Hey fellas, This is an understatment of a new thing for me. My whole life we've shot sporting clays and pistol competitions. I've never hunted but I always was interested by it. Lately I had an epiphany, I need to become a how hunter lol. It looks like much more of a challenge than killing a target from several yards away. Also it makes it quite a difficult task of selecting equipment as I as a very large guy. Im about 6'7" and weigh about 230. I have wayy too many questions on this topic. I will seperate my questions to clarify haha...also dont judge my too much on my ignorance to the sport. If I call something the wrong name or have things completely wrong. Dont hesitate to correct me Should I go with a compound bow or a recurve/long bow? What is a good starter bow for a relatively decent price? What kind of arrows should I use? Any information on how to start or anything that will be helpful to get better. Thanks for your help, Drew
If you want to be able to hold the bow back and aim easier go with compound. Recurves are much more challenging. I may be getting one to mess around with and shoot some does but my compound will be in the tree when going for the big boys. You could buy a good used bow for a good price. Also Bowtech Assassin is ready to shoot for $599. Shoot every bow you can get your hands on. It will be your bow and you need to feel comfortable with it. The arrows are also a personal choice. Everyone likes something different. Congrats on getting into the most addicting thing ever!!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Don't hesitate to ask me any questions. I will do my best to answer them and so will many others on this site. I have learned a lot from these great people.
Ive been doing quite a bit of reading and ive got more educated questions. Like I said before Im quite a tall guy. It recommends a draw length for a 6'4" guy is about 30. Does draw length make a GIGANTIC difference? If I get a bow with a draw length of 29" will that completely throw me off? Im leaning towards getting a used bow strictly on the fact of it will be quite a bit cheaper. Also ive seen the company PSE and Browning a lot....are those decent bows?
First off - welcome to the Forum! As you progress further into the sport of archery and bowhunting you may just find that you enjoy it more than your sporting clays and pistol shooting. :D As for your questions.... Most people would recommend starting with a compound. Today's compound bows are considerably easier to shoot than those made 15-20 years ago, and will provide you with much more consistancy than a recurve or longbow. Once you get into things for a couple years you may find yourself wanting to experiment with traditional equipment, but by and large you'll probably have more immediate success with a compound. That's a loaded question, as there are bows out there from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. For your first bow I'd plan on spending $400 to $600 on the bare bow itself, but another $200 or so on accessories. That should get you in the ballpark anyways. Most bowhunters these days are shooting carbon arrows - although there are still a few aluminum holdouts. Carbon arrows are probably the most readily available, but not always the cheapest. When it comes to arrows you get what you pay for in terms of quality. Expect to pay $70 to $120/dozen for arrows w/fletchings. Something like an Easton Epic ST would be a good starting point. The best info I can give you is to read as much as you can about archery first, and bowhunting second. Just getting into the sport you need to learn the fundamentals of shooting a bow and perfecting that skill before you get too far into bowhunting tactics. I would stronly advise going to a local pro shop and having them fit you for a bow. Having the proper draw length is extremely important to your consistancy, accuracy and overall enjoyment that you'll get from shooting. As a basic starting point if you measure your wingspan from tip to tip then divide it by 2.5 that will give you a rough draw length. Buying a used bow isn't always a bad idea, but it helps to know what you're getting before you buy. Bows are a lot like shoes. Certain ones just seem to 'fit' better than others. So unless you know exactly what you want, shooting a couple different options at your local shop may help steer you in the right direction. PSE is a good bow company and has been around longer than most. Browning Archery was/is owned by PSE but I believe they stopped making bows several years ago now. Just getting started you may want to look into the Mission bows by Mathews. They're great bows that won't break the bank but still deliver good performance.
Like has been said most will suggest shooting a compound. Get properly fit! That is very important in learning and mastering shooting a compound. Prices vary widely! I'd start with something in the $500 to $700 range. You might even pick up a used bow in the Classifieds. I'd tend to spend a bit extra on Quality accessories. You can move them from Bow to Bow for several years and if you go with cheaper stuff and you really like shooting those accessories will end up getting tossed aside fairly quick. Read and ask questions. More expensive usually means higher tech and better quality, but not always. Dan
Forget bowhunting join the NBA! Welcome to the forum and congratulations on picking an awesome sport. Let us know what you decide when you get all set up.
Welcome to the forum!!! Read and absorb as much as you can here and your learning curve will sky rocket. It has helped me greatly, both in shooting and hunting situations.
1. a compound would be a great. 2. you need to set an amount that you want to spend. then start looking and shooting bows. IMO try not to be brand specific. 3. there are a few good arrow companies out there. most of the time you get what you pay for. i personally like carbon express weight for wards. it a pretty good arrow for hunting.
Hey thanks everyone for the info and the welcome. I debated NBA but it just sound too overrated to me lol. Im leaning towards a PSC Bow i found. It comes with a shoot thru arrow rest, 4 pin scope (i think thats how they described it lol), stabilizer, a 7.25" brace height, and a draw length of 31". It also has a 39" axel to axel length. I decided to go with a longer length because I read a lot saying they were more forgiving and for a kid who's never bow hunted or even shot a bow in his life the most forgiving ones seem to be the best idea lol. Once again thanks for all your help fellas. Also, like i said if there is a spot in here that describes the best way to help me work at becoming a good shot or even technique helps that would be MUCH appreciated. Drew
arrows depends on your draw weight and draw length and tip weight bow - well there are tons of them!! You are going to have to go over 30in of draw most likley so look for bows that have the 31-32 option you could get a full set up for 400 or 500 if you wana spend more you could get a better set up but for starting the 400 dollar ones are just fine - all my recent bows were under 400 except the last 2 (ive had a ton of bows and still do) I shoot a recurve, longbow, and a compound - i hunt with the compound i bowfish with the recurve and ariel shoot witht he lighter recurve and im working on being able to hunt with my longbow, compounds are easier to start with Another thing....you dont have to have the best to kill a deer beleive me ive done it with a bow igot for 100 dollars and some walmart arrows there were terribly off spined and some 6 dollar broadheads Hit them right and they will die Best of luck to you!!!
