Independent pro shop · Shelburn, Indiana

Built by a bow tech. Run by a bowhunter.

William has spent more than two decades working on, shooting, and hunting with compound bows. Black Flag is where that experience becomes honest advice and complete setups.

Tharp standing at the entrance to Black Flag Archery

From bow tech to Black Flag

Experience came before the shop.

William’s obsession with archery started early. In fact, he was working in archery pro-shops before he even had a driver's license. He went on to deepen his hands-on experience in the archery department at Gander Mountain, turning a lifelong passion into elite technical expertise.

When he founded Black Flag Archery in 2014, he brought a foundational philosophy built from thousands of hours at the tuning bench: understand the mechanics of the bow, understand the goals of the shooter, and never recommend equipment without a genuine reason.

Experience
25+ years
Black Flag opened
2014
Specialty
Premium compound bows

The Black Flag approach

Get the complete setup right.

A bow is a system. Every recommendation has to make sense for the shooter, work with the rest of the setup, and hold up when it matters.

Start with the shooter.

Fit, draw length, intended use, and the way someone actually shoots matter more than chasing a specification on paper.

Build the whole system.

The bow, sight, rest, stabilizer, release, and arrows should work together. Setup and paper tuning are part of getting that system right.

Recommend it for a reason.

BFA specializes in Mathews and premium accessories we understand and believe in. If something is not the right fit, we will tell you.

Tharp shooting a compound bow at full draw

Behind the counter

A hunter and shooter first.

William is not reading specifications back to customers. He is an experienced hunter, a serious shooter, and a bow tech who has spent years learning what changes performance and what is mostly noise.

His own preference for longer, stable bows comes from experience, but the goal is never to make every customer shoot his setup. It is to build the right bow for the person holding it.

“If it isn't the right fit, he'll tell you.”

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