I guess I'd be an "archery freak," too! Nothing wrong with that...I shoot a 2006 Hoyt PowerTec, 62# 28.5" with Carbon Express 200s. I bought it because of exactly what you describe: the new bows are simply amazing. I was shooting an old Browning previoulsy and then I shot my buddies Mathews Z-Max (about as old as my Browning, ~10 years) and I was hooked; I had to upgrade. Even though his Z-Max was of the same era, it was leaps and bounds ahead of mine.
I thought about getting a Switchback XT, but the price was just too damn high with college costs. Of course, 2 weeks after I buy my bow (which wasn't cheap, either) I meet the daughter of a large bow gear company and he offers me a fully setup SB XT for.....about 70% of list price on a bare XT, and still a few hundred less than what I paid for my PowerTec completely setup. Oh well.
Anyway, I'm rambling. But, my advice would be to shoot as many bows as you can before you make a decision. Martin, Hoyt, Mathews, BowTec, Ross, Pearson, all have some amazing products out, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice without at least checking the competition out. Shoot a variety of differently made bows, ie, different brace heights, split/solid limbs, axle length, etc. And, most importantly, find the bow that fits *you* the best. A good archery forum is
http://bowcountry.com/bows/forums/Forum.tpl?Forum=Equipment%20-%20Bows
edit:
I personally would enjoy seeing more of your hunt pics, if you could email some to me that'd be neat.
SlowToady@fakelife.com
Oh yea, make sure you get your now setup and tuned by a pro --that's about the only difference between buying it at a Pro-shop and buying one at Gander Mtn. In my case, I had my Hoyt setup by Jeff Johnston. He took 5th in the 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Really knows what he's doing. See if you can't find someone similiar in your area.