The National Bowhunter Education Foundation sponsored the 2026 Archery & Bowhunting Summit at the ATA Show in Indianapolis, providing industry professionals an opportunity to share best practices. NBEF Executive Director Marilyn Bentz and ATA President & CEO Jeff Poole highlighted the organization's commitment to growing archery and bowhunting through education and industry support.
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) announced its 2026 national tournament series featuring Western, Eastern, and Championship tournaments across Utah, Kentucky, and Florida. NASP is expanding scholarship opportunities for both Bullseye and 3D archers, including 185 random scholarships, competitive shoot-offs, and team scholarships totaling thousands of dollars.
Big Game Treestands earned the 2026 Readers' Choice Gold Award from Bowhunting World in the Ladder/Tripod category, recognized for smart design and proven performance. The award highlights Big Game's commitment to stability, comfort, and reliability in elevated hunting solutions.
The 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals concluded with champions crowned across recurve, compound, and barebow divisions after two months of competition at 16 locations. Notable winners include Brady Ellison in recurve men, Casey Kaufhold in recurve women, Kyle Douglas in compound men, and Ava Jones in barebow women, with $56,000 in total prize money distributed and over 20 national records set.
Texas A&M University won the Overall Collegiate Team Championship at the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals in Colorado Springs, edging University of the Cumberlands by over 14 points. Nearly 1,000 student-athletes competed, with Joshua Baek of Columbia University and Catalina GNoriega of TAMU among individual gold medalists across multiple archery disciplines.
Team Mathews achieved first and second-place finishes at the 2026 NFAA Indoor Nationals in Memphis, with Kyle Douglas winning the Freestyle Pro Men's division and Randy Morocco placing second in Freestyle Pro Senior. The victories continue Team Mathews' dominant start to the 2026 indoor season.
Whitetails Unlimited offers complimentary Deer Management signs and booklets to help landowners manage their properties. The PVC signs measure 11.25 inches and are suitable for use throughout the United States. Interested parties can contact Whitetails Unlimited National Headquarters at 920.743.6777 or nh@whitetailsunlimited.com to order.
SLG2, Inc. and Beretta announce the Hunt Like A Girl™ contest, offering one winner an all-expenses paid guided turkey hunt April 7-10, 2026, at Lagarde Lake Lodge in Alabama. The contest opens March 6, 2026, and features mentorship from Shoot Like A Girl instructors and Beretta Ambassador Diane Sorantino, a National Sporting Clays Hall of Fame inductee.
Whitetails Unlimited Inc. is hiring part-time Field Directors for expansion areas including Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Candidates should have event planning experience, Microsoft 365 proficiency, and knowledge of hunting and white-tailed deer. Interested applicants should email fieldoperations@whitetailsunlimited.com.
Moultrie Mobile has renewed its sponsorship with Whitetails Unlimited, a conservation organization with over 475 chapters and 120,000 members. WTU President Jeff Schinkten praised Moultrie's trail camera innovation and commitment to supporting the organization's mission of white-tailed deer conservation and habitat enhancement.
Petersen's Hunting released its April/May 2026 Guns & Gear Issue, featuring in-depth reviews of firearms, optics, ammunition, and hunting gear from contributors Craig Boddington, Keith Wood, Joseph von Benedikt, and Brad Fitzpatrick. The issue includes reviews of the Nemo Electus, Winchester Xpert, and other notable equipment.
Bear & Son Cutlery, based in Jacksonville, Alabama, has released the Genuine India Stag Bone™ 3 ½" Barlow pocketknife featuring high carbon stainless steel blades and a traditional stag bone handle. This heritage-inspired knife continues the company's commitment to American-made craftsmanship and quality.
The Project ChildSafe Foundation announced an enhanced fundraising model combining Safety Sweepstakes and charity auctions through a streamlined product-donation process. The new form simplifies participation for manufacturers and retailers, with Joe Bartozzi, Chairman of Project ChildSafe Foundation and President and CEO of NSSF, highlighting how industry partners are essential to advancing firearm safety education nationwide.
Relentless Knives USA has been selected as the exclusive knife brand for the 2026 season of Ted Nugent's Spirit of The Wild on the Pursuit Channel. The veteran-owned company's self-sharpening titanium knives and USA manufacturing align with Nugent's commitment to American-made products.
The Boone and Crockett Club praised the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture's bipartisan vote advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which includes funding for the Forest Conservation Easement Program. Club president Mary Webster highlighted the bill's conservation provisions supporting wildlife habitat and voluntary working lands programs benefiting both natural resources and producers.
FALCO® Holsters announces refinements to its Timeless Series pancake-style leather holsters, featuring reinforced leather backing for improved rigidity and stability. The updated design maintains full compatibility with modern optics-equipped handguns and is available at no additional cost for both IWB and OWB carry options.
Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. announced Jason Khalipa, a former CrossFit Games Champion and founder of NCFIT and TRAIN HARD by Jason Khalipa, as its newest brand ambassador. Khalipa, known for his work in functional fitness and recent involvement in The Tactical Games, brings decades of athletic and entrepreneurial experience to the partnership.
Wildlife Research Center has renewed its sponsorship with Whitetails Unlimited. The Ramsey, Minnesota-based company, founded by brothers John and Brian Burgeson, is recognized for innovative hunting products including Trails End #307 and Scent Killer Spray.
GAME & FISH TV, powered by Outdoor Sportsman Group, launches "Fish Fry Fridays" in March featuring bass fishing shows including Ultimate Match Fishing, JT Kenny's Florida Bass, Zona's Awesome Fishing Show, The VanDam Experience, and The Hunt for Monster Bass. The FAST channel is available on Prime Video, VIZIO, Fire TV, Plex, Samsung TV Plus, and other platforms.
My eyes aren't what they used to be. With rifles, I'm able to equalize my optical flaws with glass, and with handguns, I've embraced the red dot.
Archery was a different story. I thought I was going to have to shoot left-handed now since my eye dominance seemed to switch sides. Or so I thought before I walked into my local bow shop, Hoffman’s Archery, and asked for some help.
The Mathews Lift RS - Mathews Archery
Farron Moss, the owner of Hoffmans, agreed - I could switch to being a left-handed shooter. It could be done, and in the long run, I’ll shoot better or ...
I could correct my vision with a verifier in my peep. I instantly aged another ten years when he told me this, until he did a quick poll in the bow shop to reveal that almost everyone there, from young to much older than I, used verifiers and even clarifiers to shoot better.
Men. We always think we’re the only ones with our problems. Farron grabbed a set of lenses, tested my vision until it was razor-sharp, then updated my peep sight.
Then, I drew my Mathews Lift RS, looked through my peep, and smiled while Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” played in my head.
It indeed was a whole new world.
According to P.J. Reilly, technical writer for Lancaster Archery Supply, using clarifiers and verifiers is far more common than many shooters realize.
“It’s very common for archers to install a clarifier or verifier in a peep sight,” Reilly explains. “Basically, everyone who uses a lens in their scope housing also uses a clarifier in their peep sight. It’s really the only way to clear up the view of the target.”
Clarifier vs. Verifier
The Deluxe Clarifier Kit for the popular PXL Hunter peep from Specialty Archery the most advanced peep system in the archery hunting community. - Lancaster Archery Suppy
Understanding the difference between these two lenses is key. I didn't, and P.J. set me straight.
A clarifier is used when a magnifying lens is installed in the sight housing. Target archers frequently use magnified scopes, and without a clarifier in the peep, the magnified image can appear blurry.
The clarifier corrects that image, allowing the shooter’s eye to properly focus on the target through the magnification.
A verifier, on the other hand, serves a different purpose.
“Using a verifier is common among older bowhunters and others who have trouble seeing their sight pins clearly when they are not using a lens in their scope housing,” Reilly says.
In simple terms:
Clarifier: sharpens the target when a magnified scope lens is used
Verifier: sharpens the sight pins when no scope lens is present
For many bowhunters whose eyesight has changed over time, a verifier can restore pin clarity without altering the rest of the setup.
Why Eyeglasses Don’t Always Solve the Problem
Many archers assume their prescription glasses will solve sight-picture issues. In reality, the situation can be more complicated.
“A person who wears eyeglasses all the time might not be able to get a clean sight picture with a clarifier while also wearing glasses,” Reilly explains. “Correcting vision through three pieces of glass can be difficult.”
Those three layers might include eyeglasses, a clarifier lens in the peep, and a magnified scope lens in the sight housing.
In some cases, archers actually see more clearly by shooting without their glasses when using a clarifier system.
Conversely, many eyeglass wearers benefit from verifiers.
Hamskea InSight Peep System Deluxe Peep Kit - Lancaster Archery Supply
“A verifier can bring the sight pins into focus when eyeglasses make them fuzzy while still keeping the target clear,” Reilly says.
The best choice depends heavily on the shooter’s eyesight and equipment.
Installation Is Simple
Despite their optical precision, clarifiers and verifiers are straightforward to use.
“They’re very simple to install and use,” Reilly says. “Only certain peep housings are designed to hold them, so you have to be sure you have one of those peeps.”
These systems allow archers to change lenses and apertures to fine-tune their sight picture.
Finding the Right Setup
Selecting the correct lens strength requires experimentation.
“You need to test the different lenses to see what will work for you,” Reilly says. “Every manufacturer offers them in different powers, think of the powers like eyeglass prescriptions.”
Peep aperture size also plays a role.
“It’s possible to clear up a slightly out-of-focus sight picture simply by changing the aperture size in your peep,” Reilly notes.
Often, the clearest sight picture comes from tuning both the lens power and the peep aperture together.
Seeing the Target Again
For me, discovering clarifiers and verifiers was a game-changer. These peep sight inserts didn’t just restore my confidence; they actually helped me shoot better and farther than I had in years.
Of course, as great as these things are, they’ve also eliminated one of my favorite excuses when I miss.
So, there's that ...
Jay Pinsky, Editor, The Hunting Wire & The Archery Wire
