Bow hunters...recommend me a setup.
 

What's a good setup? I'm sure there is a wide range of equipment out there. Not looking to spend big bucks ... But want something respectable... Or does it matter and it's more a matter of the user?

I won a first place ribbon 30 yrs ago in the archery competition at the day camp...I should be good to go right? :)


Seriously, I have room to practice...and come next fall I'd like to take a deer.

Where do I start?Equipment and training.

Start at your local bow shop. The bow has to be fitted to you. Used bows generally are 30% the cost of new. You want to shoot compound or traditional? Fingers, Tab or realise? And the list goes on.....

archerytalk.com

if i were to buy a new bow, on a budget..i'd get a Mission bow. made by one of the major players, Mathews.

bow is just part of the deal. you'll need sights, quiver, rest, release and arrows. the junk adds up pretty fast.

if you want used, archerytalk is a great place. go to a proshop and get measured. that way you'll know what size bow you need. you can roughly measure your wingspan and divide by 2.5. ballpark.

you want a GREAT used bow? buy a mathews Switchback XT. what a shooter. i bet you can get a complete bow for $400, and a then add a release and arrows.

good luck souk

or...you could try to find a used ELITE bow. that bow company will transfer their lifetime warranty to any new owner of a used bow.

i have been secretly looking for a GT500. it has a nice set of specs, as far as Axle to axle length (longer is more forgiving), and longer than 7" brace height (also more forgiving to shoot) brace height is the distance from the string to the (Berger) hole that the rest screws into.

"more forgiving" means you can shoot a decent shot with less than perfect form..

souk, you have the perfect "perfectionist" personality to become a great archer..it's like tuning (yes, bows need tuning) a CIS car. hahaha.

I'm thinking compound.

There is an archery shop a couple of towns away. I'll go check them out this weekend. A used bow to start is a good idea, so Vash's recommendations should help me feel less lost. I really don't mind spending money on a good bow. I'll probably get more use out of it than any of my spoons costing more than the bow.

So do you guys tune your own? The internet "let a shop adjust your bow for you" is likely to be similar to the Porsche myth about wrenching..."let the pros do it or you'll grenade your engine."

Sounds like the range of draw weight can be adjusted about 10 lbs, right? So a 70 lbs draw can be adjusted down to 60 or so...I'm not likely to find something that is 50-70 lbs, right?

What should I look for in sights, rest, etc?

Here you go. This one seems to be fairly reasonable. It even comes with 2 3D deer targets and a set of binoculars:
NEW RAY HUNTING BOW (item 380151169204 end time Mar-13-11 16:52:09 PDT)


:D

Seriously, I'd listen to Vash. A nice slightly older/used Mathews (solo-cam) shouldn't break the bank. Plus, a lot of them are already kitted out (sights, silencers, rests, quivers, counter balances, etc.) saving you from accesory-itis. Oh, and personally I'd take it in to a competent bow tech to get it tuned and set up properly for you (draw length, weight, let-off, etc.).

Souk,

I started a thread on bowhunting not too long ago and got some positive feedback. I have some firends that are really into it, so I talked to them before I went to the local archery place. My daughter (7 turning 8) also has shown a lot of interest in shooting a bow, so she got a good starter kids compound from Santa this year.

While at the acrchery place I shot a bunch of different bows, and in the end bought a new Matthews. No, it wasn't cheap, but like you said, it gets way more use than most of the spoons in my safe. I can shoot the bow in the basement, and have been shooting it every other day when I am in town, working on my technique, etc.

Good luck, it is fun.

Also listen to Vash and others..

Bill

Ditto for Archerytalk.com. Good place to buy a bow at a good price.
You'll need to go to an Archery shop to get measured for draw length and a comfortable poundage. Also, most people shoot with a release instead of using their fingers, because it's more accurate. Your newer compound bows are too short, axle to axle, to shoot with fingers anyways. PSE, Hoyt, Bowtech, Mathews etc all make good bows, you'll need to try them out. Get the one that FEELS the best to you. They all shoot through paper and animals.

Don't forget the Skoal and Jim Beam (Uncle Julius)!

Quest G5
 

I'm very new to bow hunting, but I've been hunting with guns for 40 years. I purchased my first bow this year ... Quest G5 from a local shop. I have never shot a compound bow before buying this unit and after practicing about 25 shots, my confidence with this bow is @ William Tell level. I'm not bragging, this thing is so simple to shoot accurately. So, I go hunting with my best friend (35 years) on his farm in Upstate NY and after sitting in one of his tree stands for 5 minutes, a nice 8 pointer walks by @ 15 yards and I shoot him through both lungs ... I'm having coffee back at the house by 9:30 am. I'm not sure if my friend will invite me again, but I'm loving this bow!

Quest Bowhunting

Regards, Dave

Thanks guys. I've found a couple more places near us. One is a Mathews dealer. Will check them out this weekend. Will report back.

Bill, my kids (16, 14, 11, 2 yrs old and 8 mos..all boys) will probably love target shooting with a bow. So the one I buy will not be the last.

Souk:

This is the best website I have found explaining all the terms and making pretty good recommendations. I liked their website so much I was considering ordering from them. That's until my buddy felt sorry for me missing game with my long bow and gave me his old bow with the training wheels. ;)

Hunter's Friend, America's Busiest Archery Store ... Discount Compound Bows and Hunting Equipment
Compound Bow Selection Guide - HuntersFriend.COM
How to Determine Your Draw Length: Archery Help

Like Vash said, going to the local archery shops that usually have a range makes the best sense. Take some classes and use their bows that they give you for the class. Usually they let you shoot new stuff off the shelf too if you are in the market for buying one.

In the end it doesn't matter what you get, the name brands are all good. You may find a used one that got traded in - that may be taking the edge off of it. In the end, for basic hunting out to 40 yards, practice is much more important than any name brand bow that's under 10 years old ...

G

Thought I'd update...I got distracted and didn't follow through on getting a setup, but while surfing Craigslist last night, I saw a new Bear Assault bow for sale locally for a lot lower than I could find online, so I went for it...lowest price I could find for a new one was about $550. The kid selling it was looking for $375, but I got it for $360. Not the newest model, but it's brand new. He also had a use Leupold Vendetta 10-70 yard range finder he wanted 200 for..got him to go down to 175.

The thing needs a sight and arrow rest which shouldn't cost me that much to get it shooting...then maybe a stabilzer. We'll see what the local archery shop can con me into ;)

Here it is at Amazon.

Amazon.com: Bear Archery Assault Compound Bow: Sports & Outdoors

I hear ya. I was adding up what I will need and compared it to used setups for sale locally and it was close. The RTH Assault setup sells for over $660..so I have some margin. I'll do some more shopping when I visit the archery store this weekend. I can always sell this one unused.

The leupold vendetta should come in handy.

you wouldnt be left handed would you? i have a lefty sight

i also have a shorty stabilizer you can have it your bow doenst need much in way of counterbalance. as a matter of fact, hold up on the quiver and drop away rest..i think i have both at my brother's house. i can have him mail it your way.

mathews drop zone rest..and fuse two piece quiver. tiny doinker stab.

I'm a righty, Cliff. you'd go with a drop list over a biscuit?

Of course...hell yeah..on the stuff. Ill shoot you a message.

Sight is lefty. The rest is righty. I'll call my bro about shipping straight to you.

I don't like biscuits. A drop away is easier to tune.