Recommended Bow
 

What bow do you recommend?
I have hunted for 25 years but never with a bow. I know......i know.......i should have years ago.
It was after speaking with a buddy at a Christmas party that the light bulb turned on. You have way better odds at limited entry hunts with a bow.
So my question is.......What would you buy? And Why?
Thanks 360hunt

Go to a bow shop and try everyone you can get your hands on...and I mean a real bow shop, not a box store.

Then practice the hell out of it and determine your ethical effective range...and stick to it.

LC

Thanks LC I appreciate the advice. Any quality bow you recommend?

Any one of the big names in archery are building top notch equipment these days, look for a company that’s been in the game for awhile. Not sure where you live, but if you’re close to Calgary or Edmonton, you should go into Jimbows archery. They carry Hoyt, Bowtech, Matthews, Elite, and I think PSE? Like Lefty-Canuck said, try them all and see which ones fit you the best, or which one you like best. There’s lots of different companies building bows, but the majority of the shops will be carrying the most popular brands. So you will be limited to what’s available.

I am partial to Hoyt, because of their rigorous testing process, and great warranty. My current bow is a 2011 model, and it’s still going strong. However, I’m looking to buy a new bow before next season, and I’m going to try out a few different brands, before buying a new Hoyt. Which will more than likely happen!! Good luck in your search. Like anything else related to hunting, buy the best you can afford. You can cheap out on accessories to begin with and slowly upgrade them to better quality, or more complex functioning equipment (ie:slider sights, drop away rests, etc.). But if you buy a lower end bow, and decide you like archery. You’ll find yourself wanting to upgrade to a higher quality bow, sooner than later.

Lots of great bows out there for sure. Lefty's advice is good...
I am partial to Carbon because of its toughness and warm to the touch feel during cold snaps, and for me that means Hoyt. Hoyt's manufacturing standards are also one of the best in the industry
One of the most important pieces of equipment for a new archer is a release.
Buy one that doesn't involve your trigger finger and a wrist strap.
Get a hinge, thumb trigger or better yet, a tension activated release.
Good luck to you and let us know what you decide.

^All of Lefty's comments are very great advice, but the highlighted one you will hear more than anything; there's good reason for that.... It's because it's more true with Archery than any other shooting sport. Aim small, miss small. Practice, practice, practice until you think you've practiced enough, then practice some more.

As far as bow brands? They all will have a bow that you will like. It becomes personal choice from there. I'm sure you have a favorite rifle brand? Why is it your favorite?

My personal choice is (like bowhunter) a Hoyt. The Hoyt brand has resided in my hands since 2003 and I can't see myself going to anything else (again, personal choice and favorite). But I can honestly say that IF you can afford it, buying a bare bow then outfitting it with the accessories that you want, not necessarily the same brand as the bow is more important to me...

Sure my bow doesn't carry a Hoyt quiver (actually doesn't carry a quiver at all) or a Hoyt rest or a Hoyt sight, but the accessories that I do have on it have never let me down....

Some solid advice above with regards to the pro shops.... I find that Jimbows will sell me accessories that work, not really what will turn a buck for the shop.... They do give good advice!

Best of luck in your search! Welcome to the dark side!

J.

A lot is going to come down to your budget and how much you are willing to spend. Are you comfortable spending $1000+ on a bare bow, plus another $300 to outfit it? If so then head down to a shop and test drive the new bows. Can't go wrong with any of the flagship models from Hoyt, Elite, Prime, Matthews, Bow-tech. I went Hoyt based on feel and weight. Elite was a close second with the amazing draw and valley, but the valley on the new RX-1 is just as sweet imo.

If $1300+ is above your budget then I would go the buying used route. Look on the Facebook pages as well as on Archery Talk forum. Great deals to be had there, just have to do some research, be patient and then a bit of bargaining. If used isn't your preference than the other option is a cheap package bow, something like the Bow-tech Carbon Icon or a PSE Stinger.

Wish I had got this advice 45 years ago.....

Thanks for all the advice. What a great forum......
Feeling a lot more educated on bows and ready to get practising.
Cheers 360hunt

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Try them all. Like rifles or trucks. Whatever fits.feels the best, shoots the best for you. You’re going to have fun.

X2. If you are going to do it, go to a reputable archery shop and try as any as you can out. Take your time and ask lots of questions.

As far as increasing you odds in limited entry draws.....sure, hunting with a bow can do that, but don't for get that the success rate is substantially lower than with other hunting means. This could translate to lots of tag soup and lots of good memories of the one that got away.

Jmo

Norm

Agree! Time in the field and time spent with the bow ups your chances of success. It takes a considerably greater amount of time and effort to fill a tag with Archery tackle. I have heard on average it take 4-5'seasins for a new archer to harvest his first big game animal, that's something to consider as well.

LC

If bow hunting is something you are serious about, get quality equipment from the ground up. Whatever brand you choose, make sure it's the "pro series" and not an entry level bow. An entry level bow will get you out there, and by all means can get the job done, but often lack qualities that will make a difference in tuning and ultimately accuracy. I'm not saying it has to be the most expensive bow on the rack, just the upper line in quality.

Another thing I would recommend against is packed bows, or the "RTH" deal. Sure they come with everything you need to get hunting, but often times the accessories are cheap, really cheap. If you are serious about hunting with it, buy a quality arrow rest and a quality sight. Personally, on a hunting bow I wouldn't go crazy on a stabilizer, it's there to balance out your bow to steady the shot, that's it. I like Spot Hogg sights because they're built like a tank with tough parts but there are a few others on the market that are good, Axcel and HHA are a couple others I would recommend. As far as arrow rests go, I think a QAD ultra rest is about as good as it gets.

Bows are like women (or if your a lady like men), everyone has their personal opinion of what they like. Everyone has different bodies and different muscle structure. Some people like when the cam stacks up up front, some Luke when it stacks up at the back. Some people like a valley (the slack at full draw) and some like holding tight into the back wall. The idea of a huge valley with little to no holding weight seems nice, but I personally find I'm more accurate holding tight into the wall. Different strokes for different folks. These a a few reasons that you absolutely have to go to a pro shop and test a few different bows from a few different manufacturers to see which fits your body type best. Nobody can pick a bow for you.

My choice in bows differs from some others, it may or may not differ from what you might like. To me, for hunting nothing is better than a carbon riser, in particular Hoyt Carbon bows but there are a few other bows I like shooting, I just wish they came with a quality Carbon riser like the ones Hoyt makes.

Good luck with choosing your new bow, but be careful....... it's addictive!

I went to Accurate Archery yesterday and shot some of the new bows again. I have to say that the new Hoyt Redwrx turbo is a pretty great shooting bow! I shot it beside my Carbon Defiant Turbo, and it definitely is as nice or nicer, depending on what you are looking for in a bow! There is a huge difference in draw cycle as well as overall balance point. The grip is nicer (in my opinion) as well. It's not as quiet as the CDT though.

Also tried out the new Prime offering, and I gotta say it's a pretty nice bow too! It is very quiet and dead in the hand. That being said, its Ibo speed is 15 fps slower than the other 2 I shot, so it's hard to compare. It's quite a blocky looking bow too, kinda like a Halon rip-off.

Bottom line, go try some bows out! Pro shops are extremely open to letting people try them! If they aren't, go somewhere else! After you have tried them, go home and do some more research on the ones you liked and didn't like, and why. Then you can make a decision based on likes and dislikes, pros and cons. This is how you will end up with a bow that you shoot well and that you will be happy with.

Good luck in your search, and remember not to be in a hurry to buy one!

Norm

Did you happen to try the Triax?

I don't think they have one there.

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I can agree with pretty much everything that has been said in this thread, impartial and personal recommendations that will steer OP in the right direction. But to this bit posted above, I have to politely and respectfully ask 'why?'. I know plenty of very capable and fine archers who have only ever used trigger style releases, and had great success both in hunting and in target shooting. So, why in your opinion is this absolutely not something to do? As far as I'm concerned, you shoot what you are most comfortable with, including bow, release and the rest of the gear.

I agree with the above. There are quite a few pro archers that use a caliper release. It's all about "how" you shoot it. If you Shoot it like a rifle trigger, you will have issues with target panic. If you "pull through" the release using back tension you will have better success.

For hunting, sometime you MUST have a shot get off at a specific point...a caliper release IMHO, is the best for hunting applications. Also with it attached to your wrist it won't fall out of your pocket and you are least likely to lose it.

Just my opinion.

LC

Was in your shoes last year the one thing I would add is don’t make an impulse purchase. Do your research and ensure you don’t end up out growing your bow and replacing it in a year like I did. I enjoyed shooting my bow this season and it got me into the sport but realized I wanted a step up.

Releases
 

Yes, I agree that everyone should shoot that with which they are comfortable. However, most people who shoot a caliper, learn to do it incorrectly. They use their finger to shoot it, rather than pulling through on their shot. Index finger releases can also be difficult to consistently anchor for beginning archers. Additionally, as one uses a trigger release more, they tend to anticipate their shot, once you begin to anticipate your shot, you develop target anxiety or target panic. Archers start to do drive bys on their target, rather than allowing your pin to naturally float on the target and pull through your shot with a surprise release . Shot anxiety or target panic is one of the most frustrating things that happens to archers, and most of this stems from incorrect form, while slapping or punching index finger releases. A tension release, a hinge release, and even a thumb release, while taking a little more initial learning, typically trains beginning archers to shoot better by establishing good form and follow through. If you need more information, follow John Dudley via podcast or you tube.
Good luck to you guys!!!!

Valid points for sure. I just tend to think that for hunting (which is the indicated use) that a caliper type is the better set up for the reasons LC pointed out. Learning to use it properly is the key. Another reason a new archer should have some qualified coaching to start out.

George Ryals puts on great videos,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aNslq2UEiWM

LC

Everything that you are saying about developing form flaws and bad habits will apply to any type of release that you want to try. I know. I've tried them all and I've had all the problems and have had to work in and out of them. I have been around the block 3 times on release types, and can happily say that I have settled and commited to the one of my choice.

The problem with hinges or pull through a for an average beginner is that the will likely not be someone there to give adequate instruction for any length of time and sometimes the podcast just don't cut it. I would never recommend a hinge or a pull through for a beginning archer of any age. Start with an index or thumb and learn to make them and your form work properly. Once you have done that then you will understand how to make hinges and pull throughs work correctly. In The mean time you will have saved yourself a few punches in the nose and a few lost arrows and a lot of frustration.

Jmo

Norm

Norm, have u ever used a carter evolution release? It's something that Dudley recommends for beginning archers. I've used it with my boys as well. Simple release to use as you draw with your thumb on the safety, and release at full draw. Then the archer just focuses on pulling through, using their back muscles. This release takes the trigger out of the shot sequence equation. A great release and training tool; something I wish I would have found years ago. It would have saved me a lot of money on releases and also provided more meat in my freezer.[emoji3]

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Dudley also speaks about how if you have improper form due to fatigue or what not, that you can pull through till you’re blue in the face and the release won’t go off! I believe there is a place for all types of releases, what works for one person, will not always work for another. I started out shooting with wrist strap caliper releases 12 years ago, I still own two of them, but I’m experimenting with a hinge, and want to try out some thumb button and tension activated releases to work on a surprise release. I’d love to try a bunch of them, but they’re so expensive.

I have used a Stan Element pull through. Same idea. Not for me. I have a very high success rate hunting with a bow, and I kill most things I go after without using a hinge or a pull through. I fire my Scott Echo (and other index finger releases before it) using the same principle as the element except I don't have to keep thumb tension on the barrel until I'm settled and ready to execute. I also won't lose it if it's on my wrist, and there are a few less moving parts. It is also easily usable with a Mitt or a thick glove on, all I have to do is get my finger out to make the shot, and they make mitts specifically for that purpose.

We can go on and on like thi forever, and really it's not that big of a deal. My daughters both use index finger releases, and they have fun. In the end that's all that counts.

Norm