Help me with 1st bow

[Gutpile]

I just bought a little land and want to buy a bow. Problem is, I've never bow hunted. I don't know jack squat about bows. For now I would just hunt deer and possible turkeys because we have both on the property but as I look at different options they talk about pounds and lengths and it's all foreign to me. I know about ballsitics, reloading, different calibers but I'm  a fish out of water with bows, I don't even know where to start to look,  I didn't even know that broadheads had different weights, figured they were all the same.. I don't want to go to a shop and get hosed so help a guy out. LoL. Hell , I don't even know the different makes. Hoyt comes to mind but that's about it. Help me out a bit, you can laugh at me later. 

[Ridge Hunter]

Hey,

You will get a lot of different answers and opinions on this as everybody is looking for something a little different. The best answer is to figure out your budget for complete set up and then shoot as many as you can in that budget to see what you like. I just purchased a new bow this year and thought I narrowed it down to a couple bows until someone recommended trying another bow, I ended up liking that better than the prospects I had been researching and shooting. I was looking at the bowtech realm, realm x, pse evolve 31, evolve 35, and ended up with an obsession fixation 7xp.

[Special T]

You need to figure out your draw length first off. Lots of good you tube videos.
If you buy used buy with the correct lenght or make sure the bow is adjustable. Some are easy some arnt. Where you licated?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Gutpile]

I'm in Spokane. I'm going to go out to Spokane Valley Archery and look around. I've heard that they are a little difficult to deal with if you're not "in the know" but I don't really like the big outfits like Cabelas. As far as budget goes, what's reasonable for a complete setup? I do pretty well so I don't have to scrimp too much but I don't want to be stupid either. I guess I had an arbitrary figure of about $1200. Feeling overwhelmed though. I looked at the Bowtech and Hoyt sites and they have so damn many to choose from. Now I know how these kids who have never shot a gun or hunted before feel when they want to finally give it a go. LOL

[trophyhunt]

Don't forget to try an Elite, I'd stick with elite, bowtec or hoyt.  But like someone said on here, try some bows out and see what really feels good.  My buddy has a brand new bowtec for sale he won at a banquet, prob sell cheaper than advertised, has sites, quiver and rest. 

[pianoman9701]

You should ask D-Rock, as he buys a new bow every fifteen minutes and knows a lot of them! @d-rock

[spoonman]

Just go shoot some bows and find one that fits you properly and that you shoot well. The brand is secondary, especially if you are new to shooting. Stay away from a short brace height and a really short axle to axle. The best bow is the one that "you" shoot accurately! That being said all the big bow companies will have a bow that is worth looking at.

[724wd]

Skip SVA and head up to north 40 on highway 2 or go see Lon at sportsmans on the northside. I believe Lon works fridays-mondays (?). or make the drive to camo'd arrow in chewelah and see Lady Red. She would get you set up right, too. SVA will sell you what's best for THEM, not necessarily YOU... or at least that's how they used to be. fool me once (or 3 times in my case, I'm a slow learner...).

[724wd]

If you're on Facebook, the Evergreen archery page has lots of people who are great at assisting new archers. 5 minutes from downtown and less than $100 year to shoot any time you want. I've shot with my headlights there. There are guys that are there every day that can assist you in all kinds of archery stuff.

[dscubame]

Spokane Valley Archery has really improved over the last couple years to the point where I happily spend money with them now.  Tell them right out of the gate your position and chances are you will be pleasantly surprised.  There is one person their who does not have much of a personality and can put a guy off a bit but generally they have their act together now.

[WapitiTalk1]

Get one of these and never look back  .  Be the envy of your community with a non Hoyt, Bowtech, Elite, PSE, etc. bow by getting a Darton 

 http://www.dartonarchery.com/maverick-ii

[demontang]

If your ever around selah give me a buzz. Shoot every brand you can you'll find the right one. If you need setup help or any help with anything let me know I'm more then willing to help out with what I've learned over the years. Be sure to go to a good shop that will help you with your draw length and form it can make or break your experience with archery.

[tlbradford]

I have been watching a lot of videos from "NockonTV".  John Dudley is very knowledgeable and helpful in his info.  He talks slow, so watch it at 1.5x speed.

[Seahawk12]

Carefull.
You are talking about beginning a hobby that becomes an obsession for most huntets.
Welcome aboard.
When you try out a bow don't worry if you can't draw a heavy weight. Drawing a bow uses some shoulder muscles that seldomly get used.
Like others have said, try to shoot several brands. They all feel slightly different.
An idea may be to find a used bow that is highly adjustable for draw weight.
Best of luck. 

[JeffRaines]

I am hardly an expert on the subject, so take into consideration what you're paying for my advice...

If it were me, I'd keep my eye out for a cheap used beginner bow. Something like a Diamond Infinite Edge, PSE Stinger or the like... I've seen these go for $200 sometimes.

Go get it set up, and shoot it. If you catch the bug(and I'm sure you will), you can start slowly buying nice accessories(a new, nice sight, a nice quiver, rest, stabilizer, etc) to replace the cheap ones as you learn to shoot.

Those bows will kill anything you point them at... just as dead as the $1000 bowtech or hoyt. Hunt with it the first year.

See, over the course of the year you're going to start seeing what you like and don't like. I doubt 1 year in with your first bow that you're going to be 100% satisfied. After your first season is in and you know what you like and don't like, its likely the bow you bought for $200 will still be worth $200, so sell it and recoup almost all your money and go on the hunt for 'your' bow.

Everyone seems to want to do this in reverse. "Go shoot all the bows and find the one that speaks to you" they say... but as a beginner, the bows might be talking, but you can't understand what they're saying.

 

[Sneaky]

Here is what I have learned over the years after much trial and error and many thousands of dollars:

buy a bow with a flatback grip! I have shot and owned lots of different bows and my most success has been with bows with a flat back grip. (Mathews halon series/triax, Bowtech Realm and Realm X, Fanatic 3.0)

Buy once, cry once. A quality setup will be about $1500 out the door after rest, sight, etc.

Don't shoot stock strings, replace immediately with Twisted X bowstrings or another reputable builder. Buy Mercury.

Shadow Stabilizers. Cheapest/Best if you aren't talking about 30" target bars.


Owning a bowtech in WA state is smart. The reason being if you ever had an issue you could literally drive to the factory if you aren't satisfied with your dealer. If you want to go to Sparta you have to buy a plane ticket!

The flat back grip makes a huge difference, especially for somebody who is new or learning.

shoot a single pin sight.

Buy a straight arrow (.001") from a company that measures straightness over the entire shaft (Victory and Black Eagle) rather than a 28" section (goldtip, Beman, etc). Don't leave any room to doubt your equipment because you wanted to save a few bucks.

[Gutpile]

Thanks a lot guys. I sure appreciate it. Bowhunting is sort of a natural progression often times. I never did it before because my busiest seasons at work are during the archery seasons but since I can literally hunt right out my back door now things have changed a bit.  Some very good points made here and I really appreciate it. The comments about SVE interest me because even a non bowhunter like myself has heard not so great things about these guys so I'm not sure what to think and I don't want to get taken because I'm such a newb. They are close to me though and it's much easier to get there than it is to go way up north. Thanks for everything guys. Looking forward to this season

[TriggerMike]

Measure your wingspan then divide by 2.5 and that will be a good start for your draw length. After you shoot a couple hundred arrows you can always change it and fine tune it if you need. I bought my first bow from an old timer who has been doing archery for decades. I told him that I (like you in this thread) was told to shoot a bunch of different bows and to see what I liked best and he told me i could shoot every bow in his shop if I wanted but since I've never shot one before they were all going to feel weird and unnatural, and he was right. I (again, like you) had only heard of Hoyt and was planning on buying the $1200 top shelf bow but he made an easy sell on me to go with the $500 bow for my first one. You could shoot either of those bows but regardless of what you buy you probably won't feel comfortable with it when you walk out of the store that first day. Like someone above stated, every bow could be saying something different to you but you wont be able to understand what it is they're saying until you've shot A LOT of arrows. Buy something affordable and shoot it for a year then go back and upgrade later if you want. I still shoot the same bow I bought originally and still don't have any plans to get a new one in the near future. Also, Google the Nuts & Bolts of Archery.

[Gutpile]

 

Well put

Thanks!!!

I think you all saved me a lot of coin. 

[dscubame]

I did also as prior mentioned until I got the understanding of shooting and the feeling. 

The components you attach to the bow could be top of the line because they will transfer over so you don't end up buying those twice. 

However if you go middle of the road on components no problem either.  You could upgrade components with the new bow and have the first set up as a back up or to get a buddy into bow hunting down the road.

[buglebrush]

start with a bowtech Experience.  Should be available used for around $500.  Great bow too!

[W_Ellison2011]

If you can find a place that will let you test a few, THEN DO IT! Find one that draws smooth and feels good during hold and release. I am in the market for a new bow and am looking at the Bear Arena 34. My bow is 20 years old and I haven't replaced it for quite a few good reasons. It draws SUPER smooth, hold and release are easy and smooth, and it is WAY quieter than my buddies new bows. It also has killed a TON of blacktails for both myself and my father. I do highly recommend checking out the Bear archery bows btw. I mean if they aren't for you then no biggy but my buddy started his gf off on a bear last year that goes from 15 lbs draw all the way up to 70 lbs. She started at 37 lbs and keeps up with us on the archery walk through we do out to the 50 yard targets. Yet again though, that's a preference for myself and a few others I know. If you find a hoyt, Matthews, Elite, Etc that makes you happy with its performance than snatch it up and get it tuned the way you want. Make sure if its a hunting bow that you weigh your arrows with tips also. Remember 6 grains of arrow per pound of draw weight minimum and I want to say there is a minimum length and weight also but I can't remember those numbers off the top of my head. Good luck and have fun doing your shopping!

[Stein]

I was in the same boat and almost bought a low-mid level PSE bow new.  I ended up finding a one year old barely used Hoyt Pro Defiant for 40% off with no tax or shipping ($600).  I spend $350 getting it checked out, adjusted and set up, sight, rest, release and 6 arrows.  I still need to buy a quiver, broadheads and more arrows, probably $275 or so.  So, for $1200-1300 you can get an excellent used bow all set up.  The only thing I would upgrade is the release, but the one I have works fine.  I was shooting pie plate groups at 60 yards the first week with only a 30 minute lesson and some practice.

I would certainly go used flagship over new mid range although there is some risk in buying sight unseen.  I think most shops will have some used bows or know people who want to upgrade and sell a bow with tons of life left.  I bought mine from archerytalk classifieds from someone that had a good reputation and wouldn't hesitate to go that route again.

[demontang]

I can get a new bow set up for around 1300 for what I carry.  Spend some time shooting bows lots of bows. Get with someone that really knows bows and has a passion for it.

[CamanoArcher4-2016]

make a day of just shooting whatever you can get your hands on. Go for what you would feel comfortable with carrying around all day, and one that feels good to shoot. Chances are you will decide on a middle of the run bow and save yourself some $$$

[Gutpile]

Well boys I pulled the trigger literally and figuratively. I got blown out last tuesday so I couldn't work and figured Id go shopping and looking and talking. Ended up buying a Bowtech Carbon Icon. First I really want to thank you Neil for the offer of help and I wanted to chat a bit but as you know work is pretty hectic this time of year and time is something I don't have a lot of. Tuesday was windy so i had to take advantage of it.

Glad I did a lot of talking because I'm left eye dominant and decided on a left hand setup even though I'm a righty.  It feels completely natural. Ive been playing a lot after work and even got a shot at a Tom but missed darn thing. With a shotty he would have been a done deal but he just wouldn't sit still!! Holy crap this bow thing is going to be fun. I'm blessed that I can literally hunt right out my back door, I went out tonight and worked two birds but they are still henned up and wouldnt come to the calls. I can't wait till tomorrow morning, I think I'll do a little hunting before work. So addictive!.

I'm pretty stoked and  I appreciate all of the positive advice everyone gave or offered. Hooefully I'll be able to stick a bird.

THANKS!!!!!!