Legend Biography

As with almost all great things, the beginning of Pete Shepley’s career in archery started off modestly, comprising of nothing more than a recurve bow, a few regional archery tournaments in Illinois and Indiana, and a whole lot of determination. As his interest in archery grew, so did Pete’s study in engineering, leading him to a design engineer position at Magnavox, where he cut his teeth working on the Stinger Missile and other significant projects.
It was a fantastic time of opportunity for Pete, but he wasn’t content with working at Magnavox – what Pete really wanted to do was apply his engineering knowledge to archery. During his early days of archery competition, Pete would often use his engineering skills to design and improve the equipment. When his fellow archers would ask him to do the same for them, Pete realized that there was a genuine need in the sport for his innovations.
Pete founded Precision Shooting Equipment (PSE Archery) in 1971, and the company released its first magnesium-riser compound bows onto the market in 1973, introducing them at the Indiana State Indoor Championships. In the first week they received 200 orders, the next week 700, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Almost 50 years later, PSE Archery is one of the largest and most innovative archery companies in the world, and the only one that is family owned. With Pete Shepley still at the helm, PSE still holds over 20 active bow patents and are responsible for designing the fastest and most powerful compound bow ever made. PSE bows are sold worldwide and have been shot by World Champion archers and taken record-breaking game.
In all that time, Pete Shepley has never wavered from his support of the archery industry, both in tournament archery and the sport of bowhunting. Pete has held active positions on the board of the Archery Trade Association (ATA), and he continues to attend tournaments and trade shows all over the country to promote the health of the sport.
In the world of hunting, Pete is one of the most accomplished bowhunters still active today. He has traveled the world over and has ethically hunted a large variety of species, from the common to the exotic. He is also an active proponent of responsible hunting, a supporter of opening up regulations on bowhunting, and of hunters actively hunting as conservationists.
Pete Shepley has spent half a decade dedicating his life to archery – the sport he loves. In that time, he has dramatically innovated the tools of the sport, he has been an ardent supporter of both target archery and bowhunting, and he has created one of the largest archery companies in the world.