Zachary, an assistant editor, booked an African safari for the summer of 2025 and roamed the halls of the Archery Trade Association Show last January looking for the perfect bow. Price was a concern, yet sacrificing quality is a huge mistake, especially on an African safari. After considering and shooting various brands, he chose the Bear Alaskan XT, which arrived last week amid great anticipation.
Go for the Package
Whenever a person buys a new bow, the question is, “Should I go for the package or install the accessories from my old bow?” On one hand, you get to use the sight, rest, etc, you are familiar with. On the other hand, many bows come with gear designed to perform specifically for a bow. The Alaskan XT is the latter, with an Integrated Picatinny sight and the Integrated Mounting Rest System® machined into the riser. This compound bow package is also deadened by strategically placed in-riser dampeners and upgraded with a roller cable slide. All that packed into a forgiving 6.25” brace height and 33” axle-to-axle package.
Ultra Adjustable
The adjustability of the Alaskan XT is a considerable benefit. Zachary has three target animals: a black wildebeest, a waterbuck, and a warthog. The XT is adjustable from 45 to 60 pounds or 55-70 pounds. Both are suitable for African plains game, yet he also has an Idaho elk hunt planned for fall, and cranking up the poundage to a full 70 pounds will be advantageous. The bow can launch at 335 fps with a reduced draw weight let-off of 80 percent.
Out of the Box, Almost
Zachary sighted in the new bow the day before and was anxious to show his proficiency on my back deck. His plan is to hunt by spot-and-stalk methods, yet if that doesn’t work out, he could end up in an elevated blind, which made the back-deck practice very realistic. The sighting system of the Alaskan XT is a large peep sight attached to a cable by a rubber tube and sighted through a Trophy Ridge 4-pin sight with a round housing. When I could shoot a compound bow, this was my go-to formula that put a circle within a circle and a pin in the target, a very accurate formula.
Containment Rest
The rest on the Alaskan XT is a containment, whisker-style rest, especially important for a mobile, spot-and-stalk hunter. An archer in a tree stand will be stationary, and an arrow rarely falls from a rest. However, the stalking hunter must move with the arrow nocked and in place, and it’s easy for an arrow to pop off the rest or not align properly.
Ready for Broadheads
Now that the Alaskan XT is tuned and sighted in with target points, the next step is to select a broadhead. Wildebeest are among Africa’s toughest animals, and the broadhead must be precisely accurate and cause a large wound channel. African animals have their vitals between their shoulders, which requires a lethal arrow to pass through several inches of thick shoulder muscle and can challenge penetration. We will test several models of Grim Reapers and post the results.
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