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Want To Get Into Bow Hunting

CrackbottomLouis

CrackbottomLouis

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Messages
346
Location
Georgia
I've always been a firearms guy but now that I'm saddlehunting a severe bowhunting itch has grown in the back of my mind.

I know everyone has their preferences but just looking for enough general info so I can start knowing what questions to ask.

Thinking I'd like to go recurve but not really sure of the pro's and con's. Dont have a huge bow budget (not gonna be running out and building a Mathews anytime soon) but I've got a gun range with a great bow shop that does quality 2nd hand stuff so think I might run across a good deal there.

I want a good beginner set up but one that I can actually successfully hunt with for the first couple years.

Thinking recurve because I have this crazy idea of eventually making my own recurve and hunting with it so women can smell my raw masculinity from the next county over. Just kidding of course but taking a nice deer with a bow I made would be a really awesome achievement. Not sure if my head is in the clouds but why not. Good to have goals.

Figured I'd see what you guys have to say so I don't walk into the bow shop a complete obvious newb that buys the first thing within budget that doesn't end up being actually useful.
 
If your goal is mostly hunting oriented, I would start with a compound. Trad is a much more rigorous commitment to the archery aspect. It's certainly an option, but my opinion is learn to bowhunt before diving into the deep end.

You don't need top of the line. The last ten years or so since the parallel limb technology took over, the technology really hasn't changed much. You can get into a really good bow for a couple hundred bucks. You can look into some of the bigger names used a few years, or even new the budget lines of bear, mission, etc. new are equally affordable and good quality. Find a good shop near you, go in their offseason, and they should take care of you. Shoot as many as you can, and find what you are comfortable with. A good shop is going to take the time to listen to you and work with you. If they are used car salesman trying to get you out the door with the new 2020 Brand X gamechanger, move on. It's not.
 
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I’ll echo @elk yinzer on his comments. Find a good archery shop that knows the equipment and set-up then shoot as many different bows possible. Each is a little different so find one that works for you. I’ve had PSE and Mathews. Both great bows.

As far as questions, there aren’t too many. They are going to want to know draw length and weight but both of those you won’t know til you hit the shop. So start at the shop, Everything else will fall in after that.
 
Bowhunting is where it is at. Ever since i got into it the opening of gun season is a big let down. It would be cheaper to get a 2nd hand recurve all set up with arrows etc,but you would have to practice a lot if you have never shot a bow. Also your effective range will be a little less than with a compound.
 
How much time, on average will you have to devote to ‘bowhunting’ each week until next season? I’d say if that number is less than 10 hours, being completely green to bowhunting, get a compound. Otherwise you’ll be so far behind the learning curve, you’ll likely not see any sort of success.

The best thing you can do is find a mentor. If you can’t do that, I would take archery lessons or join a local shooting group/club. Nothing can replace one on one help from someone invested in seeing you succeed.

You will have to completely change the way you hunt, but you will most definitely become a better woodsman. I started bowhunting at 12 years old, and didn’t know any other way. Getting within 200 yards of deer is not that hard. Getting within 20 is exponentially more difficult. Then having them stand still for you to poke a hole in them with an arrow is a real challenge all on its own.

I’d start today, figuring out what you need to do with your current hunting style, scouting habits, analysis of hunting spots to refine them for bowhunting. You can have a compound bow dialed in in 20 shots, and be comfortable enough to fling an arrow at a deer inside 25 yards after a few hundred arrows. But getting them within shooting distance will require the majority of your focus.

Good luck and welcome in advance!
 
Ok. Sounds like some solid advice. Go compound nd learn the ropes before diving into the rabbit hole is what I'm hearing. I can roll with that.

I can really get into a quality compound for a couple hundred? I was thinking my 300 budget was an unrealistic price point. Good to hear.

What decides draw length? Arm to eye? Are there any brands I should steer clear from?
 
Go to a shop and get measured.

You can easily find a top notch used bow in the classifieds here or on AT for 2-400. Or you can walk into cabelas and buy a full rig for probably 3-400 ready to shoot.
 
I would say to start with a recurve, and start with your expectations on an appropriate level, as well.
Trad is not hard if you are moderately coordinated. The hard part is understanding and accepting that your effective range in the beginning will most likely be 15 yards or less.
Start with light poundage and develop proper form...shooting at ultra close range.
Also be ready to accept the fact that you will have to allow lots of deer to walk. And some of those deer will be ones that you could have killed with the gadgets.
Not filling a tag is not the end of the world. It should be a challenge to become a better hunter, to get closer.
If trad doesnt work out for you, then go gadget.
 
kyler1945 said:
How much time, on average will you have to devote to ‘bowhunting’ each week until next season? I’d say if that number is less than 10 hours, being completely green to bowhunting, get a compound. Otherwise you’ll be so far behind the learning curve, you’ll likely not see any sort of success.

The best thing you can do is find a mentor. If you can’t do that, I would take archery lessons or join a local shooting group/club. Nothing can replace one on one help from someone invested in seeing you succeed.

You will have to completely change the way you hunt, but you will most definitely become a better woodsman. I started bowhunting at 12 years old, and didn’t know any other way. Getting within 200 yards of deer is not that hard. Getting within 20 is exponentially more difficult. Then having them stand still for you to poke a hole in them with an arrow is a real challenge all on its own.

I’d start today, figuring out what you need to do with your current hunting style, scouting habits, analysis of hunting spots to refine them for bowhunting. You can have a compound bow dialed in in 20 shots, and be comfortable enough to fling an arrow at a deer inside 25 yards after a few hundred arrows. But getting them within shooting distance will require the majority of your focus.

Good luck and welcome in advance!
Click to expand...

Yeah. That's the intimidating part. Completely relearning to hunt in a very different way.

But, your point about the end result becoming a much better hunter and woodsman really speaks to me. I think that's been the driving force behind my bowhunting itch and I'm really looking forward to it.

Even with a rifle most of my shots are within 50 to 100 yards. I don't hunt large fields unless I'm feeling particularly lazy. However, I'm sure the difference between 50 and 20 yards is going to be an eye opening challenge.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I would say to start with a recurve, and start with your expectations on an appropriate level, as well.
Trad is not hard if you are moderately coordinated. The hard part is understanding and accepting that your effective range in the beginning will most likely be 15 yards or less.
Start with light poundage and develop proper form...shooting at ultra close range.
Also be ready to accept the fact that you will have to allow lots of deer to walk. And some of those deer will be ones that you could have killed with the gadgets.
Not filling a tag is not the end of the world. It should be a challenge to become a better hunter, to get closer.
If trad doesnt work out for you, then go gadget.
Click to expand...

I'm certainly tempted to just start where I want to end up and learn like that from the get go. I can shoot a variety of distances at my house so I dont lack opportunity to practice. I also work from home mostly which helps.

What would you look for in a good recurve? Carbon fiber? Brand? Price range?
 
CrackbottomLouis said:
Yeah. That's the intimidating part. Completely relearning to hunt in a very different way.

But, your point about the end result becoming a much better hunter and woodsman really speaks to me. I think that's been the driving force behind my bowhunting itch and I'm really looking forward to it.

Even with a rifle most of my shots are within 50 to 100 yards. I don't hunt large fields unless I'm feeling particularly lazy. However, I'm sure the difference between 50 and 20 yards is going to be an eye opening challenge.
Click to expand...
Don't sell yourself short.
Why assume that you don't have the ability to be effective with trad if you haven't even tried it? Challenge yourself.
Shooting tech is highly effective but its easy. Shooting a compound is much easier today than it was 30 years ago when I switched from a compound to trad and I switched because the challenge was gone. A kill felt hollow to me because I relied on technology more than I relied on my abilities.
I don't think enough guys give themselves the benefit of the doubt that they can do it.


Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
IMO, a compound is the way to go. I would go to a proshop and get them to set up peep sight and draw length. Another thign to look for is a bow that's adjustable without being taken down or changing the cam. My Hoyt is like that. You just move a screw and have 3 inches of adjustment.

I know a guy with a 2016 Hoyt defiant 34 for sell. In immaculate shape. ;)
 
CrackbottomLouis said:
I'm certainly tempted to just start where I want to end up and learn like that from the get go. I can shoot a variety of distances at my house so I dont lack opportunity to practice. I also work from home mostly which helps.

What would you look for in a good recurve? Carbon fiber? Brand? Price range?
Click to expand...
There are a lot of guys that like their Samick Sage bows.
Billed as entry level bows, but lots of guys love them.
They are an ILF (international limb fit) system which is a standardized limb attachment. So any ILF limbs will fit any ILF handle. You can buy higher end limbs as you can afford them. You can also put ILF longbow limbs on the same handle you shot as a recurve.
ILF also allows a few adjustments, too.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
CrackbottomLouis said:
Ok. Sounds like some solid advice. Go compound nd learn the ropes before diving into the rabbit hole is what I'm hearing. I can roll with that.

I can really get into a quality compound for a couple hundred? I was thinking my 300 budget was an unrealistic price point. Good to hear.

What decides draw length? Arm to eye? Are there any brands I should steer clear from?
Click to expand...

I took up bowhunting (actually hunting in general) 17 years ago when I was 33. I didn't have anyone to mentor me or to tell me what bow to buy. I went to my local bow shop and bought the first bow that I thought would be good...ended up with Parker bow. I got my bow in December of 2002 and didn't hunt at all until October of 2003...reason is because I spent the next 10 months shooting and shooting and learning my bow. I basically taught myself and got on Archerytalk.com and bowsite.net and asked tons of questions. I learned how to be safe in a tree, how to shoot from a treestand all by asking questions on the internet. I learned though trial and error...now I try and help as many people as I can. I'm now on my 8th bow, 2nd crossbow, and 4th trad bow.

In looking at traditional bows you want to figure out what grip you would like...whether you want a recurve or longbow, etc...there is a lot more to a trad bow then just buying a recurve and shooting.

If you have a limited budget then let me recommend Bear bows. You can buy a brand new bow for as little as 350.00 and that's a hunting ready bow.
Here's one for 199.99 and ready to hunt... https://beararchery.com/product/a7sl1127wm

Ready to hunt for 399.99 https://beararchery.com/product/av92b11007r

Or you can go to archerytalk.com and look at the classifieds sections. Especially after the ATA show January 9. Guys will be selling their bows for cheap so that they can get their new bows. Case in point...I picked up a 2018 Matthews Triax because the pro-shooter had to buy the 2019 Vertix. I paid 600.00 for a 900.00 bow and outfitted it with my stuff from my old bow. Archerytalk classifieds. https://www.archerytalk.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=100
 
Newhunter1 said:
I took up bowhunting (actually hunting in general) 17 years ago when I was 33. I didn't have anyone to mentor me or to tell me what bow to buy. I went to my local bow shop and bought the first bow that I thought would be good...ended up with Parker bow. I got my bow in December of 2002 and didn't hunt at all until October of 2003...reason is because I spent the next 10 months shooting and shooting and learning my bow. I basically taught myself and got on Archerytalk.com and bowsite.net and asked tons of questions. I learned how to be safe in a tree, how to shoot from a treestand all by asking questions on the internet. I learned though trial and error...now I try and help as many people as I can. I'm now on my 8th bow, 2nd crossbow, and 4th trad bow.

In looking at traditional bows you want to figure out what grip you would like...whether you want a recurve or longbow, etc...there is a lot more to a trad bow then just buying a recurve and shooting.

If you have a limited budget then let me recommend Bear bows. You can buy a brand new bow for as little as 350.00 and that's a hunting ready bow.
Here's one for 199.99 and ready to hunt... https://beararchery.com/product/a7sl1127wm

Ready to hunt for 399.99 https://beararchery.com/product/av92b11007r

Or you can go to archerytalk.com and look at the classifieds sections. Especially after the ATA show January 9. Guys will be selling their bows for cheap so that they can get their new bows. Case in point...I picked up a 2018 Matthews Triax because the pro-shooter had to buy the 2019 Vertix. I paid 600.00 for a 900.00 bow and outfitted it with my stuff from my old bow. Archerytalk classifieds. https://www.archerytalk.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=100
Click to expand...

Thanks! I will check out the classifieds. Going compound makes a lot of sense on paper after advice here. Not sure I'll be able to get a traditional bow out of my head though.
 
CrackbottomLouis said:
Thanks! I will check out the classifieds. Going compound makes a lot of sense on paper after advice here. Not sure I'll be able to get a traditional bow out of my head though.
Click to expand...

I bought a 1000.00 custom bow and then had a second shoulder injury...could not hunt with it for 2 years and did not see me hunting with it at all...sold it and then was able to do therapy and started pulling an accubow for exercise. Bought that triax as a 50-60lb bow and now I have it maxed at 62#'s. As far as a traditional goes...look at ebay or other avenues for a recurve bow. I got a 40lb bow for 50.00. Will start shooting it this winter/spring.

CrackbottomLouis said:
So, does everyone use a trigger device with bows now or is that only on compound bows?
Click to expand...
A release is what you'll need for a compound. I'd recommend a wrist strap release or if your adventurous then a carter chocolate addiction.
 
I see no reason to start with any type bow other than the type you want. Allegheny Tom gave great advice.
Why not get into bowhunting for the challenge of getting as close as possible to your quarry. You will shoot at less deer than if you're carrying a longer range weapon. Only you can decide those limitations for yourself.
But if you have a preconceived picture in your mind of that big bucklying dead at your feet and the sooner that becomes reality the better then pick up the most effective arrow flinging device you can get your hands on so you can check that box off.
If method and process are more important then follow your heart. Lots of us did before we had ever heard of a compound. Absolutely no regrets here.
 
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