Hunter Interview - Chris Melton

1. How long have you been a bowhunter?

Honestly, hunting was a big part of my upbringing. My parents divorced when I was pretty young. My father and I only really connected over trucks, firearms, fishing and hunting. I shot my first deer when I was 10. It was with a rifle. When I got older, I was intrigued with archery. I started shooting an old 28 pound Bear recurve my dad bought at a garage sale when I was 13. I knew nothing about archery and my father wasn't much help either. Even though I wasn't much of an archer, I loved the challenge. I was 16 when I bought my first compound bow. It was a second-hand Hoyt Intruder. Later that year, I took my first deer with it. From that point forward I was hooked. By now I had shot 4 or so deer with a rifle. One of them being a dandy 4pt Muley when I was 13... but that doe that I killed with my bow just meant so much more to me. I cannot explain it. She didn't put near as much venison in the freezer, nor did she provide me with a nice set of antlers to adorn the wall. But the level of accomplishment I got from cutting that tag is a feeling I will never forget. 21 years later I have chased that feeling, and have found it each time I successfully cut a tag during archery season.

2. Do you hunt with traditional equipment, compound, crossbow, or a combination of these?

Over the last 10-12 years I have only hunted with a compound. I shoot a Mathews VXR 31.5 at 76lbs and 27.5" draw that I bought second-hand in 2021. However, I did hunt with a combination of recurve and compound until my early 20's. After my discussions with Doc Ashby, I was inspired to purchase a recurve last year. A 55 pound Samick Sage that I intend to use to attempt to fill my deer tag for 2025. I am excited all over again to get back into it. That is one of the biggest things I love about bowhunting.

3. What is/are your favorite animals to hunt?

I haven't had the privilege of hunting a wide variety of animals. For large game, I would have to say hunting Roosevelt Elk is my favorite. Anyone who has hunted elk will admit how addicting it is. It can be in the peak of September rut, with screaming bulls all around you; or a calm snowy late season antlerless elk tag. For me it doesn't matter... I love every part of it. From locating the animals, all the way to packing them out. It is definitely my happy place.

4. What Is/are your favorite bowhunting method(s): stands, still hunting, spot and stalk, pure stalking, or other?

I am a die-hard for stalking the game I am pursuing. Whether I locate through glass, calling, or just start creeping through the woods; it always involves me actively pursuing the animals I intend to kill. I know many people who are much more successful than I am because of sitting in a tree or in a blind. But my ADHD won't let me sit in a blind, plus I climb trees for a living. So I prefer to stay on my feet and cover ground regardless of weather. For me it is about the experience, and I just enjoy the experience much more that way. Cutting the tag is definitely what I want to do, but if it was purely about increasing the odds of cutting a tag, I wouldn't hunt with a bow.

5. What event(s) brought you to use Ashby-style arrow setups?

To shorten a long answer as best as possible, I started with trad style equipment. Even that Hoyt Intruder wasn't capable of much more velocity. Back then, "speed" wasn't such a hot-button topic. But I, like nearly everyone else, eventually found myself using lighter/faster arrows as technology "developed"... I was also noticing that my recovery and success rates were not what they used to be. I wasn't considering that the culprit was mechanical heads, or arrows with poor mass. I never got super light, but I was down to a 460 grain arrow in my late 20's. Then while watching some hunting videos on YouTube, the algorithm recommended a very animated guy hunting hogs on a feeder in Texas. At the time Troy, the Ranch Fairy was wearing false teeth and was wearing numerous hats, and I was sucked in. I watched a few of his videos, and mixed in with the humorous content, was the type of content I was looking for. Someone advocating for arrows with greater mass and cut on contact heads. I learned about the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation and The Natal Study and Doc Ashby's "Top 12 Arrow Penetration Enhancing Factors" list. It was so obvious to me that it almost made me sick.Within a month I was back to shooting 550 grains. A few years later in 2024, I won the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation's first Texas Hog Hunt. This is where I met Troy, Doc Ashby, Rob Nielson, and Jeremy Johnson. Getting to sit down over a few beers and some pipe tobacco with these men almost gave me a brain bleed from all of the information. Each of these men are so ridiculously intelligent and experienced behind the bow string. They also are incredibly humble and open to sharing the "secret sauce" in regards to arrow performance and why it works. This experience inspired me to go home and build my current setup... a 657 grain meat-seeking bone-splitting elk missile, with all factors except for tapered shafts. Troy actually motivated me to start my own YouTube channel where I documented this arrow build, and put it to use on an elk in December of 2024.

6. Could you describe your typical arrow setup(s) for hunting big game?

I spent a lot of time picking Doc Ashby's brain to come up with this arrow. I am so glad that I did because I have never had an arrow that flies so well in all kinds of weather and wind. But the oversimplification of my arrow build is a 657 grain Sirius Orion 250 spine carbon, tipped with Tuffhead 225 grain glue on heads. I also use Troy's 200 grain Ranch Fairy "RF2" heads with blood rings. Since I have two different heads with two different point weights, I had to manipulate the insert weights so the finished product would be the same as the others. Doc Ashby told me about how he would cut his feathers down until he just noticed a small amount of instability, then add a turbulator. So I did that as well. It took a lot of work, but it was so worth it. My final arrow weighs 657 grains, is hand calculated at 27.2% FOC and sharpened and stropped to a hair-whittling edge. The one elk I have had the opportunity to shoot with it didn't even flinch when my first arrow passed through her. So she got a second one and dropped 45 yards later. I didn't recover either of those arrows.

7. Overall, what has been your experience using Ashby-style arrow setups?

I have covered the gamut of arrow setups in my career as a bowhunter. For the last 7 or so years, I have been north of 550 grains, single bevel cut-on-contact heads. But this last year, I jumped into the deep end. All I have to say is I wish I had never let myself be led astray. There was a direct correlation between the mass going down, or the moving parts in my broadheads going up; to the amount of animals that I spent extra time trying to recover... if I even recovered them at all. That all changed in one season when I went back to shooting north of 550 grains, with a solid single bevel head on the front. As long as they stay together, and you take the time to practice with them to make sure they fly great; I don't see how you can be disappointed in the performance if you made an ethical shot. Just don't forget to sharpen and strop the heck out of them. When I decided to go "all-in" by getting eleven of "The 12 Factors" into this build, I discovered a whole other level I didn't know existed. I've been in the woods a while. I have had opportunities where I never recovered an arrow. Normally the animal took off with them never to be seen again. This is the first time that I recovered the animal, and didn't recover both of my arrows. This tells me I am onto something very special here. I will trade one or two arrows for an elk any season. It's all thanks to being open minded to accept the wisdom given to me and anyone else willing to set ego aside and listen.

8. Do you have any bowhunting tips you would like to pass along?

Certainly. It is more than just a bowhunting tip, but a life lesson that will treat you well. When someone is willing to take the time to teach you something that they have spent decades of their life learning about, it would serve you well to listen. We were given two ears and one mouth because we are supposed to do twice as much listening as talking. It doesn't matter if it is about walking in the woods in a way to remain silent to unsuspecting quarry, or the fast track to sighting in your rifle. From tying your shoes to flying a plane... just listen. You never know when it might save you some frustration later on, or put that once-in-a-lifetime hunt in your freezer.