First Bow...

[Ben_BlueOx]

Hi all, firstly thanks for taking the time to share some input. Iv have just started taking my first steps in the world of hunting and I am looking to purchase my first bow.

I 100% believe you need to try different bows to see what is the best bet for me, and plan on going to a local archery shop in the coming week. I hope advice here can allow me to do some research before I go, and have some info so I they don’t over sell me.

Personally, I am happy to spend a little more to have the right equipment that will last (I’m prepared to put in the extra practice work - I’m not going to plan any hunt till 2021).

what brands do you like (big and independent brands)? What parts of the bow do you recommend getting upgrades on? What arrows should I be looking at (deer and long-term elk)?What questions should I be asking?

I look forward to your input.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Just know you don't need $1000 bow to be accurate and have success. I am very happy with my Mission MXR that is half that price. There are so many good accessories now that you don't need to spend a ton on a good rest or sight either. I like my QAD ultra rest, which is only $50, and a decent 5 pin sight will cost about the same.

 

[bts09]

You're on the right track. Find the bows that feel good in your hands that you can shoot. But...once you know that, don't overlook used bows. A lot of guys use a bow for one season, keep them in great shape, and sell them. I shoot a Mathews Triax. I could never have afforded that bow new, but I got it used, one year old, at a fraction of the new cost. One of the archery sites has a classified page that you can look for used bows on after posting a few times on the site.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Also, ask at the shop for some shooting form tips, or if they offer any lessons. You'll want to learn right so you don't have to break bad habits down the road! If you practice the next couple months, you should be ready for this deer season, just don't shoot out of your effective range. Good luck!

 

[Ajax2744]

First make sure you go to a reputable bow pro shop and make sure when you are buying a bow someone will work with you 1 on 1. I don't recommend buying from Cabela's or big box stores unless absolutely necessary.

As far as bows it's all subjective but for a beginner I would look for a 32+ inch axle to axle bow with a 7"+ brace height. The longer bow will help with stability and helps with keeping your head up and form more consistent. The wider brace height will be more forgiving on bad form. As for brands pretty much all companies make good bows but I highly recommend new PSE, Bowtech, prime and xpedition. I think bear makes good bows for the money. I'm not a huge Mathews or Hoyt fan but again you might love them when you shoot them. Just shoot as many as possible to decide. And remember the flagship bows won't always be the best bow. Most companies mid range bows are rebranded flagship technology from previous years and can be quite good bows.

As far as arrows, gold tip hunters are some of the best bang for your buck arrows out there. They are very durable and are easy to find. They also run about $5-7 a fletch arrow around me. But I run easton axis arrows and absolutely love them but they are about double the price.

As far as upgrade accessories I think a good sight is %100 the first thing I would upgrade. One that has 2nd and 3rd axis adjustments. spot Hogg, Accel, or black gold are my preferences. Next I would upgrade my rest To a hamskea or limbdriver type rest (personal preference). After that I'd get a good stabilizer and actually fine tune the weights to get the best stabilization. Don't just screw one on and thinks it's good to go. A properly weighted stabilizer will shrink your groupings. Then last is a tight spot quiver. It's not needed but they are the best and I love mine.

Also I love a handheld release vs a wrist strap. I would spend the most and get a good release either way and then learn to use it with back tension and not finger punching it.

And last the absolutely most important thing you can do to become a better archery is PAY FOR LESSONS. Go to a reputable shop or coach and spend the money on a few hours. They will get your form corrected and show you how to shoot properly. It will cut your learning curve down tremendously. And you won't have to wonder if youre doing things right or try to fumble your way through learning.

 

[Ben_BlueOx]

Just know you don't need $1000 bow to be accurate and have success. I am very happy with my Mission MXR that is half that price. There are so many good accessories now that you don't need to spend a ton on a good rest or sight either. I like my QAD ultra rest, which is only $50, and a decent 5 pin sight will cost about the same.

I’m totally new so excuse my lack of knowledge; what are the many accessories people will upgrade on their bow? What accessory upgrades do you wish you had early on?

 

[Ben_BlueOx]

You're on the right track. Find the bows that feel good in your hands that you can shoot. But...once you know that, don't overlook used bows. A lot of guys use a bow for one season, keep them in great shape, and sell them. I shoot a Mathews Triax. I could never have afforded that bow new, but I got it used, one year old, at a fraction of the new cost. One of the archery sites has a classified page that you can look for used bows on after posting a few times on the site.

I’m totally open to getting a preowned bow, I’m just of the mindset of having a bow that fits where I want to be and put the time in practicing than feeling I need to upgrade early on.

 

[JLS]

Read @Ajax2744 's post several times, then read it again.

 

[Ben_BlueOx]

First make sure you go to a reputable bow pro shop and make sure when you are buying a bow someone will work with you 1 on 1. I don't recommend buying from Cabela's or big box stores unless absolutely necessary.

As far as bows it's all subjective but for a beginner I would look for a 32+ inch axle to axle bow with a 7"+ brace height. The longer bow will help with stability and helps with keeping your head up and form more consistent. The wider brace height will be more forgiving on bad form. As for brands pretty much all companies make good bows but I highly recommend new PSE, Bowtech, prime and xpedition. I think bear makes good bows for the money. I'm not a huge Mathews or Hoyt fan but again you might love them when you shoot them. Just shoot as many as possible to decide. And remember the flagship bows won't always be the best bow. Most companies mid range bows are rebranded flagship technology from previous years and can be quite good bows.

As far as arrows, gold tip hunters are some of the best bang for your buck arrows out there. They are very durable and are easy to find. They also run about $5-7 a fletch arrow around me. But I run easton axis arrows and absolutely love them but they are about double the price.

As far as upgrade accessories I think a good sight is %100 the first thing I would upgrade. One that has 2nd and 3rd axis adjustments. spot Hogg, Accel, or black gold are my preferences. Next I would upgrade my rest To a hamskea or limbdriver type rest (personal preference). After that I'd get a good stabilizer and actually fine tune the weights to get the best stabilization. Don't just screw one on and thinks it's good to go. A properly weighted stabilizer will shrink your groupings. Then last is a tight spot quiver. It's not needed but they are the best and I love mine.

Also I love a handheld release vs a wrist strap. I would spend the most and get a good release either way and then learn to use it with back tension and not finger punching it.

And last the absolutely most important thing you can do to become a better archery is PAY FOR LESSONS. Go to a reputable shop or coach and spend the money on a few hours. They will get your form corrected and show you how to shoot properly. It will cut your learning curve down tremendously. And you won't have to wonder if youre doing things right or try to fumble your way through learning.

I do have a Archery Pro shop not to far from me that has solid reviews online. So planning to go there. I hope to take some lessons then join a beginners league/practice night. The more information and practice the better for me.

Of the accessories you mentioned would you recommend or wish you got any of them on earlier? In my mind I would like to have what I need/ want ready for a 2021 hunt.

 

[Ajax2744]

@Ben_BlueOx
Like I said a good solid sight is my #1. Cheap sights have poor adjustments and are typically plastic and don't have 2nd and 3rd axis adjustments (which are important for western hunting).

Right behind those I think a good release with zero trigger travel is very important. I have Carter and Stan releases that are $200+ each and imo they are worth it. But for a beginner get a good solid release and just learn to use it properly. You can get really nice releases that have no trigger travel for less than $60.

And honestly you can get a good stabilizer for less than $50. So when you buy your bow I would recommend getting a good stabilizer with it. and then set it up properly with weights and it will inherently help accuracy. And I wouldn't get a stabilizer less than 8". The longer the better and I run a 12" stab which I think would be the max I would recommend for hunting. Those cheap rubber stabilizers work to dampen vibration but do jack $&!# for stabilization.

Then I would upgrade to a nice rest such as a hamskea or limbdriver. You can get by just fine with whisker biscuits for hunting but if you want to eke out as much accuracy as possible I would run a drop away at some point.

Then you can eventually upgrade quivers and stuff but as long as they hold arrows they work.

My advice for accessories is always buy once cry once. The great thing about sights and rests etc. Is you can take them off and put them on your next bow. Which is one reason I say buy the best, because you won't regret it and they will last you a very long time.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

To kinda echo ajax. Go to the shop tell them your a total noob and you want to learn how to shoot properly. They will take all your measurements and fine tune the bow just for you and your equipment. A good shop if they arent super busy at the time will walk you thru what they are doing to the bow and how they are doing it and why they are doing it.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

I was in your position a year ago, ended up buying a Diamond Deploy from Bass Pro for $700. I've been very happy with it thus far. I'll preface this by saying the guys at our local archery shop are great guys and aren't sale oriented, rather focused on getting you ready to hunt. I brought the bow in and got a new 5 pin sight and quiver (be sure to not give away the stock stuff as you can put it back on in case you were to sell your bow and keep the quality accessories for the next bow). The biggest upgrade I've made was adding a QAD drop away rest a few months ago (~$130) and have seen great improvements in my accuracy at longer ranges. It is wise to put your hands on a bow before purchasing but eBay usually has great deals on bows (just as an FYI). Be sure to get some wax to maintain your bow strings and I bought a case off amazon to protect my investment. Biggest advice since I was in your position not know squat about bows is not being afraid to ask questions at the pro shop. They love teaching new people! Hope some of that helps!

PS. something that's very much helped my archery skills and hunting skill is listening to Remi Warren's podcast. He has a lot of good cues and goes into detail on things you would never think of as a beginner.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

My biggest advice is don’t get too caught up with brand and just shoot them until you find one you like best. I’d tell the shop your all-in budget that includes accessories, and then pick the one that feels best to you.

As others have said brands are a pretty subjective thing and all of the big names have fantastic offerings. Please keep us posted on what you get!

 

[Valley1320]

So I shot a mission bow up til this last year. And bought me a Matthews z7 extreme this year. And I'm loving it. Like others have said shoot multiple bows and see what you like and shoot best.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Pro shops typically carry only mid-level bows, so everything they sell is quality. Bowtech and PSE are great, and there are other good brands too. You might pay a bit more for Mathews, and some people really like them and the reputation is earned. Hoyt is a solid brand, although I think they’re a little overpriced for what you get.

Any bow 3-4 years old has basically the same technology as new bows, and can be had for a lot cheaper. You can save quite a bit by skipping the current model and buying used. Don’t worry so much about brand - just get one that feels good for you.

I’m a fan of Easton FMJ arrows for hunting.

Most people shoot a dual cam bow now. These are faster and more expensive. Personally I am a fan of single cam bows because they are easier to tune, more forgiving, and simpler. I really don’t care about the 15 FPS I lose on a single cam.

Accessories: buy a top quality release. There is a lot of junk in the $50-75 range. Pay attention to the grip. If it is not comfortable for you, switch it out. If the bow doesn’t have a grip you can swap you’ll need to dope the grip with tape (which works fine too).

X2 on buy once cry once in accessories. The best place to save money is on the bow itself, by buying last years model or used.

 

[Gunner46]

Just sayin'...I bought a Darton bow at a pawn shop for $40. 45-60# range and 60 % let off. Use Easton (Wal-Mart) 2018's and 100 gr Thunder heads. Not the bestest set up ever, though I still get 200fps and have had 100% pass thru on my whitetail hunts. It works for me, but then again I'm a close range hunter. Keep in mind, a bow is different than a rifle.....Momentum and Sharp Count heavy, Heavy, HEAVY !

 

[rustednuts]

Find a used bow to save money, and spend what you saved on a sight, release, limb driven rest and stabilizer. With a bow more weight is helpful as it reduces the drift at full draw.

 

[HuntingStudent]

Ben_BlueOx, Dude, I know how you feel. I bought my first bow last year and it can be intimidating. The comments here are solid. Let me add a little:
- Youtube: I watched "Nock-On" to learn proper bow stance and posture before going to a pro-shop

- ProShop: Yes to everything already stated. A good proshop will teach you a little and let you try different bows. Be careful, once you try the $1K bows (matthews, Bowtech, hoyt, PSE) then you'll love them for how smooth they are. Also, DO NOT LET PRIDE GET IN THE WAY. Don't try to impress them with your muscles, ask for them to set a low weight when trying them. They will also measure you so you can know what size you need.

- What to buy: My recommendation? If you can afford it, buy an older model from the top 4 (PSE, Matthews, Hoyt, Bowtech). I found a bow shop in GA that was selling old inventory. I got a brand new Bowtech Reign 6 (from 2017) for a fraction of their original price (on ebay). I called them before purchasing to make sure they were legit. I gave them my measurements and the draw weight I wanted. They sent me the bow set to those dimensions. I then went to my local pro shop for accessories and to get it tuned to me.

- Accessories: It is very easy to spend more here than on the bow! It depends on the type of hunting (western vs tree stand). If you are western hunting with ranges up to 70 yards, then I would invest in the sights and a stabilizer. You will be fine with the basic whisker biscuit, release, and 5 arrow quiver.

I am by no means an expert, but for me, finding a new, old model was the jackpot. I essentially got a $1K bow for cheap. It isn't used, so I don't need to worry about any hidden defects (de-lamination in the limbs is a real thing).