Upgrade Your Bow Case: Best Cases for Hunting in 2024

All that time spent on the range hitting targets, getting your eye in, aligning your bow, and preparing for your hunt can be blown away in a matter of seconds if your bow is damaged during transport. 

Modern bows are intricately designed and require special attention, care, and storage. Here's our breakdown of the best hunting bow cases for 2024. 

Why We Like Pelican Bow Cases for Hunting and Game 

Pelican is a leading brand in protective and outdoor gear, and it has been operating since 1976. It's a name synonymous with quality and durability. 

Pelican's products are not just lightweight; they are also highly durable and offer a lifetime warranty. This unique combination ensures you can rely on them, no matter the situation. 

Regarding company direction, they're dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint and focused on creating products with longevity.

Additionally, they focus on recycling and reuse to further reduce global impact. Their products, especially hunting and bowhunting cases, are built to last, with hunter needs at the forefront of development and design, which is constantly evolving. 

With that, here are our top picks for your next bow case!

Pick Your Bow Case for a Better Hunt: Our Top 5 Picks

We'll start with our friends at Pelican and a couple of the cases they carry and that we really love.

1. Best Overall: Pelican Air 

Price: $494.95

The Pelican Air 1745BOW is packed full of features and has enough space to hold arrows, quivers, and additional gear. Its customizable modular storage is enough to suit your current fitout; it's the only bow case you'll ever need. 

Good for short- and long-term trips, the TSA-approved security latching system and customizable internal strapping system hold things tight. It's also 40% lighter than other bow cases on the market, making it perfect for short- and long-distance carries. 

The case is water, crush, and dustproof, and inside, you'll find space for your archery accessories with two arrow tube straps, six bungee cords, two foam arrow holders, two accessory pouches, and a divider between your arrows and bow.

With the Pelican Air, you can pack, forget, and go with your bow and all your hunting essentials. 

2. Best For Travel: Pelican 1510 Protector Carry-On Case 

Price $252.95

Built with travel and harsh conditions in mind, the 1510 Protector Carry-On Case is designed to withstand challenging environments and rough travel conditions. 

The easily customizable trek pack system means you can change up the inside to your unique bow fit-out needs. Used for heavy-duty carry, the case is built to maximum carry-on specifics, meaning you can take it with you on a plane and never fear your bow getting lost in the checked luggage. 

3. Best Budget Case: Plano Protector PillarLock Series Bow Case

Price: $54.99

Protecting your bow doesn't have to be expensive. This budget-friendly, compact, crush-proof case utilizes the patented PillarLock system and high-density foam for security. 

The case is designed to fit most modern-style compound bows. Poly tie-downs hold your bow in place with space for up to 12 arrows. 

4. Best Soft Case for Compound Bow: Legend Monstro Professional Soft Compound Bow

Price: $145.90

A soft case might be the right option when you need to pack for a short-distance hunt or are heading to the range with your compound bow. 

The Legend Monstro soft case is not just a no-frills option; it's a reliable companion that protects your bow from minor bumps and scratches, thanks to its closed cell foam padding. With ample storage space for stabilizers and other essentials, it's the perfect choice for a worry-free range day. 

5. Best for Recurve Bows: Legacy Leather Deluxe Traditional Soft Case

Price: $79.99

For a classically styled recurve case, the legacy leather proves a top choice.

With plenty of room to spare inside the water-repellent green canvas, the case will hold recurve or longbows up to 62" long. The large accessory pocket means you'll be able to pack your gear in one bag and head to the range without forgetting anything. 

Why We Love Bowhunting

We love hunting with firearms, too, but there's something exciting and rewarding about hunting with a bow. Our friend and fellow hunter Curtis Mercier shares a recent bow kill that should help you get excited about hunting season!

"I used HuntCast to confirm the weather/wind conditions on the morning of November 5th. Conditions showed a calm south wind until around 10 am, when it would switch to 7-8 MPH out of the SE. With a calm south wind early I knew I would be able to slip in to a tree line I planned to hunt perfectly! 

This was the last morning of my 17-day rutcation and what would have been my 11th all-day sit in a row. I got to the farm early and prepared for my hail Mary. I packed up my stand, decoy, and bow and headed out. I set up my decoy, hung my stand, and settled in for what I hoped would be a good morning. 

I had a handful of does check out my decoy right at first light, but they didn't want anything to do with it and ended up snorting and trotting off. Just before 8 am, I had a small buck come into the decoy, check it out, and eventually take off after the group of does who had worked their way off to the west." 

Some Action

"A short time later, while glassing across the field, I saw a buck come up out of a ditch that ran along the NW corner of the cut cornfield I was hunting. He stood and wind-checked the field for about five minutes and then went back and laid down. 

Over the course of 2.5 hours, I watched as he did this seven more times: come out of the ditch, wind check the field, go back, and lay down. After the third time, I tried rattling and grunting, hoping to possibly catch his attention, but no dice. 

Around 9:45 am, I decided that if he did this one more time before 10 am, I would get down and try to put a stalk on him lying in his bed. At 9:58, there he was. He checked the field, went back, and laid down. I couldn't see him after he went down into the ditch, but there was one bush/tree in there that I assumed he was lying near or under.

I made a visual note of the tree, checked the wind on HuntCast and verified it with a little milkweed, lowered my bow, glassed the ditch one last time to ensure he wasn't on his feet, and headed across the field."

The Approach

"With the wind out of the SE, I had a perfect crosswind to sneak up along the edge of the ditch. Once I got within 50 yards of the tree I thought he was lying under, I nocked an arrow, clipped on my release, and slowly continued up the edge. 

I got about 15 yards from the tree and carefully peeked down into the ditch, but it was so thick I couldn't see anything, especially if it were lying down. I worked up another five yards, peeked around a few stalks of corn still up, and saw an ear flicker. I crawled over about another five feet, stood up, and drew my bow." 

The Shot

"Once I was drawn, I took three steps forward into the ditch, and a doe jumped up and took one big bound into the field, stopped, and looked directly at me. No more than ten seconds later, less than ten yards in front of me, the buck stands up, facing directly away from me, looking at the doe.

I take two quick steps to my left to get an angle, put my pin on his last rib, and take the shot. The buck jumps into the field, takes three big bounds, and crashes. 

I got down out of my stand at 10:00 am. I stalked 207 yards across the cut cornfield, 276 yards up along the edge of the ditch, and had an arrow through him, and he was laying dead at 10:23 am." 

How HuntWise Helped

"Using the HuntWise app, I was able to identify a drainage that ran through the neighbor's standing cornfield and right to the edge of the tree line of the property I have access to. I figured the deer would use that drainage to move between the two fields, and that was the reason I was there that morning. 

The data provided in the HuntWise app gave me the tools and information to succeed in the woods that day!"

Use HuntWise to Plan Your Next Bow Hunt 

After reading this story from Curtis, you're probably ready to pack up your bow case and put your gear and bow to use. It's time to start planning your next hunt!

As a bowhunter, you know how important research and e-scouting is to the initial process. HuntWise has hundreds of mapping layers to showcase public boundaries, private land plots, and even private landowners' contact information. When preparing for your hunt, use the HuntWise features to pinpoint potential highly trafficked zones or hard-to-access areas away from main roads or across the water that are less frequently hunted zones – or a drainage ditch that could be the perfect route to your next buck. 

Then, when you're out in the field, make the most of the WindCast feature to ensure you're always downwind of the game. Additionally, use HuntWise maps offline to stay on track, regardless of location, enhancing your hunting experience. 

Let's get out and hunt! Download HuntWise and explore every app feature free for a week.