What's a good bow for my last one ever?

[Whopper Stopper]

I was just sitting here looking at my old Bowtech Pro 38. I bought it back on March 25 2001. I have long lost count of the number of deer that I have taken with this old beat up friend. I have spent hundreds of hours sitting in a tree hanging onto the 38 waiting for a Whopper to come trotting by.

I normally don’t shoot much over the summer. I have never shot 3-D and leagues hold no interest for me whatsoever. I start slinging slivers about the second week in August and my hunting kicks into medium high when October 1st rolls round. By the first week in November I spend every minute I can waiting high over some likely trail. I normally hunt into January and probably have spent the last 15 New Year’s Eves perched on my Summit. There was a time when I said I would probably never buy another bow. Then as Scoot pointed out in the trying new things thread, “never is a really long time”.

I am the type that when I find something I like I stick with it. As a result I am a little out of touch with the new offerings from the major bow companies. I plan on going to a couple of shops and shooting a few bows, but just concentrating on the high end offerings, I only have so much time. I was just curious what the pros on the board would offer up as suggestions as to where to start. I have heard some good things about the Hoyt Carbon Element, they certainly seem proud of them based on the price. I am guessing that my next bow will also be around for a few years. My pro 38 with accessories averaged out to $100 a year! Hahaha

Anyway I am just looking for some suggestions as to where to start the search. If anyone would like to throw out what they consider a top quality bow or an accessory I should consider, it would be much appreciated.

WS

[Rippinlip]

I am far away from a "pro", but most of the time willing to give an opinion.

I use to bowhunt years ago and had to get away from it due to young kids, work and other issues.

I got back into it a few years ago and my progression was to go with what I could afford at the time.

It started with a PSE Firestorm Lite about 6 years ago. Nice middle to low end of bow.

2 years ago I went to a Diamond "Stud" and it was definately an upgrade, parrallal limb design, better accessories and so on, more expensive.

Knowing I really like bowhunting and shooting all year long with 3D shoots and the range close by I(we, the wife and I) shoot alot and decided last year we wanted to shoot "the best" we could afford. So on December 23rd last year we traveled to a archery shop and started to shoot some high end bows.

It was unbelievable how much the difference is from what we had (Diamond Stud for me and Diamond Razor's Edge for her).

We decided to scrap our summer vacation up north this year and purchase the Mathews HeliM for me and the Mathews Jewel for her. (my other posts are for recommendations are for these bows....... ).

Long story longer, if I was to recommend a bow it would be a Mathews, the draw cycle, the solid back wall, 30" ATA, 3.5lbs and great speed for a archer that only has about a 27.5" draw.

My wife totally fell in love with the Jewel, the draw cylce allowed her to increase from what she is pulling now (about 35lbs) to 45lbs+.

Look at the Mathews line-up, they are unbelievable.

Shoot them all, I am sure that the Hoyt Carbon Express is just as good if not better.

My $.02

[Scoot]

Like Rip said, I'm no pro either, but I also have an opinion on this. I think Rip's suggestions for Mathews is a good one, but no better than any of the big name outfits. For Rip it sounds like Mathews was a great fit. If you're like me, Mathews is a really poor fit- they just don't feel right to me. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them, they just don't fit me right personally. Many of the Hoyt and Bowtech bows fit me great and that's what I've shot over the past couple decades. What fits you? Well... it sounds like Bowtech is in the running. However, if you shop around and look at Mathews, Hoyt, Bowtech, Elite, and PSE I have no doubt you'll be able to find a great bow that'll work for you for quite a long time. If I had to, I'd lean slightly towards the first three on that list, but that's very debatable. Others will add different companies to that list, and there are some other good options out there. However, those would be my choices, particularly given that you want to keep this rig for a long time.

Most importantly, shoot them all before you make a decision! Good luck and let us know what you end up with! ...and when you're buying your next bow after this one, remember one thing- forever is a really long time!

[sticknstring]

Shoot a bunch and let the bow pick you! With that said, the Element is a pretty sweet ride. After being away from the shop for awhile, most rigs are going to seem VERY nice!

[Bear55]

The problem with todays bow is they are all really good and there are a ton of options out there. Scoot gave the list I was going to post but you could add 5 or 10 more companies to it if you really wanted to test a bunch of them out. Take your time, shoot a pile of them, then maybe narrow it down and shoot them again. I'm getting the itch for a new bow myself, its not going to happen this year but hopefully soon.

[mnguy152]

Well I am the same as you are I got a bow that i love to shoot. best bet is go to the shop during the week when they are not too busy and shoot everything they have. When I bought mine I shot like 40 bows that day from top of the line to the bottom. And maybe even go to a few other shops like the one I go to doesnot carry mathews.

[Whopper Stopper]

Thanks for the replies, tips and comments. All appreciated! I believe there are a couple of shops close to me that handle a few brands, so between them, I should be able to feel on a few.

I am thinking Hoyt will be one of my first to shoot and then I will go from there. I am not in any hurry and besides bows I have a lot of the accessories to study up on. I will put an HHA sight on it but the road is wide open after that.

Thanks again for your time!

WS

[sportfish]

I am not sure what the grip is like on ur 38 but does the 38 stand for 38 inch ata? If so then most of the bows out there you will learn to hate , I won't buy another short lite bow .. There fore mathews is out ! Pay attention to the grip , I love the grips on most of the bowtechs and strothers,Hated the hoyt grip, and Have a strother bow now and love all of it ! If all your hunting shots are 25 yards and less then buy a short lite unforgiving bow . And 10 or 20 fps isn't worth the few hundred bucks to me ,longer ata and longer brace hight is ! good luck

[Spike76]

Pick out the best one you can find and then quit looking. There is always going to be nicer bows. Luckily we all like things a little different.

[archerystud]

Every bow feels different to everyone. Mathews kind of made me mad with my last bow so I really wanted to switch to a Hoyt Carbon Element. However, after shooting it I couldn't pull the trigger on it. It just didn't feel right to me. I've been shooting the Mathews for too long and just like their feel.

Just my personal preference as I'm sure the Carbon Element is an awesome bow.