Archery Talk

Went chasing elk in Utah last week. Great time even though we didn't get to fill our tag. Saw plenty of does, a few bucks. Caught up to a small herd of elk on day 2 before dawn, group of 8 a spike bull and a few cows. (Spike unit). They were grazing towards us, wind in our face and before they got within shooting distance the wind swirled in the meadow and blew our cover. The spike threw up his head, sniffed a few times, stomped the ground and barked and the herd headed directly for dark timber.









and a 12 minute video of us not killing anything for good measure. Lol. Deer season starts this weekend in CA.

 

Sorry no elk. Hope you get another chance. Good luck.

 

Hey ya'll I need some advice on a bow package I'm thinking about picking up.

It's a Bowtech Sniper. Has Winner's Choice 8190 xtreme custom colored strings. 1 Dozen 32" Carbon express Mayhem Arrows with helical fletchings and
over a half dozen of CX Munity arrows.

Bow Accessories:
Trophy Taker Pro Smackdown FC
Copper John Dead Nuts 3
Meta Peep
Tru Fire Edge Buckleback Folder release.
Plano Bow case
Assorted broadheads including (Rage, Muzzy build broadheads, and Muzzy Trocars.
Assorted light up knocks
Assorted tools and maintenance items.

This would be my first bow. Does a ~$500 price tag sound far?



The bow itself is 5 years old.

 

Hi Pittman,
I would say if you purchased this set up new the bow alone is about $700 to $800. With all the accessories about $1200 to $1300. The Winners string is $100. $500 is a great deal. Hope you enjoy your bow. I am leaving early Wednesday morning up to northern Arizona for my archery bull hunt. Good luck if you go hunting.
Fanman.

 

Yea I priced everything he listed by name other than the bow and it's about $700 brand new. The couple bows I found for sale right now are in the $400ish range. I just don't know about how bows depreciate since every year they are getting faster and faster.

A new "kit bow" for the same price at a place like Cabelas seems like the accessories are of lesser quality and speeds are about the same.

 

Compound bows depreciate pretty quickly.

 

Last weekend wasn't a success in the sense that I scored an elk but I did learn a lot! What a blast too! I'll be leaving this Thursday, more prepared for the weather and hunting Friday - Saturday. My camp will be 2 miles in where I saw lots of fresh sign and then I'll venture a few miles out of that to find them . Cannot wait!

 

^Good luck!

Debating making the drive back out to Utah to hunt Wasatch for extended season. Damn tacos stink on gas though haha.

 

Worth it for some high quality meat in the freezer!

 

Only because you said this is your first bow.....

Make DAMN sure that the bow fits your draw length and poundage. It seems like I've seen a million beginners start out with the wrong size bow and it causes problems for years if not discourages the shooter from the sport altogether.

Price for the package is fair...

 

That's what I figured, but like I said the speed of this bow is the same as an entry level one from bear, pse, etc (310fps) so really I'm wondering if getting this one used with nicer stuff is better than getting something like a kit bow from cabelas.

 

The other considerations for a used bow would be possible limb damage, cam lean, stripped bolts etc. Just look it over very closely and as mentioned, get measured for draw length and make sure that bow will fit.

 

Buying a new bow has it's advantages.... WARRANTY! I currently shoot a Mathews ChillR. plenty speed, smooth at draw and release. Not as smooth as the new NO CAM. My buddy has one and it's super nice!

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Colorado. This will be my 3rd year archery elk hunting there. all DIY. We've been playing around with some video work, target shooting, training, etc. hopefully we can get a kill on camera.

 

A lot of the time it is much cheaper to buy a late model bow with package off of somebody rather than buying a new kit bow like you suspect...but only if you know how to set up you own gear or have someone that can. When buying a used bow, esp sight unseen, you have to assume that you might have to buy cables/strings/cams to readjust for draw length, and have the knowledge and tools to do it properly. I always recommend to beginners to buy their first bow (inexpensive) from a respectable pro shop and then after 2 years or so then you will know what you are looking for in a bow and know if it's a good deal. Also heed allstar's and jcoop's advice that buying a used bow without warranty is at your own risk.

Another piece of advice I always give is always always always buy your arrows by the dozen or more. Arrows matter so much more than the bow anyways. Do not skimp on arrows and if you buy them by the half dozen or less, you will end up with a quiver full of mismatched arrows that won't group and you won't know why. When you start out you will break/lose at least half of your arrows.

 

You guys bring up a good point...I have no idea what I'm looking at to tell if everything is gravy or if there's something horribly wrong.

I might just wait till the season is over and pick up a 2015 model for cheap..I'm not going to be taking it out this season so really I'd only lose a month or two on practice.

 

I was in the same position and went with a new PSE Drive. I spent more...a lot more. I got a bow that I may or may not upgrade but spent extra in accessories so I could just transfer them to my new bow in the future. In the end I am really happy with my decision. The warranty gives me a peace of mind and the bow is set up for me.

 

Bow season for whitetail opens up here in NJ on Saturday, very excited! Its been a long wait. Currently planning a trip out to CO for 2016 archery Elk. I drove out to Colorado last month for a few weeks to check out some of the units I had been casing via map/google earth. You guys have some very beautiful country out there but also very intimidating. I was hoping to come back home with some answers to questions but I think I just ended up creating more questions lol.

picked up a new nitrum earlier this year and have been itching to get this thing out into the field...two more looong days

 

^^Truth, my first bow was a "kit bow" from Cabelas and later on I ended up switching out the rest, quiver and sight with more high-end accessories (HHA, QAD, NAP), so what seemed like a good deal ended up costing more. I would've been around the same if not a little cheaper buying a used setup from local pro-shop and would've had a higher-end bow (i.e.-Matthews, Hoyt, Bowtech). But the Warranty is a nice peace of mind.

Awesome setup, good luck with your hunt in CO. My buddy and I are looking into an elk hunt in Idaho, but still need to work out the specifics. Did you draw archery elk tag in CO in lottery?

 

No Im only looking at purchasing tags for OTC units at this point. Im not really sure what Im getting into so I dont want to get crazy blowing cash on points.