Hunting House » Archery Hunting » Choosing a bow
Choosing a bow
Question:
In choosing a bow the first thing is, it must fit like a glove i.e. the correct draw length. And you must be able to handle the draw weight. I would seek out a professional with some credentials. Beyond "fitting you" I would ask what do you intend to do with this bow? Choosing the equipment when you go to most shops is just like going to the Ford dealership and asking them what is the best car on the market. I have bowhunted for almost twenty years, was once a Certified NAA Archery Instructor, a Master Bowhunter Instructor Trainer for the I.B.E.P. and Past President of a State Bowhunting Organization and obviously spent way to much time around an archery shop or two. I would be happy to help you with any technical questions you’re going to Good Luck and remember, "BowHunting is, how close you can get, not how far you can shoot!" Fred Bear
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> It looks like the private land I have access to for deer > hunting will be closed for firearms hunting so I’m thinking > about trying bow hunting. I’ve looked at a few PSE bows > and they seem nice but I’m having trouble choosing a > model. There seem to be infinite variations that make a > choice difficult, especially for a newbie (The PSE catalog > must list over 100 different bows…). I want a bow > that I can learn to shoot fairly easily but it will probably > be the only bow I get so I want top quality. Also, I want > to make sure that the bow will still be adequate should > I become a true bow enthusiast. > It’s a tall order, I know. Can anyone make suggestions? > 4501 Valley Forge Rd. | > Durham, NC 27705 | 919/383-5040 >Hello! >I suggest that you look at single cam bows. Why? Because I think that >eventually most all bows will use single cams. I wouldn’t get a draw >weight greater than 60lb, which would be overkill for Deer and plenty >for Elk. Advanced cam designs will store plenty of energy. Also make >sure that you know what your state allows for letoff as some allow no >more than 65%. >I suggest that you get an idea of the arrow/broadhead combination you >want to use (I know this seems backwards) and then chronograph the bow >you like before you buy it. I personally like an arrow speed of ~250 fps >because it reduces the effect of misjudging distances out to about 40yds >(i.e. shoots flat enough). I shoot Beeman Carbon Hawks with Muzzy >glue-ons for a total arrow weight of 450grs. This arrow/broadhead combo >at 250fps will pass through an Elk easily at 40yds(bones too). Since I >like this "flying knife" combination I shoot and chronograph the bows >I’m interested in with it to see how it feels. This approach is sortof >like choosing a gun based on the type of cartridge you want to shoot. >I’m looking for a new bow too, in case you couldn’t tell. I it looks to >me like you can get a top of the line single-cam (i.e. Mathews Solo-Cam) >for ~$500. I’ve seen single-cam priced from $199 (Martin Linx) to $1600 >(PSE Carbon-something-or-other). >I wish you well. >Thank you >– >The above comments are my own and not my employer’s. Have a great day!
Charles, If you are new to archery, one of the worst mistakes you will make is to purchase a hunting bow with the idea saving money. I got back into archery when my son was 10 years old. I started him off with a bow that was light enough for him to learn to shoot. I also went to the range and rented a 35 lb recurve bow until I had retrained the muscles to allow me to shoot accurately without overpowering my capability. I then purchased a higher poundage bow (several of them actually) which I have hunted with ove the years with good result on deer, bear, elk, etc. . After my son was shooting well enough to beat state champions in his age group at our local indoor range he wanted to hunt with me. I bought him a 45lb recurve ( minimum poundage required in Florida) and let him work with that until he could handle it well enough to hit and kill what he was aiming at. The point is that he was 11 years old at the time and grown men could not pull his bow. They were much stronger but he had trained the muscle groups required to shoot accurately. Advise–Find an archery range to get started and work with a bow weight that you will be comfortable with at first. Borrow or rent one at the range. A hunting bow that you will eventually (in a few months) shoot with ease will overpower you at first and you will develop bad shooting habits. Then practise. Son and I would shoot at our 20 yd range at home every evening. We would shoot at least 100 arrows a night to build our skills up. He is now 32 years old and a member of military special op’s. He is now training my 5 yr old grandson to shoot. Both son and father are doing well. It’s a great sport but work into it. Regards, Chuck
Response:
It looks like the private land I have access to for deer hunting will be closed for firearms hunting so I’m thinking about trying bow hunting. I’ve looked at a few PSE bows and they seem nice but I’m having trouble choosing a model. There seem to be infinite variations that make a choice difficult, especially for a newbie (The PSE catalog must list over 100 different bows…). I want a bow that I can learn to shoot fairly easily but it will probably be the only bow I get so I want top quality. Also, I want to make sure that the bow will still be adequate should I become a true bow enthusiast. It’s a tall order, I know. Can anyone make suggestions? 4501 Valley Forge Rd. | Durham, NC 27705 | 919/383-5040
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > It looks like the private land I have access to for deer > hunting will be closed for firearms hunting so I’m thinking > about trying bow hunting. I’ve looked at a few PSE bows > and they seem nice but I’m having trouble choosing a > model. There seem to be infinite variations that make a > choice difficult, especially for a newbie (The PSE catalog > must list over 100 different bows…). I want a bow > that I can learn to shoot fairly easily but it will probably > be the only bow I get so I want top quality. Also, I want > to make sure that the bow will still be adequate should > I become a true bow enthusiast. > It’s a tall order, I know. Can anyone make suggestions? > 4501 Valley Forge Rd. | > Durham, NC 27705 | 919/383-5040
Hello! I suggest that you look at single cam bows. Why? Because I think that eventually most all bows will use single cams. I wouldn’t get a draw weight greater than 60lb, which would be overkill for Deer and plenty for Elk. Advanced cam designs will store plenty of energy. Also make sure that you know what your state allows for letoff as some allow no more than 65%. I suggest that you get an idea of the arrow/broadhead combination you want to use (I know this seems backwards) and then chronograph the bow you like before you buy it. I personally like an arrow speed of ~250 fps because it reduces the effect of misjudging distances out to about 40yds (i.e. shoots flat enough). I shoot Beeman Carbon Hawks with Muzzy glue-ons for a total arrow weight of 450grs. This arrow/broadhead combo at 250fps will pass through an Elk easily at 40yds(bones too). Since I like this "flying knife" combination I shoot and chronograph the bows I’m interested in with it to see how it feels. This approach is sortof like choosing a gun based on the type of cartridge you want to shoot. I’m looking for a new bow too, in case you couldn’t tell. I it looks to me like you can get a top of the line single-cam (i.e. Mathews Solo-Cam) for ~$500. I’ve seen single-cam priced from $199 (Martin Linx) to $1600 (PSE Carbon-something-or-other). I wish you well. Thank you — The above comments are my own and not my employer’s. Have a great day!