The Archery Project
All archery all the time. Your go to archery and bowhunting podcast.
Episodes
53 episodes
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...
Compound Bow Buying Guide: Entry Level vs Mid Range vs Flagship | FRIDAY KILL NOTEST
Buying a compound bow shouldn’t feel like a guessing game where the only safe answer is “spend more.” I’m Zakk Plocica from Extreme Outfitters, and I walk you through a clear, practical way to pick the right compound bow based on how you actual...
Is Archery Becoming Overcomplicated? A Bowhunter’s Perspective | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Feeling buried under bow specs, tuning hacks, and must-have accessories? We take a hard look at modern archery’s tech surge and make a case for something rarer and far more effective for bowhunters: simplicity with a purpose. Instead of chasing...
The Most Overlooked Accuracy Killers in Archery (Fix These Now) | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Misses that drift left, right, high, or low rarely start at the target—they start in your hands. We dig into the small, overlooked habits that make or break accuracy and share the exact steps we use to tighten groups fast. No gear hype, just cl...
Inside Xpedition Archery: NexLite 30 & 33 Explained
Imagine picking up a 33-inch bow that feels almost weightless, settles like a target rig, and tunes in under a minute without touching a press. That’s where our conversation with Jared McCoy from Xpedition Archery lands as we dive into the NexL...
How to Know If Your Bow Was Set Up Wrong (Checklist + Fixes) | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Your groups drift, your bow feels jumpy, and broadheads don't impact with your field points. Let’s fix that with a simple, proven order of operations that turns chaos into confidence. We walk through the exact checkpoints that separate a smooth...
Good Archery Shops vs Bad Ones: The Difference Matters | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Buying a bow shouldn’t feel like a gamble. We walk through a practical, no‑nonsense checklist for finding an archery shop that sells confidence first and gear second. It starts with trust: the right tech listens before recommending anything, as...
Our Favorite Bow Sights for Total Archery Challenge (TAC) + Setup Tips
Steep angles, sketchy footing, and fast-changing light can make even a solid archer feel shaky. We dig into what actually matters for Total Archery Challenge so your sight keeps up when the mountain starts moving: true second and third axis, du...
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2025 Arrow Review: What’s Actually Worth Your Money
New arrows landed hard this year, but not all “premium” builds delivered. We dig into why some custom builders Chinese shafts struggled with spine and straightness, where penetration fell apart even at high poundage, and how a simpler approach ...
Arrow Myths, Shop Struggles & What Shooters Really Need — Easton Unfiltered
Ever wonder where marketing hype ends and real performance begins? We sit down with Cody Griffin of Easton and map the line from factory floor to broadhead pass‑throughs, from ATA buzz to TAC mountainsides, and from spec sheets to shots that ac...
2026 Flagship Bow Breakdown: Hoyt, Mathews, PSE, Prime & Xpedition — Full Honest Review
The 2026 bow class draws a hard line: speed is great, but fast, simple tuning is what saves time and stacks tight groups. We sat down and compared the biggest launches head to head—Hoyt’s new XTS tuning system, PSE’s redesigned FDS cam and blaz...
Minimalist Saddle Hunting with Former Green Beret Jake Roberts (Wayward Ridge)
What if the pack on your back is costing you shots? We bring on Jake Roberts, retired Green Beret and founder of Wayward Ridge, to rethink bowhunting from the ground up: less weight, less noise, more purpose. Jake came to archery at 30 with a c...
Best Mid-Price Compound Bows for 2026 (Prime, Hoyt, Bowtech, Bear)
Looking for flagship performance without the flagship price tag? We put five mid-price compound bows through their paces and found real standouts that deliver speed, tuning ease, and shootability for hunters and 3D shooters alike. From the stea...
Shooting the 2026 PSE Bows: Mach Series Upgrades & Sicario Results
Forget marketing numbers—let’s talk verified speed you can actually shoot. We put PSE’s 2026 bows on the line and dig into the two big stories: the new FDS cam and the Sicario’s shockingly manageable velocity. We share real chrono data, how the...
Trail Cam Tactics That Kill: Whitetail Scouting, Scrapes & Data
Ever feel like your trail cameras are running you, not the other way around? We sat down with outfitter and taxidermist Joe Kolaszewski to turn scattered photos into a system you can trust. Joe runs 65 cameras in Kentucky and spreads more acros...
Ohio Whitetail Prep: Reading Wind, Access, and Terrain
Bowhunting feels different when your season stretches from North Carolina’s vine-choked swamps to Kentucky’s rolling hills and straight into Ohio’s ag edges. We open with the truth about why NC forges better woodsmanship—tight cover, fickle win...
It’s Not the Bow. It’s You. (And How to Fix It) | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
A pricier bow won’t fix a shaky shot, and that’s exactly where we go today. We unpack why fundamentals—not accessories—decide whether your arrows fly clean or drift off, and we break the process into three pillars you can master: a torque-free ...
Crossbows Yes or No? Should They Belong in Archery Season?
The question isn’t just “Is a crossbow a bow?”—it’s what archery season is supposed to mean. We sit down to unpack New York’s decision to allow crossbows throughout the entire archery season, why the change matters, and how it collides with tra...
Colorado Lighting Strike Kills 2: What Bowhunters Need to Know | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
A sobering wake-up call strikes the hunting community as we examine the tragic loss of two young bow hunters in Colorado's backcountry. When lightning claimed the lives of Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko—both experienced outdoorsmen—it highlighted...
