New to bow hunting, I have no idea about what to look for in a bow. I'll mostly be hunting big game, elk, deer, bear, pronghorn, and maybe the occasional turkey. I'm a college student so I don't have a ton of money to spend. Any advice helps. Thanks
First off, welcome to the sport... it gets in yer blood lots of good bows out there, but ya have to get one that "fits" you... go to a shop, and have them determine your draw length, and a draw weight you can pull back with out too much strain, have them show you proper form, then try out a bunch of different bows set to your draw length and weight... one of em will feel so much better then the rest.. thats the one ya should buy... If it's not set up right, and doesn't fit you properly, your accuracy will suffer and you'll end up not liking the sport... as for what ya hunting... for deer and pronghorn, 45-50 lbs is enough to make clean kills.. but for elk and bear, I'd suggest at least 60-65 lbs if ya can pull it
Thanks Smoke! I'll head over to my local shop here in the next week. Are there any specific brands I should look for or stay away from?
Go to a bow shop and tell them what your looking for. I shoot 70lbs on my bow and the kills are great but like Smoke said, you can get it done with less. My personal opinion is to shoot the heaviest you can and still be accurate! I like my speed lol
With todays bows I don't think that there is really a bad bow out there. The best thing to do is just find the one that you like and don't worry about what people say. I personally like Mathews. I have tried a couple of different brands and they do not feel the same. That does not mean that they are bad just not for me. On a budget I would check out both Bear and PSE they both make great bows for not a whole lot of money. Be warned though this is addicting and before you know it you will be spending a lot of time in the pro shop and a lot of your money will follow!
Thanks jtreat! I've actually been looking at Bear, PSE, and Diamond online. I'm hoping that my local shop will have those in stock so I can try them all out.
most of the box stores (Cabela's, Bass Pro, Sportsmans Warehouse, ect) carry the diamond and PSE.. might have a Bear of two on the rack as well.. Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, go to the local pro shops... most all brands have a "beginners bow" that's super adjustable (draw length 18-30 inches, 20-70 lbs)... ya might look at those first, they are great bows for the money, come in a package (includes rest, site, quiver) and as your "bow muscles" get stronger to pull back more pounds, ya can adjust up and not have to buy a new bow or set of limbs... (as ya improve ya will likely want to upgrade the site and rest tho) PS. calling a it a beginners bow is kind of a misnomer... they sell them to a lot of younger and beginners but are great bows... it's just that they have such a large adjustment range the young archer can readjust everything as he gets bigger and stronger as he grows... they are still great bows and I know many an adult that use them.
Ended up getting a Bear Archery Attitude RTH. Thanks for all the advice guys! Can't wait to hunt with the new bow!
I have a Bear Attitude and I absolutely love it. Mine was also a RTH package with Trophy Ridge equipment on it. Is it the most expensive top of the line bow on the market? No, but I love it and I shoot it well. I also like how easy it is to adjust. You will probably find, as I did when I got in to the sport, that you will be able to increase your draw weight once your muscles get used to drawing a bow.
