posted on October 25, 2009 03:52
In the still morning, just as the first shafts of sunlight began to filter through the heavy canopy of the thick forest, I sensed a sneeze coming on. I tried to fight it, and then muffle it, but still the release of the building pressure shattered the silence around my treestand. The explosive sound that was created was a cross between a sharp snort and a burst of the raspberries. Had I been able to hold it in, the sheer force of this one would have blown my eyeball out of my skull and onto the forest floor far below me. I was not happy about the disturbance the sneeze had created in the tranquil morning, but it was done.
Not two minutes later, I caught movement coming through the thick brush in my direction. It was a fully alerted doe on a “seek and find” mission and I was completely convinced that she was in search of a “sneezer”. I was downwind of the animal and secreted high above the ground; therefore I reasoned that her obvious alarm was from the pressure-released rumpus I had created only moments before. As she carefully moved forward, one cautious step at a time, the wary animal studied everything around her, not missing a single thing that she thought to be suspicious.
When the doe’s head moved behind a large tree, I reached for my Scorpyd 125 crossbow, which was hanging on a hook just in front of me. I held it upright in front of my body in an attempt to break up my form even more, but eventually the doe picked me out and locked onto me with a stare that seem to burn holes into my face. After a moment or two, she turned and started to move away, still extremely agitated. Bringing the crossbow to my shoulder, my eye quickly centered the animal in the scope. The movement brought the alert whitetail to a full stop and her head snapped back in my direction as the crosshairs found her and then centered. At the same time, my index finger steadily applied pressure to the trigger until the arrow was air born.
For the second time in five minutes, the silence of the forest was shattered! This time by the Scorpyd 125 as its deadly stinger struck the bull’s-eye. The surprised whitetail had no chance as the Barnett arrow tipped with a SlickTrick 100 grain broadhead slashed through its boiler room bringing the animal’s final curtain crashing down around it. The doe spun and began a fifty-yard death-run that ended in a large crash as the animal hit the ground and cart wheeled to a literal and very dead stop.
It was the opening morning of the Minnesota archery whitetail season and I had just completed a desperate mission; one that I had been working on for over a month. Writing a review of the Scorpyd crossbow (which was due on August 15) for the fall issue of HBM was the quest. The doe fell on September 19. The HBM Art Director, Daniel Vickerman was waiting patiently for my story, which was the only missing element of the fall issue. Everything else was done and in its place and he wanted to get this issue to the printer. My story was the sole holdup.
I had planned to use the Scorpyd 125 for our spring bear hunt in northern Manitoba, but when the time came, three feet of snow in the bush cancelled the hunt. The fall bear hunt had not gone well for me, seeing only one bear that refused to come into the bait. It all boiled down to opening weekend of the whitetail bowhunting season. I solemnly promised Danny that I would shoot the first whitetail that came within forty yards and then demonstrated the seriousness of my pledge with a signature signed in my own blood, which he was about ready to spill anyhow.
Geoffrey Toye, our European Correspondent reviewed the Scorpyd from the technical point of view. It was my duty to relate how it performed in the field on a successful hunt. When I first received the Scorpyd in the spring and headed to the range, it took me a dozen times of cocking the bow to learn the correct procedure that would insure a smooth and even cock each time. By the time I had the procedure down pat, the scope was pretty much zeroed in, requiring only a few minor adjustments to fine tune. I marveled at how pinpoint-precise each shot was coming out of the bow. It was obvious from the undeniable consistency that shooting at the same X without removing the previous arrow would be an expensive mistake and I am not impressed by Robin Hoods, especially when arrows are involved.
Hours spent on the range, verified all that I’d been hearing about the Scorpyd. Elite engineering, solid construction and top of the line components, with deadly accuracy delivered at blazing speed (370 feet/second) and coming from only 125 pounds of draw weight. An interesting cross section of friends who took advantage of an opportunity to shoot the Scorpyd when I was on the range confirmed that my impressions of the bow were accurate and justified.
The breakdown stock was not a necessity for me during cocking, since I am 6 feet and able to maneuver the long cocking stroke needed without tipping the stock. However, I am at the edge. Two inches shorter and the stock would need to be tipped. Since I did not need the feature, I locked it shut using a zip strip, which can be easily removed with the quick slash of a knife.
It was necessary to shorten the cocking rope approximately seven inches; otherwise, I was not physically able to reach high enough to engage the latch while cocking the bow. However, the shorter rope required pulling the bowstring about four inches into the draw in order to latch it. It is important to note that the Scorpyd 125 does not automatically go on safe when it’s cocked. Like the Excalibur crossbow, the safety must be engaged once it has been cocked.
The trigger pull is a minimal 2½ pounds, which facilitates a nice even draw with a surprise release. There is little, if any wall to climb at release, especially when the body of the user is rushing from the steady flow of adrenaline normally caused by a live target. The safety is released easily and without noise, which is another positive element in the bow’s overall performance.
The bow comes with a scope manufactured by Hawke Optics, a British company that has recently come to America. Watch for that name. I believe we are going to be seeing their scopes on many crossbows in the future. They are already being mounted on TenPoint and Parker crossbows, as well as the Scorpyd. My model has five reticules, is crystal-clear, has excellent lowlight capabilities and is an all-around, solidly built optic.
The bow carries extremely well because of its narrow width (17.5 inches), which also lends itself to a comfortable fit on the lap while sitting a treestand. I strongly recommend a durable, padded sling to improve the carry as its nine-pound weight can quickly become burdensome on longer treks.
The whitetail that tangled with my Scorpyd was quartering away at twenty-five yards. The arrow entered behind the front shoulder and exited just in front of the scapula on the other side. With arrow flight invisible to the naked eye, there seemed to be no time for the animal to react and the perfect combination of bow/arrow/broadhead performed flawlessly bringing down the animal in under 50 yards. The blood trail was one that a blind man could follow, even if I had not seen the final acrobatics of the hapless whitetail.
Would I recommend this bow to others? You bet I would. This one will be difficult to put down when I receive my next crossbow to evaluate. As the cherry on the sundae, Jim Kempf, the owner of Scorpyd Crossbows is a good man that has been a friend for nearly a decade. He will strive to keep a satisfied smile on the face of all of his customers. We all know that is what really counts in determining the value of a product. For more information about the Scorpyd Crossbows, visit the web site at http://www.scorpyd.com or call them directly at 319-331-4700.