Warm temperatures, rolling hills, three days and 70 targets. That’s what over 1,500 archers come to expect each year at the Western Classic Trail Shoot in Redding, California, where this year, Scott Archery’s Domagoj Buden shot his way to victory.

The first stage of the World Cup concluded in Medellin, Colombia with hardware being added to Scott Archery and Custom Bow Equipment shooter, Braden Gellenthien and JP Boulch’s mantles, while thousands of miles away Jacob Marlow and Emily McCarthy competed to podium finishes at the third Archery Shooters Association tournament of the year in Paris, Texas.

The second Archery Shooters Association (ASA) tournament of the year concluded Sunday at the Uchee Creek Army Campground in Fort Benning, AL, with three Scott Archery and Custom Bow Equipment shooters taking top spots on the podium, and many more finishing in the top ten of their respective professional classes.

Foley, Alabama hosted the kickoff Archery Shooters Association (ASA) event of the year where Scott Archery and Custom Bow Equipment pro shooters Justin Hannah, Emily McCarthy and Tommy Gomez impressed with podium finishes.

The world’s most decorated archer, Braden Gellenthien, added more hardware to his collection over the weekend at the fourth stage of the Indoor Archery World Series that took place in Nimes, France, with a commanding performance and gold medal finish.

When choosing releases there are a lot of questions to be asked. Are you looking for a wrist strap release, a hinge, a thumb trigger? Maybe you’re a hunter struggling with target panic and need a hinge style to hunt with.  

As a pro archer for Scott Archery, I'm often asked if I use a click or no click on my hinge release. Personally I shoot a click on my hinges, because I use the click to start my shot. What I mean by that is I draw back and start getting into my anchor and my release should click, at that point I start aiming and going through my shot. Doing this helps me start from the same point each shot and I also do not waste any time aiming. 

Rounding out an impressive year as World Archery’s most decorated archer, Scott Archery and CBE Pro Shooter, Braden Gellenthien brought home yet another piece of hardware with his gold medal finish in Rome at the second Indoor World Series tournament.

For as long as I’ve shot archery, there has always been a debate over which release is “better”; a hinge-style back tension release or a thumb button or even an index finger activated one. Each release has its own pros and cons and I’d like to walk you through them and provide my own thoughts about which is best under which scenarios.

In my opinion, a surprise release creates the most accurate results. That’s why I choose to shoot a back tension style release. A person can execute all different styles of releases (hinge, wrist strap, or thumb button) with true back tension, causing surprise releases. However, when choosing a new release, you’ll want to find one that fits very comfortably in your hand. Generally, a smaller hand will feel more comfortable with a smaller release. Consistency is very important part of ones shot, so pick the most comfortable releases and learn to shoot it the same—until you can reproduce the same feeling release over, and over, and over again.

Emily's top picks: Advantage, Mini Advantage