Starting out with a bow.

[Musket Man]

I think I read about bows on hunters friend yesterday until my eyes about popped out of my head! lol. Im starting to get a pretty good understanding of what Ill be looking at when I go to look at them though! I found a pro shop with a huge archery range that I definitely want to check out. I think I will go try out some bows in the next week or 2. Not sure what I did but somehow I completely threw my neck and shoulder out a few days ago. Chiropractor put it all back in place and its getting a little better everyday but still pretty stiff and sore.

 

[MileHigh]

Lots of good info on this thread. Here's my 2 cents... Go shoot a few bows and find out what feels good in your hand. You don't need a $1,000 bow to get started. Plenty of bows in the $400-$600 range. Like many of the archers on the forum I started with an entry level to mid level bow and over the years have figured out what I like in a bow as well as components and arrows. Just have FUN shooting the bow that you choose. Good luck.

 

[Never in Doubt]

Try to spend as much money as you can on a bow set up. What's wrong with quality? Once you get set up and shoot a few times, you won't need to practice any more until maybe a day or two before the season starts. There's little maintenance on bows and it's not worth the time double checking the bow and your release. Go out and buy what you think you need, and once you get it put safely away in the garage you can relax and watch some tv until hunting season. Once the season gets here, get your archery gear out and throw it in the back of the pickup. Everything should still work fine, and practice is for losers with lots of spare time on their hands. Drive around until you see a shooter from the truck and go ahead and get the bow out of the case. Your release should be somewhere in the back of the truck too, go ahead and grab that. Once you are set look around for the arrows. Take the field tips off and put on the sharp ones that are for hunting. Hurry now, the buck won't wait for ever. If you cut yourself don't worry, they aren't sharp and it won't bleed long. Shake it off and GO SHOOT THAT MONSTER YOU DREAMED ABOUT! If he ran too far away, try aiming into the sky above him and see if you can drop an arrow down between his shoulder blades. The range on a good bow is 150+ yards you just need a few shots to pinpoint the location.
Just kidding, do the opposite of what I said and you'll be fine.

 

[tdub24]

Try to spend as much money as you can on a bow set up. What's wrong with quality? Once you get set up and shoot a few times, you won't need to practice any more until maybe a day or two before the season starts. There's little maintenance on bows and it's not worth the time double checking the bow and your release. Go out and buy what you think you need, and once you get it put safely away in the garage you can relax and watch some tv until hunting season. Once the season gets here, get your archery gear out and throw it in the back of the pickup. Everything should still work fine, and practice is for losers with lots of spare time on their hands. Drive around until you see a shooter from the truck and go ahead and get the bow out of the case. Your release should be somewhere in the back of the truck too, go ahead and grab that. Once you are set look around for the arrows. Take the field tips off and put on the sharp ones that are for hunting. Hurry now, the buck won't wait for ever. If you cut yourself don't worry, they aren't sharp and it won't bleed long. Shake it off and GO SHOOT THAT MONSTER YOU DREAMED ABOUT! If he ran too far away, try aiming into the sky above him and see if you can drop an arrow down between his shoulder blades. The range on a good bow is 150+ yards you just need a few shots to pinpoint the location.
Just kidding, do the opposite of what I said and you'll be fine.

LOL, I was sitting reading this wondering where in the h*** is he going with this. Nice! Sad thing is there are folks out there that do just what you described.

 

[Musket Man]

I was laughing the whole time until I got to the end and realized it didnt include GPS coordinates

 

[hardstalk]

Try to spend as much money as you can on a bow set up. What's wrong with quality? Once you get set up and shoot a few times, you won't need to practice any more until maybe a day or two before the season starts. There's little maintenance on bows and it's not worth the time double checking the bow and your release. Go out and buy what you think you need, and once you get it put safely away in the garage you can relax and watch some tv until hunting season. Once the season gets here, get your archery gear out and throw it in the back of the pickup. Everything should still work fine, and practice is for losers with lots of spare time on their hands. Drive around until you see a shooter from the truck and go ahead and get the bow out of the case. Your release should be somewhere in the back of the truck too, go ahead and grab that. Once you are set look around for the arrows. Take the field tips off and put on the sharp ones that are for hunting. Hurry now, the buck won't wait for ever. If you cut yourself don't worry, they aren't sharp and it won't bleed long. Shake it off and GO SHOOT THAT MONSTER YOU DREAMED ABOUT! If he ran too far away, try aiming into the sky above him and see if you can drop an arrow down between his shoulder blades. The range on a good bow is 150+ yards you just need a few shots to pinpoint the location.
Just kidding, do the opposite of what I said and you'll be fine.

Dont forget some of the biggest things to remember!! You have to post minutely and or bi minutely on archery talk, regarding anything and everything that has to do with archery. And agree with absolutely no one! With these tips and several from the quoted post above you should know plenty enough to be a internet archery mogul. Don't be afraid to get out there and be a rep, pro staffer, staffer pro, and or potentially sponsored by any start up company remotely closely related to the archery world. Which includes but is not limited to. Arrow wraps, shiny punk rock styled releases, super ultra speed gaining fletchings, crazy wazoo 4" hole cutting rage broadheads, and absolutely ANYTHING that comes across as "scent prevention", gonad wash, deodorant, scent repelling toothpaste, unscented non scented odor destroying automobile air fresheners and the like!! Go get em! The internet will never see ya comin!

 

[Musket Man]

Well if thats the way it is once ya pick up a bow Im sticking to my beep beep beeping MUZZLELOADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CoHiCntry]

Well if thats the way it is once ya pick up a bow Im sticking to my beep beep beeping MUZZLELOADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good thinking...

 

[CoHiCntry]

Dont forget some of the biggest things to remember!! You have to post minutely and or bi minutely on archery talk, regarding anything and everything that has to do with archery. And agree with absolutely no one! With these tips and several from the quoted post above you should know plenty enough to be a internet archery mogul. Don't be afraid to get out there and be a rep, pro staffer, staffer pro, and or potentially sponsored by any start up company remotely closely related to the archery world. Which includes but is not limited to. Arrow wraps, shiny punk rock styled releases, super ultra speed gaining fletchings, crazy wazoo 4" hole cutting rage broadheads, and absolutely ANYTHING that comes across as "scent prevention", gonad wash, deodorant, scent repelling toothpaste, unscented non scented odor destroying automobile air fresheners and the like!! Go get em! The internet will never see ya comin!

Although funny... some truth here too. That's the archery world we live in!

 

[Never in Doubt]

LOL, I was sitting reading this wondering where in the h*** is he going with this. Nice! Sad thing is there are folks out there that do just what you described.

lol I'm still using an inexpensive bow and simple setup. Most hunters have nicer things than I do, and that's fine with me. I'd rather spend what money I have available on going hunting. Spending more time in the field leads to more successful hunts than buying more expensive equipment. If a person has the money to buy top of the line stuff, that's good. But it's not a requirement to have a good time going hunting. I do need to practice shooting my bow more though. Most of you guys that shoot year round are a thousand times better shots than I'll ever be.

 

[tdub24]

lol I'm still using an inexpensive bow and simple setup. Most hunters have nicer things than I do, and that's fine with me. I'd rather spend what money I have available on going hunting. Spending more time in the field leads to more successful hunts than buying more expensive equipment. If a person has the money to buy top of the line stuff, that's good. But it's not a requirement to have a good time going hunting. I do need to practice shooting my bow more though. Most of you guys that shoot year round are a thousand times better shots than I'll ever be.

I need to practice, practice, practice as well. Currently need to get a new string and my sight put back on then I will try to get out daily to shoot at minimum 20 arrows.

 

[squirrelduster]

I to agree with the going to the proshop.
Once you find a bow you like look it up on ebay or archery talk. You can probably find one for half of a new price if it's a year or so old. Buy all the accessories from the pro shop and have them install everything. They usually install everything for free. They will help you with technique and form.
Most of them have several releases you can try. Get to know your pro shop people and they will help you out.
Sign up for a league and shoot a lot.

 

[sdebrot]

Go to a pro shop and make sure you get fitted to your bow. The most important part of being a good shot is having the bow fit. The right draw length is essential!! Secondly don't get fooled into thinking you need a 70# bow to get the job done. There is more value in a bow that can be drawn easily and be held longer than a greater ke number. It is like asking a deer what bullet made him more dead, the 30-06 or the 300 magnum. The brand of bow is not that important as most companies are making good bows with good warranties. Having said that I would still stick to the better known brands as they should be around 5 years later if you have problems with your bow and your resale value would be better. Best of luck to you.

 

[islandlaker]

MusketMan I strongly recommend the mission line. I bought a new X4 three years ago for like 800 bucks and I love it. The draw length is set at 60-70 pounds and while it was tough at first after a couple weeks of practice it felt like nothing. On the draw length you really don't have much of a choice on that; go into a archery shop and they will measure your draw length. The longer your draw length is the higher poundage bow you will be able to get. Also most archery shops will have bows you can use to try out. At 70lb setting I notice a significant drop in my arrows flight path at 40 yards. If you are looking to shoot long distances like 40+ yards you want the highest poundage you think you can handle. Also another important thing is "let off" this means how much loss in draw strength there is when the bow is fully drawn. Now the higher this is the easier it will be to hold the draw longer to wait for the best shot. Though the higher this goes the more power you lose on your shot. Also certain states have laws on how much let off your bow can have.

The last thing I would say is practice practice practice. I would recommend practicing at least 2-3 times a week for 6 months before you even think of hunting with it.

 

[d.kerri]

I would just encourage you in that up to a point, you get what you pay for. I've been a bowtech guy and had absolutely no trouble with any element of the bow. The further down the quality spectrum you go, the sooner you'll see small things start to wear, tear and unravel. There are a number of "package" set ups out there. Don't be afraid of those. Updating a sight or arrow rest is a hell of a lot cheaper than not liking how the bow pulls back.

The nice thing about buying a new bow, opposed to a gun, is you can shoot it before you buy it! So shoot a bunch of different bows and see what fits you best. Good luck in your search!