Due to the need to backpack into remote country the author couldn't use his preferred back quiver while bowhunting this B&C Coues whitetail. A solid, two-piece bow quiver proved second best, spreading the weight of the arrows over a wider plane to allow pinpoint, long-range accuracy.

Lightweight fixed, three-blade designs include NAP's 85-grain Thunderhead, Barrie Archery's Ti 85, G5 Outdoors' Montec 85, Crimson Talon's 90-grain, WASP's 75-, 85- and 90-grain Hammer SST, Rocket's 75-grain Ultimate Steel, Muzzy and Innerloc's 75-grain; plus four-blade designs like Muzzy's 90-grain and Innerloc's 85. HCA makes a three-blade, Speed Pro 55-grain for Speed Pro shafts.

The speed rig normally wears sights holding at least five pins, or a single-pin moveable. Since pushing your bow ahead while snake-belly crawling toward open-country game is par, bulletproof designs are requisite. My favorite fixed-pin sights are Copper John's Deadnuts Hunter, Fuse's new Intrepid, Trophy Ridge's (TR) Micro Matrix, Montana Black Gold's Dusk Devil, Vital Bow Gear's (VBG) Hunter, and Spot Hogg's Real Deal. For movers you can't beat TR's V-Drive Titan, VBG's Star Track, or Savage Systems' QC Ranger.

To add forgiveness to radical rigs, choose drop-away rests, active stabilizers, and wrist slings. I choose TR's Drop Zone, Black Gold's Trap Door, or NAP's Quicktune 4000 when assembling quick bows. Active stabilizers include rubber-coupled designs like Doinker or Fuse, or silicone filled from NAP or Hi-Tek Sports; seven- to 10-inch models most effective for actually enhancing accuracy. A wrist sling eliminates grip torque, improving long-range accuracy. Too, I choose two-piece bow quivers or back quivers on long-range rigs, gaining increased balance and control for pinpoint accuracy. Rancho Safari's newest Catquiver models keep my arrows within reach, as well as my all-important rangefinder handy in a padded hip pouch.

Shooting from an elevated stand presents its own set of problems for the archer. A forgiving rig fills the bill when in cramped quarters and cold after a long wait.

STAND RIGS
When installed on stand I can't control how shots come off, but I can control the shootability of my equipment. Short bows are touted "stand bows," but are inherently more difficult to shoot, especially under pressure. I look to longer axle-to-axle lengths, higher brace heights, and deadly silence in my stand rigs.

If you'll not be taking shots past 30 yards, 34 to 36 inches is relatively forgiving. A brace height more than 7.5 inches further enhances shootability. I lean toward bows even longer, 37 to 40 inches, the latter imperative when shooting fingers. Middle-ground bows include PSE's Vengeance (34.5 inches) or Primos SLT (36.5), Alpine's Denali and Yukon (34), Renegade's TR-4 (355?8), Archery Research's AR-37, Jenning's CK 3.4-R (34), Fred Bear's Realtree TRX (35.9), Buckmasters' G2XL (35), Browning's Oasis (37), Darton's Avalanche Extreme (343?8), Reflex's Super Slam (35) and Timberwolf (36.5), Parker's Phoenix 36, BowTech's Independence VFT (375?8) or Old Glory (37.5), Mathews' LX (35) or Icon (37), and Hoyt's XTec (35.5) or UltraTec (37.5). Added forgiveness is provided by models measuring more than 38 inches; Renegade's Non Typical XL (40.5), PSE's Shark (40.5), Reflex's Caribou (45.75), Parker's Hunter Mag (39.75), BowTech's Constitution (40.25), Mathews' Conquest 3 (41), Darton's Executive Vegas (41.5), Jennings CK 4.0 (40), and Hoyt's ProTec with XT 3000 or 4000 Limbs.

Most of today's bows arrive deadly silent out of the box, Hoyt and Reflex factory-installing Sims' Super String Leeches and Alpha Shox limb silencers, Mathews String Suppressors and Harmonic Damping System, BowTech string, cable-guard, and limb silencers, Parker factory-installed LimbSavers and Sims LS Vibration Reduction Modules, as examples.

Further silencing comes via Sims Vibration Laboratory, Global Resources ShockFins, Bow Jax Silencer Systems, NAP ThunderBlox, Mercury Archery Products No-Vibes, and Saunders Archery Buzz-Off.

Finding the right arrow/broadhead combination is automatic. Average carbon hunting arrows in 7.5 to 10 gpi, average broadheads of 100 to 125 grains, describe 90-percent of available gear. Such weight-class terminal gear strikes a healthy balance between speed and silence, penetration and durability.