This year's Bowhunting Trade Show, held in Indianapolis this past January, was a veritable candy store for archery enthusiasts. Everything from aluminum arrows to video systems was available for shop owners to peruse. Customers should start seeing these items on the shelves in the coming months.

Here is some of what 1996 will have to offer:

Bear/Jennings Archery

Bear Archery has brought back one of Fred Bear's old bows. Though Bear himself came to prefer the take-down version of this bow, most of his guests shot a Kodiak Magnum. The Kodiak Magnum has been out of production for a number of years, but it's back in production for 1996. Chip Klass, marketing manager for Bear/Jennings, said the new model is virtually identical to the original, which Bear designed in the early 1960s; it was produced until the mid-1970s.

The only difference between the new bow and the old one is that the tips have been reinforced to accept a fast-flight string. The original Bear logo is on the limbs, though it now says "Gainesville, Florida." The arrow shelf even is crowned the way it was in the original version.

Bear/Jennings also has come out with a new women's bow, the Dimension.

Bohning

Bohning introduced the Sidewinder quiver mount, designed to convert an existing bow quiver into a hip quiver. Instead of strapping onto the shooter's leg, the Sidewinder hooks on the belt, where an adjustable knob allows the shooter to determine whether the quiver rotates or is fixed. The quiver can be disconnected so the archer can hang it in a tree or return it to the bow. The Sidewinder is convertible from right- to left-handed.

Bowing Enterprises

Bowing Enterprises has continued manufacture of Trebark Expel, their unique brand of camo impregnated with Permethrin. Expel originally was created for military use, to protect armed forces personnel from biting and stinging insects. Studies have shown that Expel both repels and is toxic to insects, but has very low toxicity to humans.

Browning

Most of Browning's bow line is new; only one bow from last year made the cut for this year according to Don Vallee, vice president and manager of the archery division. Features on the various new bows include high letoff, high performance hatchet cams, single cams, and traditional cams. The company also has brought two new handles into the line this year and is focusing on reducing mass weight.

Vallee said except for the one-cam bow, the Browning line is unique in that a dealer can adjust any of the bows up to four inches in draw length without putting it in a bow press.

Concealment Enterprises, Inc.

Designer Terry Dotson developed his first camo pattern, Treetop, in the late 1980s, and copyrighted it in 1990. Then in 1993, he teamed up with Bob Carpenter to form Concealment Enterprises. Since then the company has produced several other patterns, including two bark designs, one leaf design, and one snow pattern. Carpenter said the company plans to stick with the patterns they now have for the foreseeable future.

"The woods don't change," he said. "We've worked very hard on the colors, and Terry has put together something I think is very successful." They term their camo a "3-D concealment system." The patterns are somewhat different from most camouflage in that the bark has light streaks in it, rather than the all-dark bark of most camouflage patterns.

Doskocil Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Doskocil has a new line of aluminum cases, ranging from a large case for two scoped rifles to a small two-pistol case. The line includes a single bow case.

Easton Technical Products, Inc.

Easton is offering several new sizes of both aluminum and carbon arrow shafts. The most notable is a 2613, a huge shaft which is much lighter than the 2419, but which has the same spine characteristics. The company also has added a new nock to their Uni-nock system, one that is slightly looser on the string to accommodate 3-D shooters, who often have extra serving on their strings.

In keeping with their policy of encouraging young people to take up archery, Easton also has a new entry-level fiberglass shaft. Instead of complicating the issue with many sizes and styles of arrows available, the fiberglass "Trooper" is available only in 30-pound and 40-pound weights.

To combat the problem of fletching glue releasing the vanes on carbon arrows, Easton has developed a plastic vane with a chemical activator built into the base of it. This will eliminate the need to wipe either aluminum or carbon shafts clean before fletching is applied. Per-vane application time for this system is three to five seconds; dealers report they can fletch a dozen arrows in about seven minutes with this system.

The company also has added a number of items to their dealer program, including director's chairs with the Easton logo, a dart board, and a calculator with the Easton logo. These can be kept by dealers for the shop or used in a promotion or giveaway to increase dealer visibility for customers.

Game Finder, Inc.

The newest entry into the Game Finder line is a junior model which will be available in June. Game Finder also has a set of headphones for shooters. The unique feature of their model is that it does not shut off completely when shots are fired; although sudden loud noises are drastically reduced, low-volume sounds are amplified, allowing instruction and conversations to continue during shooting.

Ghost Scent

Since the 1950s, doctors have prescribed chlorophyll tablets to control excretion odor in colostomy patients. It has a proven track record, and in the 40 years it has been in use, has provoked no reported side effects of any kind, making it one of the safest drugs on the market. About a year ago Tommy Dean, director of sales and marketing for DeWitt USA, learned that bowhunters have been using the same compound to reduce body odors for years.

Following approval from the FDA, DeWitt has begun offering the compound as Ghost Scent. In the Ghost Scent incarnation, it is less expensive and more easily obtainable than it was in the past, when bowhunters had to purchase it at medical supply houses.

Guthrie Center Assembly

For hunters who hate sitting in trees, Guthrie Center Assembly manufactures two portable seats for ground use. One is the Porta-Stump, a 20-pound swivel seat with a camouflage ground blind which sets up over it. The other is the Tote Stool, a small, lightweight stool which hooks onto a belt.

Hunter's Manufacturing Company

One problem with crossbows is that they're hard for a small-framed shooter, particularly a woman, to cock. Hunter's Manufacturing has solved that problem with the introduction of a cocking device integrated into a crossbow. To cock the bow, the shooter uses either a hand crank or a battery-powered drill fitted with a socket. By releasing the string catch and reversing the direction of the crank, the bow also can be de-cocked. Existing bows can be retrofitted with this device.

The company also has a new safety device which prevents the bow from dry firing. Called the Dry-Fire Inhibitor, it catches the string and keeps it from releasing unless a bolt is in place on the string.

Kolpin Manufacturing, Inc.

Kolpin spent 19 months developing its latest product, the hard-sided Gator case; that development time shows. Vice president of marketing Cole Braun spent much of the show jumping up and down on a sample case in the Kolpin booth; when a doubting retailer insisted it must be a specially prepared case to take the abuse to which Braun was subjecting it, he opened it. It was his personal case, with his archery equipment inside. That is confidence in your product.

Like other Kolpin cases, the Gator will hold a bow and a quiver full of arrows, as well as extra arrows. It also is designed to allow an arrow box to be strapped onto the outside, and is available in both a single and a double version. Other Gator case designs will be available in the near future.

The case comes with outside graphics in either Advantage or Realtree camouflage; the pattern is impregnated in the case, and can't wear or scratch off. Braun said Kolpin can put any drawing or photograph on the case, and plans to bring out a series of wildlife scenes in the future.

The Gator teeth, a series of hard plastic pillars in the interior of the case, is the other major innovation in the case. These pillars can be moved to 18 different locations in the case at the customer's discretion, providing unprecedented strength and stability when the case is closed.

Lansky Sharpeners

Lansky Sharpeners has a new national sales manager, Dan Waldron, formerly of The Brinkmann Corporation. The company has switched to clamshell packaging for a number of products.

Robert Jones, sales and technical advisor for Lansky, said the company has as many orders as it can fill, so does not plan to introduce any new products for the foreseeable future.

Robinson Laboratories, Inc.

Bill Robinson said his lab is offering about 15 new products for 1996. Last year the company began packaging lures in gel form, and has expanded the line to include 10 different lures. Robinson said a small amount of a gel will last for about two weeks, as opposed to a liquid which lasts only a short time. Robinson Labs offers Fall Blend, which is a scent eliminator combined with a cover scent. The big challenge for the company's chemists was to take the odors of fall and combine them with Scent Shield, which is designed to kill odors.

The company also is marketing an easy-off face camo. Impregnated in a soap base, the camo is stable enough to stay on in rain or warm weather, but comes off with the wipe of a wet cloth.

Saunders Archery Company

Following the death last year of founder Chuck Saunders, the Saunders Archery Company has been taken over by his three sons. According to Charles Saunders, he is director of product development and marketing, his brother Gene is the president and CEO, and his other brother Tom is director of Plant 3, the screw-machine products.

The company has been streamlined and has a much cleaner pricing policy. The new regime also has introduced new packaging, new corporate colors, and a new logo, as well as a series of new products which Saunders termed "inventory reducers." These are multiple-function products which reduce the amount of inventory a dealer needs to carry and increase the products' value. The company also has reduced the bulk-quantity size, making the entry into bulk pricing easier for retailers. The company has two main foci for the next few years.

First, they are developing new products for youth and other entry-level shooters, including a versatile, portable target for blunts. Saunders Archery also will cater to the enthusiast, with new rests and high-tech products under development.

Simmons Outdoor Corporation

In a bold move away from the optics which have been its staple products, Simmons has added a line of outdoor clothing. The most interesting is the MasterGuide Sac Suit, a camouflage jumpsuit that folds into itself and becomes its own carrying sack. The Sac Suit has lots of pockets, and zippered vents across the back and under the arms for ventilation.

Other clothing in the MasterGuide line include a turkey coat and turkey vest, fleece sweatshirts, an insulated parka, and several shirts.

Spartan-Realtree Products, Inc.

The folks at Spartan-Realtree are excited about their agreement with Kolpin to produce the Gator case under their license. It is one of a number of new such licenses; so many new products are sporting Advantage or Realtree camo that marketing department representative Dodd Clifton said he has trouble keeping up with all of them.

Two Rivers Products

This small accessories company has introduced a simple product for carrying little things in the woods. President Craig Awan calls the device Scent-O-Lier, because a hunter wears it across his or her chest like a bandolier, and it was designed for carrying bottled scents. It is manufactured of leak-resistant nylon.

The Wilderness Wanderer

Romeo (Duke) Leduc, aka the Wilderness Wanderer, has designed a unique and extremely functional modular backpack system. The backpack is based on a full-frame pack, but the individual packs can be taken on and off and rearranged as necessary.

After a shoulder injury made it impossible for Leduc to carry a substantial weight on his shoulders for any period of time, he designed a suspension frame which attaches to a hip belt. The weight on the pack thus is transferred to the hips, instead of riding on the shoulders.

This pack will be a boon to women. A woman's skeleton is designed to carry its major load through the hips; conventional backpacks cause strained muscles and poor balance through setting the center of mass too high. The Wilderness Wanderer will put the weight back where it belongs.