Hi There!!
I would really like to get into Bow Hunting, but I don�t know very much about the lingo and the equipment. I am not afraid of spending the money for good equipment but I want to be sure I�m buying the right equipment. I don�t want to buy a starter type set I want to buy the best or close to it the first time. I have bought many books and magazines but they seem to be all advertisements and not just the basics.
Where is the best place to purchase a Bow and the rest of the accessories??
What type of �Compound Bow� to buy??
What would some of you guys recommend on how to get into this type of hunting??
Any help & advice would be appreciated!!

[ 07-16-2002, 04:48: Message edited by: wader68 ]

I have been out of the bow scene for several years but I might be able to help you. First off find a good respectable PRO shop. They can set you up best. Bows really need to be fitted and set up for the individual. Expect to pay as much for a bow as you would a rifle. That stick and string is costly. From what I see the new bows are not depending on overdraws like they did several years ago. This is good as overdraws were not very forgiving for the new shooter. Be prepared to try different routes. Some prefer light arrows for max. speed. Others like a heavier arrow for a more stable flight. I found the heavier route to work for me. Try several bows. The shop should have no problem setting up several bows for you to try. Hoyt and Pearson were my favorites when I shot alot. I still shoot my old Pearson Flame. I did stop at a shop last year and liked the new Hoyts. Try them out if you can find a dealer in your area. PSE was always a good brand but I didn't like how they felt. I also had to wear an arm guard with them as the string always hit me. Not the case with the Hoyt and Pearson. Keep your set up simple if you can. Get a good fiber optic pin sight if legel where you hunt and a good sturdy rest. Also by a good release. I used a Scott rope release but get one you like. Most of all PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Hope this helps.

2 years ago i was in the same boat, i was looking for a bow to buy some said mathews some said buckmaster, i shopped around found out what was comfortable and picked up an mq-32 a nice bit of change, got my ass burnt on sights, releases all that good stuff but its all trial and error yu will find out what you like and you don't like quick, i practiced almost every night, on my first day bowhunting i busted a fat doe after missing 2 bucks, this was my greatest of all over 50 kills with rifle and shotgun, there is no better feel of accomplishment, last year changed bows went to a bowtech extreme sd and bigger mech heads and killed 2 bucks, its just like rifle hunting its a never ending game of trying to buy this to make you better, but it adds another month or so of anticipation on waiting for the season to start, money well invested you will not regret it just find what suits you best and go at your on pace, good luck

oh by the way if you hunt a lot out of tree stands get a shorter bow, don't worry you can shoot it, alot of old timers didn't grow up with shorter bows so there not used to them, look toward either bowtech, mathews, diamond they are the top bows by far remember you want a quiet bow with alot of speed and forgiveness it hard to get all three in a nice little package but try to get as close to it as you can, whatever you get practice, practice , practice

The only thing I will add concerning the pro shop is try several different kinds of bows. They all shoot alitle different and you might find you like one over another even though they are "the same".

As for the extras(goddies/options) take a recomendation from the proshop for decient middlepriced stuff for your first season and figure out what works for you and what you do and don't like and upgrade from there.
I shoot a KISS system setup Fingers, old style pins and cat whiskers on my string(string silencers) I don't shoot a release or use a fancy hightech sight or any other "neat" stuff as I have set up my bow for hunting whereever. It has taken a trip to Montana, one ot Colorado and 2 to Africa and when I am in the "woods" there isn't a bow shop close at hand to get a replacement if something fails.

My 2 cents and not a slam on using the extras

Greg

Ditto the above ideas, find a very reputable pro shop... you cannot beat the expertise of one. I might add, shoot a few you are interested in. If they won't let you shoot, go somewhere else.
Three years ago I purchased a new one, got a Mathews MQ-1... and I love it. Have taken a black bear, 4 deer, and a wild boar. I even went over to a release.. which was a learning experience to say the least... Just try 'em and buy what YOU feel comfortable with, Good Luck...

same advice as the other replys go to a pro shop but do your homework first to get an idea of what is new on the market,dont go there blind some guys will try to sell you a bow that is not a very good seller if you dont do your homework,I have a pro shop 2 blocks from my house that has an indoor range and tecno hunt,if the pro shop has a range witch if they are truly a pro shop they will, look and see what the other guys are shooting ask lots of questions and im sure you will get enough info to make a choice on the bow and acc. to suit your needs.most of all practice my pro shop has leauges they make practice more fun and its a good place to go and shoot the shit the shop i go to is a hang out for hunters and it sure beats hangin at the local bar theres a good bunch of guys and girls there and most of all go to the shop when its not busy so they can spend the time with you.archery season is the best time of year to be in the woods and it gives you more hunting time and if that big buck never comes in close enough to get a shot at least you know that rifle season is just around the corner to get another shot good luck and practice your balls off good luck

Welcome to the sport. Most any modern bow will give you the performance you need. Look for something with a brace height of 7 inches or more. The longer axle to axle bows are slightly easier to hold steady mainly because they usually have more mass but short bows are not necessarily worse but a short brace height will make a bow accentuate any shooting form flaws.
Single cam bows are all the rage now but there is still alot of debate as to whether they are better than 2 cams. 2 cams are generally easier to draw and hold with a less aggresive draw cycle and are faster(as a general rule) Singlecams are suppose to be easier to tune, usually have a solid back wall but tend to want to jerk your arm out of the socket if you let down.
Most important is to find a good Proshop that will let you try as many bows as possible and not oversell you on any one brand. If they bad mouth any other brands they are probably full of it. A knowledgable proshop will also get the bow properly set up for you to start with which is VERY important to your initial success. Also try to find an archery club in your area, it will be money and time well spent if you find a good one.
Get the bow that feels the best to shoot for you not what everyone says you should get.
Good Luck!!

Wader,
Welcome to bowhunting. Everybody is giving you good advise..... especially the one about a longer brace height and softer cam for a smoother breakover. Nobody mentioned arrows though. I made the mistake of saving some money and buying the "good enough for hunting" arrows. Don't do it! Buy the STRAIGHTEST arrows they sell. At least that way, when the shot doesn't go quite where you think it should, you will know it was you. Also, does your wife know about this?

Wader, Wecome to the addiction. IT really IS. well I just got into bowhunting last year and was in the same boat as you sort of. Years ago I shot in indoor leagues and developed my form with a pro. I then stopped shooting my bow for many years. Don't know why, and just last year got back into it. Well I shopped for a new up to date bow like you are now. Try to stay to the best brands out there and it will be hard to find a bad bow in the lot. Bow manufactors such as Mathews, Hoyt , PSE, Bowtech, Darton just to name a few. If you look at these I don't even think they make a bad bow in the mix. BUT and this is a BIG but Get to a pro shop and get a bow that fits you. You can have the best bow in the world and if it doesn't fit you, you can't hit beans.

Things to think about

Short brace height < 7" means a pretty agressive bow and will be more difficult to shoot well. By that I mean will accenuate shooting form flaws.

Find out your draw lenght first. Then get a bow that will fit you. For me I have a 32 inch draw which is darn long for average hunters. Reason I mention this is because I can't even look at most manufactors because they don't offer draws this long. I wish I had the wing span draw length converter. First measure your wing span from finger tip to finger tip stretched out. But don't force yourself to much when doing this. Just have your wife do the measuring for you. The reason I tell you to find out this is because My pro shop I do take with a grain of salt because they just looked at me and said your a 29 inch draw without any measurements at all. this is a big mistake. I notice a big difference if my drawlength was changes by 1/2 inch. I will have to get back to you on this and will post it for you if you are interested.

Speed. I like speed. Lots of people say all speed does for you is make you miss faster. Well short of true and sort of not true. I shoot a pretty aggressive bow its a Darton Maverick and with a 32 inch draw I shoot a 400 gr arrow at 292 fps at only 65 lbs. I can handle this bow pretty easily. But when the speed goes up brace height goes down. My Darton is 6 3/4 inch brace height. Not the most forgiveing but I love it. Speed gives you more range errors at target. But most any bow will be fast enough for you. Most are shooting IBO of 300 fps.

Arrows I like carbon arrows over aluminum. I shoot pse carbon force competition pro arrows with a straightness of .001. That is awesome. But let the pro shop get you set up with them because it depends on your draw length and how many pounds of pull you set your bow up with. SO can't really go into more than that.

I can go on and on but wont do to space here. Oh one more thing accessories get good ones. Don't skimp here at all. I like copperJohn Dead Nus Pro site, I use a drop away rest Muzzy Zero effect rest so I don't have to watch out for vane clearance at all. This is one thing I recommend to you The Muzzy zero effect it is awesome. Get a good release and practice.

Like others said try as many bows as you can before you make your mind up. Or you will be disappointed in the end. Take your time and have fun looking. if more info is needed you can e-mail me at talltines2@aol.com there is more a lot more but not enough space. Good luck

Brian

445 supermag,
You mentioned you have a LONG draw length and have trouble finding a bow with draw to fit.
Check out the CP Onieda bows at the link below.
Their Long draw bow is 32 -34 inches.

http://www.oneidaeaglebows.com/oneidapages/Page23.html

Greg

Greg I do have a Darton Maverick that has a 32 inch draw. I love my Darton Maverick a lot it is a great shooting bow even though it has a shorter brace height. I am not really interested in oneida bows at all. Just not for me. I do have some options but not as many as others do. I love darton.

brian

The most important issue is you have something you like.
I just posted it as a suggestion.
Greg

I have been out of archery for some time (my current bow is a York STO), so I need some help with some terminology and technology.
1. IBO and AMO speeds. What do these mean? Is IBO some kind of standard measurement? Is the AMO what one is likely to achieve?
2. Split limb vs. fork limb? Pros and cons. Wouldn't it be difficult to get split limbs to function identically?
3. There was a good discussion of single cam vs, dual cam above, but modern bows seem to give a much bigger letoff drop than the older bows. How is this done?
4. What happened with the overdraw bows? The newer ones seem to have some kind of overdraw, just by the position of the arrow rest. Is overdraw passe with the lighter carbon arrows?
Thanks, Peter.

Peter I'll let someone else get into the technical nature of your questions as I shoot an Onieda Eagle and a recurve so I can't answer most of your questions. IBO is a shooting org. and AMO is the manufacturing org. They both generate a speend number based on a "standard" the each use. As for what to expect I'll leave that to someone else as I don't know which number is closer to real world conditions.
Split limb vs Fork I think it comes down to a performance issue as more and more bows are using split limbs(at least in the stores that I see) so that seems to be what is "hot". I believe the split limbs can be tougher to quite down for hunting conditions.
I don't know the design of how the letoff works but be careful as Pope and Young won't recognize anything shot with over 70% letoff.
I think overdraws went out as the bows got faster. The arrow weight got to the point of being dangerously light which was causing some bows to be damaged.

I have been shooting the same bow for over 15 years and subscribe to the idea "If it aint broke ....."
Advice, go to a pro shop and spend an afternoon shooting their bows and decide on one that feels and shoots good for you.

Hope this helps
Greg

I have been bowhunting for over 40 years and I believe that my advice is solid:
1) go to a pro shop
2) get the best bow you can affford
3) No one makes a bad bow
4) Avoid the hype! Just because someone likes a Matthews don't fall for the hype. Get a bow that you are comfortable with regardless of cost. Many of the newer bows are overpriced and really not worth $500-600.
5) Get a one cam
6)Be sure that the bow is quiet WITH THE ARROWS AND HEADS YOU WILL BE HUNTING WITH!!!
7) Practice, practice and more practice with your hunting set-up
8) speed kills, but sometimes it is VERY noisy. Get a quiet, fast (220 fps) bow.

I stand here as the spokesman for the recurves and longbows.
Harder to learn to shoot instinctively, harder to shoot (holding full weight rather than 15 to 20%).
Easier to set up.
More forgiving in arrow selection.
Shoots heavy arrows well for better momentum.
Lighter physical weight. Doesn't feel like you are carrying the front end of a 34 Ford.
The absolute maximum in satisfaction in harvesting an animal with no wheels, cables, sights, releases, mechanical broadheads or plastic vanes.
As far as power, the #2 Kodiak was shot with a 65 lb recurve bow with a Bear Razorhead with complete penetration.
I'm not knocking the compound bows but there is an alternative.

I'm another oldtimer- I shot competitive archery for over 30 years - I still have a mess of bows - grew up with Bear & Wing recurves - had one of the original Allen compounds about 1970 - the last compound I have setup for bowhunting is a split-limb QuadraFlex 2 wheeler(eccentrics- before cams) 60# with about a 20% breakover - 4 pins - don't use it anymore. One of my oldest friends is Mike Palmer - custom bower - builds Palmer take-down recurves - uses FastFlight strings - Mike built me a beautiful custom recurve (ad in Traditional Bowhunter magazine) I use my old 2016 Easton arrows and two bladed ZwikeyBlackDiamond heads (they will shoot through a cinder block! razor sharp!) -I shoot instintive with my fingers- practice, practice, practice.
At present I have both of my tree stands set up in the back yard at different heights, in different trees - I move my portable target around the yard and practice from different distances, angles, positions & heights.
Be able to keep 5 out of 5 arrows in a 10" paper plate at 40yds. Never take a shot at game past 40yds (it's like shooting a rifle past 400yds).

[ 08-22-2002, 07:23: Message edited by: CaptJack ]

One thing I forgot to mention-
My ZwikeyBlackDiamond broadheads weigh 125gr. on screw-in inserts. I practice with 125gr. field points (target points) so I don't tear up my practice target or screw up my hunting heads. Just before I go hunting I'll make a temporary broadhead target out of a cardboard box filled with flat cardboard and check my aim with the broadheads. They have always flown to the same point as long as they weigh the same as the field points I practice with.

[ 08-22-2002, 07:46: Message edited by: CaptJack ]

Here's what I tell everyone wanting to get started bowhunting:
Go to a reputable PRO shop and try out a few. Buy the one that feels right to you. Make sure you don't get one with too long a pull for you. Don't worry about brand or price. Some of the less expensive bows are amazingly fast and accurate.

I have a Mathews MQ32, a Hoyt Havoc, a High Country Carbon 4Runner and a PSE Nova. All very good bows. The High Country costs 4 times what the PSE does, yet I'm the most accurate with the Nova. It's also the second fastest of the bunch, next to the High Country and it's the quietest. That's the one I'm taking to Colorado for elk next week.

Good luck.

Ol' Sarge,
Good Luck next week and don't forget the pictures!

I am another that has been shooting since before wheels and 2nd what Ol Sarge says.

Sarge, you don't have a Parker yet?

My feathermag II is my favorite bow.

http://www.parkerbows.com/

Hey Capt. Jack,
My first compound was an Allen Black Hunter. I don't know but what it was the most accurate bow I have ever shot. Did you ever run yours through a chronograph? I think they clocked at about 140 fps.
I got caught up in the compound speed chase in the late 70s-early 80s. Over 3 years I shot 38 shots at white tail deer at less than 40 yards. Buck fever caused the misses. I took up the recurves again and the next 7 shots over 6 years killed 7 deer. The exitement of the buck fever made the shot better with the recurves. Not so many things to think about.
I tried most of the current recurves (Palmer makes a nice one)before I was forced to quit bowhunting because of an injury. When it came time to go to the woods, I picked up my Bear Custon Kodiak Takedown. Deer, turkeys javelinas and bear all fell to it. I then went to longbows and killed deer, turkeys, and hogs with them. I even did a turkey with a homemade osage longbow with homemade arrow with a self nock.
When it became obvious that I was no longer able to shoot the stick bows without pain, I bought a compound and modified it to shoot off the shelf. Seemed to work pretty well. I took it to Iowa for a 4 day hunt. Hated every minute of it. Came back to Missouri, sold the compound and haven't shot an arrow for 4 years.
I've gone to big bore handguns. Now I get to wear the boots and spurs instead of the moccassins and buckskin.

OlJim- My Allen was one of the original rod limb models 70#- it looked like somethin they'd rig in a hospital for someone in traction I ran mine through the chrono at VikingArchery here in Houston a couple of times with my full length 2016s and it would do about 190fps.
When I was shooting competitively I shot NFAA- Freestyle- Limited- compound,peep,scope- but with a finger tab- no release. We shot the 28 target field&hunter courses around Texas. On Wednesday nights we shot indoor PAA 20yd on a weekly league. In the 70s I was shooting either a Wing compound or an Olympus compound(made in Houston).
I'm with you on hunting with a recurve! It's wonderful not worring about anything but the bowstring! Since I won't take a shot over 40yds.- what's the point of hauling around all that hardware. Sorry to hear you can't pull your sticks anymore- I bet that pisses you off
What I learned about high speed compounds is that they shoot through the animal. I've had better luck on kills when the arrow had 1/2-2/3 shaft penetration. When the animal would head for the woods the part of the arrow still sticking out would really cut em up inside.
The Palmer 55#- that Mike built for me shoots about 220fps and will shoot through at about 40yds so I'm back to the exit hole blood trail thing like gun hunting- but the bow is knock down beautiful and shoots like a dream.
Handgun hunting has always interested me- I've always wanted a ThompsonContender in 30Herrit since they came out. I've always thought they would be the perfect weapon for hunting feral hogs.
Hope you have a good season
(The Palmer and my field points are leanin against the door waitin for this afternoons practice

[ 09-12-2002, 02:00: Message edited by: CaptJack ]

got around to taking a pic of the Palmer(Partners) recurve - thought you might enjoy it

CaptJack,
The riser is sure a pretty piece of wood!
Looks very nice to me.
Thanks for posting it!