Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: tony04 on November 19, 2010, 10:31:46 PM

Title: new to bow hunting..
Post by: tony04 on November 19, 2010, 10:31:46 PM: im thinkin about bow hunting next season for deer. the problem is i dont know crap about bows, arrows, etc.. i guess i know the basics but i have no clue on what bows are best for begginers. what all am i going to need to outfit myself for bow hunting, on a reasonable budget.. thanks
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: lokidog on November 19, 2010, 10:40:11 PM: I've read on here that Wholesale Sport in Fife is really good at helping people out. I think there is an archery shop off jackson Hiway south of Chehalis. I haven't really heard anything about it though. Good luck.
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: HardCorpsHuntr on November 19, 2010, 10:59:46 PM: "reasonable budget" What price is reasonable to you? I would say $1000-
"outfit myself for bow hunting" You talking all the equipment and clothing? Another $1000-

IMHO The best thing for you to do is not ask any question for a few weeks, do a lot of research/reading on the subject, then ask specific item questions later. To be a competent archer it takes commitment, patients, and yes money. As an example a good carbon arrow and a good broadhead can be easily in the $20 range (a piece).

I've had my best and worst experiences with bow in hand.

Hope this helps Tony. ;)
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: Mossy on November 19, 2010, 11:25:02 PM: Bowhunting can be a tough gig. I shot a buddy's bowtech tomkat, decided I liked it and went to a local archery shop. They didn't have the one I wanted so I went to a big store, picked it up and went back to the archery shop. They adjusted my length and weight, helped me sight it in, cut my arrows and gave me plenty of advice which was all free minus the arrows. I think I spent around $600 for my whole setup 4 years ago. My best advice is if you are serious about next year then get one soon and start shooting.
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: Instinct on November 20, 2010, 06:35:19 AM: I agree wth mossy, get it now or early 2011 at the latest and shoot like mad. I got my fred bear bout 2 yrs ago as a package deal for 400ish but I upgraded the sight n arrow rest. It comes down too how much u want to spend and if the bow is comfortable for you. Grip in all.
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: MIKEXRAY on November 20, 2010, 07:09:32 AM: If I had to start out again , I would look at all of the used bow packages on craigslist. Do some research on which bows are most forgiving, shoot some buddies bows & decide which bows feel best to you. Measure your draw length & then do some shopping. There are PAGES of " bought this year & didn't get into it " packages on line. Take a buddy that knows bows or meet at Wholesale sports ( Federalway ) & let them look it over ( before buying ) , you could even shoot it there . For my $ 500 - 600 ( or less ) I would rather start out with a better quality ( slightly used ) bow with better components on it than a " cheapy " new package for the same price. There are packages that include everything you would need and a bunch of extras most of the time. When you start adding broadheads, release, targets, etc the new package price goes up considerably. I know a lot of you wouldn't go this way . Just saying from my experience and seeing what is available nowadays that is the way I would do it. If you don't like it, sell the package & get your money back. You definitely don't need to spend $ 2,000 to try bowhunting. Mike
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: longknife on November 20, 2010, 07:32:23 AM: There is alot of money involved in archery hunting. But it is very rewarding when you do the work, and research!! First year, or couple years, stick to deer. The elk are a strong, unforgiving animal. You are aloud does in the early season, and are a great way to see what a broadhead can do to an animal. Good rangefinder is a needed tool as well.
Practice, practice, practice!!!! It only takes a small glitch, and your season is ruined in this game!!
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: Old Dog on November 20, 2010, 07:56:30 AM: Thanks for the plug lokidog and Mike.

Federal Way Wholesale Sports is kinda a long way from Morton, but then everything is a long way from Morton ;) Come in and talk to myself, Larry, or one of my staff. We pride ourselves on how we take care of the beginning archer. No need to purchase anything right away. Just start asking questions. You can't fix stupid, but ignorance can be cured with just a couple of answers. :chuckle:
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: wayner on November 20, 2010, 08:22:32 AM: After you get all your gear set up, and that is very important, you have to retrain your mind. You can no longer take shots that you would take with a rifle. That means every thing is up close. You will need to be more concerned with scent, noise, and movement. It took me about 4 yrs. to realise that when I started. You will probably make mistakes but stick with it :tup:
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: BushMonster on November 20, 2010, 08:50:44 AM: Larry over at Wholesale in Fed Way helped me out a lot. I asked tons of questions and he was super helpful. Although the bow I ended up with, that he recommended, I had to get from the Wholesale in Silverdale. I bought mine at the beginning of the archery season this year, with plans to hunt it next year. I stuck with rifle this year, but so want to hunt the bow. Have shot the $h!t out of it this fall and love it. I chose a Quest Hammer and its ready to go right out of the box with a winners choice string, and is a suberb bow (high quality).

You should be able to outfit yourself for way less than $1k with the basics now, but it all does add up quick. Then gradually piece more things together by next season (rangefinder, stablizer, hunting arrows, etc). Once you find your bow, have them set it up, get a dozen arrows with field tips, a bag, and shoot, shoot, shoot. I'm also planning on getting into some 3d this winter/spring to help hone my ranging and target skills, then turkey hunt in the spring as well. I have so much more fun shooting my bow than rifle and its much easier to do as I just go into the backyard about everyday and shoot (no ammo $$ either). I still love guns, but you get my drift. Good luck and keep posting with more specific questions once you do some more research.
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: halflife65 on November 20, 2010, 09:15:12 AM: You can get a "package" bow (with site, rest, stabilizer, quiver) for $500 or $600. You might actually be hitting this at a good time. If you watch sales you might be able to get a 2010 model at a reduced price. You can also look at used bows. There are some good deals on great bows out there because guys want the latest and greatest (nothing wrong with that - I bought a new one last year). As a result you can find some nice bows out there that are probably better than the brand new package bows. The only hard part about that is finding the right deal on a bow with someone that has a similar draw length.

The arrows can be really expensive, especially with broadheads. I started with Easton Epics and NAP Thunderheads (won't mean anything to you yet) and held my cost down. Actually, I don't think that I ever bought a broadhead my first year. I had a couple of friends that upgraded to newer (and better/easier to tune) broadheads and they gave me a bunch of their old ones. You can look for some help like that, too.

I was also given 3 releases from people that had upgraded. I eventually got my own but it was nice to not have that hanging over me my first year ($30 to $100 for a "hunting" release and significantly more if you want to get a fancy one.)

Buy a little less expensive arrows the first year because you'll lose/break a bunch. I started out by hardly losing any because I took "safe" (practice) shots and ranged everything but as soon as I got a bit more daring I was flinging arrows all over the place trying to make tough shots (again this is target practice and NOT at animals.) I got a bit more skillfull and quit losing arrows at some point.

The point is this: Talk to your buddies because they will be likely to start giving you stuff - most people like helping when they see someone genuinely interested in something they are good at and are really applying themselves to learning. Look for deals on used or last year model bows. Don't buy the cheapest arrows yet but don't buy the expensive ones, either. Go to a bowshop and get better advice than I can give you about what bow would be good for you.

For reference, my first setup:
1. Used Mathews Outback with site, quiver, stabilizer already on it. - $400
2. New cam to get bow to work with my draw length (they were off of another bow so new/used) - $60
3. 2 dozen arrows, already fletched - $160
4. Rangefinder - $300
5. Allen wrench tools for working on bow - $10
6. Face covering for hiding - $20
7. Broadheads and release - Free hand-me-downs

$1,000 to get started with just the equipment sounds about right. I'd been hunting forever so had everything else I needed.
Title: Re: new to bow hunting..
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on November 20, 2010, 10:42:15 AM: Without specific questions your range of answers is going to vary alot. As far as getting started goes, the most obvious first step is gonna be do your research, and buy a bow. A quality archery shop can go a loooong way towards filling both bills. XXX Archery is an awesome shop with very knowledgable guys working there. Lucky Shot in chehalis is very good as well, They carry Bowtech and Mathews so haven't stepped up to getting serious yet! :) In all seriousness they have a great shop and range.

Figure out if you like shooting archery tackle, if not don't waste your time. Archery hunting requires alot of diligent practice. If you dont care to shoot your bow, then practicing with it will be a chore and hunting with it will result in frustration, missed, and/or wounded animals. even at close ranges archery equipment is less forgiving then a modern firearm.

Having helped several people get started in the archery game, my advice is get fitted for a bow, draw length and weight are critical. Going used can be a good way to go, but be very careful. Especially if making a purchase online. Dont get to hung up on buying a " flagship" bow. If you do decide you really like shooting you can always upgrade the bow. But do buy the best accessories you can. Your much mor likeley to have a sight pin break, a rest come loose, or peep fail, than have a bow limb break. Does it happen sure, but more often than not its the stuff attached to the bow that breaks and not the bow itself.