Getting my HOYT RX4 ALPHA

I wanted to write a little thing about my hunting Compound Bow from Hoyt’s masterclass 2020. I have long dreamt of getting back into archery as I adored as a kid with a normal recurve target bow from Yamaha I bought from my archery club to learn to shoot. But due to being a little shy kid scared of doing wrong or not being good enough – and also basically being a lazy boy, it sort of stopped before it ever got serious. I still continued to be Robin Hood at all carnival / dress up events and the fascination of a bow and arrow never left me. Anyway, many many years later I finally got the flagship from HOYT – THE bow brand (personal opinion) from target archery to real big game bow hunting.

Deer hunting – YouTube review from Hoyt

My bow is a 60 lbs – 70 lbs range with a 28 inch draw on it. On unboxing it after waiting for the order to arrive for 3+ months from America to Thailand I was both like a kid in a candy store and filled with excitement parallel with being kinda terrified of it as I knew damn well, this wasn’t a toy as I held in my hands when I was a teenager. This is a proper dangerous weapon designed to take down big game animals on the African planes and beyond.

I was excited and terrified all at once when holding it for the first time after having not held any kind bow for a very long time and never a piece of precision engineered weapon like this!

I already knew that it required some strength to draw it even tuned down to the 60 lbs, but thought I would be able muscle it back with questionable form and stance. However, that wasn’t even possible to my surprise. I was also aware that pulling a proper professional bow requires are very particular muscle group in the you back and shoulders. A type of muscle you would never really use for anything else but for that movement, so it is safe to say a very underdeveloped muscle group. I had to spend to first 3 weeks in the gym just exercising that back-shoulder muscle before I could even draw it and get it into the valley.

Now, with an arrow on it it was terrifying and you cant help to worry of a premature release and you have no control over where the thing goes or what it encounters on the way. So the first few arrows was rather “shaky” to shoot, but then already after 10 – 20 shots you kind get more familiar with it and the reaction of the equipment and what it does. By the way, don’t think for a minute I could get 10 shots of the first time or day being able to shoot it. It was more like 2 – 3 arrows and then your muscle fatigues and can’t pull anymore. It steadily has to build up with stance and stamina and strength in the exact right places.

After being able to shoot 10 – 20 arrows a day the love instantly grows and it becomes extremely cool when you can start to tune your bow to your specifications and liking and you start to sight in.

From getting it and unboxing it and training to get the first few shots of was a process in itself that was a bit of a mountain. So, I guess there is a long long way to go to be one of the Bow Hunters in the above YouTube Review Video from Hoyt. But we will get there step by step. My main goal with this whole thing is to have a comfortable shot at around 80 meters and then take it to Africa or elsewhere where there is controlled and sustainable hunting conditions. If I am shooting 70 – 100 meters target practice I believe I should feel fair comfortable and confident shooting an animal at half that distance – 40 – 50 meters.

After an unfortunate long pause now due to the local shooting ranges in Phuket being shut due to Covid-19 precautions. I suspect it will be a bit like starting over again, but I can’t wait for things to open up again and start shooting again daily. When that happens in the hopefully not so distant future, there will be many more posts and videos about this childhood passion and goal I’m sure – stay tuned!