bow reviews

[NYHuntFish]

I just felt like posting something today.

 

Field and Stream put out their reviews for 2014 bows in this current issue. So go to Barnes and Noble and read it for free. Page 69 I think. I still haven't gotten a bow yet, but have been hunting with shotgun/rifle since I was a kid. Anyway, I think I will be looking at that Bowtech company who won 2012, 2013, and 2014 according to F&S.

 

I just remembered that I took pictures to post on Google+ for my dad to see... so here they are.

 

 

 

[MACHINIST]

Do yourself a favor and go to a bow shop that has more than 3-4 brands to shoot from.Tell them your new and you want to shoot a few.IMO you don't want a super speed bow for your first bow,you will learn bad habits that will be tough to get rid of unless your really lucky.Shoot any bow you can get your hand on and see what "feels" best for you.When you shoot 15-20 different bows a few will stand out.Go and shoot them again and make your decision.Don't look at speed either,almost all the bows now are super quick compared to what we all shot 20 years ago 

[NYHuntFish]

Do yourself a favor and go to a bow shop that has more than 3-4 brands to shoot from.Tell them your new and you want to shoot a few.IMO you don't want a super speed bow for your first bow,you will learn bad habits that will be tough to get rid of unless your really lucky.Shoot any bow you can get your hand on and see what "feels" best for you.When you shoot 15-20 different bows a few will stand out.Go and shoot them again and make your decision.Don't look at speed either,almost all the bows now are super quick compared to what we all shot 20 years ago 

 

Got it. Thanks. I will try that.

[sweet old bill]

go to several pro shops and shoot them all and see which one feels the best in your hand, for me it was in 2007 the bowtech commander, and that I am still shooting for 3D, but for hunting I got a new 2013 left over PSE Drive bow, it sure shoots great. BUt again once I had it in my hand and shot a arrow I knew it was the bow for me.

[Doc]

There's nothing wrong with these bow comparison reports. but there re some intangibles that come across to clearly in print. Also an awful lot of features of bow reports are so subjective, and some of them mean absolutely nothing to you. However, for someone who is new to archery, these reports do familiarize you with terminology, and what other people may consider important.

 

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that when you are trying to evaluate bows for a perspective purchase, don't rely solely on the brief synopsis style reports alone. Use as many sources of info as possible. Good archery books to try to establish criteria; word of mouth opinions (evaluate credibility ....lol); actual trial shooting; and also add in some of these reports. Beware of choices based on cost (you don't always get what you pay for). Start the selection process early and take your time. As has been mentioned already, speed is a very over-rated consideration so in my opinion it is quite far down on the priority chart.

[thphm]

X3 on all of the above. Do not buy a high poundage bow for your first bow.Keep this in mind, that there will be a time when that trophy animal  you have your sights on will be standing behind something  and you have to hold that bow at full draw for some amount of time.Most times when you re draw is when that animal decides to move. Buy something that you can hold at full draw a minute or more. A good pro shop will set you up with the correct attachments

[Five Seasons]

I'll add to the suggestion of not buying based on a magazine. Buy what feels right and is within your price range. Compounds have not changed significantly in the last 10 years. There are tweaks here and there but an older used Mathews, Hoyt, PSE etc is where most beginners should start. Like a used car, get it checked out by a good shop.

Good luck

[Sogaard]

Shoot an Elite 32 and/or 35 before you buy anything else.  

 

Also, before you buy new from a shop, once you know what you are looking for, I'd really suggest taking a look at the classifieds on AT.

[nyslowhand]

My 2 cents worth, for a beginner I'd suggest looking at bows with a bigger (~7") brace height to get started with. Those super fast bows with a ~6" brace height are much less forgiving for the "newbie"! Finding the perfect bow can be an elusive, frustrating and costly life long journey. Probably why most bow hunters don't use the same bow for more than 3-4 years. Lets' just say you don't have to spend a lot of money on a new bow to initially get into bow hunting with some decent used bows available at a lot less initial investment.

 

Little FYI about F&S reviews... The authors can sometimes be brand biased. They tend to highly praise some of the newest, biggest, fastest, badest bows as their top picks. Example...Few years ago they gave their highest review to a Xbow that ended up having huge limb breakage issues. Take these reviews with a grain of salt.

 

To put this all into prospective... Lot of bow hunters are successful every year using 10-15 year old equipment! And lots of long/recurve bow hunters are also annually successful! Many hunters with the latest & greatest bows are NOT successful! So the archery equipment ends up only being a small part of bow hunting's "big picture"!

[Doc]

Do not buy a high poundage bow for your first bow.

This is a great point. So many guys tend to over-bow themselves .... even guys that should know better.

 

That point reminds me of the time that I was shooting my bow set at 70 pounds. I was shooting regular weekly league competitions all summer with this bow, and never any sign of strain. But then there came a day late in the bow season where the temperature was very cold, and I had spent a few hours, hunched up, braced against the 20 degrees and the wind. Every muscle was tensed up fighting that cold. The shoulders were all scrunched up and hands jammed in my pockets .... you get the picture. Yup, sure enough along came a deer and I absolutely could not pull back that same bow that I had been shooting NFAA field rounds all summer with ease.

 

The point is that when you are shooting at the edge of your capability, any little problem may wreck opportunities for you.

 

Also, I have to add that struggling against excessive poundage is a great way to permanently install crappy shooting form that you may never be able to break later.

 

And yet another point: You are always hearing about these guys with screwed up shoulders from years of shooting bows that their particular build was never meant to be pulling. Heavy poundage is a great way to cut your archery years short.

[MACHINIST]

I'll add to the suggestion of not buying based on a magazine. Buy what feels right and is within your price range. Compounds have not changed significantly in the last 10 years. There are tweaks here and there but an older used Mathews, Hoyt, PSE etc is where most beginners should start. Like a used car, get it checked out by a good shop.

Good luck

 

Great post,I have seen a crap ton of great older(5-6 years old) bows on craigslist that I used to hunt with the same model and can be had cheap and all will kill deer very easily.Any older Mathews you can look up on their website under discontinued models section.I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with a MQ1 or if I could find a a old Oneida Eagle light force magnum I would be all over those 2 right now!!!

[Bow Addict]

Being that this will be your first bow,it is important that you buy from a bow pro shop.You need someone that has the knowledge in proper bow set up to fit you correctly with your first bow.He will be able to help you with proper form ,fit and shooting form.I owned an archery pro shop for ower 15 years and had many customers come in with equipment they bought from ebay or a big box store that was totally wrong for them.They ended up spending money they didn't need to by trying to save money.jmho.

[THHuntNY]

For your first bow do some research on all the bows you think would be good for you. Look at both pros and cons. Go to a pro shop and say you want to shoot 6 bows. Shoot three for that day. After you shoot three you really aren't gonna be able to compare how bow one felt when you're on bow five. Out of those three the one that felt the best. Then the next day go shoot two more new bows along with your top pick from the day before. Then you'll get your self down to the three best feeling bows. Shoot those three. Then make your choice. I did that when I was looking for bows . Helps a lot.

[Five Seasons]

Being that this will be your first bow,it is important that you buy from a bow pro shop.You need someone that has the knowledge in proper bow set up to fit you correctly with your first bow.He will be able to help you with proper form ,fit and shooting form.I owned an archery pro shop for ower 15 years and had many customers come in with equipment they bought from ebay or a big box store that was totally wrong for them.They ended up spending money they didn't need to by trying to save money.jmho.

 

I'm an avid bow hunter and still hunt with a Mathews Switchback that was released in 2005. I consistently kill nice deer and do not miss. I've upgraded it over the years by adding a dropaway, bought new arrows 2 years ago, new releases etc. But at the end of the day it's still a quiet, forgiving bow.

 

My dad had an ancient compound for years and 2 years ago bought a new (creed I think?) . It's faster and nicer to shoot, but it's also louder. I don't think there's any deer him or I would not have harvested if we were using an older bow or only punched a tag on because our bow was using newer technology.

 

i would like to buy a new bow in the next few years, but it's more because I'm a sucker for new and shiny, not because I need it. My switchback was used off ebay. i think the guy had it for 1 or 2 seasons. There's TONS of these lightly used bows out there. A nice new bow with all the accessories needed will easily ding you over a grand. A nice used one will keep you under, and you really need to be sure archery hunting is for you. Lot of guys go out and buy the biggest badest bow just to find out the sport is not for them. A good anaology is golf clubs. Don't spend a fortune on taylor made clubs until you know you're going to get your money out of them.

[phade]

When I stopped worrying about what bow I was shooting and buying or getting a new one for work each year, and started focusing more on hunting and being able to shoot the bow I have in my hands as efficiently as possible...my hunting success went up.

 

Some people like to shoot bows and hunt as a means to exercise that desire. I have gravitated toward bows (and guns) as being a tool or a means to an end to put down my game.

 

The good thing is hunting can be what you want it to be...casual, serious, etc.

[Kujo48]

All great advice above...you would be surprised how much money you can save yourself by buying a used bow or even last years model...

[thphm]

My newest compound is over 10 years old My back up compound is a MQ1.My favorite shooters are my Black Widow long and recurve bows, then my reflex/deflex and my self bow. All have taken deer.over the last 50 + years.

[ny hunter]

Go to a pro shop they are around. I am sure we can all send you to a good one if you give us an idea where you are located....I mean what county you live in.I am in Westchester my self and use 1 here and 1 in Rockland.

[Jjalmy88]

I have been looming for a new bow also but like everyone said go to different shops and try them all I have a mission venture basically a strip down z7. I bought it as my first bow 4 years ago and I am yet to shoot a new one that is that amazing in my hand and feels that good to spend 1000$ on . I would give some of the starter bows a look the last a awhile and u can build up your accessories (sight,release,drop away, ect) they add up quick and good luck once u start bow hunting you get hooked ..

[NYHuntFish]

go to several pro shops and shoot them all and see which one feels the best in your hand, for me it was in 2007 the bowtech commander, and that I am still shooting for 3D, but for hunting I got a new 2013 left over PSE Drive bow, it sure shoots great. BUt again once I had it in my hand and shot a arrow I knew it was the bow for me.

 

Thanks.

[NYHuntFish]

I read ALL your responses...Thanks! Instead of replying to each and creating a firestorm of notifications in your email, I'll just say here that I read them all and Thank you so much for writing. I'm going to take the advice and get something less powerful to start.

 

Also, while I'm replying, I saw Another review article following @NRA on twitter today entitled, "Five New Hunting Bows that Won't Break the Bank:"

http://www.americanhunter.org/galleries/affordablebows

...So whatever, but since I posted the first review, I thought I would make the thread more complete and post this one I just saw with more affordable bows too.

 

I'm going to go to a shop and see what they say armed with your advice. Thanks.

[F-150]

What part of the southern tier are you located ? Belmont Archery Shop located off of Interstate 86 handles  Bowtech, Matthews, PSE and others. Mike Reagan the owner will set  you up different bows to see what works the best for you.  Plus his custermer service is great,  he knows you long after you buy a bow from him !   Phone 585-973-7312

[Five Seasons]

there's some decent resale in a lot of bows too. So buying a stripped down, or older bow will not be a waste if in 2 years you decide you want the shiny new Cadillac.

[THHuntNY]

Quest rouge. Great starter bow. You'll love it

[eagle rider]

Gotta try them,.... There's subtleties that you may not like that are not discussed on the reviews. I also agree that there are great deals on two or three year bows to be had. I'd stay away from Craigslist because you don't know how the bow was treated and you don't want to invest in someone else's headache. There's a lot of older new stock deals on ebay, but over all else spend the few extra bucks and support the local archery shop. When the little guy is gone were all screwed.