BUCK-BUSTING ARROWS

I happened upon a Cabela’s store last year while on a family road trip. It seemed like a good place to stretch our legs for a minute, so we stopped in. The store was a zoo. It was peak buying season and guys and gals were on the hunt for the latest and greatest. The broadhead aisle was hopping. Smartphones were out. People were skimming reviews of 2018’s hottest heads, and I heard several conversations about what worked best last year. Strangers swapped advice back and forth; baskets were filled with various brands of razorsharp lung punchers.

The trail camera corridor was elbow-to-elbow. I saw two guys — total strangers — exchange numbers so they could text a few pics from various cameras to each other. Again, shoppers were bringing up reviews on their smartphones and making careful buying decisions. The arrow department was different. Sure, plenty of people walked through and grabbed some shafts, but there was less buzz. I heard one guy tell another, “It doesn’t matter, man. We shoot whitetails out of trees from 20 yards. Go as cheap as you can.” Yikes! Another guy asked a buddy,