Hunting

Planning a hunting trip?

Sixty-five years of family hunting experience, most of it after North American big game. Come get the gear that will actually be there when it matters.

Rob has been hunting since he was small, and the family has been at it a great deal longer than that. British Columbia, the Yukon, and a lot of ground in between.

What that buys you is not stories, although you will get some. It is somebody who has packed for cold, wet, high, far and early, and who will tell you what actually mattered rather than what looked good in the catalogue.

Come in with your dates and your tag. We will go through the bow, the arrows, the heads and the clothing, in that order, because that is the order they will fail in.

Pre-season

The checklist, in the order it should happen.

Every year the last two weeks of September look the same in this shop. It does not have to be that way for you.

01
Tune-up, a month out

New strings if last year’s are fuzzy or simply a year old, then a full tune. A month out means we can order a part and you can shoot the bow enough afterwards to trust it.
02
Broadhead tune, three weeks out

Field points lie. A broadhead has blades, and blades steer. If the two do not agree at twenty yards the bow is out, not the heads.
03
Check every arrow

One at a time. Flex it and listen, spin it on the point and watch the nock end. A cracked carbon shaft is not a group problem, it is a hand problem.
04
Layering, tried on

Put the whole kit on and draw your bow in it. A jacket that binds at full draw is a jacket that will cost you a shot.
05
Scent control, started early

Whatever system you use, start it now rather than the night before, so the clothes are actually clean and stored properly.
06
Shoot cold

One arrow, first thing, no warm-up. That is the shot you will actually take. If it lands where your twentieth lands, you are ready.

The full pre-season checklist

What we can do for you

Three things before opening day.

A full pre-season tune

Strings, timing, center shot, nock height, paper tune, then out on the range. A month out, not the week of.

How we tune a bow

Broadhead tuning

With the actual heads and shafts you will hunt with, until broadheads and field points hit the same place.

Why field points lie

SITKA layering, fitted

The system that keeps you in the stand another two hours. Draw your own bow in the jacket before you buy it.

SITKA at Targeteers

New Jersey

Licences, seasons and zones.

These change, and we are not the authority on them. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife publishes the current licence requirements, season dates and zone maps. Go to the source rather than trusting anything second-hand, us included.

NJ Fish & Wildlife hunting information

Questions

Hunting, answered.

Do I need a license to bowhunt in New Jersey?

Yes, and the rules change. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife publishes the current license requirements, seasons and zone maps. Go to the source rather than trusting anything you read second-hand, including us.

Why do my broadheads hit somewhere else?

Because a broadhead has surfaces that steer. A bow that shoots field points fine can still be slightly out, and the broadhead will show you. Broadhead tuning fixes the bow, not the arrow, and it is worth doing before opening day rather than after.

When should I get ready for the season?

Earlier than you think. A month out is comfortable. Two weeks out is a scramble. New strings, a full tune, arrows checked, broadheads sharp and shooting where your pins say.

Can you help me plan a trip?

Come in and talk to Rob. Sixty-five years of family hunting experience, most of it on North American big game. British Columbia, the Yukon, and a lot of ground in between. Bring your dates and your tag and he will tell you what to bring.

Where we have been