I don't know my hand from my ass with this bow stuff. I know I want quality and I'm willing to pay for performance over anything. Fully loaded my buddy was saying in the upper 2,000 range, he has Matthews Vertix and smacks with it, has one of those badass xero rangefinder attachments as well. I don't need fancy I just want performance and things that will help me get the job done. Cheers.
There are guys on here who know much more about bows than I do, however IMO: Bow choice comes down to personal preference, only after you shoot them and see how they feel. A high end modern day bow will shoot and perform great. Lots of manufacturers to choose from, Mathews, Hoyt, Elite, Bowtech, Prime, etc...list goes on. I shoot a Mathews Halon now, it is my second bow. I first purchased a mid-level Bowtech, and after switching to the Halon the difference was night and day. Like going from a V-6 engine to a V-8. You do not need the "most expensive" bow to be successful. I shot plenty of deer with my Bowtech. Make sure you buy a quality Sight. I have a Black Gold 3-pin. I like having 3 pins compared to 5 because my sight picture isn't crowded with too many pins. With just 3 pins it keeps it simple enough. Bottom line, go to your local archery shop, test out different bows and see what feels best to you. Compare different bow lengths - ATA, draw weights, smoothness, etc. Get a good sight, and practice shooting daily. Good luck.
^^ Great advice. Go to a shop and shoot em all, find the one that suits you the best, pay that man his monies. Shoot a lot and enjoy. Sent from my SM-G960U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Well I went and did just that today. I shot the Matthews VXR 31.5" and man I'm sold haha. I went to the shop Performance Archery over here in San Diego, Ca and Bob the owner took me under his wing and really made me feel comfortable and showed me how to shoot it and I built a sales order today for it. I was pretty dang accurate right from the jump which surprised me but I wasn't shooting far, just more so surprised how good it felt. Needless to say I'm most likely going with that fully loaded. Thanks for the advice.
Oh yeah, even got a date night coming up there to take the lady to fling some arrows. Super cool place.
I have had over the past 30 years... hoyt, pse, 2 parkers, 2 bowtechs, 2 elites and now mathews. my favorite was the bowtech Allegiance, followed by elite energy 32 and third is the mathews. I killed the most deer with the bowtech Allegiance. they were all great bows. I fell in love with the Mathews vertix. it just fit. you can't go wrong with hoyt or mathews
Try some cheaper entry level bows so you can see the difference too. Just like hunting, if you get in a hurry, you can miss the big guy.
As the other replies are saying, up to you! Personally, I am a Mathews guy all the way, and I LOVE my Z7. Hoyt, Prime, Bowtech, etc. are all good brands too. Maybe go to a pro shop and try some out?
I recommend taking Cannon06's advice and get a good quality sight such as a 3 pin or even one like the HHA is another good option if you want to try a single pin sight. I haven't personally used the Garmin sight but, I can tell you from many years of bowhunting experience that the bulkiness and requirement of a battery will come back to haunt you and cost you an animal. A good, quality arrow rest is equally as important as a good, quality sight. Congratulations on becoming a bowhunter! We are all happy to have another bowhunting brother joining us!
I use the IQ Define Pro, but I only got it because it was on sale for $200 at Bass Pro! I'm actually very happy with it. In my opinion, I'd stay away from the Garmin sights. SUPER pricey, and from what I've heard, not too many bow hunters are a fan of it. If you are just getting into Bow hunting, I'd start out with a quality 3 pin sight! Trophy Ridge, IQ, and many other brands make some quality and affordable ones.
Response I got from guys who bought it from Pro-shop I worked, was not very positive. Also make sure that it's legal to use that kind of sight in the areas your planning on hunting. Personally I suggest a good quality 1-3 pin fiber optic. Use the monies you saved from not buying that Garmin sight and get a good range finder that even makes yardage adjustments for uphill or down from a treestand angle distances. Enjoy and good luck this season.
