Beginner Bow Help

[coaldigger]

I see you have left our hoyt in your list.

Sorry....I haven't tried any of the new hoyts, I did own a Hoyt Magnatech XT2000 & it was a good bow. Hoyt makes a very solid/well built bow ! When you hold a Hoyt you can feel the quality ! I have read alot of good things on the new "RampageXT" but I have not tried it out (yet). The one reason I was turned off by oyt was they didn't keep up in the "Speed Game" Like everyone else. Today, most Bows IBO around 330+fps & Hoyt is still at 320~323fps. Nothing wrong with that, it's just me & my .02

 

[hung-solo]

Hey, I shoot a tomkat too! You're the only other person I know that has one. I go to the archery shops every year and look at new Mathews, but I can't part with my tomkat. It's a very good bow, especially for the price, and I can shoot that thing like a sniper. I just can't justify replacing it.

me too! dont get me wrong i would love to have mathews but the $$ was in the cards so i shot a tomkat and fell in love. for the price out the door ready to hunt was hard to beat on a quality bow like that. mine is VERY accurate. put it this way. i cant shoot at the same target dot within 20yds bc i bust arrows. love my bow

 

[hung-solo]

You do need to practice a lot before hunting. Some people take to it naturally and others struggle with it. When I started teaching my son, I started him at 10-15 yards, so it was a little easier for him, and he could concentrate more on his form, than the accuracy. As he improved we moved to 20 yards, then 30 and 40 yards.
He is an outstanding shot now...
When you first start hunting, limit your shots to a distance you can shoot well at. If its only 20 yards, keep your shots around 20 yards. Its the only fair and ethical thing to do for the animal. It does take self discipline to pass on shots that are less than ideal, but thats one of the things that makes bow hunting great.
After awhile you will appreciate the fact that you were so close to an animal, and got to watch and listen to them, and they didn't know you were there.
I've been 10-15 yards from elk numerous times, but couldn't get a clean shot, or knew I would get busted if I drew the bow. Very few people will get to experience anything like that in their life, and its nothing at all like watching it on the t.v... Even a season that I don't kill anything is a success, because of the memories and things I was fortunate enough to see in the woods

^ more great advise... take your time and get really good at shooting a target bc when you are in the stand shooting down or even on the ground shooting an animal that will spot a fart 50yds away you will learn quick that just bc you are good on paper doesnt mean you are going to be good in the field... best thing for now and this year is to just practice practice practice.. you need to be dotting I's before you attempt to take that bow to the field to hunt..

keep in mind when i bow hunt whitetail i do NOT shoot over 30yds. so that gives you an idea that you need to be VERY proficient 1-25yrds. those are ideal yardages anyway. white tails are FAST and will "jump the string" there fore atlering your POI.. you will see how challenging it can get but i do promise you one thing. if you want to do this you are on a good start and you will LOVE bow hunting.. it challenges your inner most hunting skills. keep checking in with us and let us know what you get and feel free to ask questions. that bow shop should do wonders for you. hell write a list of questions down before you go in. no joke, they wont laugh at you much. in fact that would impress the hell out of me. that means you are willing to learn this the right way.

 

[zatch]

Look around & try to handle & shoot as many different bows as you can before you purchase one, they all feel just a little different on the hand & all have a different draw cycle & hold. Once you've decided on which bow & I'm not going to tell you that my bow(PSE X-Force Vendetta XL) is the "Best" & not to get anything else because all the major bow makers have good stuff, you need to practice & do it ALOT...everyday if possible ! Your form is the most important thing, you must have good / consistant form to shoot accuratly ! Keep your eyes open for left over year models, the 2012 bows are gonna be out in Nov. & the 2011 will drop in price. A few good beginner models to look out for in the 2010~2011 models IMO -
Alpine F1 Fireball
Bear Assault
Bowtech Assassin
Diamond OutLaw
Martin Saber or Onza3
Parker Inferno
PSE BowMadness
Quest Hammer
Mathews Z7
Mission Maniac
I don't know what Brand your local dealer sales but here are a few of the popular "Budget" models from several popular companies. All of these have plenty of speed ! You should be able to pick one of these up as a left over or used for a reasonable price ! I done alot of reading & shooting different bows last year when I was on the hunt for myself a new bow & these were a few on my list. I Ended up with a '10 PSE X-Force Vendetta XL, it was a leftover '10 & I saved $100 getting it like that! Good luck !

Thanks for the list!

 

[zatch]

^ more great advise... take your time and get really good at shooting a target bc when you are in the stand shooting down or even on the ground shooting an animal that will spot a fart 50yds away you will learn quick that just bc you are good on paper doesnt mean you are going to be good in the field... best thing for now and this year is to just practice practice practice.. you need to be dotting I's before you attempt to take that bow to the field to hunt..

keep in mind when i bow hunt whitetail i do NOT shoot over 30yds. so that gives you an idea that you need to be VERY proficient 1-25yrds. those are ideal yardages anyway. white tails are FAST and will "jump the string" there fore atlering your POI.. you will see how challenging it can get but i do promise you one thing. if you want to do this you are on a good start and you will LOVE bow hunting.. it challenges your inner most hunting skills. keep checking in with us and let us know what you get and feel free to ask questions. that bow shop should do wonders for you. hell write a list of questions down before you go in. no joke, they wont laugh at you much. in fact that would impress the hell out of me. that means you are willing to learn this the right way.

I big break from classes and work in the next few weeks, that's when I'm hoping to get into the shop. I appreciate the help and advise! I already got the ok on a place to practice - I'll keep 1-25yd's in mind when I start. Work and classes have kept me "thinking" about it rather than "doing" it...soon enough!

Though, if they can smell a fart 50 yards away, I'm screwed

 

[sherlockbonez]

Make sure the shop you go to has a good tech, don't go to big box stores like bass pro.

 

[hung-solo]

I big break from classes and work in the next few weeks, that's when I'm hoping to get into the shop. I appreciate the help and advise! I already got the ok on a place to practice - I'll keep 1-25yd's in mind when I start. Work and classes have kept me "thinking" about it rather than "doing" it...soon enough!

Though, if they can smell a fart 50 yards away, I'm screwed

you can fart. just make sure you are down wind from them.. wind is EVERYTHING when it comes to hunting. it will make you are break you in a matter of seconds.

when you start shooting start with 5-15yds.. get good at it and work you way back in increments of 5yds. i rarely practice beyond 35yds... i wont take that shot in the woods so i focus on on 1-30. just my personnal preference... can i hit good at 35? damn right i can.