Never used a bow in the past, hunted with gun my whole life. I have two reputable dealers close by, looking to spend about a grand out the door, not getting any younger so looking for a bow that is easy to draw. Any suggestions? Just started doing a little research. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Go shoot them all no one can tell you what to shoot . You will know what you like when you find it. If you are full-grown individual you will not need a grow with you bow Your drawl length is not going to change. And you probably don't need 70 pounds. So do not over bow your self. Most importantly have fun . Picking out a new bow is always very exciting because you get to shoot everything.
I shoot the Mathews No Cam. It's unbelievably smooth and easy to draw even at 70 pounds. However I'd definitely recommend shooting everything you can get your hands on. You'll know which one is right for you.
I look for 3 things in a hunting bow. 1. Quiet. 2. Smooth draw. 3. Quiet. Mathews NoCam HTR (60#) is my bow of choice. This is something send to someone a few years back who was interested into bowhunting and had never shot a bow. My Advise: If you can find someone to let you shoot their bow some to get the hang of it, it would be a good thing. Think of it as never driving a car (or riding in one) and then trying to test drive them for handling, comfort, sound, etc. Once you have shot a few hundred arrows go shoot every bow within 60 miles of your house. Don't look at the brand. Almost all bows today are a huge step up than 10-15 years ago. Some, you will know the first shot, some before you shoot it if it's not for you. Narrow it down to a few bows and go shoot them again. O yea, if a dealer doesn’t let you shoot some bows or gives you a "bad feeling about it" go somewhere else. Don't shoot to much in one day. You will not judge the bow the same if you are shooting the 5th arrow or 65th arrow of the day. The bow WILL PICK YOU. Things to consider: IBO Rating (speed): Don't worry about the speed of the bow. All bows are fast enough today. My first bow was fast for its day (1976). It shot a blazing 180 fps and I killed lots of stuff with it. You will notice most bows with a high IBO (330 fps+) will have a harder draw and more of a hump than 290-330 IBO. They gain speed by having you pull the max draw weight for longer length and then the drop off is shorter. Draw length: Find your comfortable DL. Start by wing span divided by 2.5. This is a starting point. Remember the DL the bow says may not be actual. Lots of reasons for this but its a conversation for another time. Some bows have easy to change DL (Mission you mentioned is one). Then you can fine tune your DL as your skill/comfort increases. Some require cam changes to change DL which you could have your dealer do. Draw weight: You don't have to be a gorilla. Today's 60# bow has more power than a 70# did 15 years ago and more than an 80# did 20 years ago. You can kill any animal in North America with 60#. Bow length: Referred to as axle to axle (ATA). If you hunt a lot from a blind, 28"-32" ATA is good. Otherwise 28"-40" is good. Most hunting bows now are 28"-34". Cost: Figure your budget them be prepare to add $100-200 because the bow you really want will be more than your budget. Get quality accessories including arrows. Figure close to the cost of the bow again for rest, sight, quiver, stabilizer, arrows, broadheads and release. Warranty: Once you get it narrowed down to 2-3 bows think of warranty. Some companies have lifetime warranty to the original owner. Some companies have transferable warranty. Some companies have real lifetime warranty. Mathews has parts still available for every bow they ever made since 1990. Mission does too. Some company's lifetime warranty is until they discontinue that model and run out of parts. I know a guy that could not get a cam from the company for a 4 year old bow. Dealer: Check out each dealer. Is the place a pig pen (dirty)? Are they willing to help? Do they try to force you to a brand/model? Are you comfortable with them? Tell them you are just beginning. You are looking for guidance and are not there to buy that day and see how they react. My current dealer is 45 miles from my house. I drive past a dealer only 5 miles from me. A walked in there a few years back and asked him if he would put my bow back into manufacture spec. They dealer I had used for many years refused. He put in in spec, had me shoot it, adjusted my peep sight and charged me a whole $10. A few months later (the next time I was there) I was bow shopping. I bought 3 bows from him since. FWIW: A few years ago, I was looking to get a new bow. My last bow was 8 years old, I went to every dealer within 70 miles of me. I shot 17 different bows from 8 companies. Some I knew after one shot or before I shot them that they we not for me. But I shot several arrows from them anyway.
Go find yourself a 50-60# draw bow with a smooth pull and good feel. My bow is 5 years old now and I still love it more than anything new I have shot. I suggest Mathews, Prime, or Hoyt.
$1000 out the door keep this in mind You'll be probably $100 on a sight $100 on a rest $50-100 on a release $40 for broad heads $50-100 for arrows $50-100 for quiver $50 for case $50 for target bag
I know a grand sounds like a lot. But if that includes all accessories, you may need to look at Mission, PSE, Bear, etc., to get that all in your price range. You can find some discounted models, especially this time of year with new models being released. However not all shops will have those. Or look at used bows. Obsession and Elite have transferrable warrantees if that is important to you. Most other used bows will not be covered under warranty.
Everyone is correct except you can always upgrade accessories after you've broke in you bow. Just get the bow you want and get cheaper everything for the time being. After you had it for awhile you should know what to replace to make it your own.
Go to a good shop willing to work with you. I'm fairly new as well and just milk the guys for information when I go in. Also, some of the proshops near me have a used inventory of guys who had to have the latest and greatest and traded in their 1 year or 2 year old bow. If they could kill deer 2-3 years ago, why wouldn't they kill one now?... Since I'm new I am still learning, my next bow I'll know exactly what I want in it and where to spend the extra money. If I were you, I'd try and find a nice used bow that someone traded in and had the "once-over" by the shop. It should be as good as a new one maybe without some of the "2016" features. Then after a few years if the bug catches on, and after you know what you were able to live with and what you liked take the extra money you were going to spend this time around and invest it in something really nice.
Spend the day at the pro shop. Shoot them all. Find the one with the smoothest draw and best back wall for the poundage and draw length you usually shoot. After that look for comfort of grip, quietness, total length(shorter is better in a tree) and finally IBO speed. Good luck!
