Hello All, I am 23 and an avid pheasant, dove, and coyote hunter in central IL, which is a great place to hunt whitetail. I'm going to start bow hunting this next fall. I need a little advice on a good bow for the right price to get started. All my buddy's shoot BowTech, but they seem so pricey....is it worth it? Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Evan... welcome. Give these guys a little time to answer this one. Its the off-season right now and its a weekend. Check back.. and I'm sure many on here will be more than happy to help.
What do you like it a bow, what are the features you want? This is in no order I would take a look at Hoyt Bowtech Diamond Mathews Mission PSE Martin all solid comapnies who have different price points of bows.
Bowtech makes a great bow. So does matthews and Hoyt. You get what you pay for but you can get a well built bow for less. I would recommend shooting as many bows as you can and don't just shoot them once. Shoot them atleast 5 times or so. Bowtechs catalog bow is the diamond and it is well made bow for a reasonable price. Check those out. Buy a bow that fits you.
Welcome Evan More often than not, personal budget dictates what bow/package a person decides on. IMO I would shoot as many bows as you can ( either at a proshop or other buddy's bows) Find one that you like or the one that just "feels" right for yourself. Also, if a proshop is nearby, what do they carry for bows, what is the customer service like, parts availablity, warranty, shooting range availability. A $400 package in skilled hands, will kill just as good as a $900/package
I agree with what these guys said before me. Shoot as many as you can before you buy. In doing so you will find out what you like and what feels right for you.
All fairly good Advice! BowTech Diamond Hoyt PSE All great bows and worthy of closer inspection and shooting. Dan
i agree i agree shoot and test,try as many bows as you can dude including recurves , not these though *stomps crossbow* just find somthing that feels right in your hands , comfortable and you feel confident with , i have two compounds and 2 recurves here at home , my compounds just sit and gather dust here though as i feel better with a recurve , see you might prefer compounds but hey go with whats right for you and have a proper instructor teach you for a day or two , stances , drawbacks and wind all matter when your making that killer shot
First you need to figure a budget both for the bow and accessories so you don't spend twice the amount you intended to. Next figure your draw length by having a friend measure your wing span tip to tip and dividing that number by 2.5. Then go to a reputable, clean pro shop that has a good selection of bows in your predetermined draw length and shoot away. I'm not talking 2 or 3 shots per bow, shoot em a half dozen to a couple dozen times especially when you start finding things you like and it begins to get tougher to distinguish key features in each bow. Close your eyes and focus on hand shock 1 shot, noise 2nd, draw cycle 3rd, follow through 4th, etc... till you find the bow that best combines the features that you like most. Warranty and maintenance is a main concern as well, because should your bow need replacement parts, the shop needs to have a supply on hand especially if you need repairs in the middle of bow season.
Thanks for all the advice guys! It looks like I've got a lot of shooting to do. We have got about half a dozen bow shops in the area so I'll be hitting em' up soon. Extra thanks to BTGuy on the draw length calculation...that cleared up one of my big questions. I look forward to getting that first whitetail and becoming part of the bow hunting community. Thanks again.
One of your best/cheapest routes will be going with a package bow. There are some great ons out there for the money PSE Brute: http://www.pse-archery.com/prod.php?k=135543&u=0920NI Bowtech Sniper: http://www.bowtecharchery.com/bow_sniper.php Also, now that the '10 bows are out there should be some great deals on '09 bows! check those out as well. Like others have said, shoot, shoot, and shoot. I tell everyone newcomer into the shop that the best advice I can give them is "be the biggest PITA that you can". Fit is absolutley the biggest determining factor when purchasing a bow IMHO and in order to find proper fit you need to shoot, a lot. Good Luck! and don't be afraid to ask questions, there's no bigger burden than naievity (sp?) reason for edit: forgot my links lol
Thanks BustinHearts, I like the look of that Bowtech Sniper. I look forward to shooting it. I agree that the package bows might be the best bet for a new comer like me to get started.
Sometimes if you test shoot enough bows and take one of your friends with you there are some great deals on used bows i got mine for $125 then put another about $70 into sight, stabilizer and wrist sling (the bow came with a rest and quiver) my brother got a new bow for i think $380 (fully loaded) or something. We both love our bows and are happy about our purchases. So there are ways of doing it and not spending massive amounts of money
