Cabela’s stalker extreme carbon arrows
Kayser, Mark
The buck veered toward my mock scrape and investigated it with fervor, but his front-facing position offered no shot. My game bag still was empty. After his scrape visit, he walked directly into another wall of doe estrus I’d placed and he fell in lip-curling love with the aroma. On cue, I drew back my bow, aimed behind his shoulder, and tripped the release. The Cabela’s Stalker Extreme arrow disappeared into the buck, and he disappeared into the willows. Sixty yards away, I heard the final thrashing as he collapsed in the brushy jungle.
This was my third whitetail taken with Cabela’s Stalker Extreme carbon arrows. All had been one-shot kills with short recoveries. In fact, I had yet to blood-trail any of the bucks. They all died within sight of my tree stands.
Like mechanical broadheacls, carbon arrows are rela-lively new to the archery scene, especially if you look at the complete history of bowhunting. Today, for most applications, carbon arrows work effectively and efficiently, and Cabela’s Stalker Extreme carbon arrows have proven themselves on many hunts for me over the past three seasons. Most notably, they were part of the team when I arrowed my largest whitetail to date, a brute grossing nearly 173 inches on the Pope and Young charts. Besides helping me fill my truck with whitetails, Stalker Extreme arrows accompanied me on a 2002 Manitoba spring bear hunt. After a complete passthrough shot on a decent bruin, we found the bear expired along a flowing creek barely 80 yards away. The arrow showed no wear from the furry encounter, and I continued to use it for target sessions.
The Stalker Extreme offers the best of both worlds. Lighter than aluminum, the carbon shaft provides superb trajectory but also maintains ample kinetic energy, which is the key to adequate penetration with any arrow. Kinetic energy is computed by multiplying the weight of your arrow (in grains) by its velocity, then multiplying that number by the velocity again. Divide the product by 450,240 to arrive at your bow’s kinetic energy in foot-pounds.
For whitetails, the bow-and-arrow combination needs to generate at least 40 to 45 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy. Most modern bowhunting setups will easily deliver that when combined with a Cabela’s Stalker Extreme arrow. Just remember, the more the better, where kinetic energy is concerned. I haven’t achieved pass-through results on every big-game animal I’ve shot with a Cabela’s Stalker arrow, but neither did I when using slower and heavier aluminum arrows topped with the same broadheads.
Broadheads, shooting angles, bone structure, and animal movement all play a key role in how an arrow performs upon hitting game, and carbon handles the hits as well as aluminum. Whereas carbon may break when aluminum bends, after a hard hit neither arrow is going back into the quiver.
Although arrows don’t have as many features as a new SUV, Stalkers do exhibit some noteworthy qualities. According to Mark Nelsen, an avid bowhunter on the Cabela’s staff, one of the best aspects of the Stalker arrow is the consistent weight throughout the entire shaft and throughout a dozen arrows themselves.
“Experts note that consistent weight throughout each shaft, and from shaft to shaft, is more important than the straightness factor, meaning that an arrow that is consistent will fly better even if its straightness factor is not at the upper end. Stalker Extremes have this consistent weight design combined with high manufacturing qualities for straightness,” said Nelsen.
Stalkers are constructed using layers of longitudinal fibers that are uni-directional for increased mass and durability. The increased mass assists with kinetic energy and quiets the bow while providing more stable arrow flight. Another important feature, noted Nelsen, is the smooth, polished finish on a Stalker, much quieter than a standard carbon shaft. Not only does the finish provide a quieter take-off from most rests, it is easier to pull from targets and speeds the arrow flight slightly.
Cabela’s sells the arrows complete with Easton Super-Nocks and an improved insert with a longer surface for maximum bonding. If you’re looking for class, Cabela’s offers the arrows with crested wraps. Stalkers come in two sizes, 55-70 pounds or 65-80 pounds. A dozen will set you back $60.
New in 2002, Stalker Extreme arrows are available with 4-inch feathers as well as plastic vanes. For 2002, I opted to use feathers. They flew with precision and provided me with more in-flight stability to cover small flaws in my release. Clad in plastic vanes or feathers, Cabela’s Stalker Extreme carbon arrows provide bowhunters and 3-D shooters a solid choice in arrows for a great price.
Copyright National Rifle Association of America May 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
