With the opening day of bow season well behind us and the holidays looming ahead of us, I wanted to provide our readers with my review of my bow...the Parker Sidekick Extreme Compound Bow Outfitter Package - Next G1 Camo. If you have a little one or a lady in your life that is getting into the sport and a new bow is on their Christmas list, I’m going to tell you about why the Side-Kick is perfect for them.
If you have read our Beginners article, you know that while Andy is a seasoned hunter, I am still a beginner in most rights. Being a beginner myself, it wasn’t but a few seasons ago that I was considering my first bow purchase, ok…considering it very carefully with guidance from Andy that is. While there are many aspects to consider when purchasing a new bow for yourself or the beginner in your life, I wanted accuracy, versatility, and an easy to use bow which would be light and easy enough to draw but could still pack some punch for my target.
The bow that met all of my personal requirements was the Parker Sidekick Extreme Compound Bow Outfitter Package - Next G1 Camo. This bow was a dream; it has an adjustable draw length of 18-28 inches that does not require a bow press to adjust. It has an expanded 20 pound draw weight of either 20-40 pounds or 40-60 pounds. It is light at only 3 ¼ pounds and has a let off of 80%. It comes in two patterns, normal camo and pink camo. (While I am not a personal fan of bows that come in pink, this choice is very subtle, I chose the normal camo for my bow).
Ok, so that’s the hard facts, here is my spin. The minimum draw weight that you can pull to be able to legally harvest a deer in the state of Maryland is 30 pounds. Therefore, if you start a little one with the 20-40 pounds draw weight, they will be able to legally shoot as soon as they hit 30 pounds. One of the selling points for me was the Grow Up With Parker Program that allows you to send back your old limbs for upgraded limbs for a small fee of $50. This increases your investment and allows your child or the lady in your life to literally “Grow Up With Parker”. I am at that point now; I have maxed out my draw weight at 40 pounds and will soon be sending my bow back to Parker for the next set of limbs.
I am right handed but left eye dominant, this meant that I chose to learn how to shoot left handed (perhaps I was always supposed to be a lefty, it came to me much easier than I would have imagined). Parker offers all of their bows in right and left handed versions, including their youth bows the Side-Kick and the Buck Shot. This was another selling point for me!!
As for the other must-haves on my checklist… The Side-Kick is light and allows me to be able to hold it at a full draw as long as necessary in order to get the perfect shot. It is as deadly accurate as the archer is, meaning that as long as I am on my game, it is right there with me. It is easy to set up and adjust and has become like a friend to me through the few years that I have owned it. I know that one day I will outgrow my Side-Kick altogether, but until then, I love my bow and I could not imagine learning to hunt on anything different.
Do you or someone you know have a Side-Kick? Do they love it? Give us your thoughts!
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