# Scary thing I over head at Cabelas yesterday!



## jjc155 (Feb 1, 2005)

I was walking through the Cabelas archery dept yesterday picking up a new Bitzenberger jig when I overhead a lady that works there talking to a customer at the counter.

She was telling him (in kind of a bragging tone) about how much experience she has with archery and working on bows. She was talking about different brands (most that are not carried at Cabelas) and how good/bad they are. The girl was about 25years old, but sounded like she atleast had read some archery mags and product literature. The customer seemed to be listening intently. Here comes the scary part!

She then told the customer that when she worked at Gander Moutain that she was the only person in the archery shop that would work on the bows and was the only one that would tackle a string change. She then explained, very confidently that changing a string was very easy because all you had to do was pull the bow back and stick two screw drivers through the limbs/cams to hold it back and then change the string!

At this point the customer who obviously has some experience with archery asked "Wouldnt it be easier to just use a bow press?" To which she replied that the only two times she had used a press to change a string she bent the risers of the bows, but that it was not her fault because the bow press was faulty and put too much torque on the riser.

At that point in time my giggling was giving me away and I had to walk away.

HOLY COW, you would thing that there would be at least a 30 min training on basic bow maintenace or some requirement by at very least the bow manufactures for who works on their bows. 

I know a lot of people visit these stores as do I, but take this as a warning about who may be working on your bows and how. I also realize that this could happen at any pro shop too, but I gaurntee that it does not happen at either of the two that I frequantly use.

Be fore warned,

J-


----------



## T-LaBee (Dec 28, 2003)

*I did NOT know you could do that...*

Hmmmm...Neccesity is the mother of stupidity?


----------



## Hoyt1967 (Dec 21, 2003)

It just proves the good old saying "Good help is hard to find"


----------



## Bowzone_Mikey (Dec 11, 2003)

That is the very reason why I dont buy my stuff from Box stores .... I am certain next week when you go in that same girl will be the Optics or Fishing or hiking "Expert"


----------



## thumperX (Jun 9, 2004)

*Dahhh...*

Sounds like she was trying to impress someone, but was talking out of the wrong end!!!!


----------



## robk (Jun 10, 2002)

welll you have to admit she had her speech down. i also heard that you could use a screwdriver but that was in the field and a true emrgency only and not recommended for all bows. i have never done that and would never of done it and once when i was in trouble i foudn my way to a pro shop and got it fixed but that is crazy. if i was a customer and she said that i would of asked her to show me so i would know how to do it. what a laugh
there is a girl in a local bass pro who is one of those people who knows it all and i have yet to see her at a 3d and not sure about her hunting i have never heard her say anything about it. 
i hope that she does not get someone hurt telling them things like that
rob k


----------



## xibowhunter (Mar 18, 2003)

this is yet another reason why i learned how to maintain my bow ,even some of the "pro" shops out there don't know what they are doing! but i wouldn't let anyone at any of the chain stores work on my gear unless i knew who they were and was sure they knew what they were doing.


----------



## kyost (Aug 16, 2004)

Yup, another reason to work on your own equipment. I've done the screwdriver trick before, but only on low poundage round wheeled bows. I wouldn't even consider doing it now that I know better.


----------



## pjridge (Jul 22, 2003)

So thankful I can do my own work!


----------



## kpsingleton (Feb 26, 2006)

That's the dumbest thing I've heard a long while. Almost beats the guy who tried to mount the whisker biscuit on the front of the riser  

It's amazing people this stupid are still alive...


----------



## Mexican 3D (Nov 16, 2003)

i have done that trick a couple of times to install a peep sight or to pass the serving string through the bowstring. of course i prefer not to do it, but when on the range and in lack of a press, i have done it. i know its not the best thing, but its an emergency solution. in fact i learned about it in here.

good luck!!


----------



## MichiganMan (Jan 30, 2003)

dosnt suprise me... thats why I would NEVER let a box store "bowsmith" lay a finger on my bow, unless I knew for a fact that they know what they are doing! Suport your local proshop, find one you like and stick with it.

Oh! And what a suprise, I just noticed this is the MI one... Yea... I wouldnt advise anyone take their bow there, for their own saftey and others. Ive seen some really really bad setups come out of there... like the cx 200s they set up for a guy with a 70lb buckmaster... and he woundered why it was loud and why they wouldnt group...


----------



## Doc Holliday (May 21, 2002)

Box stores aren't the only places that have people like that working on bows.


----------



## drtnshtr (Jan 20, 2003)

to be honest with you all it sounds like she knows what she is talking about. I mean if she didnt have a clue about bows at all how would she have known that you can put a screwdriver in the cams to press the bow. It sounds to me like this girl may know more than alot of people do about bows,especially if she knew better than to use a faulty press that could bend someones riser. Another thing you have to realize that some people dont have local "pro" shops within hours of there house but may have a gander mtn or cabelas and so forth close by.


----------



## shadowdrak (May 21, 2005)

I've had an experience to where I took a bow down to a pro shop around here to have them put a new string on for me. The kid (related to the owner's family) just put a few twists in the string, put it on, and gave it back to me. I just sat there and stared at him and asked if he was going to check the specs to make sure they were correct. Guess what he said to me? It looks ok..... needless to say, it was way out of specs and I had to take it to another place and have them correct it. Now I just work on my bows as much as I can, so as to I can only be upset at myself if something's not right.


----------



## jterry (Mar 22, 2006)

i would bet that the press wasnt faulty but that the girl used it wrong and if it really was a faulty press any good bow shop would get a new press that didnt damage bows. if the girl knew much she would know that bows shouldnt be pressed that way...more than likely she was just shown by someone who didnt know better or didnt care...


----------



## Chief P (Dec 1, 2003)

Thats crazy. Aren't you suppose to just cut the old string off?


----------



## bfisher (Nov 30, 2002)

I don't totally agree that using a screwdiver is right, but it is an option when in a pinch. The girl has been around the block to have even known this technique.

Let me say that I work in a "box store" (Gander Mt), archery department. I've been shooting compounds for 32+ years and never had one in a shop for anything. So needless to say I've learned a few things. I treat any customers' bows as if it were my own.

Our store has several bowpresses including the Apple Super Pro. A couple weeks ago I had a guy come in and wanted something done (I don't remember what) on his Trykon that necessitated using the press. OK, I cranked it down a little and then started pumping the hydraulic jack. As soon as there was some pressure on the limbs I noticed that the riser started to cock a little. That's when I stopped. As luck would have it I just happened to have my stuff there and immediately got out my personal BowMaster and adapters and completed the job. The customer was very appreciative of the care that I took.

Moral of the story? There are bow technicians and there are bow technicians. They don't all work in Pro shops. And not all Bow presses will do the job to my satisfaction.


----------



## Myk (Nov 19, 2003)

I've used a screwdriver before but only on the cable and that cam had a hole that spanned the complete cam so there was no uneven pressure.

I don't think I would attempt that on a string unless it was a major pinch (and with a Bowmaster in my case it's not). What are the odds that you would have the right spot on a cam while it was still in the valley?


----------



## EXTREME 1 (Jan 24, 2004)

It does not matter where you go there is always someone there who tries to feed you a line of BULL becouse they don't know a darn thing. Really sad that they hire un-educated people to fill a job ad without at least training them to get someone that can really help when someone has a real question. Maybe they should make them wear a sign that says do not ask becouse I do not know. Opps back to topic I have used screw drivers in a pinch when I had to change a string when hunting but prefer to use a press.


----------



## buck knife (Mar 1, 2004)

WOW,Thats nuts.I was only ever to Bass pro once in my life and noticed most of the bows had zip ties attached so you couldn't draw them,I saw a guy dry fire onee then put it back on the rack,thats enough of a reason for me to never buy a bow at a box store!!


----------



## Doc Holliday (May 21, 2002)

buck knife said:


> WOW,Thats nuts.I was only ever to Bass pro once in my life and noticed most of the bows had zip ties attached so you couldn't draw them,I saw a guy dry fire onee then put it back on the rack,thats enough of a reason for me to never buy a bow at a box store!!


I once had a pro shop OWNER, not employee, tell me that you can't kill a deer with a recurve.

I have also seen a bow dryfired at another shop and after the owner looked at it, put it back on the wall.

Should I never buy at a pro shop?


----------



## [email protected] (Jan 8, 2006)

That is all too common. Its hard to find someone in a proshop that knows what they are doing. I know more than anyone at my areas local shops and thats depressing or not, i dont know.


----------



## Bees (Jan 28, 2003)

> all you had to do was pull the bow back and stick two screw drivers through the limbs/cams to hold it back and then change the string!



she's wrong you only need one screw driver.. :darkbeer: :darkbeer:


----------



## Nick1959 (Apr 30, 2003)

Kilnbux said:


> That is all too common. Its hard to find someone in a proshop that knows what they are doing. I know more than anyone at my areas local shops and thats depressing or not, i dont know.



I'll have to disagree with this. (to a certain extent) If you don't know what you're doing...it's tough to stay in business. I know of certain individuals in shops I wouldn't recommend working on bows, but most shops have at least someone in the know. Maybe I'm spoiled here in the Twin Cities. More competition between shops. Anyway...I do all my own work except make strings. Someday....

Good Luck to all looking for the great bow minder,
Nick


----------



## buck knife (Mar 1, 2004)

Doc Holliday said:


> I once had a pro shop OWNER, not employee, tell me that you can't kill a deer with a recurve.
> 
> I have also seen a bow dryfired at another shop and after the owner looked at it, put it back on the wall.
> 
> Should I never buy at a pro shop?


Well ,you can buy wherever you like bud,but no one else saw that guy but me,in a proshop that dry fire would most likely have resulted in the bow at least being taken off the shelf and definately checked over.At the box store it was just put back for the next guy to come along and maybe buy it,thinking its a new bow,which it wasn't after the dry fire.


----------



## EXTREME 1 (Jan 24, 2004)

No matter where I buy a new bow I make sure the one I get is still in the box, it prevents me from getting someones miss fire. And if they do not have one there I say well I will pay for one and have the company send it directly to me.


----------



## Zen Archery (Jul 27, 2004)

im gonna get burnt for this one but....


never send a woman to do a mans job...



ok sistas bring it!!! im just kidding!


----------



## Doc Holliday (May 21, 2002)

The bow that was dryfired in the proshop WAS put back on the wall. The owner looked at the cams and string and put it back on the wall after scolding the offender. 

I'm just sayin that you guys that keep bashing the box stores need to get out more and see the same things going on in pro shops.

Not all box stores are bad and not all pro shops are good. :beer:


----------



## sidewinder2003 (Mar 17, 2006)

so who was this chick. i think i may want to hire her. i need a machanic with her expertice. lol


----------



## PodunkArcher (Jun 1, 2005)

*Hey now!*

I work at a box store (Sportsman's warehouse) and I would have to say it just depends...I know for a fact that my old manager and one of my co-workers are some of the smartest people I know when it comes to bows. and dont get me wrong the proshop from which I get all my stuff...just cause we dont sell anything but bowtech but thats a different story...I love them to death great guys, awesome to work with...but I know that we as a "box store" can tune,repair or anything else in that particular field just as well or not better than our local proshop...heck the guy I work with used to own the proshop before he sold it to his dad...so it really just depends...I would put me and my boys up against almost any proshop.


----------

