looking for a womens bow

[laker]

As the title says, I am on the hunt for a good womens bow for my 25 yr old daughter. Either new or used.
I just missed a super deal on a Mission Craze so still looking. As she is fully grown with a 26.5" draw length, should she stay away from an adjustable bow, like the Craze is?
She was shooting a borrowed Hoyt last year and really liked it, and now wants to get her own. She can shoot very well and seems to be a natural at it.
I think a short axle to axle would be best for her as she enjoys tree stand and blind hunting, something light and not pink!
Any advise, tips or one for sale would be greatly appreciated. Her budget is in the 500 range.

[3blade]

IMO, a first bow should always be selected at a reputable pro shop, with plenty of time to shoot different bows, proper fitting and advice on form. Specs don't mean much in archery, the bow must "feel" perfect to the archer, and there is no way to know without trying them. An experienced archer can spot things that make a world of difference in her shooting.

Natural though she may be, bad habits formed unintentionally right now may limit her success and be extremely difficult to fix. And yes, this is likely three times her budget for the total setup, but much better than a lost opportunity in the field.

That being said, if you're going the route you described...APA viper nano or viper air. User adjustable draw length, light, smooth draw, forgiving, easy to tune. A well cared for Mathews DXT, hyperlite (or whatever the girls version was called) or helium in the appropriate draw length would also work well. Just remember, she needs to budget another $150ish for new strings/cables and spec tune. this is not optional, a broken string can cause severe injury.

occasionally bows come up on the buy and sell, or you can call the different shops to see if they have any used ones for sale or on consignment.

Edit: talk to Neil (user name: L.O.S.T.Arrow) he will point you on the right direction.

[58thecat]

Didn't know they were made male or female, how do you sex a bow?

[Jamie Black R/T]

Goin through the same process with my wife. Shes outgrown the adjustable starter bow i first bought her. Looking to get a serious bow for this coming season.

I went with the hoyt charger for her.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Didn't know they were made male or female, how do you sex a bow?

There are bow specifically tailors to women both in style and design.

To the original poster if she is hunting or not the new Eva Shockey Bowtech is a very quiet, smooth bow that is getting some outstanding reviews!!

[3blade]

Hey a craze just went up for sale on the buy and sell.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=250908

Pm incoming.

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Didn't know they were made male or female, how do you sex a bow?

Hoyt's were always made for girls...

[BigRackLover]

Originally Posted by laker

As the title says, I am on the hunt for a good womens bow for my 25 yr old daughter. Either new or used.
I just missed a super deal on a Mission Craze so still looking. As she is fully grown with a 26.5" draw length, should she stay away from an adjustable bow, like the Craze is?
She was shooting a borrowed Hoyt last year and really liked it, and now wants to get her own. She can shoot very well and seems to be a natural at it.
I think a short axle to axle would be best for her as she enjoys tree stand and blind hunting, something light and not pink!
Any advise, tips or one for sale would be greatly appreciated. Her budget is in the 500 range.

Bear has 3 bows designed for women - Finesse, Rumor, Bounty. I'd recommend trying the Finesse as a starter bow and the Rumor if she's more expereience and wants something a little better.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Hoyt's were always made for girls...

Zing!!

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Hoyt's were always made for girls...

Hand
Over
Your
Testicles?

LC

[BigRackLover]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Hand
Over
Your
Testicles?

LC

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Hoyt's were always made for girls...

lol

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by BigRackLover

Bear has 3 bows designed for women - Finesse, Rumor, Bounty. I'd recommend trying the Finesse as a starter bow and the Rumor if she's more expereience and wants something a little better.

Someone sure jumped on the Bear bandwagon all of a sudden ....wonder what changed?

[Gary K]

Diamond infinite edge,

My misses picked one up and it is one nice piece of kit for the price (~300$)

It can adjust from 21" draw to 29.5" and from 15 lb to 70".

Take a look at them, you wont be dissapointed.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Well gotta say...to add to line up above APA AIR or Rattler make nice ladies bows also...I shoot the APA Viper AIR and its Short ATA, light, smooth to draw and shoot...

Neil

[FallAirFever]

I think you should look at a bow that is designed to fit her. IMO the super adjustable bows (Diamond Infinite Edge etc...) are more geared to growing kids or people who are not sure if they like archery yet. Don't get me wrong I think they are a great bow, 2 of my kids shoot them. But with an adult who knows they like archery I think a bow more closely suited to your daughter is a better choice.

Head to a pro shop and let her handle all the bows they have in her draw length and price range. She will figure out pretty quickly what she like in fit, size, grip and features... PSE and APA have grips that might be better suited to smaller hands? This way at least she will have a good idea of what she is looking for and you can help her find something used maybe?

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Someone sure jumped on the Bear bandwagon all of a sudden ....wonder what changed?

Cabela's carries Bear bows.

LC

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Cabela's carries Bear bows.

LC

And many others

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

And many others

Can't like them all....

LC

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Can't like them all....

LC

Can't shoot them all.....

[laker]

Originally Posted by L.O.S.T.Arrow

Well gotta say...to add to line up above APA AIR or Rattler make nice ladies bows also...I shoot the APA Viper AIR and its Short ATA, light, smooth to draw and shoot...

Neil

Thanks everyone for your good advise.
My daughter is super picky with bows, not sure why but it just has to be right for her. She is not looking for the adjustable bows, as she is done growing. She is really digging the APA Viper Air as seen on the internet, only problem is we dont have a dealer close by to do a hands on.
Neil, looks like we may need to take a trip to Wainwright. Who knows I may be convinced to retire the old Mathews LX and jump on the APA bandwagon as well.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

...Certainly will be happy to help you out...I shot Mathews for 20 years...but my main hunting bows are APA...Best thing is parts are over-nighted...
Won't hurt to try a few out while your here..lol
Let me know if I can help you out...

Neil

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Hand
Over
Your
Testicles?

LC

I prefer ..

Hunt
Outta
Your
Truck

...lol ...but yours is great too..lol

[BigRackLover]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Can't shoot them all.....

Actually I shoot all the flagship bows last year and this year from all the manufacturers at various places. They're all nice, but like the Bear bows myself. The only bows that I've never liked personally are matthews...they just aren't for me.

My wife tried a few and the Bear Finesse she loved. It was lite and felt good to her for a starter bow.

Like I (and everyone) always say, try as many as you can that are properly setup for you.

But really, who woulnd't want to try a bow made by Fred Bear's company....geesh.

[BigRackLover]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

I prefer ..

Hunt
Outta
Your
Truck

...lol ...but yours is great too..lol

that's awesome too!

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by BigRackLover

Actually I shoot all the flagship bows last year and this year from all the manufacturers at various places. They're all nice, but like the Bear bows myself. The only bows that I've never liked personally are matthews...they just aren't for me.

My wife tried a few and the Bear Finesse she loved. It was lite and felt good to her for a starter bow.

Like I (and everyone) always say, try as many as you can that are properly setup for you.

But really, who woulnd't want to try a bow made by Fred Bear's company....geesh.

Just buggin Bear puts out some great bows!!

And yes great advice on comparing properly setup bows some shops don't always check spec tune and comparing apples to apples is important too , make sure if your daughter is comparing bows to make sure they are the same draw length and poundage. A bow set at 35lbs will feel different then set at 40lbs.

[transplant]

I bought a used APA King Cobra this spring and it is awesome. I'm a small woman with smallish hands and the narrower grip is what sold me on the bow. I no longer have problems with torquing the bow as I set up for a shot and my groups have improved tremendously. I used to shoot a Martin and even though I had pretty good form - or so I was told - I was consistently torquing the bow because the grip was wider and either the knuckle at the base of my index finger or the base of my thumb would be supporting the grip. None of that now and I'm happy happy happy !

You might want to try an APA if you get the chance, especially if your lady has smallish hands.

Be well,
Transplant

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

I prefer ..

Hunt
Outta
Your
Truck

...lol ...but yours is great too..lol

That's what a Xbow is for

[brendan's dad]

You may go to a Pro shop but with a $500 limit you may be only able to test drive at the shop and then look for the same model on the used market. If you also need accessories and arrows then $500 isn't going to go very far even on the used market. Might need to save up for a little longer if that is a possibility.

[MathewsArcher]

Originally Posted by pottymouth

I prefer ..

Hunt
Outta
Your
Truck

...lol ...but yours is great too..lol

or

Highly
Overpriced
Yuppie
Toy