I am new to the bow hunting community, but not to hunting. I have always had some hand me down clothing and equipment, but received a bonus through work so, I'm wanting to get some of my own gear and need some advice, so hopefully someone can help be out. 1) What is the best style boot to use for warm weather (rubber, leather, etc.) 2) What is the best style boot for cold weather? 3) Is there a recommended brand? (Ive just been using my combat boots) 4) What is a good light weight tight fitting glove? I hate baggy gloves. Has anyone tried using the mechanix camo gloves? 5) What is a good water proof glove? 6) For the ppl that use helical or offset fletching in the whisker Biscuit rest, how long till you have to refletch the arrow? 6)Is there a double sided target that you can shoot broadheads on one side and field tips on the other? 7) What is the best string to use on a Matthews bow? Is there any to avoid? 8) What is the best arrow to use for whitetail, turkeys, and small game? 9) What is a good sight? I really have no clue what the differences are with them. Thanks for any help that everyone can give me...like I said, I am dumbfounded when it comes to archery. i haven't shot a bow since I was 10.
First off welcome to the site and to bowhunting! it's a great sport! I'm not a boot guru, so i'll wait for someone else to chime in on that. To start it though, do you have a price bracket on them? Gloves: I personally hate using gloves, never feel right to me. I usually just use dirt or charcoal to dull down my hand. I have used some of the stretch fit gloves in the past and they were the best for me so far. I made sure I got some with rubber grippers on the palms and finger, so the bow wouldn't torque. For your helical vs. offset question... What vanes are you using? I don't know of any double sided targets, but there are several that are dual purpose, meaning you can shoot either FP's or BH's at the same side. Generally speaking, the most popular one is The Block by Glendel. I have also used the BlackHole's......junk. Your price range on something like these is $30-$150, depending on size, type of foam, and features. You can go all over on strings, America's Best, Buck Nasty, Dakota, Winners Choice to name a few. Approx $50-$100 a set. As far as arrows goes its pretty wide open. How many pounds are you shooting and what draw length? Are you only hunting deer and smaller game? Sight selection is another huge area. But you can narrow it down some. If your going to be doing alot of treestand hunting or close quarter stuff a 3-4 pin is usually perfect. Some people prefer a 1 pin model. I personally use a 5 pin, living out west. My pins are 20-30-40-50-60. I don't hunt out to 60, but if I ever made a questionable hit, the 60's there if needed. obviously my answers are broad, but once we get some more info from you we can narrow everything down and get you a solid list going. Welcome again!
To start off with it might be nice to know where you are from and what kind of animals you plan on hunting. That could make a big difference when it comes to what equipment you will use. Having hunted in the midwest and the west I can attest to fact that it's hard to find the perfect gear for every situation.
For bowhunting Whitetails you want rubber boots. Light insulation for warm weather and heavy insulation for cold weather. I like the Cabelas rubber boots myself. As far as gloves- Under Armor makes a good lightweight glove. I don't know of any waterproof gloves that would be good for bowhunting because they are too bulky. You want a relatively thin glove for bowhunting. I wear scentlok gloves. If my hands are cold I put them in my pockets with one of those 99 cent handwarmers. Whisker Biscuit rest- I never liked it. Tore my fletches off and is too noisy. If you can, buy a drop away rest. You can have your fletches any way you want because there is no fletching contact. For a target I would get a 3d target. Its always good practice to shoot at a deer target instead of a bullseye. I would only shoot a few broadheads at the target to make sure they hit the same place as your field tips. Broadheads will tear apart any target pretty quick. I have a vapor trail string on my Mathews and couldn't be happier.Arrows- I would go with carbon. Pretty much all are good. Eastons or Gold Tip is what I prefer. Sights- Probably a 3-5 pin model would work best. I shoot Trophy Ridge because I prefer the verticle pins. They let you see your target much better. Hope this helps and good luck to ya!
