What do you really need to look for in a new bow?

In this episode, I sit down with Ian Summers to unpack the process of choosing a 2026 model hunting bow. 

We get real about the 2026 bows and their stats, and what actually matters when you’re out in the bush versus what’s just clever marketing.

Ian brings deep insight from years of archeryand bowhunting experience…  Plus many years of running Summers Archery Solutions, where he tunes bows daily and helps to coach bowhunters and archers through better shot mechanics.

We talk about the quirks and improvements of the 2026 flagship bows from top manufacturers, including Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, Elite, Bear, PSE, Expedition, Truth, Darton and more. 

We also explore some of the engineering changes, personal setup preferences, and why some bows feel better in hand than others even with the same specs on paper.

Whether you're upgrading your current rig or diving deep into your first major bow purchase, this episode offers grounded advice and real talk about what's worth your money… and what’s not.

🔍 What We Cover in This Episode:

• All Flagship bows on offer in 2026
• 
  
• How brace height, draw length, and axle-to-axle affect performance
• 
  
• Differences in cam design and let-off feel
• 
  
• Tuning quirks and 2026 bow setup tips
• 
  
• Advice for bowhunters with a 30” draw length
• 
  
• Why specs don’t always tell the whole story
• 
  
• Considerations around noise, vibration, and hand shock
• 
  

Find Our Guest:

Ian Summers

Instagram:

@summersarchery

@iansummersofficial

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty sits down with Dave Whiting, a highly respected traditional bowhunter with decades of experience hunting Australia’s small game species.

Today we’re diving deep into bowhunting the small game species Australia has to offer, specifically, rabbits, hares, foxes and cats.

Dave shares stories and lessons gathered over a lifetime with trad bows, covering everything from finding productive ground to learning how to move slowly, read sign, and wait for the right opportunity.

This is a practical, experience-driven episode that highlights how small game hunting builds better bowhunters.

After bowhunting for 55 years dave has had some incredible experiences in the bush and after we cover the small game species, Dave enlightens us with some of his fond memories and tales.

🔍 What We Cover:

• All things rabbits… where to find 'em and how to hunt them with a bow.
• How hares differ from rabbits and how you should hunt them with a bow.
• Dave’s new-found method for hunting cats
• Calling in foxes. 
• Trophy Takers Legend Award
• Wrestling with boars
• Stuck up a tree with a buffalo at your feet
• He almost lost his thumb to a boar's tusks 
• Being inducted into the International Traditional Bowhunting Hall Of Fame
• What a life of bowhunting has offered Dave

🏹 Supporting Dave Whiting:

Dave is currently being inducted into the International Traditional Bowhunting Hall Of Fame — a huge and well-earned honour.

There is an active GoFundMe to help support his travel to the USA for the induction ceremony. If you’d like to contribute or share support, you can do so here:

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/dave-whiting-travel-to-to-usa-for-hall-of-fame-induction

🔗 Find Our Guest:

Dave Whiting

Instagram: @whiting.dave

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

This week Matty sits down with Grant Rand, Benny Fensom, Brett Meldrum, and Ben Atherton. Given the time of year, the boys reflect on 2025 to share their highlights. Plus, share their goals they’ve each set for 2026. 

This episode is full of laughs, stories, and some pretty aspirational goals for the year ahead from 5 Aussie bowhunters.

If you haven’t already taken the time to reflect on your year of hunting in 2025 and set some goals for 2026, be sure to take a beat and write down some goals.

Podcast topics

• Almost $40K raised by the bowhunting community 
• The standout performance for the year goes to…
• Highlights of the year. 
• Picking up the trad bow. 
• Plans, goals and aspirations for 2026

Whether you’re preparing for an overseas hunting trip yourself or you just want to get in better physical shape for bowhunting in general, this is a great episode for you.

Connect with the Guests

Grant Rand

Instagram: @grant_randy_rand

Brett Meldrum

Instagram: @brettmeldrum085

Benny Fensom 

Instagram: @benny_fensom

Ben Atherton

Instagram: @ben_atho_hunts

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

🎧 Listen Now:

This is a 2-part podcast. Part 1 is a solo episode with Matty Turner explaining how he gained 12 kg over 3 months and then lost it in the following 6 months. He gives you the calculations and protocol for what he calls “The Lazy Man’s Carb Cycling.” This was the exact method Matty used to drop the 12 kgs over a 12-week period.

Part 2 is from an interview hosted by Andy Leonard from the Stalk Outdoors Podcast. Around July 2025, Andy interviewed Matty on his podcast to discuss all things nutrition and fitness for preparing for a backpack hunt in New Zealand.

They cover potential exercises to focus on, nutrition for the mountains, and potential weight gain in the lead-up to the trip.

Podcast topics

• Brett Meldrum’s Hunt Giveaway
• Boars for a Cause
• Terrorist attack in Bondi and what that potentially means for gun ownership in Australia.
• Gaining and losing 12kgs over a 6-month timeframe.
• How Andy’s own injuries reshaped his training philosophy
• Functionality over weight in exercise every day.
• Key movements for mobility, core strength, and joint stability for bowhunting
• Warmups in the field to mitigate shoulder injuries.
• Programming tips for busy hunters who can’t train 5 days a week
• The fitter you are, the more likely you’ll be successful in the bush

Whether you’re preparing for an overseas hunting trip yourself or you just want to get in better physical shape for bowhunting in general, this is a great episode for you.

Connect with the Guests

Andy Leonard (Stalk Outdoors)

• Instagram: @stalkoutdoors.podcast

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

🎧 In This Episode:

Dr. James Park brings a scientific lens to the world of archery. As a highly respected archer, Olympic coach, engineer, and researcher, James has authored numerous scientific papers on arrow life cycle performance and physics. In this episode, Matty and Dr. Park dive into:

• The complete lifecycle of an arrow — from release to impact
• How arrow drag, lift, and spine influence penetration
• Arrow shafts effect on drag
• Why vane profile matters
• What James would test more of and use if he were a hunter.
• Working with Olympians on shot process and mindset.
• What Technology upgrades are doing for the world of archery and bowhunting.

If you’ve ever been confused about tuning, arrow weight, or whether speed helps or hinders your hunt… this is the deep-dive you’ve been waiting for.

Find Our Guests:

Dr James L Park

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Park-39

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty is joined by Brad Murphy and Ben Atherton for a deep dive into Australia’s most elusive and challenging deer species: Sambar.

Brad shares his decades of experience as a bowhunting coach, explaining how to pattern sambar behaviour, know where to find them and how to best set your expectations for hunting them. 

Ben has hunted Sambar deer his whole life… It’s only within the past few years he’s chased them with a bow, but in that time he’s successfully taken them with a stick bow and has a lot of incredibly useful knowledge on Sambar deer to share. 

We break this detailed overview into a few sections. Seasonal hunting, how to find them, habits of the deer, and how to best be successful on public land.

Whether you’re planning your first hunt or chasing your 20th, this is the most comprehensive and practical episodes we’ve ever recorded on hunting sambar deer with a bow.

🔍 What We Cover:

• How sambar differ from other deer (and why so many hunters get it wrong)
• What to look for when trying to locate Sambar deer in new locations
• Sambar deer are Browsers… Which means what exactly?
• Visiting preach tree’s year-round
• Sambar are creatures of habit like every other deer.
• How to plan a trip and hunt them on public land.

And a heck of a lot more.

Find Our Guests:

Brad Murphy

Instagram: @thebowhuntingcoach

Ben Atherton

Instagram: @ben_atho_hunts

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty sits down with a true icon in the world of archery, Fred Eichler. Known for being the first person to complete the North American Super Slam with a recurve, Fred is absolutely full of life and an amazing storyteller, but he’s also a hunter, outfitter, and steward of the bowhunting tradition.

In this episode, Fred recaps some of his favorite hunts of various species from the Super Slam. Fred opens up about the real-life highs and lows of being a bowhunter, including the grit it takes to hunt with traditional equipment and the mindset required to stay sharp.

This episode is packed with stories, strategies, laughs, and life lessons from one of the most respected voices in the game.

Podcast Topics:

• The Super Slam: What it is, how Fred accomplished it, and what it taught him
• 
  
• Recurve Realities: The extra challenge and satisfaction of hunting with traditional gear
• 
  
• Fred’s Favorite Game Meat: Listen to til the end to find out what it is.
• 
  
• Mindset Over Muscle: How mental preparation often trumps physical prowess in bowhunting
• 
  
• Hunting stories Fred shares stories of Muskox, Bison, Antelope, Dall Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Grizzly Bear, Caribou, Moose, Elk & Deer. 
• 
  
• The real trophy is: Fred shares his absolute love for each hunt and being in the outdoors.
• 
  

Whether you're a die-hard trad bowhunter or just picking up a bow for the first time, this chat with Fred is a refreshing reminder of what bowhunting is all about: connection, challenge, and conservation.

Find Fred Eichler:

Instagram: @fredeichler

Website: www.fredeichler.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fredeichler

📲 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Host: @mattyafter

Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – @dogandguncoffee

Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off.

Kayuga Broadheads – @kayuga_broadheads

Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off.

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – @venturehunting

Gear up for your next hunt.

Jab Stick Outdoors – @jabstickoutdoors

Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off.

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty sits down with Troy Fowler, better known as Ranch Fairy, to dive deep into the science, ethics, and gear setups behind repeatable bowhunting.

Troy’s known for testing gear, sharing data, and helping bowhunters take clean, lethal shots on animals. He works closely with the Ashby Foundation, and everything they do aims to use physics and numbers to speak for the results.

Whether you’re brand new to bowhunting or you’ve been flinging arrows for decades, this episode may challenge the way you think about arrow weight, broadheads, tuning, and arrow speed.

What you’ll hear about in this episode:

• Heart Vs. Lung shots
• 
  
• The different compartments of the lungs and how they function
• 
  
• Why bowhunters need to stop chasing speed and start chasing penetration
• 
  
•  Why bow tuning + arrow nock tuning should be the standard
• 
  
•  Kinetic energy vs Momentum and what this actually means
• 
  
• Arrow weight, mechanical vs fixed, and the real test: shoulder bones
• 
  
•  Troy’s journey into bowhunting and how Ranch Fairy was born from hard truths and experimentation
• 
  
•  Stories from the field: pigs, elk, shoulder shots, and what makes Troy trust his system
• 
  

This episode is a wake-up call. If you’ve ever hit an animal and wondered why it didn’t die… you need to hear what Ranch Fairy has to say.

 Follow Troy Fowler (Ranch Fairy)

Instagram: @ranchfairy

YouTube: Ranch Fairy Channel

Website & Resources: ranchfairy.com

https://www.ashbybowhunting.org/

 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium blends. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off.

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision-engineered for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off.

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for serious hunts.

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – High-performance carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off.

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty is joined by Kip Adams (@kipadams_nda), the Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association (@deerassociation), to talk about all things whitetail, conservation, and the evolving role of hunters.

Kip brings over two decades of experience in wildlife biology and land management. In this conversation, we dig into deer behavior, nutrition, and management strategies, and how hunters can make better decisions in the field and in the off-season.

We also touch on the science behind antler growth, buck-to-doe ratios, and habitat improvement tips that the average hunter can apply.

If you want to become a better hunter, it starts with a deep understanding of your target. This episode takes the data collected over the past 23 years from the National Deer Association in America and compiles it in one place for you to learn all you need to know.

 Podcast Topics:

• How Kip got into deer conservation and his time with the NDA
• 
  
• Declining hunter numbers in the U.S.
• 
  
• Buck and doe movement in the rut and how it can help dictate your hunting outcomes
• 
  
• Antler size myths vs. science: what determines growth potential
• 
  
• Improving your hunting property for both habitat and herd health
• 
  
• Understanding “predator-prey balance” and what we can learn from it
• 
  
• Why hunter numbers matter and how recruitment efforts are changing
• 
  
• Kip’s take on Australia's bowhunting challenges and advocacy needs
• 
  

Find Our Guest:

Kips Adam - Instagram: @kipadams_nda

@deerassociation

🎙️ Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

📸 Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

🎙️ Hosted by: @mattyafter

 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off.

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off.

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt.

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off.

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty is joined by Jamie Macintosh and Hayden Rylewski.

These two recently conducted a sound test on arrows, and what they found is pretty incredible.

Inside this episode, we go into all of the elements they tested and break down exactly what makes your arrows loud or quiet while they’re soaring through the air.

The boys then help to draw the lines between their data and what that means for us bowhunters.

Pretty much the sound of your arrow in flight could be the difference between an animal ducking the shot or not. 

Podcast Topics:

• Testing Methods: How they measure bow and arrow noise with chronographs, microphones, and a backyard DIY setup that actually works
• 
  
• Challenges in Testing: The impact of changing humidity, shifting light, and what it takes to get results that hold up in the field
• 
  
• Arrow Flight & Noise: How fletching, helical twist, and nock setup all change the sound of your shot
• 
  
• Broadhead Comparisons: Two blades versus three, long and pointy versus wide and stubby, vented versus solid, and what that means for noise
• 
  
• Real-World Impacts: Stories of animals jumping the string and how small sound changes can make a big difference
• 
  
• Future Gear & Testing Plans: What the boys have planned for further tests, plus where you can see the data and use this information for your arrow setup. 

Whether you’re a gear tinkerer or just want to make your setup as silent as possible, this is one of the most practical deep dives we’ve ever done.

Find Our Guests:

Hayden Rylewski - Instagram: @dos_bowhunting

Jamie Macintosh - Instagram: @archery_sound_lab

Find Becoming a Bowhunter:

📸 Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

🎙️ Hosted by: @mattyafter

Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off. @dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off. @kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt. @venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off. @jabstickoutdoors

Wild Deer Outdoors & Hunting Expo – 11th & 12th October 2025 Lardner Park, VIC - https://www.deerexpo.com.au/ @wilddeerexpo