Hey guys, been lurking the forum for about a week or so and decided to join. A little bit about myself. I'm currently a Sergeant in the Army with 5 years of service and one tour to Afghanistan with another deployment right around the corner this month. I'm stationed in Ft. Hood Texas, but I'm originally from Ohio. I started hunting when I was 6 years old for squirrel and rabbit and killed my first whitetail when I was 10 with a shotgun. My dad has bow hunted for years and I never really got into it until now for some reason. So I haven't hunted in a while being stationed in Texas and not knowing anybody with land, so I plan to start bow hunting when I move back to Ohio after my time in service is done. Finally, my question is what bow to get? I plan on using it for whitetail deer. My price range is around $500-$700 plus arrows and other essential gear to start out. Thanks guys, your advice is greatly appreciated.
Welcome! I would go to a local archery shop and shoot some. So many good bows on today's market you really need to shoot em to feel whats right for you.
Thanks for the advice I will be doing that for sure. Are the big brands (i.e. Matthews, Hoyt) worth the money?
^what he said^ Shoot as many as you can. I think some of the bows are worth the money. Hoyts are good bows, but $1400 new? WHEW! Mathews normally run around $999 brand new. However, Mission and Bowtech has some great bows too. Have a budget in mind for a total setup (bow, rest, sight, peep, quiver, release and a dozen arrows). Post some pics when you get one.
To be honest I really have only ever shot either the mathews, hoyt, or bowtech line. They all have great bows. Bowtech offers a 15% discount for us military too if you go that route. Also huntersfriend.com sells bowtech and you can order if you are farther then 30 miles from a dealer. Not a bad deal with the discount. Mathews only offers a discount if you are deployed and you have to have it shipped overseas.
Well it's been almost a year since I was on here last, but I'm back from deoloyment and just a few days ago ordered myself a Bear Attitude. It is the RTH trophy ridge edition so I know most of the accessories will be on the lower end but I feel it is good for a beginner. I shot a buddies attitude and loved it. Seems like a very forgiving bow and with an 80% let off. Plus for $399.99, I just couldn't pass up the deal for a brand new bow. I'll post pictures when it gets here Wednesday.
Hi, first of all, thank you for your service to our country. God Bless. As for bows, I have shot many different brands over the years. Gave it up for a couple years due to shoulder problems. Just got back into it recently. I researched and had a budget of around $500. I decided on a G5 Quest Rogue. I found a leftover 2013 online that included a package deal which consisted of a quiver, sight, peep, rest, stabilizer and sling. The only thing I have changed out is the rest. The sight is good quality as well as the rest of the accessories. This bow is a lot of bow for the money. I paid $430 shipped. I don't regret it one bit and I'm looking forward to using it to harvest many whitetails and turkey. Sweet drawing bow and holds really well. Very well made (in USA). There are lots of good bows for your budget, just go shoot some and let ithe bow choose you. Hope this helps.
Welcome to the site. Thank you for your service so we can hunt. On bows, as most people are saying above, go to a pro shop as shoot as many bows as you can, then pick out which one you think shoots the best.
