News from Kodabow ...... we are now very pleased to shift emphasis towards putting bows out in the field with hunters and shooters. We will be at the Pennsylvania Crossbow Festival later this month on July 25th and are now engaging dealers who are interested in representing Kodabow in local markets.
Our West Chester, PA Distribution Center is up and running and final assembly and shipment is beginning to occur there. Major components are produced primarily in Lancaster, PA and the surrounding area. Places like Chester, Thorndale, Mountville, Exton but also in other states like Michigan, Indiana, Utah and Wisconsin. We are encouraged to see jobs being created right here in the US. In this economy, it is not easy. We have a healthy respect for folks in business who are making their way. We can also say that we participated in no government giveaways or loans. No bailouts either. Just hard work.
When we look at the supporting supplier base that has helped us get to where we are at, we see not only companies but real American individuals like John, Allen, Jarrod, Rich, Steve, Don, Dave, Ann Marie ---- and many, many others. We have developed a sense of their family life and how their kids are doing in school and where they are heading off to college or work. We think this is the way business is supposed to work. There were also funny and unexpected moments along the way. We would often be asked by one of our suppliers who might be producing a part or involved in an operation for us like coatings, "Can I see one of the crossbows?"
We would say "Sure, come take a look." One employee would be out in the parking lot with us, then another, and throughout the facility, we could hear echoing calls of "Hey Fred, come out here. You need to see this crossbow." We had groups of 10 or 12 people huddled with us talking about hunting and what we were doing. Sometimes, we would haul out a target and a short shooting demonstration would take place. Most of all, these Americans wanted to help us succeed. That positive experience was always encouraging for Kodabow. Pennsylvania has a long history of hunting and sporting arms but when the tough audience is the "factory" men and women who really "make things" on a shop floor, that assessment was always most valued by us. Today, we say thank you --- for helping us get down the trail of building a great crossbow.

Everyone sees things differently. When it comes to illuminated optics, it is evident that green or red illuminated reticles have a certain "cool factor". This is always true when friends are checking out your latest hunting tool.
But what happens in the field may be another story. When circumstances permit, perform the following test. Be in the field during the last 10 minutes of legal shooting time. In many states, the legal shooting time extends to 30 minutes after sunset. Deer should be in range from your stand at 10, 20, 30 or 40 yards.
Switch back and forth between the illuminated reticle and the straight black line of a glass etched reticle or wire reticle. See how easy or difficult it is for you to distinguish the animal profile, ear movement or antler configuration. As each minute ticks by, make a mental note about visibility. Every person is different but our experience suggests that there is an element of "washout" from the illumination feature that can actually decrease overall visibility during those last magic 10 minutes at the end of the day. It might be better for many hunters to have the illumination turned off and use their eyesight to pick up the black line reticle. The moral of the story --- do a little personal scientific testing for yourself to optimize your setup at last light.