I'm looking to buy my fiance a new compound bow for Christmas this year, but I know close to nothing about hunting, so I need a lot of help with this! If any of this makes a difference, he is 5'11" - 6' tall with long arms, so probably a 28.5 - 29 draw length, and I think he mentioned his current bow is set at 60 or 65 lbs. He has hunted all his life (always from a tree stand, never a ground blind) and has recently been drooling over the idea of a carbon bow but can't bring himself to spend the money. He has a preference of Hoyt bows, so I've been focusing on the following models: Spyder Turbo, Spyder 34, Spyder 30, Charger, and Element. So here are my questions: 1. Is buying slightly used acceptable, as in Craigslist or Ebay, assuming it is in near new condition, or should I definitely buy new? This makes a big difference in price point. 2. Should anything specific come with the bow, or is it more beneficial to custom create a package? 3. What are the major differences between the models I listed, and are there any huge drawbacks that should turn me away from any of these specifically? 4. Even if I buy new, is buying a 2012 or 2013 model acceptable (as in would it be to you as a gift)? 5. Would it be beneficial to wait a month before making a purchase, especially looking at ebay or craigslist, as it seems the demand for 2013 and 2014 bows will drop? I'm sure I will have more questions, but I would really appreciate your help in this! If I'm going to drop a grand on a bow for him, I want to make sure he loves it! Oh yeah, and $1000 is my absolute max.
Hello Newb Welcome to the site. Guys get real 'funky' when it comes to [their] archery equipment. In my humbled opinion... I'd get him a $1000 gift certificate and put it in an envelope with a HOYT decal. That way he can try out the bows you stated above (and possibly a few others) and get fit absolutely correct by an authorized dealer. When he finds the 'right' one he likes he can purchase it through a dealer or look for a bargain on the 'net (knowing his exact measurements). He may even score a real deal from someone on this forum. Best of luck... Merry Christmas to you and your man.
Thank you for the advice! I like the idea of letting him choose for himself, but being a woman I have that "gift cards are so impersonal" mentality. Do archery ranges typically have the newer bows to try out? Thinking maybe we can go and I can let him teach me a thing or two while unknowingly testing out prospective bows.
The only problem with not knowing his exact draw length is that if you get him a bow and it is the wrong draw length and say you got it off ebay you will have to take it to a shop and get the cams replaced so that I would be the right draw length. Maybe talk to one of his friends or someone that may know more in depth about his set up and see if that can ask him what bow he may want and what his draw length is and what poundage he shoots too. A great place to check out is the used bows section in archerytalk, I will include the link here but they are a great website to look for used bows at. Here is the link to archerytalk.coms classified bows list. Hunting Bows But I know the idea with the "gift card" for him to chose the bow seams lame but when it comes to a bow you really have to try it out and try other out to compair to what feel best to him. So maybe the "gift card" idea isn't a bad idea after all because than it will let him chose what feels the best to him.
He just got back from the woods a few hours ago and I got some info out of him by playing dumb but interested, which is acceptable for a newb like me, haha! Turns out his bow is set and maxed out at 72 lbs. Would that likely change or stay the same with a new bow?
Your guy is a lucky man, you sound like a keeper. To answer your question, bows generally are available with adjustable weight ranges, like 50-60 pounds, 60-70 pounds and 70-80 pounds. Usually if they are cranked to their maximum weight setting...when measured they are often a couple pounds over so I'm guessing his bow is a 60-70# model and is just cranked out to maximum which happens to be a couple pounds over 70#. Most 60-70# bows will probably max out around 72"ish pounds similar to his. The carbon bows are pretty sweet, I have a 2013 Carbon Element and love it. Bows are a lot like shoes though...they need to "fit". You could take his old bow to a shop (especially if they have a used bow you're interested in) and they can set it up to match his old one. It may require some tweaking after you present it to him but he can deal with that if need be. Good luck!
Just get a bow with 60-70lb limbs. Maxed out they normally are just a tad above 70. And shops do have new bows to shoot which is what he should do.
One thing you could do as well to what has been mentioned, is go down to the shop he frequents and see if they offer gift certificates. That would be a little more personal than a gift certificate.
You might could set up a "charge account" at the local shop and give him some pictures of the various Hoyt bows as a present under the tree. That way he knows what he got (or will get) and can go down and pick out the one he wants. Although he has mentioned being partial to a carbon bow, he may find the other newer bows with aluminum risers nice as well. I have two Hoyt bows, a Spyder 30 and a Carbon Spyder 30. Both shoot extremely well, and unless I shoot them back to back, I cannot tell the difference. The newer lines in 2014 have the new cam design which is smoother on the draw cycle, but as I said, I cannot tell unless shooting them back to back. I bought the Carbon bow from all the hype and they are supposed to be nicer to grip on a really cold day. After 15 years of marriage, my wife knows to let me pick and she does stuff like the picture thing. Good luck and Merry Christmas!
One thing to make sure of, based on what you said his draw length is, you need to get a number 3 cam for all hoyt bows. They have 3 cans with 3 adjustment ranges. Draw lengths are changed with modules (only 15-20 dollars) but if the cam is the wrong size you need to upgrade cams, limbs and strings which would be a 300 dollar upgrade. A #1 cam is (24-26) #2 is (26-28) and #3 is (28-30). That is for all of the bows under 34 inch AtA (spyder 30, turbo, element and faktor 30 and turbo) the spyder 34 is #1 (25-27) #2( 27-29) #3 (29-31) also get a 70 pound bow. Most shops will have new left over models from previous years for well under your price range. This would be better than used because it would come with a warranty. However if necessary buying used can be ok. Hopes this helps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
