draw your bow, look through your peep and lay your 20 yard pin on the alignment sheet.  Then you see where the laser is falling on the paper.  You adjust the Vendetta (up /down and right / left) and repeat the process until the laser light falls in the center of the alignment sheet (i.e. in line with your 20 yard pin).

Then using the Vendetta is a breeze.  At any distance, you can:

• Draw your bow.
• Look through the peep and lay your 20 yard pin on your target.
• Depress the activation pressure pad for the Vendetta with your finger (which will be on your bow grip)
• Then read the exact range to your target.
• Then switch to the proper distance sight pin, and let your arrow fly with confidence.

One thing I was definitely concerned about was adding unnecessary weight to my bow.  At just 10 ounces though, it is a trade off that I was willing to make, and surprisingly the additional weight did not bother me.

You do need to be aware that the Leupold Vendetta is not legal in all states for hunting.  It is legal for recreational shooting in all states.  For a complete list of states that it is legal for hunting in, see the following: Leupold Vendetta Legal States.  Some states do not allow electronic devices on bows for hunting purposes. Most of the eastern half of the country allows the Vendetta, and most of the western half of the country does not.

You should also be aware that the Pope and Young Rules of Fair Chase do not allow a buck harvested with an electronic device on a bow to be entered into the Pope and Young record books.  So if you are after a record book buck, the Vendetta may not be for you.  If this is the case, then you may want to take a look at the Dead On Rangefinder.  This is a non-electronic device that attaches to your bow sight, and is simple to use.  It is based on the typical body size of your game, and is adjustable for turkeys, whitetails, mule deer, elk, etc.  You lay a fiber optic pin on the bottom of your target's body at the chest, and then see which of the top pins fall on top of your target's back.  Each of the top pins indicates a specific yardage amount, and can be color coded to your actual bow sight pins.  It is a pretty neat concept, but I have personally not tried it.

So armed with my Leupold Vendetta, I am ready to head to the woods this fall.  I am thankful that I live in a state where this device is legal.  I can't wait until September when the bow season returns.  Until then, I'll keep burning up that Delta River Bottom Buck target in my back yard.

Have you tried the Leupold Vendetta or the Dead On Rangefinder?  What do you think of them?

Well, it may not be your bow.  It may be YOU!!!  Did you know that if your anchor point shifts 1/4" high that your shot can be off by 5" at 20 yard and over 10" at 40 yards.  The distance will amplify the error.  And are you also aware that bow torque can throw your shot off?  If your bow is torqued 1/4", you can find your arrows landing the same 5" off at 20 yards and 10" off at 40 yards.

These are the two most common factors caused by the shooter that can impact shot placement and leave a hunter frustrated.  Being off 5 inches on a 20 yard shot can make the difference between venison in the freezer, a clear miss, or spending hours in the woods tracking an injured deer due to a poor shot.

Well there is hope, and an excellent solution to solve issues with torque and anchoring.  That solution is the Retina Lock bow sight by IQ Bow Sight.

This sight has some revolutionary new features that will assist you in confirming that you are consistently in proper form.  The top of the bow sight has an illuminated green circle, with a black dot in the center of it.  If that black dot is in the center of the green circle, then you are in perfect form and ready for that kill shot.  If the black dot is to the right of the green circle, then you can count on missing to the left.  If the black dot is near the bottom of the green circle, then you can count on your shot being high.  It takes a little getting used to in practice, but you will quickly get used to falling into perfect form as you watch your shot groups consistently start to tighten up.

This 4 pin sight does not require batteries.  It uses a light storing technology that will store light and then release it through the pins and to the retina lock.  As it turns dark, you are guaranteed of having bright pins for that shot of a lifetime at dusk.  And the Retina Lock is still Pope & Young legal, so get ready to hit the record books!

If you are shooting a really fast bow, then you are in luck.  Because the pin design allows you to set your fiber-optic pins very close together.  So you can be guaranteed of having your pins sighted in at exact yardage amounts.  This is easy to mount and easy to sight in with the 4-axis adjustments.

I fell in love with the IQ Bow Sight from the moment I saw it.  Don't take a chance on missing that shooter buck.

1. I could cover a lot of ground quickly.
2. I could do it quietly.
3. I was consistently seeing more game.

It was easy to strap my shot gun on my back before hopping on my mountain bike, but I never had that option for my bow.  The bow is definitely much more fragile.  You need to be concerned about breaking fiberoptic pins, and knocking your rest or sights out of alignment.  It just didn't make sense to try taking my bow on the bike.

But then I saw the Pacific Bow Locker/Holder, which calmed all my concerns.  What a great idea.  It has a univeral coupler that will fit almost any mountain bike.  It is rubber dipped to protect your bow for damage, and it is adjustable to ensure that any size or style of bow will fit snugly.