The Archery Project

Broadheads, Arrows & Bow Setups: What Really Works for Bowhunters

• Zakk Plocica • Season 1 • Episode 23

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Bow hunting season is approaching fast, and the excitement is palpable as Kevin Dooling joins Zakk Plocica to share hard-earned wisdom from years of experience in the field. Fresh from shooting long distance at Total Archery Challenge events, Kevin offers a candid look at his equipment choices and hunting philosophy that will resonate with both seasoned veterans and newcomers alike.

The conversation opens with a fascinating exploration of Kevin's Matthews Lift X 33 setup, detailing every component from his stabilizer configuration to his precise arrow build. What makes this discussion particularly valuable is how Kevin articulates the reasoning behind each choice from his preference for longer axle-to-axle bows to his selection of Iron Will fixed-blade broadheads. This isn't just gear talk; it's strategic thinking made tangible.

Beyond equipment, Kevin shares powerful insights about the mental approach to bow hunting success. His seasonal strategy evolves from targeting food sources in early season to focusing on travel corridors during the rut. Military base hunting presents unique challenges with restricted access areas and changing training schedules, requiring adaptability and thorough scouting of multiple locations. These practical tactics are delivered alongside philosophical reflections on patience and persistence that form the backbone of successful bow hunting.

Perhaps most compelling is the emphasis both men place on community and mentorship within archery. Kevin's story of being guided by veteran archers as a young man highlights how critical supportive relationships are to keeping newcomers engaged. "I'm a better human being because of what I get to do," Kevin reflects, underscoring archery's transformative potential when approached with the right mindset and guidance.

Whether you're fine-tuning your setup for opening day or considering entering the bow hunting world, this conversation offers both technical precision and inspirational perspective. Get your gear checked, your broadheads tested, and your mind focused the season is almost here, and success awaits those who prepare properly.

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Zakk Plocica:

All right. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the archery project. I'm your host, zach Placica, and today we've got Mr Kevin Dooling on the podcast. Did I say it right? You did Perfect. Nailed it right out of the gate. This is going to start off. I'm starting off very strong. So, kevin, been bow hunting for a long time. Fresh back from Jamaica and Florida, oh yeah, got a nice suntan I see I did good times, great.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, we were on the water yesterday I saw that caught a bunch of shrimp I saw that we did not catch a lot of fish. Though I don't do the fishing, my kids do the fishing. Okay, I do the bow hunting. So yeah they crushed it.

Kevin Dooling:

Man, we had a good time, but yeah, I got a little bit of color going on I like it looking good as summer's coming to a close that's right, oh it, oh, it's the best part of approaching, of the year.

Zakk Plocica:

Finally, dude, which, honestly, it creeps up way quick. You look forward to it all year. You're like dude, I can't wait for the season to get here. And then, before you know it, it's here and then it seems like everybody's behind the power curve.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, right, For me it's always in your lap. Yep, it is.

Zakk Plocica:

And that's what I wanted to talk about too, kind of like we're going to cover, you know, arrow selection for you, bow build, broadhead selection. But then one of the other talking points was because you shot total archery this year as well. You know we ran into each other, I think, at Tennessee. Tennessee, that's right, and um kind of how your bow varies or if you'd make any changes to it. So lots of good stuff, you know, like I said, um, you've been bow hunting for a long time.

Kevin Dooling:

You just said, since you've been like 11 yeah, little kid so what I mean always been compound bow um, for the most part I I switched uh up a little bit into the traditional realm a couple years ago when I was living in indiana yeah um, but you know it's, it's been primarily the compound stuff dude.

Zakk Plocica:

So I've ventured a little bit into the traditional stuff. And it's fun, man, but it is and and you've got to dedicate everything to it.

Kevin Dooling:

It's like not something you can start and kind of casually do right, you have to just kind of like put the wheels down for you know and pretend doesn't exist, in order to like gain a traction and the trad stuff you have to be good at it, because for me, going back and forth from traditional to compound it just doesn't cross over very well, right, because the shooting style is different.

Zakk Plocica:

Um, I feel like shooting a trad bow makes you a better compound bow shooter, because just the technique and form is so got to be so dialed in. But it's a struggle going back and forth, for me at least.

Kevin Dooling:

Sure, I mean, I struggle as well in the same boat. Yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

So All right, dude, so you shot total archery this year, did you only do the one?

Kevin Dooling:

in Tennessee, just just the one. I was kind of apprehensive about doing it. You know I was like, is this going to be for me? So I didn't really sign up for any of the other ones. A guy I work with went as well. He invited me to go with him. I said I'd try it out and it ended up being an incredible experience. So next year I'm just marking my calendar for the multiple events next year.

Zakk Plocica:

Dude, I think we're going to do the same. I think probably totally. Archery is probably my favorite thing. I mean it's up there with bow hunting. I mean I love bow hunting but total archery events. If you get an ability to go to them and really shoot the courses, it's unlike anything.

Kevin Dooling:

It's incredible and what I really love about it is the camaraderie there amongst you know, other outdoorsmen, other bow hunters, and there's no competition to it. So you know everyone is there to have a good time and there's no animosity or any judgment or anything like that.

Zakk Plocica:

It's really a welcoming environment. Yeah, because you shoot competition or have shot competition stuff as well right Correct.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes, I've shot, you know, asa.

Zakk Plocica:

So you've done kind of a little bit of everything right, yeah. That's the thing I like. So I've never got into like the target side of things, but I do like going to total archery and shooting those, I mean those far bomber shots right, they're, they're fun.

Kevin Dooling:

They're fun Shooting a raccoon target like 91 yards.

Zakk Plocica:

Come on you know it doesn't get any better than that. So with that we looked at, you did the Tennessee one. How many of the courses did you do? You got shot a lot, didn't you?

Kevin Dooling:

Not not particularly, I know shot. Let's see here, we only shot two. We shot Friday, got totally annihilated, and then we shot Friday, got totally annihilated, and then we shot Saturday, got totally annihilated again. And then Sunday we were like, okay, you know, it's time to go home. Ended up Sunday, I think, was the best day to shoot the best day to be on the course, but we were like you know what. We got a long ride home.

Zakk Plocica:

And I knew Monday I had to work really long so I raced back here. Yeah, tennessee was tough man, it rained.

Kevin Dooling:

I feel like total archery challenge had a black cloud the entire um circuit, it seemed like just rain, at least on the east coast, because all the ones, the ones we went to, we got soaked yes, yes, that's why I mean, honestly, I think a lot of my focus is going to be some of the western states next year, utah especially. I mean. I thought utah just looked incredible and, pa, honestly you, pa, I know it got rained on and everything but the venue looks incredible.

Zakk Plocica:

There's not, I think, a better venue From everyone I've talked to, especially like East Coast-wise Pennsylvania is the one to be at. It's like the Mecca Total Archery.

Kevin Dooling:

Challenge Vendor.

Zakk Plocica:

Village is huge. There's over 100 vendors there and they have nine courses.

Kevin Dooling:

Right and the courses are fantastic Right. And also, to add a kind of one of the things we mentioned earlier on about total archery podcast or total archery challenge, one of the benefits of it is meeting people there. There's people that I met at Tennessee whom I promise I'm going to run into and look forward to seeing again at the next events.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, that's the cool thing about it, man, like you said, the camaraderie, the how it draws, because it doesn't just draw competitive archers. That's the thing I like about it is it draws a little bit of everybody. I mean you got there's kids out there shooting it. There's families there was, um, at all the ones we've been to, there's, you know moms out there with their kids strapped to their back in these courses.

Zakk Plocica:

And it's just for fun. There's no scoring. You just go out there and shoot and challenge yourself and you know that's. I think that's the draw to it and why it's grown so big, because when you look at it now, all of your major manufacturers are there right, right, you'll see matthews and hoyt make appearances and stuff like that.

Kevin Dooling:

It's like, wow, this thing is big, yeah, yeah, that's how you know, right, I think, because they said, matthew skipped some ibo um events to go to total archery.

Zakk Plocica:

So that's I mean. That says a lot right so looking at it, man. So you shot these events, you? What bow are you shooting?

Kevin Dooling:

so I'm right, I'm shooting the left. X uh 33 and you're shooting.

Zakk Plocica:

Is that your main bow? Yes, right now. So you shot that at total archery. I did so how does I mean? What does your bow build look like for total archery, verse bow hunting. Does it vary or does it change at all?

Kevin Dooling:

I'm really running the same, the same exact setup, you know, same arrow setup, which is I'm running the uh eastern axis four millimeter long range. Um, I think they're 250s, but pretty stout are you?

Zakk Plocica:

how many pounds are you? Shooting uh 80, 83 okay, so that thing, that bow stout, anyways, it is but the matthews draw cycle, I think on the longer axle axle bow is awesome right.

Kevin Dooling:

No, like the first time I picked, I was a little apprehensive because you know I've shot the years, years past models at 75 and I was like, well, I'd kind of like to make that bump up. And then when I ordered I was like, is this gonna be too much, whatever. And then when I got it I was like this easy day, easy day, yeah, I think that's the thing, too, about have all these bows in advance and we've it before.

Zakk Plocica:

It's like you can only get so much speed out of these bows, but they're making the platforms more and more shootable. Or you know, they're easier to draw. They're easier to shoot versus just getting speed. You can draw that heavier poundage bow and it's manageable for a lot of people. Obviously, an 80 pound bow is not for everybody.

Kevin Dooling:

Right right. But the guys that want to shoot it and have the ability to it's, I mean it's, it's very manageable certainly, certainly like, and I've got a couple of those hanging up in my garage that are that are 70, and I'll tell you when you compare them side by side, because I'll take them off the wall and shoot them from now, now and then again, um, I'm like geez, this thing is. This thing is 70, feels a lot more than 70.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's, that's the thing Some of them, I mean there's some really awesome, um, just depending on the cam that you go with, but I think for the most part, um your standard line, your 29, your 30 inch and 33 inch bows at 80 pounds are manageable, right, I have noticed that some of the shorter bows, so like I shot a lift RS at 85 pounds, it just came in hot, it was 80 pound mods.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, right.

Zakk Plocica:

And that's their 27 and a half inch platform. That was the least fun drawing bow I have ever shot. Right, I think me and Joey were just putting it through the chronograph and doing some little short videos on it and dude, that thing was stout.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, this YouTube video comes with an emergency room visit I would.

Zakk Plocica:

There's no way I would shoot that bow and that matthews the lift rs is an awesome bow. I mean because we've had a lot of kids coming in and then smaller framed individuals because they had that low pound option and then the standard um. But I'm not a super short bow guy like I like a hunting bow, I like a 30, 31. And then I usually have a longer axle, axle bow, a 33, 32 or 33. 27, dude is short man.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, that is an aggressive little fellow right there.

Zakk Plocica:

Do you have any issues? I mean, you shoot the longer bow as far as do you have you? Do you ever gravitate towards a short bow? Never, never.

Kevin Dooling:

And I think that that is a result of just my years of target stuff. It's just every time I pick up a short bow not knocking it, you know, by any means, but for me that longer bow, just it just feels good. It's good Right.

Zakk Plocica:

It's funny I was. We put out a video. I think it was because we do the bow war series Right. So we put bows head to head and, um, I can't remember which options it were, but we I was talking about the lift 29 and a half and the lift 33 and someone chimed in in the comments and was like man, I, when I I shoot the 29 and a half, I noticed I'm inducing more hand torque in that short bow, but that 33, I just don't have that problem.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

And that's one of the things too I mean. With the longer bows it seems like it's a little less torquey right.

Kevin Dooling:

Um, for most people, for me, as soon as you get over that valley, if you have that longer bow, um, you just kind of like you feel set. You know there's not that wobble that you get in the riser when you come over that valley with the longer bow right for me.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, no, I would agree with you on that. What about as far as the matthews grip? Do you run the stock grip?

Kevin Dooling:

I do, I do. I've never been a big grip guy. You know a lot of guys. Are you got to change your grip? You want to do this, you want to do that? I just I I've never bought an aftermarket grip or done the tape thing or whatever.

Zakk Plocica:

I just always shot the stock grips yeah, that's the biggest complaint that we've seen with matthews is the grip um. But I think, like anything else, once you get used to shooting something, you're used to shooting it and it works. That's right, yeah.

Kevin Dooling:

I mean I've come from the days of like shooting the old Matthew switchback with that massive wooden handle. You know what I mean On that thing. So it's like a block Right. So anything these days to me just it's totally manageable.

Zakk Plocica:

So, yeah, I would agree, man. I think I mean. The thing that Matthews does offer, though, is if you don't like the grip, they have an engage, a taper, a contour, and then you know, ultraview has that be real grip.

Kevin Dooling:

Right right.

Zakk Plocica:

So I mean you've got a lot of options.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

I mean because some guys the grip is a deal breaker for them.

Kevin Dooling:

Sure sure.

Zakk Plocica:

Like I would get a matthews, but golly, I hate that grip. I like everything but the grip, right, right, yeah, you know I I get it. Uh, because you know we were. We were setting up a bow the other day. We had two. It was like a pse mach 33 and then a rx9 ultra and it was actually for a buddy of mine and he just could not shoot the the mach 33. Um, he just kept naturally inducing a lot of hand torque and he just wasn't comfortable with it. But he shot the rx9 ultra and he didn't have that issue okay, so I guess man, everyone's different.

Zakk Plocica:

That's the cool thing about all the bows you got a lot of options right, right, these days, I mean gosh, everyone is making such a phenomenal product.

Kevin Dooling:

You know I, you know, I got the chance to shoot a lot of bows this year in january and, oh my gosh, it seemed like everyone just had such an incredible product that you can't go wrong now.

Zakk Plocica:

I mean, even like I just like we just had a new bow that come through that's getting ready to drop in on the 26th of this month and it's uh, it's pretty impressive. Um, we can't say anything about it yet, but it's, it's a, um, it's a mid price point bow. No, kidding it comes loaded with flagship features.

Kevin Dooling:

Wow.

Zakk Plocica:

Which you know. You look at price point now for a lot of people, a lot of people feel, quote, unquote, priced out.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

You know, a flagship bow is expensive, man. It's an investment.

Kevin Dooling:

Sure.

Zakk Plocica:

And if you're just a casual shooter, it might not be the best choice for you, but some of the mid price point stuff, or at least this one that's coming out is, I think, going to shake things up.

Kevin Dooling:

That's exciting because there's, I can't tell you. You know, I like to try to introduce as many people as I can into this world and the thing that we love. And you know, the first thing they say is I'm not. I'm not so sure about this, because you know who wants to, who wants to go by the midice thing. You know what I'm saying. They want to go all out and then when they see what that investment costs, kind of like the grips, it's kind of a deal breaker.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, and that's the thing though now. So, as technology has advanced, there has been some really good mid-price point bows that have come along. So people I mean because people see flagship and they're like I got to have it, like I got to have it and it's like you don't no you don't. You don't have to have that man. You can have the same capability and be just as lethal with this mid-price point bow. Now, I'm not saying go buy a piece of junk from a big box store.

Zakk Plocica:

You still need to invest in something and have it set up and built for you, but you can get into the sport sub, you know. I mean we've set people up sub 800 who we've sent a, who've killed caribou in alaska. Right, we had a dude that shot a diamond um edge.

Kevin Dooling:

I listened to that, yeah, yeah he, that dude, killed everything and that's crazy because my bow is like three thousand dollars after everything.

Zakk Plocica:

Yep, I've never killed a caribou, I know that dude, and that just goes to show you, like I said, I'm the same way right I'm like a buy once, cry once guy. I want to know and have all the confidence in the world that my equipment's not going to fail me.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, right so.

Zakk Plocica:

I'm willing to invest in my hobby. I always have been.

Kevin Dooling:

Sure certainly.

Zakk Plocica:

I'm the same way with my kids, man, If they're in it. I'm like let's get in it. Dude Certainly.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, dude, certainly.

Zakk Plocica:

Let's hook it up just so, if anything fails, we know it's a shooter or the individual behind the equipment. That's the issue.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

Right, Especially if I'm going to invest a lot of money in a hunt. Oh Dude, I'm not taking a $500 bow out that you know just doesn't have the same tuning features, doesn't hold a tune as well.

Kevin Dooling:

Sure.

Zakk Plocica:

And invest a lot of money on a hunt. I'm not going to do that Right but there's a lot of dudes that do and it can be done, and that dude proved it Right. That dude has killed everything.

Kevin Dooling:

And I hats off to him. I don't have that kind of courage. You look at a. You look at an out West hunt. I went to Colorado a couple of times and I mean each time you went between airfare and four or five thousand dollars deep. I want to make sure that the equipment I'm bringing out there with me is top tier.

Zakk Plocica:

If I can take two. I'm taking two right right because I don't want to be the guy that's sitting it out, because I dropped my bow and now it's derailed, or yes, cam's bent and in those, in those environments?

Kevin Dooling:

uh, it is, uh, it's an environment where that can happen.

Zakk Plocica:

That's a very real, uh, real reality with you know your footing goes right.

Kevin Dooling:

Dump that bow.

Zakk Plocica:

Talk about a hard surfaces out there you know, and you know there's, the terrain in itself is tough to navigate in some places like the. I was just talking to Zach Rhodes and we were talking about all the, the deadfall, where, the, where he's hunted out West. You know just navigating that you know, constantly stepping over stuff. Yes, dude, I want, I want to know that my equipment's tough Right out west. You know just navigating that you know, constantly stepping over stuff. Yes, dude, I want, I want to know that my equipment's tough right, right, reliable.

Kevin Dooling:

I'm actually more concerned about my equipment out there than I am myself, you know like if I roll an ankle or something like I'll just shake it off, you know, or you know, maybe you can make it through it. But like, oh my gosh, if you break a string or you, something happens, you know that's your once a year trip, dude Done.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, no, that's tough man, A lot to think about. So what drew you to Matthews? Have you always shot Matthews bows?

Kevin Dooling:

No, honestly, you know that's good to hear because you know there's a cult following with Matthews and.

Zakk Plocica:

I can't blame the guys right. Matthews is a phenomenal brand. That makes it a phenomenal product. But a lot of those guys got blinders on man. Right and they don't look left or right and won't give anything else a chance. But so you do have experience with other bows.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes, tons, I mean gosh. Growing up I could just my first bow ever. I'll never forget this. My dad got it for me. It was a Fred Bear Odyssey. I think the year was 2000, and gosh, 2005, maybe I don't know, it was around that time somewhere. But um, geez, you know that. From there I went to a diamond and then, um, really started branching off there. So, hoyt Matthews, pfc, pfc, um, you name it, I've had even a Martin. I've had a Darden too.

Zakk Plocica:

I've had pretty much everything oh, you have, so you're okay. That's cool then, because that you know, like we talked about, a lot of guys get locked into one thing and they have no experience. You have a experience with a lot of different brands.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes, a lot just the last few years. I've been really, really impressed with uh, shooting matthew's product. But um, I'm definitely not against. I think we spoke about this a lot in the shop recently. Like I've gotten the chance to shoot a lot of the bows that are coming out these days. Might be a change next year, who knows, you know it's hard, man.

Zakk Plocica:

I think if you get locked into a brand, you're really missing out on some uh yes some cool features, which don't get me wrong. Matthews has nailed it this year, so my favorite thing running the shop is their um limb shift technology. Yes, they tune in those bows.

Kevin Dooling:

Do you have the lift? I have x, you have the x. So that limb shift technology is it works? Oh yeah, I mean we. I'll never forget the getting the call from jr, you know, and he's like, hey, your bow's here. And I was like, oh my gosh, I drove right over here, um, threw a hamski on that thing and, bing, bang, boom, I think four shafts in that bow was ready to rock and roll. I brought, I had my arrows ready to go already and everything for me I'm like what a breath of fresh air.

Zakk Plocica:

I don't gotta press this thing. I don't gotta bust out any axles, uh, which nothing wrong with that, it's just, you know, when you got a line of people that are trying to, especially this time of year.

Kevin Dooling:

I can only imagine you know season's about to begin. What here, less than a month away? Dude, saturday was busy I bet oh my gosh, I was telling joey dude.

Zakk Plocica:

So we got all all of our high-end cameras and stuff. Because we do videos and podcasts, I almost smashed $20,000 worth of cameras this morning I've been trying to shoot one bow video for like seven days and Joey hasn't been here.

Zakk Plocica:

So I was shooting myself because there was a deadline for it. And yeah, dude, it was not pretty, it was rough. That's why we took long. We were messing with stuff this morning. It wasn't good. Or we took long, we were messing with stuff this morning, wasn't good, wasn't good. So back to Matthew. So what drew you to that lift 33 versus the other bows you shot.

Kevin Dooling:

Um, you know, golly, you know, I think I did get the chance. Um, let's see here. I shot the lift. The lift last year, um, and I was like you know what? This is this. But I'm not a buy another bow every single year type of guy. So last year I was like maybe this year Matthews is going to bring out something that I was going to buy. I shot the lift. I was like you know what? Yeah, it's a really nice bow, but you know what I'm going to hold on. I was shooting the year before that. What was I shooting? The V3, I think it was yeah, shooting the v3. I think it was yeah, and I was like you know, but I really still like this bow. Um, so I didn't, I didn't buy, um, the lift and then when that limb shift technology came out, I was like, okay, I think this is what's going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back on this one so do you do a lot of tuning yourself?

Kevin Dooling:

um, a little bit, you know. Um, not not a whole heck of a lot. I don't really have the equipment at home to do it. Um, and it's really nice. I don't live too far away from here, just live down in sneets ferry, so it's easy for me to get here. Um, you guys have all the stuff here and um golly, you got jr and all the other guys here. We got some good guys behind the counter man.

Zakk Plocica:

Uh, but that's the thing that we've noticed, I mean, with this kind of transition to all of this self-tuning capability and I don't want to say it's self-tuning capability, it's just the tuning process is easier, right, so it allows more people to do it. So we've seen a big shift in people taking it upon themselves to learn how to set up and tune bows right. You know, because you know, when we went to total art, back to total archery, challenge all the people we talked to there, I mean, there's a lot of people that don't have access to a good shop yes, that's a lot of people.

Kevin Dooling:

When I was living in indiana, I think the near shop was like an hour away. You know which?

Zakk Plocica:

is tough if you know that there's a small issue. It's like a timing issue right like that bow, the strings have stretched or maybe you're, you know, testing arrows and you've got to commute an hour every time. You're looking.

Kevin Dooling:

Two hours round trip, a full day essentially, which makes it tough right, yeah, and I was working seven days a week up there, so like, oh my gosh, you know when am I going to get the chance to get this fixed, you know? So?

Zakk Plocica:

yeah, so I think that's one thing that we're kind of seeing with this um, with the archery world is more and more I mean just making the tuning process that much easier so people can essentially do it themselves, but people are also getting themselves in trouble with it. Yeah, so if you don't do it every day, it's you're still. I mean, that's what we do every day. We shoot bows and work on bows that's our life, sure so?

Kevin Dooling:

we're very well versed right and I can't, I can't do it. You know what I'm saying. But like golly, it's just, it's so convenient to come down here to the shop, you know. I mean, gosh, you got a nice uh refrigerator out there with cold drinks, you know hang out get yourself a dr pepper and let jr go to town.

Zakk Plocica:

Your bow, that's exactly what I say about camera stuff, right, I, I'm like I can do this myself, but it's going to take me seven days. You know, I've got Joey who's an expert in it and he's like, oh no, just do this as a set up. This I'm like, ah well this is why. I would much rather have you than ever do this by myself, right?

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't tell how many hours I've wasted like trying to figure out a problem and took it into a shop somewhere.

Zakk Plocica:

Oh, there's your problem, I'm like okay, all right Well yep, same way, man, same way.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, if you're not doing it all the time, it is, I mean there's a lot of moving parts still, so agreed, so so you've, so you've had a lot of time to shoot the lift X 33, you know, through the um, through total archery challenge. Now you're approaching hunting season. Have you had any issues with the bow? As far as? Because one of the things that was brought up to me is people are unsure of the lift shift, the limb shift technology, how well it's going to stay in tune, how way it's going to stay time and there's going to be issues with the limbs.

Zakk Plocica:

Have you had any issues?

Kevin Dooling:

So I know the limb issue was big with the lift.

Zakk Plocica:

I was talking about just because the way the limb shift technology works, that technology yeah, okay, if have you had any issues, timing or tuning issues or anything?

Kevin Dooling:

no, not at all. In fact, like, uh, let's see here. A few weeks ago, I shot the bow through paper. I was like you know, what it's been a little bit, maybe strings have stretched. Whatever the case is, there's a lot that could possibly go wrong. Shot through paper bullet hole and you know, let's see. I got the bow in march, I want to say and so that's all. That's a lot of time, that has passed and you shoot, shoot a lot, a lot yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

Are you running the match strings?

Kevin Dooling:

On that. I'm running Twisted X.

Zakk Plocica:

Twisted X strings. Twisted X strings. Okay, and so far so good.

Kevin Dooling:

So far, so good. No string stretch issues. I mean, I've done pretty well with that, but that's another market out there.

Zakk Plocica:

That's like golly, there's a lot of experience with most, I mean for us. We typically run gas strings and that's what. I've run, but the more I see there's more and more companies out there that seem to have had really good results with their string building process.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, and I've had great experiences with gas too. You know, Eric Eric Gregson, Eric Gaspo strings is just top tier guy.

Zakk Plocica:

Yes, I know, and they pump out some strings too, man.

Kevin Dooling:

They're everywhere. Yeah, they exploded, you know they exploded. Yes, good for them.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, they've been fantastic man, Great customer service too Fantastic. So you know we're talking about it. You know shooting this bow. You've had no issues with it, because that was one of the big concerns with people. They're unsure of the technology and I share the technology and I was kind of curious. You've you shoot a lot, have shot a lot, no issues whatsoever. Um, but how does you know we talk about shooting total archery, challenge your bow build. You know you're shooting long distance, uh, targets and stuff. And you know, kind of transitioning to the hunting side, you don't change anything, you still run your bars and everything the same way sight and everything same way, same way I think it's.

Kevin Dooling:

For me it's just the comfortability of having that familiarity yes with the with the same bow, um, even if even if I did, I think, I think the outcome on the hunt would still remain the same. Um, but I think it's just that extra confidence boosting in my head that you know this is the same thing you shot, you know, at 12, at 98 yards on that, on that deer, you know. So you can do it at 17 or 26 or whatever the case is. So right, that's, that's my thing yeah and again, total archery challenge.

Zakk Plocica:

That's kind of what it's based around. Is shooting your bow, hunting rig that right what you run what you brung, what run what you would hunt with? Um and I I'm the same way. So I did build a bow specifically for total archery, challenge that PSE mock 33, but it turns out I'm probably gonna be hunting with that bow too, Um just because I've shot it so much and it shoots so well.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

And, um, like I've got it set up with, I've got like a 12 inch front bar, which this is different for me completely than I've ever done before, cause I'm going to take a very minimalist approach with my, my hunting bows. Like I usually run a six or eight inch bar and that's it Right. There's nothing else on it. With this bow I've got, I've got a sidebar, a back bar on it. I've got that little bit longer front bar I've got. I run a fixed quiver on it that you can't take off.

Zakk Plocica:

I just like how the bow holds with it. And then I've got a HHA the nitric side on it that you can dial, and it's a two pin, which for me, I typically run a three pin horizontal, which is what I've always liked, or a three pin vertical that has the ability to set individually just the pins for a 20, 30, 40.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

So this is a different setup for me, but I'm very, very comfortable with it and it shoots really good.

Kevin Dooling:

Do you like the back bar stuff?

Zakk Plocica:

I do, unfortunately.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh gosh, I love it.

Zakk Plocica:

I will never not shoot a back bar, so welcome to the show it bothers me, and it bothers me that I like it so much because I can sit and shoot that bow. I mean, we shot those targets 120-plus yards and dude, we're in a 10, or at least on a pie plate for me, which is at 120 yards, is I mean that's?

Kevin Dooling:

awesome, that's fantastic.

Zakk Plocica:

So you know your confidence going into anything within 30 yards in the woods.

Zakk Plocica:

Your confidence level is pretty high and I'm looking at it too Like I always always worried about like, ah, just more and more stuff I'm putting on my bow, but it's not that much. Um, it is a little bit more. It adds a little bit more weight to the bow, but it just makes the bow shoot that much better. Right, and not saying every bow needs that, but when the way I've got this bow set up with that, I don't know that I won't have some kind of offset rear bar or something, because on my Mach 30, on my Mach 30, I've got, have you seen the AccuArchery Hunter SOS Elite system? It's that little springy device.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, yes, yes, I think who is?

Zakk Plocica:

it, so Eric Griggs owns that company now too.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, okay, really All right.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, we did a video on it and it's called a Mass-Tune Dampener. Interesting right. It's just a or six inches long and it's on these little metal or some kind of stainless steel cables.

Kevin Dooling:

It kind of looks like a coil.

Zakk Plocica:

It's kind of halfway spun and there's like five ounces of weight on the back and you can offset. You can set it wherever you want on your bow and it's designed to help steady. Your pin float right Because that's what a lot of people have. That pin is just sporadic and it takes and tones that down.

Zakk Plocica:

And again, I'm not, was never big on putting a lot of stuff on my hunting bow. Now I've got this, this mass tune dampener, this sos hunter elite system on my mach 30 which offsets a little bit, so it offsets the weight of the quiver, and that bow shoots lights out no kidding god, I'm turning into the guy right it's, it's got more stuff Definitely works.

Kevin Dooling:

No kidding dude.

Zakk Plocica:

It does, man, I mean, especially as you kind of like. I shot a lot. I've shot more this year than I've ever shot and spent a lot of time really working on technique and form, and I've went to shoot in a hinge majority of the time and my shooting has come a long ways. I think this year as a shooter I have developed more this year than I have over my entire archery journey, and these little things you add to it, I think, do, if they make a noticeable difference sure but I think you've got to be to a point to where you're actually proficient with your equipment, where it's I'm not just saying load your bow down with stuff, because some people do that.

Zakk Plocica:

They just they feel obligated, but you need to test that stuff and see if it actually does hold weight or or improve your shooting right, that's what I love about the back bar system.

Kevin Dooling:

You know, having a front and um, just the ability to add weight to and from the front and back, um, I gotta tell you, I can't tell you how many hours I've spent in my garage adding an ounce here, taking or putting four ounces there, just to get it perfect yeah, so you're, for you're more advanced than I am I just put a bar on there and I was like oh, my gosh and change the angle of it right, right in the pitch of it and I was like this is crazy right, yeah I'll give an example.

Kevin Dooling:

Like my old vxr used to have, I shot in the shop a couple times. They had like 18 ounces of weight on the back bar that thing, but for me that's how I could just get that thing to sit just, just right. You know. So it looks a little silly, but that's okay.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, so, so, and I'll tell you like you talk about carbon bows, right, or these new light, even the Matthews bows, super lightweight, right? Those risers are like you can't take any more material away.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

And you know everyone's like. I want the lightest platform and, yes, light platform is fantastic, Um, but it gives you the ability to add weight where you want to add weight.

Zakk Plocica:

That's the cool thing about, I think, about the carbon bows and these new light platforms is, yes, it's light, but you're going to add weight in areas that are going to make that bow hold better and then your overall weight is still less versus starting with a little bit heavier platform and you're adding weight. That was my takeaway from these, this ultra lightweight stuff. Right, so the the expedition is, yeah, the expedition bows with that magnite material that's super lightweight, and then the matthews. You know, for me, a light shooting, just a lightweight bow on its own is difficult, it's. It floats a lot, but you're able to add weight to where you need to add weight in order for it to shoot much better, right?

Kevin Dooling:

yeah, no, like I'm a big weight at the ends of the bars kind of kind of guy. You know I try not to put like hammer down the weight on the bow Right.

Zakk Plocica:

Exactly. So you can still walk away with an overall lighter package, just placing weight where you want to write the bow, which is kind of cool, but it does require you taking the time to shoot the bow and be familiar with it Because, again, what I see a lot of people do is they see what works for somebody else and they just assume it's going to work for them on their platform, and it's not necessarily the case. You might not need a back bar.

Zakk Plocica:

No, sometimes you might not, you know so depending on what your goals are and how far you're shooting and stuff. So yeah, I don't run a back bar on my super short bow. Um, just that accu archery sos system just to offset that quiver and it dude, I'll tell you what man that made a big difference.

Kevin Dooling:

I want to check those out you've got to play with them.

Zakk Plocica:

We dude, we can't keep them in stock. Really, it's, it's been a big hit this year. Uh, it kills a little bit of vibration in the bow. So again, the bows are already quiet, but it does kill a little bit more vibration or hand shock, if there is any in your bow, and then it just makes that pin settle that much fat.

Kevin Dooling:

I noticed the pin settles on target way faster right, and I spoke about that a little bit earlier, like with the, with me shooting a longer bow, how when you go over that valley and you get to that um, you get the end of your draw cycle. There's always a little bit of a wobble on the riser right and that can be troublesome, you know, for some people, some people, for me especially, like I want, once I get to my wall, I want that, I want that pin to be steady already, like when I'm going into my peep, you know so yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

So what do you? I mean, what does your bow build consist of right now? So break down what you've got 33 inch lift X. What is the? What are? What are all the accessories?

Kevin Dooling:

on, so I'm running the the new site.

Zakk Plocica:

I picked that up. Yeah, you got the the driver.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, that thing's sick, that's a, that is a tight little setup yeah cody showed that thing to me, like like I walked in here one day, like not even trying to buy anything. You know, um cody like opened up a box and just like scooted it in front of me and I was like I at least need to look you know so the bridge lock platform is so light on that thing that, but that site weighs nothing right and there's like the dovetail and I was like what, like three inches long, so like just goes in your riser and that that's it.

Kevin Dooling:

Yep, um, so there's not a whole lot of material there, um, and it's a super solid setup. I really like it. Um, running the hamski, uh, epsilon, yep, rest.

Zakk Plocica:

Gotta love those dude I've shot a lot of different rests right I always go back to a hamski because the reliability that you get and the durability I never have an issue with them.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

Tuning ever Like my bows always shoot good with a ham ski. Like I said, I've run a handful of other rests and the reliability and my confidence in a ham ski is, I mean, I'm all in.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, and I do a lot of trialing. You know what I mean and knowing when I open that bow box and there's nothing going to be crazy going on with the rest, and that is such an important part of the bow your rest is jacked up, nothing else matters, right. Now your bow tuning is now messed up. You know you're just countless things that are wrong now because of that. So I'm running the Hamsky rest and then I'm running the Matthews bars, the Bridge Lock bars.

Zakk Plocica:

Money.

Kevin Dooling:

You can't touch money, buddy. Nope, I like it, I love it. You know those are spectacular, so I'm running. Let's see a 12-inch front bar, 10-inch back bar, running six ounces on the front.

Zakk Plocica:

You run them both fully extended? Yes, okay.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, so six ounces out in the front and then 10 ounces on the back. So quite a bit, quite a bit of weight for a hunting bow right um.

Zakk Plocica:

So that pretty much completes the bow build um. As far as arrows are concerned, hold on. What about your peep sight?

Kevin Dooling:

do you run a standard peep sight or do you run something where you can change the aperture size, standard, okay, yep, like the raptor uh, three, sixteenths, okay, yep, so, and that lines up pretty well with the uh for me, with the uh, with the axle driver sight and everything like that. So, um, yeah, so that pretty much completes that.

Zakk Plocica:

And then you're running the low profile quiver, I assume, on it?

Kevin Dooling:

Yep, I sure am, and then what arrows? Uh, four mils the four mils.

Zakk Plocica:

that's right, that's four mils. What's your overall weight on them?

Kevin Dooling:

Uh, I just put those on a grain scale actually down in Florida. Jeez, those are heavy, very stout, yeah so. I'm running the 50-grain Outsert the titanium.

Zakk Plocica:

Oh, okay.

Kevin Dooling:

So I'm running those and then 150 up front on top of that. So 200 grains up front. I'll be honest, it's a little overkill, you know what I mean. But just again we're talking about playing with our equipment. You know, I ran the 50-grain Outsert, went 100-grain and then I switched to 150 grain I got. I got better arrow flight, a little better consistency down range with the, with the one fifties rather than the one hundreds set up. So I was like, okay, let me, let me try this out. I'm not a crazy, like you know. Got to have a super heavy arrow guy, that's.

Zakk Plocica:

That's that not really that important to me right it just happens to be that that arrow build came out very stout so did you watch the james yates or read any of the james yates study, that aerobalistic study they did?

Kevin Dooling:

I haven't yet okay you've got to it's. I've seen all the uh instagram stuff on it. You know, and I love anything easton. I'm a big easton guy, yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

So, and anything easton that produces out there, I'm interested in it, especially that study dude, yeah, they did a fantastic job on that, like we did a podcast episode solely on it, reviewing the study and kind of covering it, and it's very interesting. So what veins are you running on the back of your?

Kevin Dooling:

arrow AAE, aae Max, dells Max.

Zakk Plocica:

Dells is kind of standard. What about, and what broadhead are you going to run?

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, I don't even know yet.

Zakk Plocica:

You don't know.

Kevin Dooling:

Probably so. I shot the Ironwell 100 grain standards for years. Probably the last shoot five or six years.

Zakk Plocica:

So that was the best performing fixed blade broadhead.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes. So for me again, you know what I mean. I've toyed around with a lot of broadheads over the years. I think like a lot of people, I shot the Muzzies for a few years.

Zakk Plocica:

So you're a fixed blade guy.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, I have nothing against mechanicals, like at all. I think that specifically with the iron will I love it's. The confidence thing for me, you know, is having just that piece of metal up on the front that I know is not going to break. You know they're made of fantastic materials. I'm sharp, you know, um this year, since I did bump up to the one fifties, I'm probably going to switch to the um one 50 wides, um the solid one 50 wides, not single bevels, just the standard, I guess. But um, yeah, it's just having confidence in the equipment and I love that broadhead yeah, I would say so.

Zakk Plocica:

Um, the fixed blade broadhead.

Zakk Plocica:

One of the things that's important is obviously testing your equipment right, especially when it comes to broadheads, because once you put that big blade on the front, there can be a change in the flight of your arrow absolutely and that was one of the cool things that they did in the study, right, they broke down all the different vein configurations, different styles, manufacturers, and then the broadhead testing that they did and the Ironwheel, that 100 grain was like the best performing fixed blade broadhead and then, as far as accuracy and stuff goes, I think it was up in the top for fixed blades and then for mechanicals it was a Severs, there was a Thorn that was in there and I can't remember the other ones, but they were all fairly close right and it really depended on the vein that they ran on the back, depending on how much drag and how much lift was involved.

Zakk Plocica:

In order to correct that aero flight. I think AAE Max Stealth performed pretty well but as far as like the best best performing vein with mechanical overall like quietness, lift, drag, the DCA Super Sabres outperformed it Really.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, we're the number one for mechanical.

Kevin Dooling:

Those are pretty cool looking.

Zakk Plocica:

They're interesting. Yeah, the guy that builds them is super smart, like clearly he's nailed it. Because they're quiet, they steer really well, especially for mechanical. So yeah, that was um. The study was fantastic, man.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, no, I really got to. I got to allocate some time.

Zakk Plocica:

There's so much information in there. It's like you, I had to review it a handful of times and I still. I mean, I can go back and forth. There's something you learn every time yeah, I'll be honest.

Kevin Dooling:

I'll just despite whatever comes out in the study, despite whatever comes out in the study, I'm probably not going to change anything.

Zakk Plocica:

Well, I mean, I don't think, and the thing about it is I don't think anybody should, but it kind of opens your eyes to you know, a lot of manufacturers put stuff out there I've got the best broadhead, I've got the best disc, the best vane or whatnot, and this just I mean this was an unbiased study that was done and just shows you how everything performs and it doesn't. And he still tells you this was shot out of the machine, that there's no flaws or errors in technique, any of that. It's a machine that's on repeat. They were stacking broadheads at 70 yards consistently. Um, and you know they had field field, their field group or field point group had a consistent two to three inch group at 70 yards, depending on the field tips that they use, and then their top performing mechanicals and I think even the iron wheels, like the severs, the iron wheels, and there was a couple other ones. Same thing two to three inch groups at 70 yards. A lot of people are not going to be able to repeat that consistently.

Kevin Dooling:

I can't Right exactly.

Zakk Plocica:

So that's the thing. It just kind of opens your eyes, kind. That's the thing. It just kind of opens your eyes, kind of gives especially for, like, shop owners. It's like, hey, if we're looking at building forgiving setups for shooters, this is kind of our wheelhouse, this is where we should probably put these guys right. Right, it just gives us a good starting point, and then I mean guys that are looking at testing and changing. It just gives you some hard data that you can look at and take into consideration. It doesn't mean it's the right fit for you. I think the right fit comes down to testing.

Zakk Plocica:

You have to do it yourself, especially with a fixed blade broadhead. Fixed blade broadhead. You have to broadhead, tune Like 100%. You need to make sure you broadhead tune that bow Right.

Kevin Dooling:

You don't want to go out into the woods and like, oh, I just slapped this thing on here, not when those guys are running.

Zakk Plocica:

Some of those dudes are running those big 150s or 75s on a compound bow that's shooting 285 feet per second right. You know the the drift that you get on those out past 40, 50, 60 yards starts to become pretty significant, depending on the vein configuration certainly and your technique. So yeah, test your gears. I bet it messes, basically what it comes down.

Kevin Dooling:

It seems like common knowledge, but gosh, you hear the stories you know every year every year, every.

Zakk Plocica:

Well, it's the broadheads fault, you know, it's not me you know, I mean, like I said, I think the season sneaks up on quicker, sneaks up on people quicker than every year. It seems like I mean that's the same thing Everyone feels like they're ready until the season gets here and they're like, ah, it wasn't ready.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

You know, know, now I'm two weeks in and I'm still tinkering and testing. I think a lot of us are guilty of it, but I think it's important that people do get out, and especially the guys that put their bows down like they shoot just for the season. And their bows down it's different for you, it's different for me, it's that we shoot bows all year.

Kevin Dooling:

The guys that don't need to pick it up a little bit earlier right and especially test that bow and a lot of and a lot of these places out there. A lot of guys open up that bow box in August and Lord knows what's right, blow the dust off and Lord knows what's crawling in and out of that bow box. I'm sure you've heard guys, you know mice getting in there or whatever. They keep their bow in like a closet. You know, and they've got this like look at now what you got.

Zakk Plocica:

We had a guy bring a bow in that a mouse ate his strings and cables and it was held on by like two or three threads.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, and guess what? When it's like August 30th, that is yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

Dude lead times on strings are like five or six weeks right now.

Kevin Dooling:

Right right.

Zakk Plocica:

Depending on the manufacturer you go with.

Kevin Dooling:

What people should start doing is just going to all the tacks.

Zakk Plocica:

That's it Throughout the the year you know, dude, it keeps you in it and it's so fun, man, it keeps you shooting a bow and it like re kind of reinvigorates you like yes, get bored.

Kevin Dooling:

No, no, stuff like that yeah you're kind of living on that. You ever notice that when you go to attack and you leave and you're like riding that tack high, you know, until like the next exciting thing yep, yep, I mean, and we go, we try to go to.

Zakk Plocica:

I didn't get to go to as many as I wanted. I was planning on three this year, it just didn't work out. We only got. I was actually planning on four. Excuse me, we only got to do two, just the way things work. Um, but every time I go, man, I mean it's, I'm ready, I'm ready to shoot my bow right, right and we shoot a lot man, but that just makes it fun, man. I mean it's, there's not a better group of people to go out and no just shoot with.

Kevin Dooling:

Everyone's got the same desires there. They're all there for the same purpose. They're all bow hunters too. It's cool seeing the kids. I forgot to mention that earlier. I think my favorite thing about TAG is seeing the families.

Zakk Plocica:

We did a little interview with a little girl who was funny man, she was all about it, she was not about being interviewed. Her parents wanted her to and she was very shy. She was all about being there and shooting. We saw some of the videos. She's little, she's like four or five.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, wow. Yeah, it was cool. She's walking the courses and stuff too.

Zakk Plocica:

Oh yeah, she walked the courses. What a beast, yeah. Her whole family it was yeah.

Kevin Dooling:

I saw grown men like on the urge of tears at the end of Sitka in. Did it take you to do that course six hours? Well, uh, I think more than that.

Zakk Plocica:

I think we started like nine and I don't think we got back until like four o'clock.

Kevin Dooling:

No, sir, that's a long one, but yes, that's a long one.

Zakk Plocica:

So back to pre-season, right? So you always do a pre-season like reconfirm your tune on your bow yes, every every year.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, so around this time, like I said, I shot my bow through paper. Um, a couple weeks ago, we're still money, but there's been seasons where I've pulled the bow out. I shoot all the time, shot it through paper and I've got this crazy tear that I didn't know was there. I'm like surprise, we've got some work to do.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, I'm the same. I would encourage people like a month out, just double check it man. Put people like a month out. Just just double check it, man, even put it through paper yourself or bring it into a shop let them check timing. Put it through paper again, just to make sure everything at least screw your broadheads on.

Kevin Dooling:

You know. Check 20, 30, 40.

Zakk Plocica:

You know what I mean, something like that yeah, if you know you're not shooting past 30 yards, shoot that bow at the 30 yards, sacrifice a broadhead. Make sure that thing's shooting true, because if not, I mean that's the last thing you want. You're on a, a hunt and you know you've got to shoot that thing and it's all over the place, the thing you dream about for years and years and you don't want it to boil down to something so easy?

Zakk Plocica:

Yes, very easy. What about as far as, like your actual hunting gear? Do you hunt out of a hang-on stand or I'm running Lone Wolf, lone Wolf.

Kevin Dooling:

Custom Gear Dude Lone wolf. Custom gear 0.75.

Zakk Plocica:

You can't touch money, buddy. You got it dude. Talk about in it deep.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, I live in a box, actually Turns out. I'm moving out front guys, you guys hiring I need a part-time gig for this. Yeah, I gotta my wife there. You know she is like golly, anytime I buy something, she never gives me grief about it and I'm always like hey, can I, can I buy this? She's like if that's what's gonna make you happy, go ahead, dude, she's the best I'm a firm believer and you get one life.

Zakk Plocica:

You need to have a hobby at least one hobby um, and if it makes you happy, it gives you peace of mind. That's your relaxing thing. There's nothing wrong with investing in it. You've checked all the other boxes.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes.

Zakk Plocica:

Everything else is taken care of family life and everything.

Kevin Dooling:

I think everybody needs a hobby that they're passionate about and keeps them going Right Because, if not, man Along with my kids and my family, I think that hunting and archery and just the outdoors in general is what it's why I go to work. I work so that I can support myself and my family in these hobbies, you know. And going back to the lone wolf, the justification for that, as a towing wife, I said this is a very safe product and this could potentially save my life. You know what I mean. So she's like well then, absolutely, you know but I mean you can't argue with it.

Zakk Plocica:

I mean, you know, but I mean you can't argue with it. I mean, yeah, I, I, I too. I mean I think your bow, I mean invest in a good bow, within which, with whatever's within your budget, and then, equally as important as the gear, you're climbing 20, 30 feet in a tree.

Kevin Dooling:

You need something that's reliable right, that actually is built well and that you have confidence in, and for the, for the guys that are mobile hunting, whether it be a saddle saddle, whether it be a lock on stand, whatever the case is, golly, as long as you're, we prep our equipment, our true equipment. Go out there and climb a tree a couple times before the season starts yeah, nothing worse than going out opening and forgetting.

Zakk Plocica:

You know your, your order of operation for how you pack your your. You know your kit, your sticks, your platform or you know, heaven forbid, you didn't check your lineman's belt or your tether Right.

Kevin Dooling:

You don't want to find that mistake at. You know 25 feet up.

Zakk Plocica:

Dude. I've known a handful of people that have fallen, just, and it all comes down to just neglecting stupid little things.

Kevin Dooling:

That is a life-changing occurrence. Yes, you know. Yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

You go from being a capable individual to not Right.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, you go from being a capable individual to not right Real quick.

Zakk Plocica:

So if you're even that, lucky, yeah. If you're not lucky, yeah, I think it's important, man, make sure you check over your stuff. But so you killed a big hog and I want to go back to broadheads in a minute. So you killed a really big hog last year in October.

Kevin Dooling:

Yes, yeah, I was down in Florida. I was scouting out your Instagram, yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

And that's at the top.

Kevin Dooling:

heavy was that thing gosh, it was like 240 that thing was a hoss. It had some big tusks on it, yes, it's at the tax rush right now I grew up in florida, so like I've killed a bunch of hogs and I've never gotten a hog mounted or anything like that, but but that particular one, um, that one had to go you know that thing was a monster.

Zakk Plocica:

So what broadhead did you shoot that with?

Kevin Dooling:

I shot that one with. Let's see, I shot with iron will.

Zakk Plocica:

You did Mm-hmm. Okay, so the 100-grain iron will.

Kevin Dooling:

That was it. Yep, I was shooting. Let's see. I forget which bow I shot it with, but definitely there's a 100-grain iron will. I've got the video of it too. It's pretty cool. I'll show you one of these days. But were you? Were you in a tree or were you off the ground? So I was. I was up and, uh, I was actually hunting my buddy's hunt club down in florida and they've got these like really cool box stand things that they put up into these oak hammocks. Um, they're really really nice, right next to corn feeders and everything like that, which isn't my typical way of bow hunting.

Zakk Plocica:

But I mean most people hunt hogs. That's kind of what you see.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, it's kind of. I mean they're so South Florida, I mean it's palmettos as far as the eye can see. It's like what are you going to stalk them? You can't. You know what I mean. So really, I mean it's sure there's some areas where you can, if you catch a hog in a flag pond or out in a field or whatever the case is, Sure, tree stand one day and that's that's cool too. But but if you're specifically hog hunting kind of the feeder is really the the way to go for that?

Zakk Plocica:

no doubt so you. So you run the same broadhead for deer and hogs, so you have a one. You're just comfortable and confident with all that yes, I've shot.

Kevin Dooling:

I think I've shot four animals with the, those iron wheels, those hunter grain standard ones, and I have, I did not have a single, and even that big hog, he went, he went 20.

Zakk Plocica:

So you're a good shooter, Juan. So what about blood, though? Do?

Kevin Dooling:

you have any blood trailing issues. No, I'll tell you that when I first bought, I bought those broadheads for an elk hunt and I didn't shoot an elk on that particular hunt. I was like you know what, If they can kill an elk, they can probably kill a deer and I shot. The first animal I killed with those iron wheels was a kansas buck in 2020 and I was a little apprehensive because you know you were preached as a archery community oh, we gotta have this gigantic cut.

Kevin Dooling:

You know, um shot those tiny little iron wheels, shot this deer right through the heart 20 yards and he went 20 yards and died. And I shot a another buck and shot two bucks in indiana neither one of them went 20 25 yards and I shot. I shot a another buck and shot two bucks in Indiana neither one of them went 20-25 yards. And I shot that pig in Florida. Um, quartering away, hit the offside shoulder and I've got it on video. He went up into the high grass, went 20 yards, squealed a couple times and he died. Blood all over the ground. Damn, yeah, now shot placement is king, king, yeah, absolutely, yeah, so you're clearly a good shooter.

Zakk Plocica:

I mean you spend a lot of time behind the bow, um. But so I had. So my biggest thing with so, like east coast, right, it's really thick, um, and it's really green here all year. So the only problem I had with so I shot a. I've shot strickland helix broadheads, single bevel, fantastic broadhead right dude like flight on those things phenomenal.

Zakk Plocica:

Um, you're never gonna have a pass-through issue when it comes to a fixed blade broadhead, like those single bevels or anything like that my biggest complaint was when I shot it um, it zipped right through, right through the heart, busted out that other um that left side shoulder, and buried in the ground. But the blood just wasn't good and it was so thick where I was and she didn't go but 45 yards no kidding and she went down, but she buried in stuff that was so thick it was so hard for me to find her and that wound channel just closed up on me really are there bleeders on those that you're shooting yes oh, so you have bleeders, okay, so mine did not have bleeders on them and I think that's one of the bigger differences, um is that wound channel just closed up pretty quick on the opposite side and blood just I just wasn't getting the blood.

Kevin Dooling:

It's crazy to hear you know different people's reactions to you know what their experiences are. Yeah, it's, it's really something you know and I, and I will say that, uh, and I'm, and I'm guilty of this too when talking about the iron wheels Once somebody kills a big buck with a broadhead like that is it, and there's some remarkable, remarkable engineers out there making a great broadhead product these days.

Zakk Plocica:

Absolutely, I would agree, man. I think it's just shoot whatever you're comfortable with, but you need to check it and true it and make sure it's shooting correctly and again, shot placement.

Zakk Plocica:

Shot placement is king with a bow. I mean, make sure it's shooting correctly. And again, shot placement shot placement is king with the bow. I mean, people forget that too. And we, you know, we talk about the heavy poundage bows. People like I can punch right through a shoulder blade, like well, that's not necessarily the goal, right? Right, you're still waiting for that perfect, you know, window of opportunity as a bow hunter I think that's most bow hunters would agree is you're within, you're so close to them, right?

Zakk Plocica:

That's the difference in bow hunting. You're on top of this animal, you're right there within their wheelhouse. You're within, you're so close to them, right? That's the difference in bow hunting. You're on top of this animal, you're right there within their wheelhouse. You're waiting for everything to line up. And it's taking that extra second, letting him or letting that animal step like you need it to. So it gives you that perfect shot, versus forcing a shot that isn't necessarily a good shot, and then you end up, you know, either wounding or just losing an animal yeah you know shot placement is go back to it as king.

Zakk Plocica:

Doesn't matter if you're shooting 80 or 90 pounds.

Kevin Dooling:

You still need a good right opportunity, yeah, and I get you a lot of heat for that, because I hunt with a hinge. I hunt with hinge and that's something that gosh. I was hunting with hinge for probably the last six, seven years, you know, and when I first started doing it there was definitely not a lot of people. Nowadays, it seems like a lot of people are are making that, making that switch as well if.

Zakk Plocica:

If I've been shooting this thing, I feel like I may, so I go back and forth. I've got a thumb buttons, I've got hinges and then I've got. I got the new stand not new, but it's been out, it's fairly new last two years, a year or so. The stand Solex, the actual wrist release. I like shooting that too. Um, but I shoot my hinge at distance really really well on that mock 33. So it makes me think, you know maybe, I'll just run a hinge this year.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, I've been. I'm still undecided. I like it, you know, and, uh, I this conversation has been brought up um several times with me. You know, when people find out I shoot a hinge when I hunt and stuff, they're like what, if you need to, what, if you need to send one real quick, well then that's not a good shot opportunity. You probably shouldn't. I think levi morgan actually said that in a podcast a couple years ago. Um, and that's where I was like man, I really am making the right decision when I'm shooting a hinge because it's gonna, it's gonna, it's, it's what you're used to, number one and number two. You know you are, you're gonna make a good shot if you're using the release properly.

Zakk Plocica:

You know that's what?

Kevin Dooling:

that's the idea. We don't want to rush a shot when it comes to yeah, that's not the goal, I mean people will justify whatever they want.

Zakk Plocica:

To justify, right, I mean, look at, I mean the same thing with studies for anything. Cereal's good for you, cereal's bad for you.

Kevin Dooling:

It depends who's running the study this morning, you know it's fun.

Zakk Plocica:

It depends who's putting it out there Right comes down to the individual behind it. Um, again, I mean, that's what's whatever you're comfortable with. So you know, I don't think there's the thing about archery and bow hunting, is there's not unnecessarily a right answer? There's a ton of ways to do this so I think people really get caught up and jump on the bandwagon with stuff right, the archery community, we eat our own.

Kevin Dooling:

I don't get it, oh my gosh. Yeah, I, you know, I grew up in the archery community, obviously, obviously I've shot a bunch of different clubs, been to a billion different shops and, golly, I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a shop or go to a specific archery club in some other state, had a Matthews and it's, you know, predominantly a Hoyt club, and like I'm a kid, you know what I mean and like people are like, oh my gosh, look what this guy just brought in. It's like, okay, you know, oh, yeah, you told me about that.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, you were down south right, mm-hmm, yeah, okay.

Kevin Dooling:

And that's one thing I got to tell you, the one thing I really love about extreme outfitters you know, it really doesn't matter Some guy could bring in a bow that you guys don't even sell, and nobody in this shop is going to give this guy grief for what he's bringing in here. Um, because you're you're scaring people away from the sport of archery, you know, oh you bought a piece of crap.

Zakk Plocica:

You know what I mean. Come on, it's literally the worst that might have been in their budget. They might have got it for a good deal so it's always been important to me that we take and we spend the time with everybody that comes through the shop, whether they're buying a bow, they're interested in a bow, they're, they need help with what they've got, and that's why my shop carries so many different brands. Right it's. I always wanted to be an archery shop, not a hoyt shop, a matthew shop right a one particular brand shop.

Zakk Plocica:

I wanted to be an archery shop that offered options for everybody that came through the shop so that they could find what they're comfortable with and if that's a 329 price point, bow to for them to get into the sport and get started. That's what it is. There's nothing wrong with that. Everybody's budget and lifestyle is different.

Kevin Dooling:

Right.

Zakk Plocica:

Right, yeah, I wouldn't know. I don't understand that it's weird, but you know, I mean, I think we've seen a lot of those shops go away though too.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, yeah, and it's becoming very, it is it?

Zakk Plocica:

is You've? I mean archery shops. Um, you know, I've talked to John Winker, the owner of first flight, uh, cause I'm friends with all the shops that are around us. Um, which is cool, cause we kind of you know, I get it A lot of these guys have been in it for a lot longer than I have, and I seek them out for advice and you know they're more than well, um, willing to help out here.

Zakk Plocica:

It is man I mean I mean we had a shop right down the road. I'm friends with the guy. I mean his name's Ryan. He runs Eastern Outfitters.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

Good dude, I mean, I send people there.

Kevin Dooling:

Like, if we don't have stuff.

Zakk Plocica:

I send people down the road because we'd rather you get it when you need it than first have to wait or not be able to get it.

Kevin Dooling:

So yeah, I think it's important, man, I mean as the archery community as a whole, that we I mean you're understanding you're open-minded and you're willing to help people out, because I mean even I mean even guys that aren't directly involved in like shops still turn their nose up to some people.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, Like you said we're eating our own.

Kevin Dooling:

For what? Golly, yeah, Um, yeah, and I'll tell you what if it weren't for a few select people in my life, early on in the in the archery world, I probably would not be here right now. You know, I think, I think archery has led, led me to, you know, into certain circumstances in my life. Um, you know, had had I not run into certain people at my archery club when I was a kid and I probably would have dropped it and then I wouldn't have met other people who might, you know, introduce me to other people and other people, I would have never gone to Kansas, or you have never gone to Kansas, or you know any of these other States and hunted had it not been for, you know, certain things to happen.

Kevin Dooling:

these good people in my life, that's it.

Zakk Plocica:

So and I think that's important too Like you don't realize the impact you're having on people that you come in contact with. So it's always been very important to me that you know you're kind, um, you're open-minded and willing to talk to people. Um, you know, because you might be that last line of defense to keep them in the game because they're so burned out where they've been or they just haven't got good advice or, you know, people haven't given them the time of day. But I mean, you go to Total Archery Challenge and John Dudley. Everybody knows John Dudley. Everybody's got an opinion about John Dudley, but everyone I've seen interact with him. He has taken the time to stop what he's doing and talk with them, help them, show them things not trying to sell anything to them, just be helpful. He went and sat down and had lunch with a guy who was, you know, in Seven Springs. He was just sitting there and they sat down and had lunch together.

Kevin Dooling:

That's so cool.

Zakk Plocica:

It's important man, because people look up to individuals within the community as idols and you know the last thing you want to do is, you know, turn somebody off and burn them. And then that's the end of the sport for them, and as we lose people, that's the last thing we need.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, a guy I work with went up to PA and shot Same pictures of him and John Dudley and like he brought like six I don't even know how many kids he's got, he's got a lot of boys and he brought them all up to PA. I think it was like him and a friend of his son's actually too. But he said like John Dudley talked to them forever.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, you know, so my hat's off.

Kevin Dooling:

You know what I mean. That's awesome Signed autographs the whole nine yards.

Zakk Plocica:

That's cool man. It's important, it's very important, Like you've got to take the time to say hey, have to somebody did it for me.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, absolutely. Yep. Well, it's funny, john Dudley. We were talking to him about it. He was he when he was younger. It was something to do with WWE or wrestling or something, and he was telling us about it that he wanted to get a picture with one of the guys and they were at a restaurant, I believe. So, john Dudley, if you're watching this, which you're probably not, so correct me if um, but when we were up there he was talking about it was some wrestling star and he wanted a picture with him, and the dude basically just blew him off and was rude as can be and he was like that was my moment. I never wanted to be like that.

Kevin Dooling:

He said don't meet your heroes. That's it. That's what he said don't meet your heroes. Man instantly ruined.

Zakk Plocica:

Instantly ruined, yeah. So yeah, it's important, man. Sorry, John.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, dude, I know I was bummed out for him. Yeah, I'm here to have fun. You're going to bring me down like this. It's a total archery challenge.

Zakk Plocica:

But I mean, that's one of the things he's built, I think his following around is being people has he brought into this sport. Like rogan, that was huge, you know. Yeah, I mean it's yeah, couldn't ask for, uh, I think, more influential individual within the sport. I mean even chris b, he was super cool yeah he's I mean he's very laid back looking yeah, but when you go talk to him.

Kevin Dooling:

He's very polite very yeah very easy to talk to still pretty angry about him shooting that buck in Kansas though.

Zakk Plocica:

Oh yeah, I'm jelly. I'm a jelly belly. Yeah, he killed a stud, yeah.

Kevin Dooling:

Gosh, yeah, public land that's impressive.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, you've killed a lot of animals, though You've had a pretty good bow hunting career Pretty good.

Kevin Dooling:

Gosh, you know I've had a lot of mistakes. Golly, I look back in time and if I had for every, for every buck I've got on the wall of the house or any any piece of taxidermy, I've probably got 10 failures for each one of those and I that's that's one thing I could give out to the or send out to the new guys coming into the archery world. It's like you are going to screw up so much before you actually seal the deal. I think it was golly I, six, seven years before I actually ever killed a buck with my bow dude.

Zakk Plocica:

So like, yeah, I would, I would agree. Man, my first deer I ever shot was not a good. It was not good dude. I got into archery so wrong. I wasn't fitted, tuned, set up, I just got a bow and I was like oh, I'm a bow hunter yeah, and wandered out in the woods and spined a deer yeah it was terrible. I never dude I was shooting a 350, 400 spine arrows all in the same quiver, different lengths.

Kevin Dooling:

Probably different veins, different feel, the whole nine.

Zakk Plocica:

I knew nothing man, that's why my shot dude? It's so important to me that we educate people and help them through the process and just lessen that learning curve. Yeah.

Kevin Dooling:

I was so lucky, you know, when I first started out, when I was a little kid. This archery club in my hometown was called Lee County Archers, down in Florida, and I'll tell you what most of those guys that mentored me they've all passed on by now, but you know the way that they brought me in to make sure everything was good, free of charge, of course. You know they took care of me as a young man.

Zakk Plocica:

And I'm here today and I'm shooting today and, um, and I'm hunting today because of those guys. For sure, dude, I talked to um. There's a guy named Mr Mr Bobby Bobby Cowan. I did a podcast with him the other week. He's been bow hunting since seventies. They had bows back then, dude, that's what he was talking about you basically went to a hardware shop and bought it and there was no tuning, setting up or fitting no kidding just you get what you get and you shoot.

Kevin Dooling:

He was like the jaw length was way too long.

Zakk Plocica:

Arrows they were all aluminum arrows, but there was no one knew, there was no information. So even the guy selling you the bows were kind of like oh, here you go here's your product.

Kevin Dooling:

Oh, your arrows are over there in that box.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, and he did, and I mean he, they were hunting out of. You know, we look at our stands and stuff that we got now super lightweight, mobile, all this. He had a climber that just had a base that you had to just climb up the tree and shimmy there's nothing to attach you to a tree. It's made of wood, so you know how heavy that thing yes, probably 48 pounds or something like that, you know climbed up a tree with this thing and he got so excited trying to get down.

Zakk Plocica:

He could not get down fast enough. He threw his bow out of the the stand and he jumped down, hurt his ankles like just an incredible dude, like how we learned it's amazing how much things have evolved over the years and how quickly they have evolved. And you look at it, everyone's like there's nothing new in these bows.

Zakk Plocica:

There's so much new technology, maybe not year over year, but when you look at five years or 10 years, five-year increments big that's the big jump that you see in technology and I think, um, you know guys, we see guys that are still shooting bows from like early 2000s. They're all shooting the same speeds. It's not the speed we're looking at, it's the efficiency that you're getting out of the pose now, the tunability, the comfort that you're getting, the ability to shoot a higher poundage with less effort. There's so many things you know and, like I said, I don't think it's year over year, I think it's every three to five years.

Kevin Dooling:

You really see a bigger transition or or um technology advancement, essentially yeah, it's kind of like the the ride at Disney world, the with the progress ride. I don't know if you've been on that thing. It talks about like, oh, from the twenties to the forties to the sixties, you know what I mean. Like that, that evolution over over time.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, yeah, it's my favorite thing because it's aced. It was hot, you know. So did you get to catch me at disneyland or whatever in the summertime? Oh god, dude, too many people. Well, that, and like golly.

Kevin Dooling:

They charge you five bucks to go to the bathroom in that place. You know what I mean. Everything costs money, buddy everything costs money.

Zakk Plocica:

So you, um, you're active duty still, yeah, yeah, and you bow hunt, obviously do. You do a lot of bow hunting on base. Yes, is that like your main?

Kevin Dooling:

mainly where you focus on is base absolutely yeah, I mean, for I'll tell you I've been stationed a lot of places around the world. You know, um, before I was on recruiting duty I was down in south carolina. I was part of a club. There had a lease and everything like that, because the hunting on base was just kind of like yeah, you know whatever um here, golly, camp lejeune, massive, you know um there's some pretty good, pretty good clientele on that base.

Zakk Plocica:

As far as as far as deer go, there's good deer killed every year on base.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah yeah and uh yeah. So we have a primarily a hunt on base around here so is it, I mean?

Zakk Plocica:

and so obviously that's different than just hunting out in town, right? Yes the access is limited to um active duty, retired and whatnot right and the thing that I always see because I've never hunted base um is, the biggest issue is you have to check out where you can actually hunt right yes. Yes, and the sections or whatnot that you can hunt. And it's funny man, because guys are like oh man, I'm on some really good deer this year and every time they go to hunt that section or part of base isn't open.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, like somebody's going to steal a giant or something like that, and it's like oh, when that area comes open, like this Saturday when there's nobody training in that area, I'm going to go kill them. And then Saturday morning they wake up and they're waiting for the areas to open up on the app and it's like area whatever closed. You know and you're like okay, so then now you have to. Your whole mental process has to change. Okay, the wind is going here, so now I have, you know, your, your, your approach completely changes now.

Zakk Plocica:

So how do you counter that? So do you have multiple places picked out that you've already scouted?

Kevin Dooling:

yes, so my onyx profile. It looks ridiculous. I mean I've just got. I mean it looked like a kid's face with acne, you know, just just boom, just tons of red dots all over the place, you know so, and you, you pre-scout pretty early.

Zakk Plocica:

Are you done scouting now?

Kevin Dooling:

I would. I would say so right now. I'm just. I think the last time I went scouting was, um, early in the summer, um, and frankly, I was just trying to, I was just. I found a new area. Um, as I was driving around one day on base, I was like I really need to check that out, because I didn't. I tried to do my scouting in the spring, yeah, um, just because it's not, it's not crazy hot, you know, and um, you can kind of get a good idea of what, what's what the fall is going to look like in there. So I try to stay out of there as best I can, because they've already got a lot going on on base. They've got people doing training in there. There's a lot of.

Zakk Plocica:

There's a lot of different hurdles you've got to kind of jump over with base.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, I mean Different rules, you know.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, that does make it kind of tough.

Kevin Dooling:

Each base has different rules. That's the other thing I've of tough. So each base has different rules, that's the other thing. And I've hunted a bunch of different military bases and this base you can't park here. That you can't park there. You have to check in this, where this place. You have to go to the game ward office, check in and out.

Zakk Plocica:

It's hard every year there's guys that come in here like, yeah, I can't hunt on base again they get in trouble or something but and it's, and it's not intentional yeah but they just neglect and whether it's they forget to check out that's a big one. I see guys forget to check out.

Kevin Dooling:

I set an alarm on my phone, like while I'm in the stand I'm like, hey, don't forget to check out. I'll set like 20 alarms because I like I do not want to be in that predicament where I can't like the only thing, the only access I had to hunt, is gone. Yeah, that's what makes me happy. Then what am I supposed to do? Just twiddle my thumbs till next year?

Zakk Plocica:

you know, have the public here and you know.

Kevin Dooling:

Compete with all the guys running dogs and stuff. You know Exactly, Compete with the dog hunters.

Zakk Plocica:

So a majority of your access. Are you accessing anything by water?

Kevin Dooling:

I haven't scouted any areas to do that Gotcha, but I've made the investment to oh have you. I bought a kayak. It's camouflage, nice big white browning sticker, a little deer head, you know, on the top side of it.

Zakk Plocica:

Is it a fishing kayak?

Kevin Dooling:

It is a fishing kayak but it's it's kind of short and stubby. It's got one, it's a, it's got one of those seats where you kind of sit a little elevated and it's got the you know the elastic like little basket in the back where I put stuff in it and everything like that and if I kill a bruiser we might have a little bit of a problem. I was going to say have you ever tried to paddle out a deer.

Zakk Plocica:

No, I haven't Dude so, Brian, you know Brian.

Zakk Plocica:

Oh yeah, Dude, he's got that John boat that he had last year. He killed a good deer last year and he put it on the front of the John boat. He was like dude, I didn't think I was going to get out, it was just me and the deer Was that the wedding? Yes, oh boy, he comes out there. There's a wedding going on. You just got a dude like george washington, yeah, on the back of the boat running this motor with a dead deer on the front and he's going through their pictures. Thanks a lot, brian. Yeah, dude, he made it memorable I love it.

Zakk Plocica:

I love it yeah but you guys can't run cameras on lejeune no, we cannot so that's one of the other things that's you're you're fighting against. Is you gotta basically go off of eyes and what you've seen? Right so, old Intel.

Kevin Dooling:

And you know what I'm I'm it's irritating because it's fun to look at game channel pictures and stuff, but I don't mind in another sense, because it's like okay, now we all have to, we have to, we have to look at the ground, we've got to we got to level the playing field.

Zakk Plocica:

Yep, and it keeps you in the hunt because I don't know about for you, like when it comes to cameras, it I noticed it discourages a lot of people from getting in the woods guilty dude, because you're like there's no picture on. There turns out that deer's just skirting that camera. Because, yeah, it's only covering like this.

Kevin Dooling:

You know, I'll tell you real quick. Uh, clayton coil, he's the guy that shot that elk in the chest a few years ago. Um, you know, the one where blood goes everywhere, it's got luminox. You know, in the elk's chest. Um, I've become pretty good buddies with him. And uh, you know, through going to archery shows and stuff like that, and uh, it's november 23, I killed that bigger buck in. Uh, indiana and I we had like nine straight days of a south wind. It was in the 70s, it was like November the 8th, and I remember a message I was like I'm not getting any trail cam pictures. I've had south winds, you know, for the last eight or nine days. What do I do? Like what do you think? He's like go sit in a tree stand. I'm like, well, I don't want, just not, he's not going as far away from his bedding area. And, sure enough, at the next day at noon I shot that buck and that was in november that was in november and it was like 77 degrees when I killed that deer jesus.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, and I had you know what? I did have pictures of that morning with cameras, people walking in and out of the woods at like nine o'clock in the morning and I killed, we killed a one, 55 at at noon, jesus.

Zakk Plocica:

So yeah, that's that right there. That goes to show you, man, people really get over um invested in the camera side of things.

Kevin Dooling:

It's great for collecting Intel and then had I listened to that Intel, I'd be here right now going yeah, indiana sucks.

Zakk Plocica:

You know what I mean. So, yeah, no, that's funny, man, I see a lot of guys that get hung up on that. But I also have some good friends who have gone back from just relying solely on um cameras and just reinvesting in themselves essentially and you know how good of a hunter am I really utilizing, you know, eyes on the ground with a glassing reading sign and just going back in and hunting and I think it really reignites the fire for some people and keeps it more fun. Right, because you just you, you never know.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

Right. Your expectations are all. There could always be a deer.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, and that's what I think I love and hate about the rut. You know, because of the bucks that you get trail cam pictures of, like golly, that deer, what you had a picture of him yesterday, he could be three, especially some of the big timber areas over there, maybe four or five miles away. When you're hunting this deer by a truck, right, that too, um, but then at the same time that deer that was four or five miles away might cruise right down by you that morning. You've never seen before it's, it's, it's the, it's, it's the unknown what might happen right?

Zakk Plocica:

so again, you've killed a lot of good deer. You've killed a lot of good deer. You've killed a lot of animals. Early season tactics Are you only hunting evenings?

Kevin Dooling:

I ask pretty much everyone this. You know I tend to try to just hunt evenings, but I'll tell you I've seen some guys kill some big bucks in the morning, early season. I'll probably hunt a couple mornings this year, but I'll probably focus mainly on evenings.

Zakk Plocica:

So when do you transition to mornings? Is it whenever the rut kicks off, more so when the weather changes?

Kevin Dooling:

I think we get that first frost, um, so, like I don't know what it'll be like around here, probably late october. Oh, yeah, yeah, you know, like when it snowed, that was our first frost. Yeah, um no, but yeah, probably late, late october. Mid-october and whenever you start getting those 40-degree mornings is probably when I'll start making that transition.

Zakk Plocica:

Do you like mornings or evenings more?

Kevin Dooling:

I've killed majority of my bigger bucks in the morning.

Zakk Plocica:

That's everybody.

Kevin Dooling:

But I shouldn't say that because I've shot my majority of my bigger bucks middle of the day.

Zakk Plocica:

Okay, midday.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, so it obviously starts with a morning sit and I'm sitting there, so um when will you sit all day just during the rut? Um, I don't like to admit it, but but yeah, you know, I think it's. It's very hard um for me to sit there, you know December 15th, and sit all all day long, knowing full well that the likelihood of something walking by at noon when they have really no reason to it's hard mentally.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, and by that time too, you're pretty drained or burnt.

Kevin Dooling:

it seems like a lot of people.

Zakk Plocica:

Especially if you hunt hard, if you have the ability to hunt hard. So how does your tactics change early season through, as the season kind of evolves? I mean you hunt um afternoons in the early season, you're focused on food. The rut kicks off. How do you kind of transition throughout the season? What changes for you?

Kevin Dooling:

yeah. So I think what you know. Obviously, early season I'm going to hunt, primarily a food source, in the evening or or especially around here, if you can find a fresh water source, that's pretty golden too, um. But when we get a little bit closer to the rut, I'm not just here, but you know in other states that I'm going to hunt as well. I'm gonna, I'm gonna transition to pinch points. You know, I'm gonna transition to heavy travel corridor type areas, and it also depends on the weather too, because if I get a really hot day and I don't think that deer is going to go that far, especially if I've got eyeballs on a deer in a bedding area, frequently using a bedding area I'm going to get as close as I can to that bedding area and sit as long as I can, because if it's a warmer day they're not going to venture that far from it, right.

Zakk Plocica:

And then do you still hunt late season here.

Kevin Dooling:

Late season seems tough, here it does. Yeah, I hunted. It's funny. Last year I hunted, I had late season and there's a lot of sets right.

Zakk Plocica:

I just didn't see anything, yeah I was like I, because it's real easy early season, so hot. You're like, ah, I get them later yeah, you know, I'll wait. Later comes and later comes and there isn't, you're like where you're at yeah, and they deal with so much trauma, especially around here.

Kevin Dooling:

There's so much pressure on these animals.

Zakk Plocica:

Golly, yeah, I like getting in early, getting my work done here and being done. I still like sitting. I like going and hunting in the late season because I like the weather so much better. But I have way less luck late season.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, they have some PTSD or something you know. The deer are just like they are on edge.

Zakk Plocica:

Well, think about it. Off base they're running dogs three, 65 for all the trials and all the training and everything that they do. So these deer are like you ask anybody. They come to North Carolina East coast and they're like these deer are a little crackheads, yeah get away with more.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, then you can't hear. It seems like to me, like you, they're just on edge. Yeah, I think uh, the base as well. Um, just because there's so much training that is going on, I mean uh infantry company that's doing training in the woods does not care if that is a deer bedding area over there. If I was like in charge of it might be like, hey, avoid, avoid this area.

Zakk Plocica:

You know what I mean, because there's a big old buck in there, you know.

Kevin Dooling:

But the average United States Marine over there on the base is not concerned about the big buck that I know about. That's better than there which can be very frustrating when that thing disappears and you're like, why did that happen? You find out they did a training exercise in there or something.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, well, that's why I heard why they got rid of trail cameras too is because during the training exercises I don't know what unit it was, um, but apparently they had captured some stuff on the trail cameras that they shouldn't have and that was released to the public, and something like that ruined it. Because you can still run trail cameras up at cherry point and brian does. It's just lejeune, right? So that's a bummer. Yeah, you know it's good and bad, but you can't bait on base either. No, you cannot. You can't leave your stands out. So there's a lot of rules and things that you've got to kind of uh, make sure you're uh, in touch with yes, so you don't screw it up.

Kevin Dooling:

Read the rule book for crying out loud yeah, yep, yep yep, yep, all right, dude.

Zakk Plocica:

So season's almost here. You got everything pretty much ready, ready to roll as far as. So we get through this year and do you see yourself potentially moving to a new bow next year?

Kevin Dooling:

you say now uh well, it depends on what the wife wants for christmas I think yeah it's an expensive time of year for me. I've got christmas, and then my my youngest was born, uh, january 17th. And then we've got, let's see here, uh, then my daughter's birthday on february the 18th. Oh forgot, my wife's birthday is on the 8th of January. So we got 8th of January, 17th of January, 20th of February, yeah, february 20th, and then we have our anniversary on March the 8th. It's just boom, boom, boom boom, boom.

Zakk Plocica:

Your life is like mine then, because mine's in January, my wife's in February. Then our anniversary comes up.

Kevin Dooling:

Then my stepson and then my, my youngest son. Then it dude, we're yeah, it's an expensive time of year, you know, and then turkey season rolls around. I'm I'm blowing money on that too, you know. Yeah, but it's a distinct possibility, it is, it's easy to say so.

Zakk Plocica:

We all I I get a new bow every year because of what we do right so I like to stay up on top of all the latest and greatest. Uh, but you know, these bows you can hold on for a long time and with you know, you buy one bow, the bow. This year the technology is not going to advance so much that you feel left out.

Kevin Dooling:

Right, yeah, especially like you got a lift axe, I mean, yeah, I don't know how they're going to improve from that.

Zakk Plocica:

But I question every year, but there's always something.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica:

They always do something that's impressive. We shall see. I'm very curious.

Kevin Dooling:

That time is getting pretty close too.

Zakk Plocica:

Dude, we're there, man, like two or three more months, I think. And then we got the new bows start dropping, so fun time of year. Yeah, fun time of year, overwhelming Lots of bow testing. A lot of bow comparisons, lots of bow comparison, man. Hopefully we can make time for it all. Well, what else you got, kevin? One piece of advice you'd leave somebody new getting into the archery world.

Kevin Dooling:

Gosh, don't get frustrated, stay in it. Stay in it. I know sometimes it's hard to hit that bullseye. Sometimes you miss on a big buck, or whatever the case is. Gosh, you know, no one shoots big bucks consistently, just out of the box. You know, stay with it. Don't get discouraged. Um and and and shoot Um. And. If you haven't gone to a total archery challenge, or if you haven't shot a 3d shoot at your local club, go shoot it. Um, especially if there's not, you know, a shop nearby, or whatever the case is, go go find something. And and uh, shoot as much as you can.

Zakk Plocica:

I would agree, man. I would say if you're new getting into it, make the effort to find a shop especially for your first time. Go seek out a shop, even if you've got to travel just to get set up correctly. Do your research, do your due diligence. Make sure the shop's got a good rating. They've got good techs that'll spend time with you Get you into the game.

Kevin Dooling:

A good shop changes the trajectory of someone's archery career.

Zakk Plocica:

It absolutely does. It's going to be the difference between you just dabbling and then you going full force into it and, you know, falling in love with it.

Kevin Dooling:

And if and if you are, if you are thinking about dabbling in it, go for it.

Zakk Plocica:

I'm telling you right now I'm a better human being because of what? What I get to do? Dude, I'll tell you what anybody that's coming to the archery side of shops that we've had around here is. You know, when they pick up a bow, that's it, man they're they're bow hunters at that point man. A lot of them put down the rifle.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, I gosh, I haven't. I haven't touched a gun in many moons.

Zakk Plocica:

They're, they're bow hunting the entire season if they have the ability to so dude. It's a blast. I love it.

Kevin Dooling:

I don't think there's anything more fun, and if you, can shoot your bow all year long.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, yeah, I just got my daughter into it.

Kevin Dooling:

She's got this little psc micro. I think it is yeah gosh she won't put it down.

Zakk Plocica:

No dude, we just picked up she's a monster, yeah, dude so we just picked up a little diamond atomic for my youngest boy cool, and he loves shooting that. He's shooting a release. Now he's eight. And then gavin, I'm building. He's got a matthews image which we're in the process of retuning today, building him some new arrows because he's grown. He's grown an inch and a half, so he had to get new mods and stuff.

Kevin Dooling:

Yeah, we have to get mods for him every six months. This seems like ridiculous, man.

Zakk Plocica:

But yeah, you know, I've got some little bow hunters and on my hand Gavin's going to Kentucky with me again. Hopefully, fingers crossed, he'll knock it out of the park and get him. Our goal is to get him a good, a good doe. But you know, we'll see what happens. There's good deer out there with that property we hunt.

Kevin Dooling:

That's awesome.

Zakk Plocica:

Yeah, so I'm stoked man. Well, my friend, thanks for coming on man. Um if anybody's looking to get in touch with you I'm assuming they can was in touch with everything. Looking back at some of your old kills yeah, are quite impressive.

Kevin Dooling:

Thank you. Yeah, so it's the underscore Kevin, underscore D, just the letter D. That's me on the gram. So yeah, as I scroll through here, I'm like, gosh, I try to keep this more of a hunting page, but, gosh, I post a lot of emotional things about my family and stuff like that too. Yeah, yeah, dude, it's good.

Zakk Plocica:

It's transparent man. So if you guys got questions, he has obviously been in the archery world for a long time. Wealth of knowledge, helpful with us here at the shop too, he comes in helps out with things. Busy man, but just a wealth of knowledge, who has been very successful in the bow hunting world. So check them out, follow them on the instagram, reach out to them, say what's up and, kevin, I appreciate you coming on the show man, awesome.

Kevin Dooling:

Thanks so much for having me.

Zakk Plocica:

It was great time, absolutely my friend. So that's it, guys. That's another episode of the archery project. Drop some comments, give us some feedbacks, give us some ratings. If you're listening on spotify or apple or watching on youtube, give us some feedback. As always, we appreciate you, guys, and we will see you.