The Archery Project
All archery all the time. Your go to archery and bowhunting podcast.
Episodes
71 episodes
Arrows for Beginners: What You Actually Need to Know
Arrows shouldn’t feel harder than learning to shoot a bow, but for most new archers they do. We’re cutting through the noise and getting back to what actually matters when you’re buying your first set of compound bow arrows: the few decisions t...
Whitetail Arrow Build Guide (FOC, Speed & Momentum)
Your whitetail arrow does not need to be the fastest thing your bow can launch and it definitely does not need to chase a magic grain weight. We walk through what a dedicated whitetail arrow is actually supposed to do at 20 to 40 yards: fly tru...
Axle-to-Axle Length Explained: How to Pick the Right ATA
One spec quietly decides whether your new compound bow feels like a cheat code or a fight every time you hit full draw: axle-to-axle length. We’re deep in bow buying season, and I keep seeing the same questions pop up from new and experienced a...
Darton Bows FINALLY - What's All The Hype?!
Darton bows have been the loudest request we’ve gotten for Bow Wars style conversations, and now they’re finally in our shop at Extreme Outfitters in Jacksonville, North Carolina. After hands-on time with the Darton TriTech series, the headline...
Which Mid Price Bear Archery Bow Is Right For You? Adapt 2 HP vs Alaskan Pro
You can spend flagship money on a compound bow, but you do not have to. We put two of the most requested mid-priced hunting bows side by side, the Bear Archery Adapt 2 HP and the Bear Alaskan Pro, and talk through what actually matters when you...
Micro Adjust or Save the Cash? Bow Sight & Arrow Rest Breakdown
Micro adjustability is everywhere in archery right now, and it’s easy to feel like you need the “best” version of every accessory to shoot well. We slow that hype down and ask a more useful question: where do micro clicks actually change your e...
Hoyt vs. Mathews 2026: I Tested All 4 Aluminum Bows
Hoyt vs Matthews is the argument that never dies, but it gets a lot more useful when you stop talking brand loyalty and start talking outcomes. We took four of the most talked-about 2026 aluminum compound bows and compared them the way most arc...
Bowtech Moves To Houston: A Dealer's Honest Breakdown
Bowtech is packing up an entire bow operation and heading to Houston, Texas and it is not a quiet, incremental change. We’re talking manufacturing, corporate HQ, and the factory pro shop leaving Eugene, Oregon, with a seven-figure relocation an...
Bow Prep for Hunting Season: The Complete Pre-Season Checklist
One loose mod screw, one worn serving, one rushed string order, and suddenly your “dream hunt” turns into a repair problem you cannot solve from a ridge or a treestand. We get ruthlessly practical about bowhunting season preparation and the exa...
Best Broadheads for 2026 — Two Years of Flight Data Broken Down
Broadheads decide the moment of truth, but most of what we hear about them is marketing and opinions. We go straight to controlled external ballistics data from the 2025 and 2026 arrow ballistic studies and translate it into choices you can act...
Good Better Best Hunting Arrow Builds for Every Scenario
A lot of bowhunters build arrows the same way every year, then wonder why broadheads drift, groups open up, or deer react before impact. We want to change that by using real testing from the 2025 and 2026 aero ballistic studies to build a hunti...
Bow Setup Mistakes + Best 2026 Releases Reviewed
After struggling at Total Archery Challenge, Zakk went home and tore his bow completely apart. Turns out — a half-inch wrong draw length, a bow six pounds out of spec, a collapsing front shoulder, and inconsistent grip were all piling up at the...
How to Build Hunting Arrows Using the 2026 Arrow Ballistic Data
The fastest way to waste money on archery gear is to optimize one part of your arrow and ignore the rest. We’re back with Part Two of our 2026 Arrow Ballistic Study breakdown, where we stop staring at charts and actually use the data to make be...
Breaking Down the 2026 Arrow Ballistics Study (Broadheads, Vanes, FOC)
Bowhunting has a problem: we argue about arrow builds like it’s personal philosophy, then we expect broadheads to land true when the shot is rushed, the footing is bad, and the wind is doing what it wants. The 2026 Arrow Ballistic Study is the ...
I Developed Target Panic | Total Archery Challenge Seven Springs Recap
Target panic isn’t a theory when you’re standing on a steep mountain, pin floating, heart rate up, and your release hand refuses to finish the job. After Total Archery Challenge at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, we’re giving a full after-action r...
How to Build a DIY Home Archery Shop — Every Tool You Need
One bad bow shop experience can change how you think about your gear forever and it’s happening more often as fewer quality archery shops remain in some areas. So we get practical about what it really takes to build a DIY home archery shop that...
Top Bow Sights for 2026 — What's Hot Right Now
One upgrade can make your bow feel brand new, and it is not another stabilizer or a fresh set of strings. It is the bow sight you trust when a whitetail steps out at 28 yards and when TAC puts a target at 110 on a steep angle. I’m breaking down...
Outdoor Life 2026 Bow of the Year — Full Breakdown & My Take
A bow hardly anyone is talking about just took the top spot, and it didn’t win on hype, sponsorship, or a spec-sheet race. We walk through Outdoor Life’s 2026 Bow Of The Year results and explain what actually matters when seven flagship hunting...
Long ATA Bows: I Was Wrong and Here's Why
I've been a short bow guy my whole life — 30, 31, maybe 32 inches max. But after hunting and shooting TAC events with my Mach 33 this past year, something shifted. This episode breaks down exactly why I've changed my mind on longer ATA bows, wh...
Bow Tuning Q&A: Fixing Tear Issues, Arrow Builds & FAST Bow Setup | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Your bow didn’t “just stop shooting” overnight, and the fix usually isn’t a mystery product or a random twist of the rest. We take a stack of listener questions and turn them into a clear troubleshooting path for the most common accuracy killer...
Top 10 Total Archery Challenge Tips | TAC Survival Guide (Beginner to Advanced)
Your legs are burning, the target is steep downhill, and a line of shooters is waiting while you try to range, dial, and execute a clean shot on uneven rock. Total Archery Challenge doesn’t just test how well you shoot a bow, it tests whether y...
Buying Your First Hunting Compound Bow Q&A | Friday Kill Notes
Buying your first hunting compound bow should feel exciting, not confusing and expensive. We see tons of new archers get stuck comparing brands, speed ratings, and “flagship vs budget” arguments, then end up with a bow that never feels right be...
Turkey Broadheads Explained: What Actually Works (Full Setup Guide)
A turkey can look huge in the field, right up until you try to thread an arrow into a tiny vital zone on a bird that never stops moving. That’s why broadhead choice matters more for archery turkey hunting than most people want to admit. Zach fr...
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Total Archery Challenge Reality Check (Indiana/Kentucky Recap) | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
TAC doesn’t care how confident you feel in the parking lot. Once you’re on a steep hillside, shooting in the rain, trying to range a dark 3D target through brush with a group watching, you find out what’s real about your setup and your shot pro...
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Master Your Shot Process & Shoot More Accurately (Full Breakdown) | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Your bow can be perfectly tuned and still throw random arrows if your shot process changes from one rep to the next. We get real about the hardest part of archery: consistency. I walk through the shot sequence I rely on when I’m trying to tight...
