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Choosing a Bow for Dummies

Nutterbuster

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
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Oct 12, 2017
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Where the skys are so blue!
Ya'll asked.

5 years in an archery shop and a lot of time in the woods and at the camp have convinced me that most hombres are overbowed in every sense of the word. Too much poundage, too long a draw, too many pins, and too crazy of an arrow design. And don't even get me started on the miscellaneous, neon-colored junk slapped everywhere. Whitetails, particularly in the southeastern United States, are just not that big and bad. It only takes around 40 ft/lbs of energy for an arrow to penetrate a deer's vitals, and a lot guys are shooting a rig that can do twice that and still trying to milk more out of their setup! It's like hunting with a 300 WSM and wanting to upgrade to a 300 RUM!

New bows are also stupid expensive, and people have an unfortunate habit of buying more than one. Why can you hunt a lifetime with daddy's ole 30-06, but not with a $1,200 bow? Why does a new bow cost double what a rifle does? Why are there SO many accessories?

Bow hunting is not hard, the gear is not complicated, and it does not need to take up a lot of your time or money unless you want it to.

My rig is not expensive; is not hard to setup, tune, or maintain; and will suit the average whitetail hunter very well. And when I say average, I mean YOU! Even if you shoot very well at targets past the ranges I talk about, I can almost guarantee that for a number of reasons, your shots on game fall apart past 30 yards. I'm not poking fun. I'm no better.

If you like simple, pragmatic things that just work, you'll enjoy this video.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 
Love my Synergy. I have found myself in a similar mind set. Drop from 70lbs to 62 and have moved to a heavy arrow. Was shooting a 375gr arrow at 295. Now a 528gr coming in at 248 fps. Amazing how much better the bow shoots. I have a one pin slider but have yet to move it. Will probably sell it soon to allocate the funds for more saddle gear! Great video
 
rakbowhunter said:
Love my Synergy. I have found myself in a similar mind set. Drop from 70lbs to 62 and have moved to a heavy arrow. Was shooting a 375gr arrow at 295. Now a 528gr coming in at 248 fps. Amazing how much better the bow shoots. I have a one pin slider but have yet to move it. Will probably sell it soon to allocate the funds for more saddle gear! Great video
Click to expand...

This. I did practically the same thing. It’s amazing how much quieter it is with a heavier arrow.
 
Good video with solid advice. I have found myself over the years gradually migrating to this exact system. Currently I hunt a 62lbs Elite E32 with 502gr arrows and 125gr fixed broadheads. I am contemplating the EZV sight and no peep. Just hesitant on giving up the pins and peep.
 
Deltahuntr said:
Good video with solid advice. I have found myself over the years gradually migrating to this exact system. Currently I hunt a 62lbs Elite E32 with 502gr arrows and 125gr fixed broadheads. I am contemplating the EZV sight and no peep. Just hesitant on giving up the pins and peep.
Click to expand...
If you're on the fence, pop the peep off and take everything but your 30 yard pin off.

You can also pick up an HHA Brushfire or a similar sight for about $40. I like the HHA because of the build quality and the super-bright pin. No need for a pin light to shoot at low light.

I've heard good things about the EZV, but never tried one. $140 is a little steep to experiment with in my books. I'd pull pins first.
 
Deltahuntr said:
Good video with solid advice. I have found myself over the years gradually migrating to this exact system. Currently I hunt a 62lbs Elite E32 with 502gr arrows and 125gr fixed broadheads. I am contemplating the EZV sight and no peep. Just hesitant on giving up the pins and peep.
Click to expand...
That's the sight I was looking into. Will probably end up ditching the peep and adding a kisser button for a 2nd quick anchor point.
 
Nice job @Nutterbuster. I agree with you 100%. Last season was my 45th bow hunting and my experience backs up everything you have put out there. I currently hunt an Elite with a single pin sighted dead on at 25 yds, no peep, simple removable 4 arrow quiver and a whisker biscuit rest. Simpler is definitely better as hunting conditions can be hard on equipment. Dragging a bow through brush in the dark, pulling it up the tree at the end of a line and lowering it to the ground all take a toll on equipment. Keeping it simple provides less opportunity for something to go wrong.

I will say I carry more than two arrows as I have on several occasions managed to get more than one shot at a single deer but will frely admit that any more than 3 is unnecessary. My 4th arrow is a tipped with a field point that I use once in a while as a practice shot into the ground from the saddle after a morning hunt.

My practice regime is 3 arrows about every other day just to keep my shoulder loose and confidence up. After having shot bows for as long as I have I just don't feel the need to refine my form, its pretty much set in stone now, good or bad.

I also agree heartly on limiting shot distance, not only based on archer skill level, but due to the length of time it takes an arrow to get to its intended target. At the relatively fast hunting setup of 300 ft/sec the arrow still takes 1/3 of a second to reach its target. That may not sound like a long time but if that target is moving at the very leisurely pace of 1 yd/sec, the point of aim will have moved by 12" (1/3 of a yd) by the time the arrow gets there. That certainly is enough to create a bad hit if not a complete miss. If anyone doubts that a yard/sec is leisurely, try taking steps while counting seconds.

Great advice and keep up the good work.
 
@boyne bowhunter, that last paragraph sums it up very well. It's not just operator error when you flunk a 40 yard shot. The difference between a slow bow (240-260) and a fast one (280+) is just not that significant. Even a 450fps crossbow is small potatoes compared to any firearm. Heck, my .22lr subs shoot over 900fps!

Any movement on the deer's part is very likely to dramatically change your impact. A simple step forwards can either land a broadhead in the gut bucket or put a scapula between you and the vitals.

I would much rather take a "lower percentage" shot such as a liver or single lung inside of 30 than a "perfect" shot over that. You leave a lot to chance as the distance increases.
 
Good video. My focus on my rigs is to shoot a 500ish gr arrow with a solid fixed blade at a decent speed and the bow MUST BE quiet. I have also found that since I video my hunts I sometimes have to draw and letdown 2-3 times trying to get the camera framed. Because of this it has to be smooth and easy to draw/let down. I'm running a single pin sight set to 27 yards and can shoot 0-40 without moving it. The last three years I have yet to move it one time to kill a deer. I can shoot 60+ yards all day long and group just fine, but in the deer woods I am setting up for shots 25 yards and under. I have taken three shots on deer over 40 yards but they were under perfect conditions. I routinely pass on shots at 30-35 just because the situation wasn't right to take that shot. You have to know your own limitations as well as the limitations of each scenario you may encounter.
 
I shot the same bow for fifteen years. I upgraded about two months ago, figuring this will be the last bow I ever purchase. It is a "flagship" bow, but was a left over from the previous year. So I got a good deal. Amortize it over fifteen or twenty years, and it is real inexpensive :) I always shot 60 pounds, my new bow is also a 60 pounder. I do not use a peep, and I just have a simple four pin sight that cost me 80 bucks. I shoot a few arrows almost every day at 40 yards. But my hunting shots have never been more than 20 yards. The longest I would probably shoot is 25.

I enjoy working on my own bows so I have most of the tools do everything I need. Tuning, string and cable replacement, re-serving, etc. are all done by me. It may take me five times longer than a shop, but I find it enjoyable and I know that great care was taken.

That is the nice thing about archery, it is a simple sport.

Pete
 
I need simple. I’ve held other guys bows, that get all the bells and whistles and they just don’t feel right. I haven’t tried the one pin in a while, but think I will gravitate to it. After 30 yards I can barely make out the vitals with the pins and what not in the way. At 50 yards I can barely see the deer anymore nevermind expecting to sling an arrow into it.
 
All very appealing advice. Many things that I have been contemplating and seems I am in good company. Except for the not shooting a lot! I dunno, I like shooting a lot. Do you mean you just shoot a different bow when it is for fun?
 
pesqimon said:
All very appealing advice. Many things that I have been contemplating and seems I am in good company. Except for the not shooting a lot! I dunno, I like shooting a lot. Do you mean you just shoot a different bow when it is for fun?
Click to expand...
I used to shoot dozens of arrows every day. I was home-schooled, and during my highschool years I would finish school early and shoot pretty much all afternoon/evening. My dad and I wore out a lot of targets in the evening once he got off work.

It was awesome. I don't do it anymore because:

1. Don't have the time.
2. Don't like the cost (wear and tear on bow, target and arrows.)
3. I hit a plateau and stopped improving.
4. I started chasing problems that didn't exist.

That last one is the main issue. Guys that constantly shoot are constantly tweaking stuff. Shots drift left. You move your rest/sights. Next thing you know, shots are drifting back to the right! It messes with your head, and destroys confidence.

Now, if I shoot recreationally, I shoot recurves. I scratch lines on my compound's sight and rest housing, and my bow riser. If something moves, I know it. If my shots are off and nothing has moved, it's me. I don't chase butterflies.
 
Great video, I've been shooting the same Diamond Justice since 2009. It's not super fast or light, but always reliable. I love it for sure.
 
Sheesh that boy is long winded. Hurry up with the tuning video so I can waste more of my time. (Grins) Keep 'em coming Nutter...
 
Nutterbuster said:
Ya'll asked.

5 years in an archery shop and a lot of time in the woods and at the camp have convinced me that most hombres are overbowed in every sense of the word. Too much poundage, too long a draw, too many pins, and too crazy of an arrow design. And don't even get me started on the miscellaneous, neon-colored junk slapped everywhere. Whitetails, particularly in the southeastern United States, are just not that big and bad. It only takes around 40 ft/lbs of energy for an arrow to penetrate a deer's vitals, and a lot guys are shooting a rig that can do twice that and still trying to milk more out of their setup! It's like hunting with a 300 WSM and wanting to upgrade to a 300 RUM!

New bows are also stupid expensive, and people have an unfortunate habit of buying more than one. Why can you hunt a lifetime with daddy's ole 30-06, but not with a $1,200 bow? Why does a new bow cost double what a rifle does? Why are there SO many accessories?

Bow hunting is not hard, the gear is not complicated, and it does not need to take up a lot of your time or money unless you want it to.

My rig is not expensive; is not hard to setup, tune, or maintain; and will suit the average whitetail hunter very well. And when I say average, I mean YOU! Even if you shoot very well at targets past the ranges I talk about, I can almost guarantee that for a number of reasons, your shots on game fall apart past 30 yards. I'm not poking fun. I'm no better.

If you like simple, pragmatic things that just work, you'll enjoy this video.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Click to expand...
I use to work at a local Archery shop. I worked there when Mathews archery first came out . I use to get a new Mathews every year. Technology has change over the years but I killed just as many deer with the new bows as I did with my old Proline or Bear Whitetail. I have been shooting a Martin Archery Alien Z for along time. Guys do love to have the latest and greatest bows available. To me as long as it works I'll stick with it.
 
I must admit though that my New Bowtech Realm X is much nicer than my Bowtech Old Glory. Big jump in tech over the past fifteen years. Much smoother draw cycle, better balance, and easier to tune. I won't kill more deer, but it is a shooter.
 
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