Specialty Archery Acquires Bodoodle Rest Line

Specialty Archery, LLC of Spencer, IA is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of Bodoodle arrow rests from Blaine Earlywine, who had acquired the line a few years ago that had been founded by S.G. Christian in the 1970s.

Bodoodle was one of the premier names in arrow rests for more than 25 years, a favorite of both competitive archers and discriminating bowhunters who admired its quality construction and ability to launch arrows with a high degree of accuracy. Models like the Timberdoodle, Game-Dropper and Pro-Lite all preceded the current crop of drop-away rests yet provided total fletching clearance thanks to Christian’s elegant design.

Bodoodle rests based on that innovative design use a cradle that pivots on fine bearings, so that the speed fins that support the shaft for part of the power stroke sweep down and out of the way before they can contact conventional fletching. In the early years of the brand Bodoodle rests were among the most expensive on the market, but modern manufacturing techniques helped lower the cost at a time when other well-known rests were gaining in sophistication and price. By the late 1990s Bodoodle was considered one of the top arrow rest brands on the market. In 2004 its owner was inducted into the Bowhunting Hall of Fame.

After the death of S.G. Christian, Blaine Earlywine purchased Bodoodle from his estate and moved the firm from Coleman, Texas to Carlisle, Kentucky. Earlywine kept the Bodoodle name alive with the aid of dedicated employees, his wife Danita and young sons Braxton and Aiden, marketing several different models. They continued the Bodoodle tradition of offering rugged, perfectly machined arrow rests that were capable of providing flawless arrow flight, right along with excellent customer service.

Early in 2009 Specialty Archery, LLC and Earlywine began talking about a transfer of ownership that could take advantage of the Iowa firm’s strengths as a way to expand Bodoodle’s market share. Specialty Archery, LLC is known throughout the archery industry as a brand with a strong following among the type of precision archers who so often chose a Bodoodle rest in the past. The manufacturer of high quality scopes, peeps, and stabilizers has a strong dealer network domestically and works with most of the leading foreign distributors to sell its products world-wide. Specialty Archery, LLC also has a track record of introducing successful new products, like the Verifier lenses that screw into its peeps to sharpen the view of pins for aging hunters and the Clarifier lenses used to sharpen target faces viewed through scopes by competitive archers.

Michael Anderson, general manager of Specialty Archery, said their firm worked closely with Earlywine to insure another sale wouldn’t disrupt existing orders at a time when dealers were stocking up for the summer and fall peak sales season. “Both Specialty Archery customers and Bodoodle customers can be assured that great preparation has gone into the acquisition, so that the transition would be smooth and seamless for customers of both companies,” Anderson said. “Specialty Archery took over control of all operations including ordering, invoicing, customer service, and production starting on July 1, 2009.” 

John Rapp holds Bodoodle’s most popular rest, the Pro Lite, which is also shown at right. Rapp works in production for Specialty Archery, LLC and also helps promote the product line at shoots. Careful planning meant  he had inventory ready to ship to customers immediately after the July 1 changeover date.

“The acquisition of Bodoodle allows us to pursue a different product line than what we currently offer,” Anderson said. “The Bodoodle name has a solid reputation in arrow rests, and Blaine Earlywine has done an excellent job in maintaining the company’s current status in the marketplace.  Specialty Archery is looking forward to the venture with a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement.  We plan to apply the same principles and practices that have made Specialty Archery successful so that Bodoodle can offer more shooters an alternative to the full capture style fixed rests and the cord-driven fall-away rests that dominate the market today.” 

Questions, comments or orders may be directed to:

Specialty Archery  
1211 38th Ave. W
Spencer, IA 51301

The toll-free number is (800) 555-2856. You can contact Mike Anderson by email at
manderson@specialtyarch.com or find out more on-line at www.specialtyarch.com