Building the Ultimate Bowhunting Setup

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This fall marks my 25th year chasing big game with a compound bow. It’s my addiction. I’m obsessed with the pursuit. Each year, the goal is the same: earn a single opportunity. The species doesn’t matter. I only strive to get within my effective range and send carbon downrange.

As challenging as bowhunting is, I’ve learned that working hard and never quitting, more often than not, puts my goal in reach. I’ve also learned—the hard way many times—that lack of focus or faulty gear will lead to the goal being left unachieved.

Yes, I’m all about the experience and the hunt. If I bust my butt for 10 days in a vast wilderness area and don’t cut an arrow loose on an elk, I can walk off the mountain with my head held high. If I send an arrow that doesn’t hit home or, worse yet, wound the animal, I’m sick. I failed! There is no in-between, and next season is never guaranteed. We must do everything we can to prepare to win in the bowhunting woods.

Bowhunting will take you to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I’ve discovered the trick to having more highs and fewer lows is confidence. Confidence happens when you’re shooting a bow that fits you perfectly and is outfitted with built-tough accessories that ensure maximum precision. Each fall, I reevaluate my setup and put in the necessary work. That way, when I head to the woods, I’m going with the ultimate bow build that will do its part if I do mine when it comes time to drop the string.

The Bow

It doesn’t matter what bow your friend shoots or what catchy ad you saw in a magazine, YouTube or outdoor television. The bow is YOUR shooting platform, and fit, feel and shootability are everything.

The first journey in your quest to build the ultimate compound rig begins at a reputable pro shop. Any pro shop worth its salt will have today’s top-tier flagship compounds, and they will let you shoot them.

The price of today’s flagships is high. You don’t buy a truck without test-driving it. You need that mindset when you start prospecting for a bow for yourself. Remember, by adding a top-end sight, rest, quiver, stabilizer, arrows and broadheads, you’ll have a minimum of $3K invested.

Today’s top-end bow manufacturers typically produce multiple flagships—some carbon and some aluminum—in various axle-to-axle lengths. For me, the sweet spot between the axle pins is between 32 and 33-1/2 inches. Bows in this axle-to-axle range provide remarkable full-draw stability, are generally light, and are highly maneuverable. Setup with the proper accessories, I’ve found bows in this axle-to-axle range allow me to negotiate rugged terrain quickly. They carry well and, when lashed to a backpack, don’t require me to crawl under tree limbs so my cam doesn’t grab something and pull me backward. Most importantly, though, you can double-lung an elk at 20 yards and use the same setup to drop a 60-yard bomb on a prairie pronghorn.

Bows in this axle-to-axle range sit at full draw like a well-trained labrador, and my top 2025 picks below allow for modern-day accessory attachment, which saves weight while adding absolute lockdown.

Mathews Lift X 33

Mathews is a compound kingpin, and the Lift X 33 draws like butter, feels remarkable at full draw, and ARC7 Limb Technology lets you tune the bow in the field with an Allen wrench. The bow weighs a tick over four pounds and hits a top speed of 343 fps. If you prefer a shorter axle-to-axle model, Mathews offers the Lift X 29.5.

Hoyt Carbon RX-9 Ultra

This is my 2025 rig. It’s already put a hole in a mountain lion and a Himalayan tahr. The tahr hunt was a testament to the bow’s maneuverability and shootability. I love that the bow is draw-length adjustable in 1/4-inch increments. Nothing will help you be more accurate than a bow with a just-right draw length. Tuning is a tad more complicated, but the 33-1/2-inch axle-to-axle bow is light, durable and ultra-accurate.

Prime RVX+ 32

I know Prime’s Form is getting a lot of love, but I’ll take the 32-inch axle-to-axle RVX+ 32. The bow draws smoothly, weighs 4.3 pounds, and Quick Tune technology allows easy tuning.

Bowtech Virtue

With only 32 inches between the axle pins, this bow is fast and light (3.7 pounds). Its draw length is adjustable in 1/2-inch increments between 25 and 30 inches, and I was impressed with how quiet it was. Though it’s on the shorter end of my favored axle-to-axle recommendation, it’s ultra-stable at full draw.

The Sight & Rest

After making your bow selection, it’s time to address the two most critical bow-mounted accessories—the sight and the rest.

The bow sight must be tough yet showcase smooth yardage adjustment, tool-less windage, and absolute lockdown features. You will want a moveable multi-pin sight for several reasons. First, nothing will help you earn more grip-and-grin and heavy pack-out moments like double-distance practice, and for this, you’ll need a slider sight.

I have a kill distance limit. I never break my rule and shoot beyond it, but I spend 80 percent of my practice sessions sending carbon from double that distance. When shooting long, you don’t want to guess. You want to range and dial in the exact distance the animal is. A moveable sight (slider) with a smooth yardage wheel and durable rack-and-pinion slide is worth its weight in gold.

I shoot a triple-pin sight system with three indicator needles on my sight tape. As long as they are moveable, a four- or five-pin sight also ranks high on my list. My sight gives me three immediate yardage references: ideal for when a bull elk is at 20 yards and suddenly spooks to 38 yards. The sight is also suitable for dialing to the exact distance of a mule deer buck. If the shot is 52.5 yards, I can dial to that distance. Pin-gapping at longer distances is not something I recommend.

It’s not a deal breaker, but I also prefer a sight that mounts directly to the bow’s riser without requiring a mounting bar, mounting block or mounting screw. Hoyt’s In-Line Picatinny rail allows this, as does Mathews’ Bridge-Lock Riser. Direct-to-riser sight mounting means reduced weight and, with no mounting screw, less chance of sight movement.

My current go-to sight is Spot Hogg’s Boonie. It’s built like a tank and features second and third-axis adjustments, essential when hunting the hills. Its pic-mount clamps directly to the rail of my RX-9 Ultra for reduced weight and precise lockdown.

I’m also fond of Black Gold’s Pro HD QuickLink in the five-pin model and UltraView’s all-new Bridge-Lock UV Slider. This sight is light, customizable, and at 9 ounces, light as a feather. If you opt for a new Mathews, this is the sight for you.

The rest is the only bow-mounted accessory that contacts your arrow. For this reason, finding the right rest is critical. Luckily, the search won’t be complex. Your pro shop will recommend several models that will never fail, are easy to tune, and streamline with your bow for direct-to-riser (if possible) mounting.

Several years ago, Quality Archery Designs reinvented rest mounting for the better. Today, most modern-day drop-away flagships feature the IMS (Integrated Mounting System) in the riser. In short, two small slits in the back of the riser accept a clamp-style system that eliminates the rest mounting bar, mounting washer and mounting screw. This removes unnecessary weight, but more importantly, like the sight, direct rest-to-riser attachment boosts rigidity and limits the chance of inadvertent rest movement.

Whether you’re a cable-driven or limb-driven rest lover, the key features of a bowhunting-worthy rest are micro-adjustable windage and elevation. Both ensure an easy tune. It’s also critical that the rest features a large arrow cradle and capture bar. The last thing you want is an arrow falling off your rest during a stalk, contacting the riser, and making noise. You also don’t want to jerk the bowstring back rather than pulling it, sending the arrow off the rest. I’ve done it several times. Get a rest with a deep launcher arm and capture bar.

While limb-driven rests are more straightforward to tune in the field, my go-to rest for the past 12 years has been a QAD UltraRest model. Currently, I use the UltraRest MX2. The rest mounts directly to my riser, with micro-adjust windage and elevation in .0019” increments. Micro-adjustments are so pivotal to a perfect tune. The new rubber dampeners in the launcher arm and Berger button hole further thwart game-spooking noise. I’ve harvested over 100 animals with a QAD rest attached to my bow in extreme terrain and brutal weather. Not once have I experienced a rest failure.

I’m also a big fan of Ripcord’s RAK Micro and Ratchet Limb Driven rests. You can’t beat the Whale Tail launcher arm and full-capture bar Ripcord’s Ratchet provides. Limb Driver’s Pro-V Cable Driven rest is also excellent. It’s a breeze to tune and is ultra-light.

Quiver & Stabilizer

Two archery accessories that get very little love include quivers and stabilizers, but both are important. Complete your bow build with a crappy quiver that doesn’t hug the riser or hold micro-diameter arrows and a 6-inch stabilizer that’s nothing more than a paperweight, and your accuracy will suffer, and so will your success.

Concerning quivers, several top-end bow manufacturers have created models. If you purchase a Mathews Lift X, opting for a LowPro Fixed or Detachable Quiver is an excellent idea because they fit the bows well. The same goes for Hoyt’s Superlite quivers. The bottom line is you want an adjustable quiver that sits close to your bow’s riser, so it doesn’t create a tipsy platform. The quiver needs to hold broadheads and arrows tight; nothing is worse than a quiver rattle when the bowstring drops.

I have had excellent results with TightSpot arrow quivers. They are unbreakable, and I like the no-foam open-hood design. Plus, most TightSpot models are removable. I appreciate a quick-detach quiver. While I never take my quiver off for elk, I will pull it off when I stalk within shooting distance of a pronghorn or mule deer and have time to remove my quiver to increase my bow balance.

Stabilizer choice is essential. If you don’t plan to shoot beyond 60 yards, even in practice, go with a standard 8- or 10-inch stabilizer from Cutter, Bee Stinger or one designed by your bow manufacturer. A stabilizer isn’t to reduce bow noise and vibration. Its purpose is to help stabilize the bow. An 8- or 10-inch stabilizer will do this without adding unnecessary weight. Anything shorter is pointless.

I often play with my stabilizer setup since I’m a have-a-tag-will-travel hunter. When hunting elk, I use an 8-inch stabilizer with a pair of two 1-ounce weights. Tinker with your weights to discover what feels best to you. My shots are typically inside 40 yards, so 8 inches is just right for me. When hunting mule deer or pronghorn, I use an offset mount, which allows me to run a 10-inch front bar and an 8-inch back bar. The offset mount lets me tinker with the angle and distance I want the back bar from my riser. If you play with a front and back bar and get your weights right, you’ll be shocked at how steady your bow becomes, especially in the wind.

Final Thoughts

The goal is to create a bow with quality accessories to help you conquer the mountains, river bottoms and prairies. Heed the advice in this article, and you’ll do just that.

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