any body shoot a bow???

[lennyluminum]

hey everyone I'm looking to start bow hunting with some of my friends that do it a lot. I am wanting to buy a nice used bow for my first one. can any of you tell me what brands to look for?? I'm not looking to go all out for my first bow but I also don't want a cheap crap bow that is gonna make me not want to use a bow for hunting.

my friends all shoot with Mathews but they are a little rich for my wallet!

 

[nwdave]

Zip a PM to NWBHoss. I know that he's experienced in your new found interest.

 

[grillin_all_day]

I shoot a Diamond bow by Bowtech and absolutely love it! Not too expensive either.

 

[athabaskar]

I shoot a Reflex bow. They are very forgiving for someone that don't get in as many reps as he should and it won't break the bank. They are made by Hoyt and they have the same technology at a lower price. If you are just starting out try to find one with a brace height at or over 8 inches. It will help your accuracy tremendously. Also, don't be all macho man about draw weight. Keep it down there where it is comfortable. Many big game animals are taken at 50# or even less. It is all about shot placement.

 

[jdt]

I was always a PSE man but that was near 20 years ago, they always had the best customer service back then

 

[hdsmoke]

You can buy a nice used Mathews to get started...Mathews and Hoyt technology is hard to beat. I have an old Mathews Q2 that i bought 3 years old with everything on it (rest, site, stabilizer, quiver mount) for $250 when i bought my first bow. Now i have moved up..but the big 2 are expensive for a reason...just like firearms. You pretty much get what you pay for. Now, PSE and Bowtech still make great bows and a little less spendy. But i think Mathews and Hoyt are leading the way in tech advancement...i shot a new Mathews and it is absolutely incredible how it shoots.

But, id start by checking Ebay...good used bows on there and prices arent bad. If you go with one of these top mfg's you cant go wrong in my opinion. Good luck.

BTW, that bow is going to be a drop in the bucket for what you end up shelling out....starts with clothes, blinds, stands...moves on to food plot implements, fertilizer, and seed!

Its a great hobby...have fun.

 

[tlzimmerman]

If you are going used, I like anything single cam. Alot of the other cam systems may be more efficient and "cooler" but they are also harder to maintain and keep in tune, and generally more expensive.

I would look....in this order for your price considerations.

Bear
Diamond (by bowtech)
Mathews

I would suggest trying to find a used Bear Instinct or Bear Truth or Truth 2....the instinct is dead cheap, compact, and a great stand and blind bow (what I shoot, and 07 model). The truth and truth 2 are very nice shooting bows having shot them both, and its what I would look for. You can find good pricing on them used.

***edit...the best place to find a used bow IMO is archerytalk.com's free classifieds, go to the forums section (which are huge btw) and find guys there. They even have a feedback system, and there are alot of bows there to choose from, and ALOT of advice...probably more than you want.

 

[mulepackin]

I bowhunt but I use a recurve with cedar arrows. I keep it pretty low tech on purpose.

 

[brohnson]

If you need a great bow at a cheaper price than I'd say to check out Parker bow's they are a fantastic bow and give you a lifetime warrenty with it, not many other bow company's can do that. I shoot a Mathew's Reezen and I love it but my first ever bow was a Parker.

 

[john dice]

Bowtech and all the sister companies like diamond are really good bows.

 

[tlzimmerman]

Forgot about martin...they also make great bows. My next bow will be a martin. Single cam to and rugged.

 

[rbranstner]

I shoot a Fred Bear Instinct, My brother shoots a Hoyt, My two buddies shoot Bowtech and my other two buddies shoot Mathews. We all love our bows and give each other crap on who's is better. In my opinion you just need to shoot several of them and see which one feels best to you. Its not the bow that is going to get you the kill. I shoot he cheapest bow out of our crew and I have had the best luck with taking the big bucks. Its all about shot placement, hunting set up and practice, practice and also don't forget just plain luck some times. So don't let someone tell you that this bow is way better than this other bow and it will help you shoot more animals. You can miss an animal just as easy with a expensive bow as you can with a cheap one.

 

[coyote-1]

Yep. Once you get past beginner-level 'kids' bows, there's really no such thing as a 'crap' bow. My old wood recurve was great, I took 2 deer with it back in the day. The technology has only improved since then. You can walk into any good sporting goods store and spend $300 or less, and emerge with a weapon that will be as accurate as you are.

My next, should I choose to get one, will be either a PSE Stinger or Nova NI.

 

[nwbhoss]

I have always shot Martin and love them. I have had several and just bought a new Rytera Alien X and I am looking at the Nemisis as a back up bow. Check out www.Archerytalk.com there is always several used bows for great prices on this site. Great place for a begining bow hunter to get good info also. Just like this place is for smoking

 

[eaglewing]

I SHOOT THE SAME!!! GREAT BOW!!! Very impressed with it.

 

[bowdiddley]

Same here except that I now shoot a DXT. I've been in archery since I was 9, I'm 51 now and still love it as much as the day I started.

Most all bow manufacturers today make good quality bows, the only way to tell which one is more fitting to you is to go around to different dealers and take it for a test drive. Most dealers will allow you to shoot it, with the understanding if you break it you've bought it, and unless you dry fire it it isn't going to break. If going to dealers isn't an option find a bow club in your area and go there and talk to a club officer and tell him you want to get into archery. Archers like getting someone new into the sport.

Here is a link where you will get some very good info on bows and archery in general. The are good people there and have great customer service. Just for the record I am not affiliated with them in any way, but I have made purchases from them in the past.

http://www.huntersfriend.com/

Here is a archery forum you will also get good info from.

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/

I hope you enjoy the sport.

 

[chefrob]

i have an older pse i don't use.........too bad yer not in az!

 

[cwalk]

I shoot a PSE infinity which was my first and only bow, its an older bow thats heavy compared to newer bows but im wacken em and stacken em. 65lb draw weight and thats the lowest itll go. Shot one deer and he kept standing then finally fell over

 

[meateater]

Ford ,Chevy,Dodge.....Go to a bow shop and shoot as many bows until one calls your name. That's the only way to get a keeper. You will shoot that one and change your mind again and aaaaagain.

 

[phreak]

If you ever want to go bowfishing let me know!