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Rookie and first bow

1K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  mossyoakman 
#1 ·
I'm new to archery and want to buy my first bow so I can hunt next fall. I'm interested in buying a bow from the classified forum here, but I'm afraid I won't be able to properly set up the bow and buy the proper arrows without help.

As a rookie, would I be better off buying my first bow from a retail store with a good pro shop (Gander Mountain), and letting them walk me through everything? I've already spent nearly two hours talking to the two head guys there and I trust them.

I was hoping to save money buying used equipment here, but if I can't make it work then I'd be better off buying new from the store and getting their help.
 
#3 ·
I would go to a archery shop other than GM, Unless they have some better ones up in your area, the ones around here suck or the guys they got working in there, I have fixed more stuff that came from GM than you can imagine, I would go find out what draw length and draw weight you are comfortable with, buy a bow in those specs from the classifieds and go get it set up at a good archery shop, with expert people that have been doing that kind of stuff for most of there life, It would suck to go somewhere and get a bow set-up, spend all that money and still not be right, Just my $.02
 
#5 ·
Take it from someone that did the retail store thing. Buy it from a Archery shop or buy it here or ebay and then have a pro tune it. But like it was said before, Get you draw length.

I have learned so much from this forum, it's rediculous !!! Be patient and buy the right bow. The best thing is to go to a Archery shop and try out several kinds
 
#6 ·
Yeah, what he said! You need to get your hands on several bows and see how they feel and shoot for YOU. Pay attention to feel off bow, hand shock, noise, smoothness of draw. And anything else you can think of. Make sure your happy with your decision before you buy, or you will allways be second guessing yourself. :wink:
 
#7 ·
Here's my take on it...being a first timer and newbie.

Test fire anything and everything you can get your hands on. Once you get your basic measurements (draw length and max poundage) down, go hit a good pro shop.

A good pro shop will have you take your time. It took me 5 weeks to find the right bow. I fired everything (Bowtech, Ross, Hoyt, and others), and one bow for whatever reason would always be shot more than the others.

My last test firing session had me back and forth between a Bowtech Captain, a Ross Carnivore, and a Diamond Black Ice. I fired over 100 shots on that last day of testing, and 80% of them were off of the Ross Carnivore. It just *felt* best in my hands.

And the choice was the right one. Once outfitted with a sight and the proper arrows, I'm in the bullseye or near it after tuning.

So - don't be in a rush. Test, test, test. A good shop will let you play. Take your time. Your body will tell you what it likes.

-Steve
 
#8 ·
Thank you all for your advice. I have been thinking that I should shoot a variety of bows before I pick one. That's part of the trouble with buying one from the classified ads here, I'd have to find the same bow locally and shoot it before I have somebody ship me one from here.

You all seem to agree that I need help from a good pro shop to assemble the sight, rest, etc on the bow, and that I shouldn't attempt that myself. The question then becomes, what is the best shop for me to use?

Archery Headquarters and Gander Mountain are both nearby. There's also Cabela's 50 miles away, but that's too far to go frequently. I've been to both stores during the day when they had no other customers, but their approaches to me as a new archer were quite different. Archery headquarters asked how much I was willing to spend and had me pull back a Fred Bear bow and said that's the one for me, without me even shooting an arrow through it. I didn't care for that sort of service so I headed to Gander. The guy at Gander said he previously worked for Bowtech, but I don't know why he switched to work at Gander. He spent a full hour answering my questions without pressuring me to buy anything. I spent nearly another hour browsing through the bows hanging on the rack and asking him occasional questions. A week a later I came back and talked to another guy there who was also very helpful and was going to let me shoot 3 bows, but I didn't have the time to stay any longer. Both Gander employees have been bow hunting over 20 years.

I'm leaning toward Gander, but maybe I should give Archery Headquarters another chance. Gander advertises free "Basic Bow Set-up" with the purchase of a bow, otherwise they said they'd charge $35 to $40 if purchased somewhere else. I should ask what they'd charge if I bought the bow somewhere else but then bought all the other gear from them.
 
#9 ·
I own a shop and when I get new guys usually steer them to a single cam bow unless they are brainwashed on speed over all else.
Since you dont know if you will stay with archery once you get started dont "overspend" take a good hard look at the Martin Moab, a delight to shoot. More than enough sped and quiet, comfortable and 15 Lb weight adjustment. Buy a bow that feels good to you, the Z bows from Pearson are very nice. But like someone already said shoot everything you can get your hands on. Watch the big stores, "it's just a job" to most of those guys, next week they may be selling shoes!
I do a lot of correcting on the local box store bows, set up by their pro! Buy from a pro shop if you can, less to regret and more interested in giving you service.
If it's hard to draw standing in the store, it only gets harder in the field under hunting conditions.
 
#17 ·
dont "overspend" take a good hard look at the Martin Moab, a delight to shoot. More than enough sped and quiet, comfortable and 15 Lb weight adjustment..
very good affordable bow. I just bought one w/ QAD rest, doz. arrows, sight, stab, sling, and peep for under $800 and when shooting this bow you can't even tell it has gone off other than the click of the release. And the speed is amazing my 20 and 30 yrd pins are only 1/16 of and inch apart at 60#. Hoping martin tweeks it a little more for next year then i'm gonna buy one for my wife also.:wav:
 
#10 ·
You've already received some very good advice. Patience and research... take your time. And, listen to the advice of others that have been down the same road before you.

You should be able to tell a lot about who really knows their stuff on this forum after reading lots of posts. Most are glad to help advise you. Send some PM's to those who have indicated a willingness to help you by posting on this and other threads. This is a great resource!

I'm somewhat new myself and have received great advice from a number of AT members. I'm not an impulsive or impatient person, so I take lots of time to read and learn. One of the many good things I was told at the beginning was not to pull too much weight. In order to learn proper form and technique, as well as maintain accuracy, you need to be comfortable. Practicing shouldn't be a chore or something that makes you overly sore.

Just because lots of experienced shooters hunt with draw weights exceeding 60lbs. doesn't mean you have to start out that way. Work your way up by starting at a more manageable draw weight. And, make sure your bow is properly set up by a "pro" with the proper draw length. Talk to other hunters in your area and find out who they recommend and who works on their bows.

There's also some good online instructional videos you should check out.
 
#11 ·
new bow.

If I were you , Like others have suggested. Go out and shoot alot of differant bows including the one you are concidering buying from this forum.
You can shoot alot of bows but if they are not the one you are buying then its hard to say whether you will like that bow.

I bought a bow from cabelas that I ordered and had sent to me and I hated it once I started shooting it. I kept that bow for the season then got rid of it. I would never again buy a bow that I havent shot.

My suggestion ( like others here) is go to a good to a number of archery shops and shoot a number of bows and decide what you are comfortable with. If you shoot a bow that you are not comfortable with then chances are you will not enjoy shooting it or hunting with it.

Stick to the archery pro shops, let them help you as much as they can. Its been my expierance that places like gm or simuliar place go by the standard rules and thats it. An archery proshop is more inclined to bend the normal rules for tuning as most expieranced archers know has to be done at times.

Talk to as many people here on this forum.
I have only been on here a few times but there are alot of knowledgable people here that can help you.

I am an avid bowhunter and I love the sport of archery. I do most of my own stuff to my bows as Im sure alot of people here do. So I asure you that You will find plenty of help and good advice here.

Good luck, and if you have any ?s then feel free to pm and I will help as much as I can.

Henry
 
#12 ·
My .02, when you do find a bow, do not fret too much over the "tuning" your bow to perfection. I'm not saying do not get it set up properly, but the finest of tuning is not necessary. A bow slightly 'out of tune' will still shoot exactly the same way each time. But that's just my opinion.

Oh and practice practice practice =D That's the most important thing.
 
#13 ·
Bowtech Old Glory

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I bought an Old Glory from the AT classifieds and am very happy with my choice. I have gotten to know and trust one of the guys at Gander Mtn, who previously worked for Bowtech. He is very knowledgeable and has a lot of common sense. He really likes the binary cams that Bowtech uses, so I asked him if Gander sells any binary cam bows that I could try shooting. Gander doesn't carry them, but he had his own Commander under the counter that he let me try. I found it interesting that he wanted me to buy a type of bow that his store doesn't even carry, because he simply believes it's the best bow out there. He also likes the Martin Firecat because it has binary cams that he helped design (although they don't use the word binary for legal reasons).

I did buy my rest, quiver, and release from Gander, and he was happy to answer all my questions about which ones were best and why. I believe I have a very good setup, all I have left to buy are the arrows/heads. He also got the bow all set up for me for free.

The bottom line for me was finding the right local guy I could trust and ask questions of. He's clearly head and shoulders above anyone else working in Gander's archery department, and probably much better than most people working in any such retail store.
 
#16 ·
Dave- there are many pro shops around the state of minnesota and many of them are affiliated with either msaa or maa and u can usually get info on the where they are located by going to either of those websites. Will also give u locations on where the archery clubs around the area are located. You can go to almost any club in minnesota and get help on setting up your equip. Other than your friend it would be best not to trust the GM, Walmart, associates as there are working on commision or know nothing about archery and just trying to make a buck or two.
 
#18 ·
Draw weight

I know I am not the strongest guy on here, 70# seems to be the norm on here. I turned my draw weight down (maybe 55 lbs or less) until I could draw it smoothly when seated, like in hunting conditions. I see some guys on TV shows that have to shove their bow in the air and pull down on it to get it drawn. You won't get away with that in hunting. I can't stand for hours without fidgeting, so I may sit for half the time. I have had lots of deer sneak in on me and had to make my draw from a seated position. If your bow shoots where you are aiming, you have super sharp broadheads, and you place the shot in a vital area, you don't need weight cranked up high to get good penetration. Practice and practice some more. Practice when seated too. Be able to judge distances. Know your limits on what distances you can hit where you are aiming. Just my opinion.
 
#19 ·
Here's what you should do once you get your first bow. Start shooting all of the new bows, like the Reezen, Alphamax and so on. Then when they are all used a couple years down the road, you can buy used and save a lot of money and know which one you already like. :wink:
 
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