Novice bow hunter - needs suggestions on bow

rt014

rt014

Joined
Jun 21, 2001
Messages
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I'm interested in getting into bow hunting (deer in heavily wooded areas) and don't yet have a bow. I've got enough land to setup a target and practice though.

Any suggestions or preferences for a good bow? In principle, I usually prefer simpler functional designs, but am prepared to pay for the best quality.

Thanks
 
How much are you wanting to spend? Are you looking for a high-tech compound, or a recurve or longbow?
 
MATHEWS! Spend the money once, and then laugh at everyone else who shoots your bow and says, "Damn I wish I had bought one of those."
Semper Fi
tuna out
 
Go to a bow shop,go to many talk,ask,listen.Today bowhunting and golf are both in a tech.race.Newer better biger etc.But this all comes at a price.In dollars and other ways(harder to tune,need to tune at all,noise etc,)Most guys go for the latest greatest,which is good for the economy.

You can kill a deer with a stick and a string,as long as it has about 50 lb pull.

Some like the "best" with all the bells and whisles.Others like to test themselves with real basic equipment and woods skills.

I'm in the middle:rolleyes: .I shoot a Golden Eagle compound I've had for 14 years or so,single pin ,$10 flipper rest,no over draw,or release,fixed 2 blade Mangus head,feathers.

I have killed deer the first year and every year since.Never had to shoot more than 25 yards and most under 15.

Tell them what you want,simple etc.if they try to sell you the newest most $$$$ bow leave,find an honest dealer who will match a bow to YOUR wants.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

To answer some of your questions from above:

I'm not sure whether I'd want a compound, recurve, or long bow because I don't know enough about the pros and cons of each.

As far as the price, I'd be willing to spend up to $500 or so but would hope that I could find a good quality bow that is not 'over engineered' for less. I like simplicity of function (within reason) because there is less to go wrong, more dependable, simpler to use, etc.

While we're at it, can you recommend any particular books to get up to speed on the subject. I will definately look around and ask a lot of questions too.

Thanks
 
Here's what I recommend for a bow purchase, go to everyshop you can. Shoot every bow that you can even if it's out of your price range. $200 saved for a bow that you don't shoot as well is just money down the drain. You'll be buying that other bow when you get into archery a little more. Don't "settle" for the first bow the salesman gets in your hand. I wrote a list of my favorite 4 bows and went back and shot them in a bunch of draw lengths and draw weights before I made my purchase. Remember that draw length is the most critical part of ensuring accuracy with a bow.

Now for my personal recommendation, McPherson/Pearson archery products. I shoot a McPherson Screamer for hunting (short axle to axle) and McPherson Freedom for 3D. The McPherson comes with a lifetime warranty.

Will
 
I'm not sure whether I'd want a compound, recurve, or long bow because I don't know enough about the pros and cons of each.
Click to expand...

Why do you want to bowhunt?

It all started when some guys who liked archery wanted to hunt with their bows as well as shoot at targets. Those guys like learning and practicing the skills of their ancestors. It's a game for grown men and women -- you can play Robin Hood or Maid Marion, play Indian, or play Mongol warrior. Different kinds of bow go with different fantasies. There are also differences in performance between different kinds of bow. In order from worst to best performance:

English long bow
American flat bow (based on American Indian designs, but the Plains Indians also used recurves)
recurve
compound

It was difficult to get close enough to a deer with a bow during gun season when the deer are spooked by the swarms of hunters trampling the woods, so they lobbied for a special archery hunting season. That was when another group got interested in bowhunting -- guys who like hunting, can't get enough of it, who bowhunt whether they have any interest in archery or not just to get a chance to do more hunting. That group isn't into the fantasy so most of them use compound bows -- developed in the 1950s, not fitting any historical fantasy, but more efficient than any of the traditional designs. Some of them prefer recurves for simplicity and reliability ... recurves are cheap since the development of wood and fiberglass laminates, too. They tend to load their bows down with gadgetry to help them get their deer -- sights, arrow rests, stabilizing rods, etc.

Some go to the opposite extreme and make their own primitive bows and arrows and even chip flint arrowheads. Some of the guys who start out with high-tech monstrosities end up going primitive. One reason is to make hunting more of a challenge. After you've achieved your first goal of getting a deer with a bow, maybe achieved it many times, you might get bored with that and want to make it more difficult.

The first step is to decide whether you just want to get a deer any way you can or you want to play, and if you want to play what role do you want to play?
 
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