Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer Bow Talk thumb vs finger / wrist release

I shoot the same with both styles of releases, but I prefer to use a thumb button to hunt with. Been hunting with one for 10 years and I’ve never had an issue. I’ve always carried an identical back up release in my pack even when I shot a wrist strap. For a thumb button, don’t go cheap. You want one with a double sear that has adjustments for both trigger travel and trigger sensitivity. Ever had a rifle with a shitty trigger? The cheaper thumb buttons with a single sear aren’t as adjustable and cannot be set as sensitive. As the bow poundage increases, so does the amount of tension it takes to activate the trigger. A double sear release will have a separate cocking button. If you have to depress the trigger for the jaws to open to load it on your loop, it’s a single sear.

Lot of good thumb buttons out there. Stan, Carter, UltraView and TruBall are probably the top ones. I used a Carter Chocolate Lite up until last year when I switched to a Stan Onnex. Best thing you can do is find a shop or a buddy that has several and try them before committing to one. You’ll have to decide whether or not you prefer a 3 or 4 finger version. Also the head length varies on different models. One may feel perfect for you but another may feel too short or too long. You may have to shorten or lengthen your d loop to make it feel perfect. Another thing that may have to be adjusted is your peep height. I can swap between a thumb button and an index style release and my peep height doesn’t need to change, but for a lot of people it does.

If you’ve never shot a thumb button, you definitely want to go ahead and make the change now if you’re going to. You’ll need time to get used to it before taking it to the woods. I don’t plan to ever go back to an index release for hunting whitetails. I sit with my bow on a hanger and my release clipped on my loop. I can’t see myself sitting with a release strapped to my wrist having to worry about banging it around on something. Now for spot and stalk or hunting out west, an index finger would definitely have its advantages. I shoot competitively and this year I swapped back and forth between the two styles.