Bows

Hunting season is coming up pretty soon and I wanted to try something different which is bow hunting. Im getting a new bow, arrows, etc and need advice on whats the best bow to buy and so on. Price is kind of a factor but not a major one so feel free to go a little pricey on some items

 

bump

 

Bump

 

I shoot a cheap PSE Nova with 60lb draw. it kills deer but you wont win any competitions with it. its also a little big and heavy but it works. You cant go wrong with PSE, Matthews, Hoyt, Bowtech, Fred Bear. Go to a gander mountain or somewhere that will let you shoot it and test it. i prefer the mom and pop stores but they can be daunting if it is your first bow.
Things to look for:
Limb design. there are parallel and normal limbs. the trend is movement to parallel limbs because they are quieter and keep the size of the bow down so you can move around better in the stand

Grip. it needs to feel good. i prefer a wide grip. some people like smaller grips. personal preference. just hold the bow up and test it

draw length. you need to get measured and find one that is that length or can be adjusted. any store should know how to do that and will show you how to hold it correctly.

draw weight. that is how much weight you have to pull to get it to the letoff point, assuming it is a compound. recurves are a whole new ballgame. i am by no means a big person but i shoot a 60lb draw. its not as hard as it sounds once you get used to it

let off: let off is how much weight you will have to hold back after the let off point. for example, a 60lb draw with 50% letoff means you have to hold back 30lbs. again, it is preference. i do not like a really big let off because i feel like i hold steadier with some tension.

you will need sights and a rest also. pretty much any 3 or 4 pin sight will do ya good. get a 10 20 30 and 40 pin to start with then adjust to your abilities and confidence

rest. i shoot a drop away but if you are going to be only using it for hunting the whisker biscuit is a popular choice. do not use the whisker biscuit if you have veins on your arrows that are helical, or they twist around the arrow a bit

Arrows
Carbon or aluminum. personal choice again. aluminum are heavier but more resistant. carbon are lighter, more flexible, but more prone to cracking. the carbon will fly faster and provide better penetration. i shoot easton carbon arrows

veins. you will need probably 2-4" veins depending on your arrow choice. there are quick spin veins that i would highly recommend and i know a lot of people use them. you can get them straight or curved just a little bit. curved will help your accuracy out past 30 yards but it probably will not be the deciding factor on if you kill a deer or not. i killed many a squirrel with straight veins on aluminum arrows

broad heads. you will need these if you want to hunt. they come in all shapes varietys and types. i would recommend a 3 blade fixed blade such as muzzy or a 2 blade expandable such as rage. i shoot 3 blade muzzy

you will also need the right weight. i shoot 100gr and that seems to be a good starting point for people. some people like 85 and some like 125. that just comes with practice and shooting different things. i would also say get twice as many field tips and broad heads for practice. always take 2 or 3 with you because on a slow day shootin squirrels is fun

Im sure i missed something but im tired so thats the best you get for right now. just go out and try stuff and see what you like.

Oh, and never ever ever ever dry fire a bow. it WILL crack the limbs and cost you a lot of money you dont want to pay

 

Wow. thanks man tht definitely helps out alot. Ive been looking at PSE mainly so tht mite be wat ill be goin with. I also looked at the muzzy broadheads too. And my friend has carbon arrows and ive practiced w some of them and love them. Thanks again for all tht info

 

Here's a website that has helped me.

http://www.huntersfriend.com/bowselection.htm#2-namebrand

 

the best advice anyone can give you is go to a archery shop and shoot as many bows as you can then decide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just because i shoot one thing and someone else shoots something else does not make it either one the best bow out there.

how soon is your season? not to be rude but if it is less then 2 months away you should wait until next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bow hunting is not something you can just pick up a bow and go! there are HUNDREDS of factors in making every shot. this is from your anchor point to your grip, to arrow tuning and bow tuning, cam timing. you will need lots of practice, do not let me scare you bowhunting is my #1 passion and a ton of fun. to often people think it is as easy as picking up a bow and going, they even borrow there buddies stuff and go and every year thousands of animals get wounded because of it, we all owe it to the game we hunt to better then that.


hoyt, mathews, pse, bowtech and all the other manufactures make good bows. so feel in your hands is what matters more then a name. as for arrows, again tons of good one out there, any carbon arrow (with the right spine) will do just fine. as for broadheads again tons of great one muzzy has been around a while they are great, so are others.

so this is where a archery shop come into play, they will know which arrows you need for what every bow you buy. they can tell you the pros and cons to every broadhead, arrow rest and sight and so on also. they will fit you for draw length.

i hope this helps

 

go info in this post.

 

thanks man i just looked at tht site. they def cover everything

yea hunting season is coming up pretty soon as in end of this month i think so thts def a factor. I would rather take my time on getting exactly wat i need then to jus pick up and go so i prob wont take it w me hunting til next year(a whole year to practice though). thanks for all the advice

 

you are being more responsible then a lot of guys, good on you for that!!!! a year of practice and you should be a great shot best of luck to you. look at archery talk also lots of good info on there (if you sift through some the the junk first)

 

IMHO i find archery hunting tons more rewarding then rifle hunting. I still get all nervous when a doe comes in on me at 10 to 15 yards. The feeling is amazing. I was hooked after the first season and have been doing it for over 10 years now.

FYI not a bad idea to buy something a few years old to start. It will save you some $$$.

 

Lots of good info on the page!!

Like they stated before just try out different bows and see what you like and don't rush into buying a bow just so you can go hunt because I can promise you bowhunting is totally different then any other kind of hunting!
there are so many more challenging factors to it then just simply aiming a gun and pulling the trigger, but these challenges also make it alot more fun!!

I shoot an older PSE (hopefully gonna upgrade after this year) I like it but it is a taller or longer bow however you want to word that and it is sometimes hard to shoot out of certain treestands or blinds, and it is a little heavier then the new bows.

But just go shoot some bows and see which one feels better, and that can do what you want it to do!

Good luck

 

late for the party I see... like the comments before, they have it covered, just shoot a lot of bows to find the one you like, don't look online, say, "that looks good" and buy it....like someone I know....