For all you bow hunting guys
 

I have the itch to move into bow hunting this year and I'm looking at buying a good bow

I shot two bows at Cabela's today, PSE Brute and Diamond Outlaw .. I love both but for different reasons ... The Diamond was much lighter, but the PSE felt alot easier and more natural to aim

I'm looking at buying within a month or so and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I am a virgin when it comes to bow hunting and have nothing to compare to .. I'm also goin to give Bear a good look to before buying

I shoot a Mathews and love it! If I were buying a new one I'd probably go with another Mathews or a Bowtech. PSE has really gone down in quality over the last few years due to outsourcing. The best advice I can give you is to go somewhere that you can shoot at least several different brands and then wait a week and go shoot the one you liked again.

I haven't looked at bowtech yet .. Is it in the price category with diamond and PSE or more the price range of a Matthews?

And correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Bowtech make Diamond .. I thought I may have heard this somewhere but not sure

Yes Bowtech makes Diamond. Don't know if you're set on a brand new one or not. But, Precision Archery in Bridge City carries a lot of used bows that are less than two years old, loaded out and good prices on them. From those people that have to have a new one every year.

Cool, ill check em out .. There are just alot unknowns that make me nervous about a used bow, but if they can guarantee quality is some way I would def. not be opposed to saving some money

I shoot a Mathews & Bowtech. 1st buy from a "bow shop". Better service & people who know what they are doing & talking about in helping getting you set up. starting out KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!! There are many good bows on the market in every brand. Shoot em all! Shoot what's comfortable & you'll be successful.

I have shot compounds and recurve bows for better than 20 years, Have harvested at least 2 metric s**t tons of venison with them in Maryland and Delaware.

From my first button buck to 2 pope & young class animals been there done that.

In addition i shot on the IBO local circuit for quite some time. Started out with a pure round wheel Martin Prowler, and have progressed through numerous different styles and types of bows.

Here's some advice for you.

#1 If you buy a bow from some Big box store "cabela's, bass pro, academy, etc" and expect the teenager behind the archery counter to properly set up your bow then you are delusional.

#2 Buy from an archery pro shop, yes you will pay a premium for the bow. But the simple fact that the bow will be set up and tuned specifically for you will make all the difference in the world.

#3 spend a lot of time working with the pro shop to get the bow set up properly for you. ITS MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO THIS... than it is to wrangle for a good deal. I would go so far as to let the pro shop know that you really want the bow to be set up good for you and that your willing to TIP to make that happen.......

#4 Insist on paper tuning (with broadhead) the bow before you leave / pay for it. You should have a near to bullet hole (with vane rips) Anything else means you have problem with arrow flight which will effect EVERYTHING ELSE

#5 DONT GET to heavy of a bow for you!!!! You might think you need Heracles bow..... but the deer and pigs dont.... the heavier the bow weight the faster the arrow.... (TRUE)... but the noisier the bow... no bow shoots fast enough to eliminate an animal jumping / dropping at the sound... so you want your bow to be quiet as well. Most adult men are very comfortable with an adjustable bow which can range from 45-60lbs your going to want to set the bow at near to its max (58-60) because that is the range in which they will operate the best.

Dont overdo the weight because the bow needs to become an extension of you.. you need to shoot it religiously... take a shot or two in the morning as you drink your coffee... in the evening when you get home from work... limit the mega shooting sessions.... your trying to develop muscle memory not muscle mass.

day in, day out... when you get to the point that you dont like shooting more than one arrow at a target dot because your ruining too many arrows... ..... then your getting there.

dont get talked into some super fancy schmanzy crap.... stick with tried and true products. Carbon fiber arrows. Whisker bisquit arrow holder, a LARGE APETURE hunting style peep sight. solid broadheads (like g5 montecs or something) with matching weight field points. a solid truglo sight with good small fiber optic pins. appropriate stabilizer so that the bow rest's neutral in your hand after shooting. wrist strap..... release, and quiver. make sure the quiver you get locks the arrows in ROCK solid with 0 rattling at all.... you can't afford to make any noise.

As far as brands... hit the pro shops and test drive em all. fall in love with the bow.. that feels very comfortable when you have it drawn back and are in the pocket. by the time you leave the shop you should feel like if any animal is within 30 yards of you it's toast. you should have shot a lot... your muscles should be hurting.....

if you were silly enough to bring the wife and kids along, she should be threatening you with divorce by now.... are you getting that this should not be a quick process?

seriously take your time and let an expert help you set it up. it's gonna cost you a good bit more up front.. but it will make all the difference in the long run.
After getting the bow join a 3d archery league for a season. it's loads of fun and will get you up to hunting form quickly.


and if you ever need any help with one and are in my neck of the woods i will be happy to help you out.

Have fun.

AceArcher, fantastic post!

It just got bookmarked! I know who I'm going to bring with me when that time comes.

:thumbup: for you sir!

Also don't fall in love with the newest, fastest, shortest, etc'est......

simple bow facts 101.

a long bow is much much more accurate and forgiving than a short bow. The shorter the bow is from axle to axle the less forgiving it will be. A bow of this type requires near perfect shooting form. for your first bow, i would suggest axle to axle length of better than 34 inches.

get a single cam bow, of somewhat older design with 30-34 inch axle to axle length.

Thanks Paul.... in all seriousness if anyone needs help with this stuff just PM me and i will be happy to help, It makes such a huge difference when your bow is set up right from the get go.

Agreed 1000% .. GREAT post

archerytalk.com, start reading. might seem like chinese at first but you will get alot of info from that site. i got into bow's about 6 years ago and that is where i started. there are some good pro shops around but the best thing you can do is learn how to tune and set up a bow yourself. its really not hard when you start to understand it. i took my training wheels off last year and started going trad. whole diff ball game but equally addicting.

we need to have a few saltycajun shoots. i got my bow last year and need to put in a lot more target time. love shooting it though

Belive every thing Ace told you to the capital "T"!!!
Stay away from the big box store for this purchase can't be stressed enough,especially that your new to this scene!
You want this to be enjoyable not a nitemare, and if you knew enough to know already why to stay away belive me you would!! Lol
I've seen the box store archery techs start disasters from day one with green archers!
Feel free to pm me if you need help with any thing, and if you went to Cabellas then Bowie outfitters and the spillway sportsman are nearby, I've had good exp. @ both places although I do not deal with them often!
Good luck

Yea I went to Bowie before Cabela's the guy helping was very knowledgeable and helpful. He was a PRO Mathews guy and was doing his best to point me in that direction, it was a little tough for me to decipher between if he was trying to make a bigger sale of if he was being straight up in saying I needed to spend the extra money on a better bow

Nevertheless, he was very helpful, and I certainly respected the fact that he's a Mathews guy and pushed Mathews passionately (he believes in what he sells).

Try a bowtech assassin. It is a main line bow ( from pro shops) but doesn't come with the price tag. I have owned 3 different bowtechs in the past and last year I purchased an assassin. The shoot great. Come with everything you need to start except the arrows and release. From there you can get the feel for it and upgrade if you feel like it. They are popular so almost every bowtech shop will have one to try. From there try the top of the line bows and tell the difference and weigh if it is worth it to you.

Def. will do that .. Thanks!!

Yes, they do push Mathews there rather strongly, and for a good reason! They make a great product, and stand behind it 100%!
They also carry other lines like Hoyt that is top of the line also. Like stated before shoot as many bows and brands as possible before the purchase. I've owned 6 different brands in the last 25 years , and still fall back to one, but 90% of the company's have it together and will offer more than adequate bows for your needs!
Make this decision count, when its all said and done and your sitting on opening day you'll feel confident and assured that you spent your money and time wisely.

I agree. Im liking my assassin alot. Light and shoots good and isn't a bad price..

I sold my bow earlier this year and miss it already.. Gonna upgrade here soon. My duck hunting time this year will be limited to Sunday mornings only due to working half day on Saturdays.. Figure ill put in some time at the land on Saturday evenings. I want to stick me several this year.
Probably heading to the shop end of June or mid July to buy me a new rig.

Three shops in LC area, Matthews shop on Prien, shop on Common behind McNeese, and at McNeelys in Sulphur ( located in Maplewood ). I would try one of these shops and decide which bow you like for the price range. All three handle different bows. I owned a Hoyt and now shoot Matthews.

A lot of great advice on this topic.

I strongly agree on the advice of getting the bow set up properly.

Think of it like this..........if the bow is not "adjusted" or set up correctly, the arrow will be wobbling in the air as it flies toward the target. This is not good.

Most Bow shops can check and adjust a bow so that it shoots good. The key word is "MOST". That is why AceArcher said to check the "paper tune" at the bow shop so you can see that the bow shoots "bullets" holes. When shooting the paper tune arrows, this should be done at 2 different distances [like 5' and 10'] because the arrow wobble might not show up at one distance but be "off" at the second distance.

I check my bow and adjust as needed. Years ago, I could not get my arrows to shoot "bullet" holes. They were close, but could not make it shoot "perfect". I finally learned that the 2 limbs on the bow were not doing "equal" work. Once I adjust that, the bow shot much better.

I have been shooting the PSE for about 10 years. I am shooting the bowmadness XS.. fairly smooth and quick. your best bet is to get something in the middle of the bows. not high price not bottom line price. and parallel limbs.

I shoot an older Mathews Switchback XT... I hear all the time that guys regret getting rid of some of these older Mathews bows. Take a look at the used bows at bow shops like previously mentioned.

If you are really wanting a new bow, you should take a look at the Mission Bows along with all the others previously mentioned. Mission is made by Mathews and I've heard nothing but good reports from their owners.

Another tip to pass along... Louisiana has an abundant amount of public land available for bowhunters. It isn't always easy hunting but can be very rewarding to harvest a nice buck on public land. If you need any help with tips or recommendations let me know. I've been hunting almost exclusively on public land for the past 6 or 7 years.

very true. buddy I work with killed the state record with a crossbow last year on public land

what you looking at getting B? I've got to start putting a lot more time into shooting mine

Check out the new matthews creed. It is their first split limb solo cam bow, and shoots very quiet and very forgiving. If I pick one up this year it will probly be the creed. Only bad thing is matthews introduces a new bow every year so you could kind of feel outdated if you like the newest neatest stuff. For arrow rest the QAD is the best way to go, and for arrows everybody has there opinion, but don't buy some 5$ pos generic brand. Anything carbon express, gold tip, or easton is good.

I can't add much more than these guys here. Everyone has their favorite bow and there are a lot of good shooting bows on the market. I've had PSE, Mathews, and Bowtech and they all kill a deer just as dead as the other. I've settled in with bowtech and have beens shooting the Admiral for a few years. Find a bow that you like and feel confident and practice, practice, practice! I haven't shot a deer with a gun going on 5 years and managed to whack 4 with my bow last year. There are a lot of good guys here on SC with good advice. Like most of us agree on, stay away from the big stores and find yourself a good private owned bowshop that will take the time to help you along. Good luck and remember....pick a spot and follow through!

Don't pick a spot.... pick a hair and then follow through... :) :grinpimp:

sorry that along with "aim small, miss small" are my favorite archery sayings. :spineyes:

I haven't shot in a while but highly recommend looking into pendulum sights. I am sure they have advanced from my former shooting days, but they work great and take the guess work out of shots out to 30 yards.

Also a big fan of this style of broadheads - they fly very similar to field points and they get the job done.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Grim-...h-All+Products

Most bows these days are pretty similar. Get something with good let-off and practice, practice, practice.

There is some "bow pro" that works at Bass Pro... i think he only works once a week though... he lined me up with a diamond/bowtech the rock... a couple years ago... i have no complaints.

Been bow hunting for30 years want pick a smoke pole up again. The adrenaline rush is unexplainable having animals that close. Ace archer said it all. Get something you like and don't over do it. Buy from a local bow shop if you have one close.

Well here's an update on my day today

I went to all three shops in the LC area (archery outfitters, outdoor specialties, and McNeely's) and all three were great to me

I shot a few bows between all three places. I shot a Mathews creed, Mathews monster chill, Hoyt (can't think of the name), and a bear method, along with the PSE Brute and diamond outlaw I shot yesterday

So far Mathews creed takes the cake, the bow I shot was stripped except for sights and arrow rest and it outshot every other bow I put my hands on, it was very well balanced, no shock, light, and had a very natural feel to it. I love this bow

I am gonna do some more research and probably head to Bridge City tomorrow to look and shoot some more

But Danny at the Mathews shop on Prien lake, made me feel like he wouldn't let me walk out of his shop until he was 10000% sure the bow fit me EXACTLY the way it should ... I was also impressed with the warranty, made in USA, and too many other things about Mathews to name

I still have alot of shopping to do but that's where I'm at .. And I also want to get my hands on a Bowtech Assassin .. The biggest problem I'm having is finding a left handed bow to shoot, but so far they all have found great ways to accommodate me

The Hoyt that I shot was the charger

If you go to precision deal with Donnie shop owner. Good guy they deal mainly bow tech and Matthews.

I bought my bow from Danny at Outdoor Specialties... I can tell you that there aren't many people around as experienced/knowledgeable as he is with setting up a bow.

I'll just give you a quick story about my experience with Danny. From the time I got my bow, he was my only source for archery equipment as I gave all of my business to him as "my pro shop". That all changed when I received a free set of World's Best Strings from a friend of mine that was in business with the owner of the company when they first came out. It was a demo deal to promote the new strings. Of course I went to Danny to have them put on my bow and I was kind of treated less than expected for not buying the strings from him. I got the message that he didn't appreciate me bringing something not purchased at his shop for him to set up. While I acknowledge his skill, experience, and craftsmanship I didn't appreciate being treated that way. And just because I haven't been bowhunting for 40 years doesn't mean I don't know anything about bowhunting and what works best for me. Not ALL bows need to be set up exactly like Danny's bow.

Last year I made my first trip to Precision with a friend and I was very impressed. They do promote Bowtech and Mathews but they really don't care what kind of bow you shoot. They only seemed interested in helping out all archers and promoting the sport of bowhunting. When I need something now I drive right past Lake Charles and head for Bridge City. ;)

i shoot mathews i have shot many diffrent bows an i always go back to mathews i just cant find anything that can beat it.

good job!

Debating right now between PSE and Matthews, not sure which one I want to go with. Need to go shoot them all again and pick.

Mathews heli m is my choice. Smooth shooting

x2! Donny will do you right. Dude will get you setup with the best you are willing to pay for. Good people

I shoot a Matthews Z7 with QAD rest, trophy ridge sights, and gold tip carbon arrows. I really like it. It's the first Matthews I've ever owned. It's all about preference: Hoyt, Bowtech, PSE are all good bows. I have heard good things about these new "Elite" bows as well.

http://www.elitearchery.com/

Everyone is talking about those Elite bows and its all good.

Who deals those elite

I know St. Landry Lumber/Austin Outdoors in Opelousas carries em but that's a good ride from the Bluff. They do have a bad *** bow shop and range though. It is worth the ride to come check out.

Looks like "Archery Outfitters" on Common St in LC carries them from looking at Elite's website. Only 4 dealers in the state carry them. A guy that is the best bowhunter I know(kills big bucks every year and shoots ALL the time), just got one and he's always been religious about his Matthews. So it must be pretty sweet.


http://www.elitearchery.com/dealer-locator/

I think McNeeleys in Sulphur just started carying them.

Sweet I'm headin to common street I check em out

I'll throw out another vote for Mathews. I bought a Heli-m earlier this year and it was light years better than the PSE Stinger 3G I bought as my first bow.

Well i pulled the trigger and ordered a Mathews Creed

It was a little more than I originally planned on spending, but out of all the bows I shot, it was the best/most comfortable for me

And, out of all the pro shops i visited (which were all great) I really felt like Danny at Outdoor Specialties would set me up the best

I will say that I met Donny at precision and he also seemed to be a helluva great person, but in the end I felt more comfortable with Mathews and Outdoor Specialties

Now begins the longest week or two of my life, Im so pumped and connot wait to get my hands on this bow