Bows

[fishinjosh98]

I need your opinions on what first bow i should get i have shot a bow but im still a beginner

[gr8icefishinmind]

My opinion is to buy an easy shooting bow and make sure you get your mechanics down. No need to jump right in and buy the fastest bow possible!

None of us can really tell you what bow to buy, you need to go out and shoot as many as possible and pick the one that feels most comfortable for you!! Make sure you go to a shop that will help you and knows what they are doing!

[delmuts]

The best advice to give you is to talk to people and find a good archery shop in you area! They will not only help you pick out a bow, but also help get you started with the right form, and matching accessories.

[vister]

Get whatever bow feels right when you draw back. We can all tell you what brand to buy, but then it turns into a skunk pi$$ing match!! Start with a moderate draw weight, as this will make it easier getting your mechanics down. You're in the right spot for opinions and advice, so don't hesitate with any questions. Good luck

we can't stress enough, when we say go to a pro shop, we mean pro shop, not the archery section in gander! Sometimes there is someone with some know how in gander, but archery pro shops hire full time techs most of the time, not part time teens that bow hunt!!

[tracker x-2]

That what i would do. set a price range and let the tech find some for you to try. good luck!

[Scoot]

Yep, get the bow that feels good to you, not the one that feels good to some goofball on the internet (like me!) Like said above, pick a price range and see what your options are. One warning- accessories are expensive! Be clear what your price range is for the total package, not just the bare bow.

[sticknstring]

Nothing wrong with going used either. You can find great deals on top end bow packages all set up that are a few years old. Like everyone stated, visit a proshop or 2 in your area and shoot as many bows that fit you as you can. Pick the one that feels & shoots right to you. Have fun - it's an addiction.

[bottom-bouncer]

Like scoot said accessories are expensive! just to give you some idea. last year I bought my wife a mathews ignition we put simple accessories on it basic three pin sight whisker biskett wrist sling and 3" doinker half a dozen arrows. totall $600. it adds up quick.

[mrklean]

you gotta figure out how much you want to spend, theres a million different options out there shoot as many bows as you can

[Joe15]

You have to look around and get a decent bow that fits you and feels good. I wouldn't jump into the biggest and best just incase you don't end up enjoying it. Look at the Mission or diamonds line

[bottom-bouncer]

Like scoot said accessories are expensive! just to give you some idea. last year I bought my wife a mathews ignition we put simple accessories on it basic three pin sight whisker biskett wrist sling and 3" doinker half a dozen arrows. totall $600. it adds up quick.

I forgot to mention the base price for the bow was $300.

[walleyemaniac]

Like the rest of the guys said go to a good pro shop they will be able to set u up and can make the adjustments on the bow so it fits u like a glove. If they mess around with u on the custom fit part they don't know what they're talking about. Get out of there.

Keep the accessories simple to start, not alot of mechanical stuff. Just more stuff to worrie about when your getting started. Rule of thumb: K.I.S.S.

[juniordo1]

Just my two cents...

Last fall I wanted a new bow and I shopped around and shot a bunch of them. I had a budget in the range you mentioned. I shot bows way above that price range too to see what the hype was all about. I shot at pro shops, Gander, and Cabelas.

I narrowed my choice down to the PSE Stinger and the Fred Bear Lights Out. Both felt great in my hand and were comfortable to shoot. The Lights out wasn't on sale at the time so I bought the PSE Stinger in a 50-60 configuration for $299. I love this bow!

The bow is light with a very short axle length which makes it easy to maneuver from a tree stand. The bow is very adjustable in terms of draw length and you don't need a bow press to change it. The bow seems very quiet to me as compared to my old Pearson Warrior. The buck I shot at last year didn't jump the string when I let fly.

I outfitted this bow with a Carolina single pin sight which I found at Gander on clearance for $15. I love this sight!

Against the advice of folks at all the shops I added a Wisker Biscuit QS for $40. I Love this rest!

I shoot Canela's Carbon hunters which I got for about $30 and I've shot them 100's of times without losing a single fletching. I now use Carbon hunters with blazer vanes because the WB does make the fletchings wavy over time.

I took the stabilizer off of my old Pearson warrior and added it to this bow. I probably paid $15 bucks for it 8 years ago.

My release is a Tru-fire Patriot (8 years old) which I believe sells for about $20. Not the most comfortable release but I've been using it for 8 years without an accidental release.

My bow sling also came from my old setup and I believe it was about $12

Total investment - around $431

Total enjoyment - Priceless!

I agree with all of the other posters here. Try bows until you find one that feels good to hold and shoot. If you are not comfortable holding, drawing, and shooting, you might find yourself frustrated and lighter in the wallet.

I'm sure you can find one in your price range that you will like.

[engfish]

Quote:

Against the advice of folks at all the shops I added a Wisker Biscuit QS for $40. I Love this rest!

Just curious as to why they recommended not using a Whisker Biscuit QS with the Stinger. More than one company offering a PSE Stinger package offers that as one of its options. It's what my local shop put on my old PSE, and I'm with you--it's great.

[mrklean]

the biscuit slows your arrow some, can be noisy, and beatup your fletching

[juniordo1]

I don't want his to turn into a WB discussion, my intent was just to show that you can get a setup you like without spending $1000 like some of the pro shops recommended. When any of these places asked me what I was looking for, my comment was that I just wanted something to shoot for fun and kill a deer with. The reply was usually that any bow in the shop will do just that and then the conversation turned towards the technological superiority of the $1000 setup.

Having said that, the shops all talked about loss of speed and torn fletchings with the WB. I can't tell the difference in speed and my fletchings are wavy but still hit the mark. I'm pretty sure that deer don't care about the price tag or the components of my setup.

[engfish]

Agreed. It wasn't my intention to start a debate. I was just picking your brain for some feedback. I don't have the need for speed at 25 yards or less. It's nice to see the other side of the story--that there are a lot of choices for bow hunting, especially for a beginner or, in my case, someone with a desire to hunt deer more than just during the gun season. It's a great experience to spend time in the woods with a bow. Thanks for the feedback.

[Rippinlip]

Whatever you decide or have decided on, have fun with it and shoot it alot.

You can shoot a used bow for $50 bucks or a new one for $1500. If you do not like it it makes the shooting painful in more ways than one.

[Scoot]

This is a good and refreshing discussion. You guys are sooooooo right! The counter-argument has to do with all the advances in bows over the past decade or more, but one can't deny the fact that an inexpensive bow will kill 'em just as dead as a spendy one. My dad killed dozens and dozens of deer with a 1972 Bear Super Kodiak and I'm pretty sure the deer haven't evolved to become imune to it...

[juniordo1]

Quote:

You can shoot a used bow for $50 bucks or a new one for $1500

How right you are!

I bought my first bow in 2002 off of everyone's favorite online auction site. It was a new non-current Pearson Warrior and arrived setup with a sight,prong rest, quiver, string silencers, and limb savers. Also included were 3 Easton aluminum arrows cut to length with field points.

Price? $125 - delivered

I still shoot this bow occasionally but it is a full 11" longer axle to axle and is not nearly as adjustable as the Stinger I purchased. I only mention this beacuse, in hindsight, I actually did pay extra for some technologically superior features on the Stinger. I thought I should mention that since my posts may sound like I'm dismissing any adavantages gained by spending more money.

[LightningBG]

I totally agree that you don't need to spend a TON of money, but at the same time you dont want to have to replace your bow in 1 yr.

IMO you can get a pretty good setup for about $500 (including a bunch of the accessories)

Definitely go to a pro-shop. When I started bow hunting I didn't have a clue what I was doing and they were a ton of help.

It's good your thinking about it now. you don't want to be in a rush. Be willing to walk away from a bow your not thrilled about. If you find something by June or July, you should have plenty of time to practice before the season as long and you actually get out there.

Beware of bows online that you cant shoot and don't know how they've been taken care of.

[juniordo1]

Quote:

Beware of bows online that you cant shoot and don't know how they've been taken care of.

Your advice is worth heeding.

I agree thatI took a chance by buying a bow without having ever seen/shot it. For $125 I was willing to take that risk. In hindsight, I probably should have found one that I liked way back then and shot it locally before ordering one online to get the discounted price. I bought the new non-current because I was leary of buying a used bow.

The bow did come from an actual pro shop in Arkansas (still in business) who contacted me by phone to get my setup info. They also provided support after the sale which I was very happy about.

As far as new bows go, how do we know the folks at the big box stores/proshops handled them with care (visions of people dry-firing in back room)? Neither my old or new bow came in a box, only with tags and manuals. My point is that we assume a risk in buying a bow from anyone.