Predator’s Archery

Husband and I have really gotten to love archery. I got my first bow at Predator’s Archery and after a year, got my second one. The great thing about Predator’s is they fit and tune the bow to fit me exactly. I am also able to try out different gear before buying or exchange something if it didn’t quite work out. Can’t do that over the internet. Knowledgeable people with good recommendations. Plus, I’ve gotten great tips to improve my shooting.
Years ago, when «Walking Dead» first came out, my husband went to Predator to try a crossbow (like Daryle). The shop set him up and showed him how everything works, and after a few hours of trying it out, husband realized crossbow was not him. The shop was so nice and helpful and didn’t mind that we didn’t buy anything that day.

At least 6 years ago my son wanted a bow for Christmas, so we came to Predator’s. Somehow the entire family ended up with bows and have been shooting ever since. I often refer people who say they are interested in archery, because I know Predator’s has the expertise and will work with them to find the best fit in equipment. If you are expecting a modern high tech establishment with salespeople only interested in selling you a product you may be disappointed, but if you’re looking for people who actively engage in the sport they are selling equipment for and know what they’re talking about because they use what they’re selling, this is the place to go.

The staff is very helpful, service is excellent. Been coming here since I bought my house here in the south bay. Its a really small but very busy shop. What Archery shop in the bay area offers free lesson’s with a bow. Archery is a sport with a weapon and safety is the utmost importance. If you are 5 years old or 50, pay attention or stay home and keep your kids home. This sport is only as safe as the Archer is.

So we signed up for the class with the city. The teacher was Mike Pierce. We won’t be finishing our class because:
Let me talk about the «teacher». I understand Mr. Pierce is a world champion. He will remind you of that fact no less than a dozen times during class. Great, I’m happy he’s so accomplished. That doesn’t mean he needs to brag about it so often. This bragging, and huge ego aren’t something I want my son to admire, they’re not good character traits that I want him to develop. I also don’t feel he’s a very good teacher. He has his very own method. Again that’s fine. But he didn’t even go over the parts of a bow or anything really basic. He doesn’t take any time to learn any kids names. There’s a lot of barking. He goes on long winded ramblings about his method, but nothing is really communicated. Even I was like «what is he trying to convey?» He also references «Call of Duty» constantly. My kid is 10. He’s got no idea what you’re talking about, there’s no reason for a kid to be playing a game that’s rated «M», and is about killing other PEOPLE.
I’m not trying to say he isn’t a great archer. I’m sure he is, but he’s not a great teacher. At least for kids or first timers. He’s really not a good fit for young kids.
The reason we won’t be returning:
In addition to what I wrote above, my son ACCIDENTALLY split an arrow today. Now, I’ve sat through both classes. The whole time Mike says «now we’re not aiming. we are just trying to get our body to not move the bow.» So if you’re not aiming, and the point is to get your arrows grouped closely together… it seems that it’s possible this could happen… on accident. So at the end of class Mike very sternly chewed my kid out. He was pretty upset afterwards. He wasn’t trying to do that, it was an ACCIDENT. So naturally he doesn’t want to come back, because he’s afraid it will happen again. I understand this was a «safety rule», however it was an accident. I understand that if a kid was doing this on purpose then yes, sternly chew him out.
Thankfully our experience with Mike hasn’t totally ruined my son’s desire to try archery. We’ll just be doing it elsewhere. I feel like I should also say that I’ve NEVER let my son not finish something he signed up for. It’s really important for me as a parent to do my best to not let him quit on things or commitments. This is a first, and hopefully a last.
To sum it up:
Mike is a world champion archer. He’s not a world champion teacher.

I purchased a Groupon deal which consisted of an hour of lessons and range time for two people at the price of $ 28. Usually, it’s $ 50! At first, I was a bit spectacle because usually Groupon deals tend to brush over the super fine print on their offers, if you know what I’m sayin’! However, on Groupon itself, 97% of people recommended the place and I though to myself, «Okay, lets check out Unilocal.» BAAAAAAAAAAM! Amazing reviews, so my friend and I went for it!
Furthermore, it says that you can book an appointment online but I just called them to ensure that everything is booked since I’m driving a pretty far distance. *Honestly, calling them was soooo much easier because looking at their booking section online confused the hell out of me.*
Anyways, the entire staff was super friendly! Mike was our instructor and he was very patient throughout the lesson. He even included a life lesson into the entire session which was pretty cool. (I won’t spoil it for anyone, so check them out if you want to know what this life lesson is all about! Lol)
Although, we started ten minutes later than our appointment due to the previous group before us, Mike apologized numerous times and made sure to utilize our entire 60 minutes. Thus, he did not cut our time short!
I’ll definitely be back!

Tried the shooting range so i wanted to see what other violent experience i could try… Just kidding. But seriously. found this spot on groupon. Listed as $ 28 but used the 20% off coupon to come out to be $ 22.40. Voucher is good for two people for a one hour archery lesson but it’s all the way down in Gilroy. Travelled from San Jose for a 2pm appointment but got stuck in traffic so i called and got it rescheduled to 3pm no problem.
Upon arrival we were taken to the back of the store where an arching range in what looked like a big garage/​small warehouse room was set up. Waited a few minutes for the previous group to clean up their arrows and was introduced to instructor Mike. He introduced himself and talked briefly on his special method of arrow shooting and his achievements as a coach for olympians in foreign countries like Russia etc…
ACTUAL LESSON:
Mike introduced us to the bow and how to hold it properly. He focused on explaining that thinking about holding the bow still and letting go the arrow string with a flow is most important. I had my left arm straightened up and my right arm pulling the string back to my cheekbone and letting it go. He instructed us to remain still in the arrowing shooting stance to even after the arrow has shot to create that muscle memory to keep in a good form. Mike cracked a few good o jokes now and then and was very enthusiastic in his teaching. After a few more arrow shots i did see myself getting better and arch with much ease. I did however get some bruises on my left arm has the string repelled into it after release. (perhaps because my form was incorrect). Bows were steel and so were the arrows so it seemed like legit equipment. Also, Mike didn’t seem to allow pictures just in case for distractions.
Overall a great lesson, bang for the buck and an awesome first time experience.

Used a groupon for our first archery lesson, which was about $ 22 total for two people — this included the 20% discount they had that day.
I’m always excited to try new experiences and I love doing it with someone who’s just as adventurous :’) We originally had a one hour lesson scheduled for 2pm, but we were stuck in traffic coming from SJ, but they happily rescheduled us for 3pm.
Got there early. Got some coffee around the corner. Got seated at the back and watched the other group before us finish their lesson. They didn’t even check our groupon to see if it was us in the beginning or end.
We had Mike as our instructor. He was awesome! Seemed very passionate/​knowledgable about archery and had tons of experience competing. He was even asked to train the Russia team coach for the Olympics the basic technique (can’t really remember, it was something like that…)
I loved how he explained everything step by step — how to position your feet, how to properly hold the bow, and how to release. He started off small and worked his way up. We got the hang of it pretty quickly. Like he said, some instructors might take twelve hours to teach us how to shoot an arrow straight and without moving the bow, but he really did it in just a couple shots! I didn’t believe it at first, but his suggestions/​technique really worked out for us!
The most important thing to do to make sure you hit a straight good shot is to NOT think about the arrow/​bow or anything that’ll distract you — just focus on the ball located right below your target sheet and you’ll definitely get a bullseye! And also make sure you have the right stance and aim the string and the arrow where you’re supposed to and hold after you release for at least two secs!
Such a great first experience with a great instructor! Holding the bow was definitely a workout. My forearm was sore… and so was my hand! The only downside was that we couldn’t take any pictures, even when you were spectating because he didn’t believe in distractions! Oh well. At least I felt like Legolas from LOTR for a good hour, hehe :)

This is the Best Archery store in the area! The staff is helpful and honest! The owners Curtis and Mike are amazing ! They have anwered all our archery questions and helped us find the right equipment for each of our family needs! The lessons we have had have helped our kids become skilled, and safe archers. I am thankful for such a honest, amazing shop! Highly recommend to all my friends.

Predators is flat out the best archery store in the Bay Area, sure its a little far south, but it is absolutely worth the drive. I’ve been in other stores in the Bay Area that totally nickel and dime you from everything from range time to even the small stuff like helping tune a bow. Predators may not have as big or new a store as some of the others but they make up for it in just about every way possible. The team there is very knowledgeable and Pat, Scott, and Jesus all do a really good job walking both seasoned archers and those just looking to get into the sport through all the gear, and recommend the best options, not the most expensive ones.
For those archers looking to get the very best this is also the store to go to. I’ve purchased a Mathews Chill X pro, a Hoyt Podium, and a hard to get OK Archery Absolute here. Some of these bows had to be special ordered and customized overseas and in every case the owner, Curtis, did a great job and gave me great deals. When I have needed arrows they turn them quick and the craftsmanship is spot on.
This team clearly loves archery and it shows in their enthusiasm and quality of service. If your looking for a quality archery shop that will go out of their way to get you the best gear for your application Predators is a bullseye!

I will never give this place my business because of how we were treated. My husband, my daughter, my son, his friend and I went in to look around. We were in there a bit, when my son, 13, first walked in he grabbed what he thought was a laser pointer. We walked around looking at everything. When we went to purchase the «laser pointer» I realized it was a UV detector or something so I told my son and we put it back on the rack we got it from. A young lady that worked there came out of the store and asked us if we wanted to purchase the item we had. We all said no we put it back as I realized it wasn’t a laser pointer, she actually asked me to show her where I put it. Accusing me, ME, of stealing an item that was $ 9.95. Are you kidding me? I don’t want you stuff nor will I ever spend $ 1 in your store. That is a horrible way to treat a customer. I was highly offended. You need to train your staff on customer service and etiquette. Are you really that hard up you’d come after me for a 9.95 item, now you’ll get nothing and it’s unfortunate as my husband was looking for a bow and I was going to get some items and lessons for Christmas.

WHY WE WENT HERE:
— my boyfriend and I bought a Groupon that stated «60-​Minute Archery Lessons with Equipment for Two or Four People at Predator’s Archery (Up $ 50 to Off)» which consisted of «One hour of lessons and range time for two people»; this $ 50 value was purchased for $ 28
BEFOREHAND:
— I was somewhat confused when I looked at their website to book our lesson because the website said 2 different things:
1) Under «Promo Codes & Lesson Package Info» it states that Groupon Vouchers are for Sundays and weekdays
2) Under «Please select the lesson that you would like to book» it states a) «Sunday First-​time Archery & Groupon Lessons» as well as b) «First-​Time Archery & Groupon Lessons»
— after back-​and-​forth email correspondence with Karen, who was VERY helpful, she told me «If it has ‘Groupon’ in the title your code should work with it, so the schedules for both 2a (for Sunday lessons) and 2b (for all other days) are options for you.»
— after booking our lesson I received 2 emails: one was to inform me the booking was confirmed and the other was a reminder of the booked lesson the day before ours was scheduled
— I read the message from the reminder email which states
1) If you have a Groupon, please bring a printed copy of your voucher OR have it available on your mobile device.
2) Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your lesson time. Those arriving after the lesson has started may be asked to reschedule in order to keep the other participants on track.
3) Dress code: for safety reasons, please wear closed toe shoes (no sandals) and comfortable clothing.
ONCE THERE:
— because it was Labor Day weekend and a Groupon appointment, we wanted to make sure we arrived early to get our money’s worth
— we parked on the street just outside the shop and once we got to the door we found that it was locked and a sign that read the place is closed on Sundays
— I lightweight started to panic because I was SURE I read the website and our emails correctly
— I peaked inside and saw a young man sitting behind the counter, who took his time answering the door
— the young man was John, our instructor
— we were told to come in and to feel free to look around the shop or go into the shooting range as long as we didn’t touch anything
— we were also told to wait for the other party scheduled for their lesson at the same time as us
— my boyfriend is a REALLY nice guy and tried to make small talk with John as we waited for the other party to arrive and John was telling us how the shop IS closed on Sundays but that if/​when archery lessons are booked, the instructor is there. In addition to that John says, «AND you guys didn’t even bring beer, so I already don’t like you.» Already from the beginning, we KNEW he didn’t want to be there.
THE RANGE:
— we were told by John to wait a little bit longer before starting
— my boyfriend and I decided to wait in the range, which we were surprised to find indoors (we expected it to be outdoors, but it was fine)
— we saw that in the range there’s various animal heads posted on the wall (perhaps by hunts from the Predator’s Archery workers?)
— it’s basically a long garage with foam stacked in the furthest wall where the targets are placed
THE LESSON:
— we felt John’s safety and shooting tutorial was SO rushed! He basically muttered under his breath and zipped through it in like 30 seconds before proceeding to let us shoot
— we thought it was cool that John offered us sodas, and allowed us to take the arrows of the others who didn’t show up so we had more to shoot with, especially when it got to the balloons and foam doe portion of the lesson
— occasionally John asked if we had questions, but we kept saying no because of his attitude
— for the most part, John was on his phone either browsing, texting, or talking on the phone
OVERALL:
— I don’t know if it’s because my boyfriend and I are in the same age group as John is for him to speak to us or act in that manner, but we found him to be
1) RUDE
2) DISRESPECTFUL
3) UNPROFESSIONAL

My boyfriend and I found predators archery through a groupon. It’s something I’ve always been interested in trying and I’m sooooo glad I did. After walking in, I instantly felt out of place because this looked like a place for the advanced… But after checking in with our coach mike, he made us feel welcome, comfortable, and shared his many years of experience with us, making it completely easy to relax, learn about archery, and have some fun. Thank you!

My husband and I had a great experience here taking and archery class. The instructor was amazing! Planing on coming back very soon

The instructor was young 20 something yr, but he (John) was humorous and taught us how to properly hold the bow and shoot. For the rest of the time we practiced shooting, it was fun and I would do it again.

We came to shoot some bow and arrows and have some fun! The décor is interesting — some animal heads, pictures of the muscular system and targets.

5 stars for John! I made our group reservation extremely late by arriving 15 minutes later than intended and yet John was still very accommodating although about to cancel our reservation and ask us to reschedule.
John taught us all the basics and safety involved and even bantered with us when necessary. And once he (and we) felt comfortable, he let us shoot on our own under his supervision of course. He allowed us to move farther back every few shots and was extremely patient with us.
Overall really fun and safe. The hour went by too quickly! Highly recommended.

This review is for their archery lesson.
I came here on a Sunday with a group of friends for an hour archery lesson, and it was a lot of fun! Our instructor John showed us how to use the bow and arrow. I loved how he took time to teach every individual, so we would know how to hold it properly.
After we were all comfortable with the bow and arrow, we were allowed to start shooting at the wall. There was a red pin for us to aim at. The instructor gave us a lot of helpful tips to make us shoot very accurate.
My favorite part of the lesson was definitely when he placed the balloons on the wall. I really enjoyed aiming for the balloon, even though it took me longer to pop it.
Overall, this archery lesson got me really excited about archery. It was my first time trying it out, but I can’t wait to try it again. The hour definitely flew by really fast.

Our instructor mike is a 7 time Olympic archery champion and different comps in Argentina, Europe China and of course United States! He has a very big and funny personality ! We learn a very special technique to archery that takes people years to learn! With his hands on and great articulation to hit the Bulls eye! Great guy and I had a blast… I am definitely making this place my regular archery shooting range! Ask for mike great job guys !!

Came here on president’s day. Oh boy, was it crowded! But I drove 50 min and came here based on a friend’s recommendation so I was ready to wait. The shop was full of very friendly seasoned archer I had the occasion to chat with, so time flew by. I really liked the «family» atmosphere of this place, everybody knows everybody.
Blake helped me, real nice and friendly guy. I told him I was a newbie that shot a couple of time and wanted to buy a recurve bow. We discussed about the different possibilities, I selected a riser and he assembled the bow, then I went to shoot a couple of arrow at their range to see how the bow feels. I got a pack with a guard, arrow, finger protection, bow stringer (just missing the quiver that wasnt in stock as it had been a busy day). Blake showed me how to string/​unstring the bow and made me do it in front of him to make sure I got the idea on how it works.
Very happy with the purchase and the service. By the way you get a couple of free lessons at their range when you buy a bow from there !

Great place to get your archery supplies. Just bought my wife a new bow for her birthday. The staff was helpful and friendly. I had a few items in mind and some they had in stock. The inventory is a bit mixed up, so you’ll have to be patient and dig around for what you’re looking to find.
The place was packed and it was slightly difficult to get service. One of those number systems would help out. Just don’t be in a rush and you will enjoy your visit.