Back in 2008, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mr. Bill Troubridge, who, at the time, was the founder and CEO of Excalibur Crossbows. It was a very enlightening interview and corresponding with Mr. Troubridge was like sitting around a campfire and exchanging stories with an old friend. For those of you who aren’t aware, Excalibur Crossbows began in a pig barn in Ontario, Canada. From its humble beginnings, Excalibur rose to become one of the five most popular crossbow brands in the world. Over the past decade, there’s a been an occasional shakeup among those top five, but…
Author: Todd Bromley
Having just wrapped up another fulfilling hunting season at the time of this writing, I can’t help but sit at my desk and reflect upon the changes that the past two years have brought to all of our lives. We have had months of disruption, dysfunction, and chaos. Several of the trade shows we’d booked to attend have been canceled along with several hunts. Manufacturing supply chains have come to a screeching halt for the most part; and as we sheltered in place with the rest of the industry, we scram- bled to make certain that our deadlines and commitments…
Over the past 40 some years, the evolu- tion of the wild turkey and the way that we hunt them, has changed dramatically. Back in the early ‘80s, the wild turkey population was very sparse in many parts of the country. Due to the combined effort of state DNRs and conservation groups like The National Wild Turkey Fed- eration, populations exploded in the ‘90s and beyond. Having pursued the wild turkey with stick and string over this time frame, I can remember seasons where a single gobble was never heard to the glo- ry days of having your pick at…
TenPoint Crossbow Technologies from Mogadore, Ohio, is known as a world-class manufacturer of crossbow products that are recognized as an industry standard for safety, accuracy, precision engineering, durability, performance, and power. An- nually offering multiple models at varying price points, TenPoint Crossbow Technologies continues to be at the forefront of crossbow innovation. Disclaimer: This review is written without bias or paid advertisement from the author. We receive and test product, if we do not like – we send it back and do not write about the product. If we find the product to be a good one for us and…
Over the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure of corresponding with the man who many believe is the father of the modern-day crossbow, Bernard Horton. There was a time in the not-so-dis- tant past that the name Horton was synonymous with the word crossbow. Unfortunately, the Horton brand is no longer in pro- duction, but the man behind the legendary name continues to thrive and carry the same passion for invention and adventure as he did as a youth in his native Wales. Having dropped out of high school at the tender age of 15, he never missed a Saturday…
Crossbow Magazine came to fruition as a registered Trademark in 2010. One year later our first issue was published in the summer of 2011. In the months leading up to that initial printing, I struggled to visualize the perfect image that would not only grace our inaugural cover but also capture what we hoped to become. This probably doesn’t sound like something that one should lose sleep over, but with four other crossbow publications in print at the time, we needed to get it correct right out of the gate if we hoped to compete. Since our inception, the primary…
Back in 2021, I spoke with CenterPoint Archery Product Manager Kevin Casey and he had this to say; “Velocity Outdoor was established in 2018 and is home to several outdoor industry leaders. Its current holdings include Ravin Crossbows and CenterPoint Archery. Velocity Outdoor has provided the strategic leadership, expertise, and business management that have helped both Ravin and CenterPoint Archery to grow and to expand their presence in the highly competitive outdoor marketplace. CenterPoint Archery’s company philosophy is to develop and build feature-rich and value-driven crossbows at various affordable price points. CenterPoint has proved to be one of the most…
Happy New Year crossbow constituents. The new year always brings with it a time of reflection, resolutions, and hopeful new beginnings. Under these pretenses, it is with mixed emotions that I find myself informing you of the changes that have recently transpired with your magazine. In December, Crossbow Magazine along with all of its assets was purchased by Outdoor Specialty Media Group of New York. With its vast publishing and digital media resources soundly in place along with its ability to utilize new technology, Crossbow Magazine will instantly ascend into areas otherwise not possible under its current infra structure. The…
Chills engulfed my entire body as my breath plumed throughout the inside of the blind. My gaze was transfixed to the west straining to see down a mowed path that ran the length of a 30 acre cornfield. It’s 15 yard width separated the cornfield from the fence row where my blind was inconspicuously positioned. The purpose of the mowed path was to connect the property owner’s residence to that of another dwelling which was located sev- eral hundred yards in the distance. They were not the only ones utilizing the path, however. It also contained copious amounts of bear…
Finally. The most anticipated day of the year had arrived and I was more excited than a toddler on Christmas Eve. It was the opening day of the long-awaited fall archery season and I’d been practicing diligently with my bow for several months. However, for me, this day also brought with it great anxiety. Not only was it the opening day of the fall archery season but it was also homecoming and the festivities were set to kick off at 2:00 PM. Back in the day, there were no “Friday night lights” in my part of the world. Heck, the…