Hey y'all, I've only been into hunting for about 3 years now but I'm completely addicted. I've been hunting with a rifle and a crossbow and have loved every minute of it. But ever since I've been into hunting I've always been infatuated with bowhunting. There's something special about getting closer to the animal. Plus there's just something artful in the process of bowhunting. I'm looking to make a purchase in the coming months. I've planned about $500 dollars, give or take, for my first bow. I could probably afford more but I'm not sure I want to jump that far in at first. The problem, or question, I have is: should I buy a new, entry/mid-level bow, or buy a used high level bow? I plan on dropping by the local shops and trying them all out but I'm stuck at this crossroads. It seems like you can get more bang for your buck going used, but the newest entry level bows seem to be pretty compelling compared to a top-tier bow from a few years back. Thoughts?
imo with your budget, I should go with an used high level bow. Check some with your local archery shop and you'll be amazing with their quality. Bows as iPhone, they're fashion only.
I think you're smart in shooting them all, then buying what fits you best. Comfort is way more important to me than a brand or particular level of bow.
Both of them have their own pros and cons. I would recommend reading this forum for other opinions too. If you are buying used bows, you may end up spending a lot of money on repairs. Also, it wouldn't last as long as new bows would. Therefore, you need to take extra precautions when buying used bows by purchasing it from someone you personally know. If you are looking for new bows, I think this article comparing the best compound bows available would be useful for you. I hope it helps!
Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of new because I get the bow in it's prime state and get the most out of it. But it's hard to pass on the value of a used bow. @William Simmons Thanks for those links. VERY good info on both. Either case, the bow will come from the local shop. It all depends on what they have. I plan on stopping by later this week/weekend to give it a try.
Interesting thread and replies. You might find a good used bow that was traded for a newer model. I'm guilty but I have flown by the seat of my pants. My wife got interested in archery three years ago. I bought her a Diamond Infinity Edge Pro. It was totally different than my old Bear Whitetail bow! And I mean old! Fortunately, two 3-D shooters were at the club and set it up- draw weight, draw length, etc. Good luck in your quest!
There are some pretty good, "cheaper" bows out there (Mission, Diamond, etc.). My last bow was a Bowtech Assassin I ...$600 brand new and came with rest/sight/stbilizer/quiver/etc., and came with a lifetime warranty. It was a great bow and was used to harvest many deer, groundhogs, and even a few carp
Imo i would much rather buy a used high wnd bow then a new so called cheaper bow. Some cheaper models the strings were out sooner to to design of bow. And most people been in archery for a long time will tel you bows haven changed much Unless a company comes out with a hole new cam design the bows are close to the same. Good luck and watch your local shop and ebay and classifieds u will find one Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Just got back from the local archery shop. Wow. I didn't know what I didn't know. Tried a number of bows from Matthews, Elite, Hoyt and Prime. Of them the Hoyt and Prime felt the best to me. However, it was a definitely more than my budget had initially planned for. I can make it happen, but I feel like $1100 for the bow only is a bit much for a first bow. Of course I could be wrong. With all that being said, with a 29.5" draw the gentleman recommended staying with the 32-34" axle to axle size as that felt the most comfortable for me. It's a lot of information to digest. Thanks everyone for their input. This is a fun journey so far.
If you haven't pulled the trigger yet keep shooting different bows. I am VERY bad with change. Gosh I was still shooting fingers with my old Hoyt raider/ intruder after switching from a recurve. 15 yrs. Then wanted a faster bow and hit several shops selling different brands. Months but picked up a Mission Venture and click! I had to go with a release with these new bows that took weeks to click. The thing is listen to your body and sometime you don't need to break the bank to get a great bow.
Thanks for the note. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet but I have been doing some research. With the 29.5” draw I have a limited amount of bows to choose from it seems. I’m open to other options but right now it seems like the Hoyt and the Elite are my best bets. Any others I should look at? From what I can read it seems like anything with a smaller ATA would be less stable or less forgiving
One thing to consider is a warranty with a new bow. A shop might check out a used bow and make any repairs or tune it. Might have a short warranty. Good to ask.
The Bear Species is what i started with in archery. Was 430$, RTH(Ready to hunt) performs very well, has a nice 80% let off, adjustable draw weight, and length. Now I havnt hunted before (yet) but it comes with a 4 pin sight, whisker biscuit, stabilizer, and a quiver. Once you calibrate the pins, it stays pretty damn accurate. When it comes to arrows ive had good experience with Bemen, and Easton.
I've looked at a couple RTH packages and while they're nicely equipped for the price and have everything I need, I don't like the fact that I can't try them out. Can't even draw them at the stores as the strings are restricted.
Yeeesh! Well that’s rude of them, if possible id find a better shop. Ehhh then again I dont have much room to talk, I bought mine online. None of the local shops had the Species yet, as it was just released.
Well to be fair it's not the archery shop that wouldn't let me shoot'em. It's the big box stores (Academy, Bass Pro, Walmart, etc.). Either way I'm solid on getting either the Hoyt or the Prime. Gonna go shoot them both again and make my decision. Thanks for all the input everyone. Hope to see y'all next season!
