Poison Arrow Gear Decoy
Editor: Cory McLaughlin
Just the Facts:
This decoy is for right hand shooters. 3.3 oz. Hunt all season and never know it is there. When you need it it is there,
INSTANTLY.
This is for right hand shooters. 3.3 oz. Why not have it along?
My Story:
I am an archery hunter. I love the sport both in the field and in an indoor range. Shooting bows has proven to be a great pastime for my entire family. It is also an effective way to provide them with great tasting red meat. Being an archery hunter I am always open to new ideas and tactics. Closing the distance to within 50 yards of wild animals is no small feat. So, naturally I try to stack the odds in my favor as often as I can.
When I first saw the Poison Arrow Decoys I thought they looked interesting. There are some other variations of similar bow mounted decoys but none quite like this. I have not had great success with some of the others and so I was eager to try these. I contacted James and arranged for some product testing. When the decoy arrived I was pretty darn excited.
I took the decoy out of the box and my first impression was one of complete confusion. How in the heck does this thing work? There were no attached instructions and though I had seen a few pictures of the decoys mounted I could not common sense it together. A visit to the web page offed an instructional video that allowed me to correctly attach the decoy. It was not difficult but I would have like to have some written instructions. Had I been in an area without internet service I would have been extremely frustrated.
The next thing that I noticed was that the material is not cloth. The decoy is made up of a plastic/rubber type material similar to a rain jacket. I don’t see this as a negative it was just a surprise to me. It does create a noise issue while trying to maneuver through brush. As for the longevity of the material I cannot say because I have not had it long enough. I do anticipate a long life.
The other thing that was a bit concerning to me was the attachment point is actually one of your arrows effectively making that arrow unusable. This is not a huge issue in the perfect world where you only need one or two arrows, but as any hunter knows sometimes the world is not perfect. Now, this is not a deal breaker, but it is certainly something that should be noted.
The construction of the decoy seems to be of quality material. The only issue that I can see is the small rubber O-Ring that is used to secure the elastic strap. The O-Ring is absolutely going to wear out and need to be replaced. I’m sure that an auto parts store would have a great supply of backups. If you are an archery hunter I am sure you have a small kit with an array of backup pieces so this should not be a huge concern.
When it comes to use of the decoy I cannot really speak to the effectiveness of it for hunting elk. I received the decoy well after the elk season was over. I have used the mule deer decoy with some success. I did not hunt with it but used it to sneak up on some deer that frequent our local archery range. The deer seemed to be genuinely confused and allowed me to close the distance to an effecting shooting range had I actually been hunting. The decoy does not affect draw in any way and is light enough that it should not significantly effect balance of the bow. The only issue an archer may have would occur in the wind. The decoy could act as a sail of sorts and really give you trouble while trying to steady for a shot. This is a common sense issue however and I do not think it takes away from the quality or effectiveness of the decoy.
In the end I think this product was based upon a great idea that might need a bit of tweaking. It could prove to be a very useful tool in the field or a hindrance. The trick is going to be knowing when to use it and when not to. It certainly beats trying to set up a full body stake down decoy while a bull is coming in hot. It is far better than trying to walk through brush with a large permanent decoy attached to your bow. This decoys ability to fold up and stow away within the quiver is a great feature. The Poison Arrow Gear Decoy is a great tool for the archer to have on hand and to use when the timing is right. As with all hunting methods this is not a fix all tool that will be perfect for every situation. It is however an innovative idea that could significantly increase success.
Find it Here:
http://www.poisonarrowgear.com/
What can be done better?
As mentioned above there are some limitations to the decoy. I really would like to see some instructions added to the packaging as internet access is not always available. The construction of the decoy is acceptable but comes with some downfalls. The main issue is losing the use of one arrow. I would like to emphasis that this is a great idea and a stand out product in the way of fixed decoys. I was not able to use this in a hunting situation but I simulated it as effectively as I could. If my attitude changes after the upcoming season I will update this review. In the end this Poison Arrow Gear Decoy is a unique and interesting idea that could prove to be a great asset to the archery hunting world. The price point of $69 does seem to be a little bit excessive but the same can be said of most hunting accessories.
I give this product 3.5 stars and will update this score if my mind changes over the next year.
-
Functionality
(3)
-
Value
(3)
-
Ergonomics
(3.5)
-
Durability
(4)
