Does anyone have a recommendation on a set up for a novice bow hunter. I've never tried it, but would like to without spending a ton of money.

When my kids were getting started I bought Martin bows for them. Reasonable price for a reasonable quality bow. IMHO But, technology changes rapidly. In all likelihood, though, you will get hooked and want an even better bow soon whatever you choose.

How much do you want to spend for the test? Cabelas has a couple of decent packages for $300. This includes everything you need to get started (just add some arrows).

If you just want to shoot to see if you like is you could go rent a bow at your local archery range, then you would go to Cabelas.

Consider the Mathews "Craze" model. New this year, it has a draw length adjustment range from 24(?) to 31 inches, and the weight is adjustable from 35-70lbs. It would seem the best way to get started, and is available as a complete package.

Rich

I don't know where you live, but if you're in the Wisconsin area, there's a local firm called Forge Bow Company near Milwaukee.

They make a fantastic line of bows with good prices. And the guys there are great about insuring that your bow is properly set up when you leave.

if your not looking to spend alot of money have you considered a longbow or recurve i shot a number of rabbits and grouse last year with a 50 pound long bow i picked up brand new for 200$
try the fred bear monetana long bow or maybe the pse once i use great plains and a howard hill and few other cutom makes most top self bows are gonn run around 5-800$ tho for a real smooth shooting setup. the only problem with the cheaper bows is generaly the hand shock and some manufacturing flaws that come with them you get what ya pay for..

Alexander,

The problem with getting input from an internet forum is you're going to get 27 different answers; and all of them will be correct! Part of the problem is what feels good to one shooter is likely to feel like crap to you, and visa versa.

The best thing to do would be go to a local archery pro-shop and talk to them. Tell them what your budget is and find out what they recommend. Then shoot as many different bows as you can. While you're doing that, pay attention to things like; is the grip comfortable? Does it draw smoothly? Can I use fingers or does this bow require a release? Does it release smoothly or is there a lot of hand shock? Is it quiet? If you think of things like this when you're test-shooting bows, you'll pick one up and shoot it and you'll KNOW that "This is the ONE!"

Then ask the pro-shop about accessories, a good rest, sight, stabilizer and release can cost as much as the bow! What about arrows? Will they throw in 1/2 dozen on the sale? Is installation of accessories included in the price? Do they offer basic instruction and how much is that? Or do you have friends that are into archery that can coach you?

Long bows and recurves are great, simple hunting/shooting tools, but they have a fairly severe learning curve. You have to shoot regularly (and for a while) in order to become proficient, and that doesn't happen overnight.

Compound bows with sights and a release, while still not easy to shoot, simply due to the nature of the beast, are easier to master. Once your bow is properly tuned and sighted in, you should be hitting bullseyes the first day of shooting. While I'm not saying it's right, you should be able to set the bow down for a month, then pick it up and shoot into those bullseyes again.

And don't fall for the trap that you have to shoot high poundage bows. Get one that is adjustable from 50 - 70 pounds and have the poundage dialed in to where you can raise the bow to the shooting position and draw smoothly to full draw. Plenty of deer, bears, elk and moose have fallen to 50 - 55 pound bows. 70 pounds (or more) is great if you can handle it, but it's not so great if you have to go through gyrations to get the bow back to full draw in the first place...

Look at the Mission Riot. It adjusts in all ways over a huge range, yet has good performance.

Great for growing kids or adults.

Good advice from Shof - a good shop with experienced staff & the opportunity to try out equipment is well worth any small premium you might pay. By all means, ask about used equipment. You can possibly back up a generation or two, get a complete package at a great price, & not lose much in performance.

When I wanted to get in to bow hunting one of the guys on my deer leased was a very experienced bow hunter.

He advised me to go to a good proshop and shoot several different bows, and then pick the one I liked the best.

Turned out to be great advice as the bow I liked the best was the one brand I did not want to buy...

Turned out the Mathews Drenlin was the smoothest pull, for me, of all the bows I tried.

Also on weight of pull. My bow pulls about 64 lbs. I use only cut on contact broadheads, the
Mangus Stinger Buzz Cut.
I have shot two deer with the same broadhead, and the same arrow. Both times I got complete penetration.

The deer ran about 30 yards.