Well first off I am new to this site and I have never bow hunted before. Hunted forever, but gun hunting is not really a challenge anymore so I figured I'd try bow hunting out. I need advice for which bow to get or look at. My history is this... I was a middle linebacker in school and suffered a massive injury to my right shoulder and had to have reconstructive surgery on it. Three screws and five permanent sutures later... I'm "back to normal". Although it does not hurt through out daily activity, I know trying to pull a bow back will be challenging and probably painful right off the bat. What I am looking for is a bow that is good for a beginner, not to rough to pull back, and one that I can adjust the draw weight as I get more comfortable with it. I want to be able to pull it out and start shooting deer (with practice obviously). I still workout but the few bows I have tried to pull back all the proshop have been a little rough on my old shoulder. I pulled a 60# PSE something but it wasn't pretty, and it was the first time I ever tried to pull a string back. Advice? What is an adequate #age to shoot deer with and be successful? The FNG
Welcome to the reconstructed shoulder club! I had to drop the poundage to 55 for a while...back up to 60 now. I had a PSE Omen but the cam peak was too harsh. Needed something with a smooth draw, not too much peak and a generous valley with a nice hard wall. I tried 7 or 8 bows. The three most comfortable for me were the Bowtech Carbon Knight, Mathews Chill and Hoyt Carbon Spyder. I went with the Knight but it's a personal choice. Talk to your pro shop and have them set a few up for you to try. Use the rubber bands you used for re-hab to exercise that shoulder with the same motion you will use to pull the bow. Ask your Physical Terrorist to recommend exercises specific to that activity. Go slow.
The one I just put in the classifieds on TexasBowhunter.com ! He, he, he. Seriously, I have shoulder problems too, and had to get rid of my Z7 at 70# and go to an Elite 55/65 turned to 58. Smooth !
I'd rather have a compound. I have no idea of what to look for. Single or double cam? I'd like to stay under $500 but be able to dial it up as I progress. Does FPS make a big difference? Should i scrifice smoothness for speed or vice versa?
Andy, have you give any consideration to shooting left handed? (This is of course assuming you are a natural right-hand shooter.) It takes some getting used to, but if you are new to archery, it would be an easier transition than if you have been shooting a bow for years. I know there are several guys around my area that have had to switch for injury reasons. It took some serious practice, but these guys are good shooters. I would imagine the biggest obstacle would be eye dominance, but that can be dealt with too, with practice. Whatever you choose................best of luck to you, and welcome to the forum!
In reality, the sky is the limit for you as far as which bow to buy. The limiting factor for you is the draw weight, not the bow itself. You have all of the same options as everyone else. Every bow you see in the signatures on here should be available in a 50#-60# draw weight. In the end you're just going to have to go and shoot some of them. You'll know when you find the right bow.
recommend getting a bow that ranges from a low of about 30 pounds and goes up to at least 50. Mission has a couple bows like that as do others. that allows you to lower it all the way down and build the muscle memory for shooting and the strength and over time you can crank up the poundage and be able to hunt with the bow. Also the suggestion to try shooting with your good shoulder is something to consider. if you go that route also recommend getting a bow that goes from 30-50 for the same reason. I taught myself to shoot left handed in three weeks so I could hunt the season after screwing up my right shoulder. lowering the weight down to 30 pounds really helps when developing proper shooting form. for eye dominance issues, I just closed my right eye when shooting left handed. worked for me. good luck with it.
x2 on switching to your non-dominant hand. I'm a natural righty and I switched to LH 2 years ago due to eye dominance issues; and other than back when I first started golfing (my LH grandpa taught me to golf) I never do anything left handed. Keep in mind I had over 20 years of experience shooting naturally as a righty. After about 2 hours I was pretty decent if not completely comfortable, and in less than a week it felt pretty much normal. You'd be better off than me since you are not an experience archer with embedded muscle memory to overcome. I still have the subconscious urge to grab arrows with my off-hand; but other than that I'm at least as good as I ever was. Oh, also x2 on checking out Mission bows. Best sub $500 bow on the market; IMHO. I shoot both a Mission Ballistic and a Mathews Zx7 Extreme; and the Ballistic performs about as good for half the price. It's actually more accurate; I just seem to get more KE out of the Mathews and it's a touch lighter/more compact.
My personal opinion I don't think there is a smoother drawing/shooting bow on the market, than Elite. I love E 35 and can't wait to test the new Synergy! Good luck.
