first, hi... and thanks for lending your expertise... on to my issue.. ive been hunting on and off since '87 when i first passed hunters safety at the ripe old age of 9... all my hunting has been firearm. mainly due to areas i hunt offer longer shots and i dont typically put the effort in to find deer in the deep because my hunting time is usually confined to late afternoon when i get out of work... that all changed this past season when i tried hunting the woods and took the biggest deer of my life.. where one had to react, maneuver, adjust on the fly, huge pressure, huge buck, from no shot to out of sight, readjust, call, react, get him to come back and then have to switch lefty to get the sights on him and pull the trigger...from 40 feet at that with a bipodded 6-18x scoped 308... now ive got a taste for a 'real' hunt, i want to do it with a bow... ive just recently aced hunter safety (again, because in my state its now combined with archery) and now i have to decide on equipment. here in lies the problem. my local shop only stocks bear (which is fine because i 'like' bear) the bigger problem is they will only fit me when im buying... and maybe an issue, the only thing they have in stock in my range price wise is the 'attitude'... 'my' issue is ive been looking at bear for a couple of weeks and im set on the traxx. recently, the tremor has peeked my interest as well... they're just so damn pretty... so i guess my questions are: -ive almost totally conceded that my only option is the attitude, but they will order anything i want if i am going to buy it...is it THAT bad to settle on a bow having never shot it being i have no preference at the moment of smoothness/valley/back wall...(i know you should but i just dont have the option without traveling 100 miles..) -is twin cam tough to time/expensive if i cant do it/how often does this happen/is it a product of string stretch/does it happen often/abruptly/slowly over time -how long (with proper care) does a string last... is it a yearly thing or a 500 shot thing... how do you know -i dont want to be a victim of speed hype but it doesnt take a rocket scientist to understand faster is better... is 12 fps worth $200 (the difference in ibo for tremor at 322 and the attitude at 310) not to mention that im never gonna shoot an ibo set up... near as i can figure ill be shooting 27-29 inch draw, 50-60lb, 400-450gr arrow so what should i be looking at... id like to keep speed as high as practical but i start to get nervous when the generic calculator im using says ill be in the 230fps and under range... what is a jump proof speed on an unaware deer (i know if hes got you pegged hes likely got your shot beat anyway) -is there anyway to further reduce noise without sacrificing speed... i.e. would a felt (or other material)pad on the string stop be effective? the rubber just seems a good durability option versus the quietest possible option. -are limb savers practical, useful, effective... -i really dont want to get a bare bones bow but i have better ideas for the sight and rest... are the package deals really sufficient or is it ALL about marketing partnerships, subsidies, and rebates... assuming the bear 'traxx', 'tremor', 'crux', and 'attitude' are your only choices what is your decision and why sorry for the long read... hoping for some insightful feedback... links for info appreciated but not necessary, personal knowledge and opinions are absolutely welcome if they are relevant to my particular situation thank you so much.
I've been away from Bear bows for far too long to give an educated opinion between their current lineup. All I have to add is that I will NOT buy a bow that I cannot shoot first. If a retailer won't set up a bow for me to shoot I will actually drive the 100 plus miles to go somewhere else.
thanks for the input, and i agree... unfortunately 'cant' isnt just 'i dont want to' (drive long distances)... atm i cant... but maybe a snatchable opportunity may arise in the future... till then im beat if i wanna make this deer season... on a side note, ive seen articles of people having to reduce draw weight due to shoulder injury, what about lower back... mine is suspect at times... will this be a deal breaker...
Thats crazy that they wont let you test it out first. what a load of ****. I have the Bear Authority which is last years bow very similar to the attitude. same limps, same cams. different riser, and $100 more than the attitude. I shot recurve for a very long time, and this is my first compound. I got to tell you. what a great bow! Very accurate. i shoot up to 70 yards, and it goes where i want it. the draw feels very natural,#71 feels much lighter than a #60 Recurve , the letoff is amazing. I would love to get a spider (just to have a hoyt i guess) but in all reality. this bear bow is wonderful. and the price is great. the downsides. the string that comes on it is cheap and needs a upgrade, the whisker biscuit chews up fletchings, and in my opinion, the peep is a hair to small(that will vary on your anchor point) That being said. If they wont fit it for you and let you test it out. screw them. dont give them your money
for as young as i am. all the weight lifting has caught up to me. my shoulders are shot out. but a bow with a smooth draw and a good letoff, you will be fine. even my #55 recurve gave me problems, but my bear with EZ3 cams @ #71 I can shoot 30+ shoots a day with no nagging pains. just get a bow that doesnt have aggresive cams. i heard the Mathews no cam is amazing
I went to bass pro shop over the weekend. i was talking with one of the guys about the bear arena 34, and he was saying its a good bow. he told me the PSE madness 34 was even better. they didnt have any in stock yet, but they had the bow madness 32. he pulled one out for me and i got to play with it a little. and i got to say. holy crap. for how much i love my bow. that extra $400 seems well worth it!
Is there any other brands available at that specific dealer or any other dealer that is relatively close? I ask this because options are always good and definitely when it comes to archery. Bear makes quality products but I would suggest looking for Hoyt, Elite, Bowtech, and Mathews dealers as well as Bear. I shoot a Hoyt Rampage XT and currently in love with Hoyt's new lineup. I've also been intrigued by Elite and might make the switch in the future. Bowtech and Mathews also make quality product. If this is not a path you want to travel down that is more than fine. I'd personally like to be able to shoot a bow before I decide on buying it. Archery is all about personal preferences and if you don't like or "get along" with your bow, you will not be able to enjoy the awesome passion of bowhunting. As it goes for R.A.K or R.T.H or any other pre equipped bows, the sights and other accessories are fine for what you spend on them but lack high quality attributes. But means you are a beginner, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go with a pre assembled set up to at least get a feel for what your personal preferences are. But if you already know what you like (small pins, light attached, dove tail, adjustable one pin, 5 pins, etc) than I'd go with a bare bow and pick and choose your sights, quivers, stabilizers, etc.
