I'm considering starting serious bow hunting - including Africa - and I can afford a first-rate compound bow in the 60-70# range.

What would you recommend and what should the maximum cost be?

Thanks for you help - AIU

Top end bows are $1000-1500. Then sights, rests quivers, etc will set you back another $200 +/- $100 depending on what you get. However you can get in to a good bow for less than $1000.

The best bow is what ever you like and can shoot the best. The only way to determine your best is go to a bow shop and shoot several brands and pick the one you like.
I have several bows but their brand is irrelevant to this conversation, you need to go to a bow shop.
Good luck.

Thanks dfO6 for the reply. I've been to a bow shop, and Mathews seemed to be best for me, but then, it was the most expensive.

Is Mathews worth the price?

Also, the bow shop was selling at retail - can one get better prices over the internet? If so, where would you recommend shopping? AIU

You might also try a Bowtech and see how you like it. I just started a few years back and really like to hunt with the bow. Don't get too hung up on draw weight, start with it set as low as it will go and slowly work up. Practice, practice and more practice. Keep things simple until you get a feel for the game then add as you need to.
And in this country , at least here in Colorado, the bow hunters get the best time in the woods.
C.G.B.

Bowtech, Hoyt and Mathews are the 3 brands you should consider.
Bowtech is my personal favorite, but you should really try them all to see what bow you like the most.

You should buy your bow at a GOOD pro shop that can tune and set up your bow properly.
There are lots of "pro shops" that have very little skills when it comes to tune and set up a bow properly.
Don't buy a bow over the internet unless you know how to set up and tune a bow yourself.
You need to be 100% sure that you have the right draw length.

I don't know how strong you are, but you should get a 50-60 lbs bow or a 60-70 lbs bow.
It is a good idea to start at the lowest setting and work yourself up to where you still can shoot comfortably.
It is a very bad idea to be overbowed.
It will totally ruin your accuracy.

If you have a long draw length, you should seriously consider to get a bow with long ATA.

Bow, sight, rest, quiver, release,bow case, a dozen of good arrows and bits and pieces will cost you $2000-2500 if you want top equipment.

Hello, I use a Mathews DXT and have enjoyed it for many years without issue. It has an 80% let off and is a 70lbs draw strength. I have been fortunate enough to harvest many nice jumpers and a beautiful bull moose some years ago all with 125 grain fixed blade Muzzy broad heads.
As far as accuracy, shooting out to 70yards with normal true glow pins is relatively easy and I'm sure with the right set up further would be no problem. The thing I enjoyed with that model was how light it was to carry especially if you were to do a lot of spot and stocking like for moose, elk and mule deer.

Best advice as previously mentioned is to try out a bunch of different brands and choose based on your comfort level and hunting needs.

Cost for my set up arrow and broad heads around 1100 and for me worth every penny as its a pleasure to shoot.

Good luck and great hunting!

Thanks for the replies - I appreciate it. AIU

I picked up a Mathews ChillR at the beginning of the year and I absolutely love it! Super smooth to draw, dead in the hand on the shot and super quiet also. I shot nine for 3 hrs today and hope to do it again tomorrow!

Peter [FLASH_VIDEO] [/FLASH_VIDEO]

I was a pse shooter for years. Went to a bow shop to get a new bow and i shot matthews the best. Fast forward a dozen years and several matthews later i go to different bow shop and shot hoyt, matthews, and bowtech top end bows. I walked out with a bow tech allegiance. So do nt get caught up in a name. Buy the one you shoot best. If they shop will not spend the time to set you up on a few different one, go to a different shop.

Being new i would steongly recoomend not buying on line. Find a shop you like and deal with them. You are going to have a boatload of questions and they will be your best source for help.

Also this is a fast changing world and speed seems to always be the buzz word. Dont get caught up in the craziness. It is certainly a gadget collectors nightmare!! For those of us who are gadget men, you know what i mean. Just look into your leftover, replaced parts box!!!

quote:

I picked up a Mathews ChillR at the beginning of the year

I've heard the same thing about the Chill R from several folks. I'll have to check one out.

These guys are giving you great advice. Buy the best that fits the best. Try bows with different axle to axle length. Short bows can tough to shoot when you are just starting. Bows with a short brace height may or may not work for you. When you are trying out bows at your bow shop,try drawing bows at different pounds. Get an idea of how much you may want to pull. For instance, if you decide you will shoot 63lbs, dont buy a 60 to 70 pound bow.They are not as accuratr on the low end of their range.Also try alot of different release aids. Hope you got some help from everyone. Welcome to our GREAT sport of bowhunting. We are PROUD to have you!

As follow-up on your advice - I went with the Mathews Cilll R at 70 lbs max, but starting with it set at 52 lbs (yes, it has that much range and I checked it).

I'll work-up in lbs as I gain strength and skill. I want to go to Africa, plug an eland, if I'm lucky.

For a sight, I'm going with the HHA Optimizer Lite Ultra series, single pin, 2" housing, 6 ft. fiber optic cable, with 2x lens kit (amber).

I'm using a pro-shop and the owner (i.e., Bob Fromme - maybe you've seen his CDs) recommends Exodus broad heads.

What's your favorite broadhead?

Thanks again for all the help. I appreciate it.

Regards, AIU

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
As follow-up on your advice - I went with the Mathews Cilll R at 70 lbs max, but starting with it set at 52 lbs (yes, it has that much range and I checked it).

I'll work-up in lbs as I gain strength and skill. I want to go to Africa, plug an eland, if I'm lucky.

For a sight, I'm going with the HHA Optimizer Lite Ultra series, single pin, 2" housing, 6 ft. fiber optic cable, with 2x lens kit (amber).

I'm using a pro-shop and the owner (i.e., Bob Fromme - maybe you've seen his CDs) recommends Echo broad heads.

What's your favorite broadhead?

Thanks again for all the help. I appreciate it.

Regards, AIU

The choice of broadhead very much depend on your setup and animal you hunt.

I don't know what your drawlength is, so it is a bit difficult to know what you can get out of your bow.

But since you mention Eland, let us use that as the targeted animal.
Then you should in general stay away from mechanical ones. (unless you have some serious momentum output from your bow).

In general you should use arrows on the heavier side. No less than 450 grain total arrow weight in my opinion and I think 500 grain+ is better when Eland is on the list.
(Personally I use 615 grain arrows at 260 fps)

With your bow set at 52 lbs, you should use a 2 blade cut on contact broadhead. German Kinetics and VPA are good choices here.

At 60 lbs and higher with a decent drawlength, then D.R.T, Slick Trick and Exodus are great choices.
They are all of high quality that fly and penetrate very well.

I have used Slick Trick in the past(very happy with that), but I am most likely going to use the single bevel version(single bevels penetrates better, specially in bones) of the D.R.T in the future.

My draw length is 28.5". AIU

welcome to bowhunting!
you made an excellent choice with the mathews. they have been a top company for many years now. personally i am a bowtech fan myself, but i like mathews as well.

when it comes to shooting big animals, i agree with norwegianwoods, a good 2 blade broadhead is what i would go with. maybe one with the 2 smaller bleeder blades as well. i will be going to RSA next year on a bowhunt and hope to bag an eland as well, and that is what i will be using. i'm not sure which heads yet, as there are many good choices on the market. magnus, steelforce, VPA, DRT, etc...

i normally shoot an arrow right at 500 grains out of a 70lb 30" bowtech destroyer 340 at 285fps. for a recent hog hunt i bumped up to 580grains with a 180gr steelforce razor dobbs black death broadhead. i might consider doing the same for my africa trip.

shot placement is king above all else, however, as women with 45# bows have taken down large game in africa with a well placed heart shot. so the most important thing you can do is learn good form from the start and practice. then practice. then practice some more. you're strength will come and you can crank up the poundage slowly. just make sure the form is good at wahtever weight you are shooting.

if a local shop offers lessons, pay for a few so that you start off with good habits. as an archery instructor, i will tell you its very difficult to correct someones bad habits, and much easier to teach them correctly from the beginning.

a quick note on how much weight you can handle. my favorite test is simple. without warming up, your first arrow or first time you draw the bow... sit in a chair with your feet off the ground, and see if you can draw the bow straight back to anchor, without pointing the bow skyward to get it back. if you cannot, its too heavy.

enjoy, sounds like you got some great equipment.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
My draw length is 28.5". AIU

That is a decent draw length, so you should be fine with DRT, Slick Trick or Exodus when you get you get your bow cranked up to 60 lbs+.

And as cooperjd said, don't crank the poundage up higher than you are able to draw without very much strain.

My test to see if I am overbowed, is by sitting flat on my *ss on the floor/ground I shall be able to draw the bow with it pointing at the target in front of me during the whole draw.

If not able to do this, I(you) need to crank it down a little.

Welcome to bowhunting AIU. Your equipment choice sounds 100%. When it comes time for your African hunt, you will have formed your own opinion on broadheads and the like. It's similar to the debate here on AR about bullets. In general a really tough, strong broadhead with good penetration is the ticket for African game. Once you are proficient, try adding some walk & stalk to your still hunting. It puts the HUNT back into HUNTing!!
My .10c South African
JCHB

After I got drawn in AZ I went for a new top of the line setup. I expected-and did-pay right at $2000 USD for everything including a dozen arrows. Hoyt spider 30 light, small, quiet and shoots a 400 grain arrow at 298 FPS at 70 lbs. Elk went 50 yards. Gonna use it again this year

Make sure you go to a master dealer to have any of the top bows set up

The advice given is great. If you know your measurements and want a complete setup look at huntersfriend.com and their Ready-To-Hunt packages. I have bought several bows from them and they include evrything you need to get started. They will set the bow at the weight you specify and tune the bow and do a rough sight in. They chrono it and give you the actual speed. Pricewise they can't be beat. They don't sell Matthews though. If you like Matthews take a look at Mission Bows. They are made by Matthews.

Ackley Improved User
Interesting that you want to shoot an Eland. I am headed to SA on July 21st and Eland is on my list to try to shoot.
You picked a good bow.

quote:

Originally posted by df06:
Ackley Improved User
Interesting that you want to shoot an Eland. I am headed to SA on July 21st and Eland is on my list to try to shoot.
You picked a good bow.

Good luck!! You'll be putting considerable time in the "hides" at the water holes and salt licks. Chances are you'll get a shot at a wildebeest - one tough critter. Be certain to shoot well forward on the shoulder. AIU

Since it seems you are in the San Diego area you might try the Bear State archery shoots near Lake Henshaw they have some African Targets as well - but i didn't see any eland out there.

I am a fan of Mathews bows but I drive to Lakeside to the Bow n Arrow shop when I need help. You don't have to drop $2K there to get first class treatment and expert advice.