What was your very first bow and what gadgets did you have on it for hunting? What was your very first deer?
My first bow was a Bear whitetail II with eccentric wheels. Used a finger tab with no site at all. I just "gun barreled" the arrow at the deer at less than 20 yards. This was in 1986. My first deer with this set up was a 6 pointer down in South Texas. I sat 20 feet up a big mesquite tree.

looking forward to responses. Just got my first compound and this winter hoping to get my first kill with it.

I stared shooting with a little Bear recurve and learned the mechanics at 5 years old. I finally got me an older hand-me down Bear bow and worked really hard at 11 years old to pull the 40 pound "min weight at that time". I had a stabilizer and a little plastic arrow rest, no sights or peep, but could stack them in a paper plate out to 30 yards! My 1st year in the stand was a learning curve I as had 2 does duck my arrow, so the following summer I made it a point to increase my draw weight to speed things up. I think I was pulling between 45-50 pounds that following season and was ready to make it happen! Dad and I were hunting on government land and it was the very last day of season and I had climbed up 20 something feet in a huge white oak tree and had a doe come in the last 45 min of daylight. At 35 yards and being 20 ft up, it was a long shot to say the least. I anchored down on her and let it fly... Just as I had envisioned it, she went to duck and my arrow hit it's mark! Once the dust settled and the woods settled I had the biggest case of buck fever in the history of the world and I was HOOKED FOR LIFE!! When dad come by I was still shaking and couldn't hardly speak and instantly knew what had happened so we took up the trail and found her roughly 75-80 yards away. She only field dressed 35 pounds and dad still can't believe I made the shot... I, "we" will never forget that evening!

1999. Bought a Matthews MQ32 and, to this day, still the only bow I own and shoot. 60-lb draw and arrow speed is about 275 fps. I've upgraded the gadgets, but it still shoots great- I love that little bow.

My first animal with a bow was a Canadian black bear. Learned real quick the killing power of an arrow when that 350-lb bear only made it 20 yards. Been hooked ever since.

Me too, Bear Whitetail bow back in 1982, first bow. Practiced a lot but no joy on a deer. As far as gadgets, shot finger with no release. Tried the "fishing line tracker" on it but it sucked. Used a thumb release hand held, ok but not great. Clamped a light on it for hunting raccoons at night. Wrapped it up with stick on cammo tape. Got out of hunting for a while when I moved to El Paso, where there are no deer to speak of. Moved back to north Texas in 2005. First archery deer taken with Martin Cheetah in 2006 and it was a doe but I could have not been happier.

Marin Bengal set at 40 # when I was 13. Ordered it from pats archery in Oklahoma.

Hunted with it for several seasons, only I shot with it was a squirrel. We hunted in east Texas, one buck and landowner was anti doe harvest

Didn't get a archery deer until 2013 I think

First bows were from Hickory saplings. From that toa 25lb fiberglass bow bought with S&H Green stamps. From there to a 45lb Ben Pearson 45lb recurve. Got a few deer and rabbits with it.

Went through a few compounds starting in 81 and bought a PSE Nova in 83 and used it until 98 when I bought a Browning Mirage that I used until 2014 then switched to a Diamond.

Also have a Parker Tornado crossbow that I use mostly when the wind is not right for the bow stand locations. Had Frozen shoulder for 2 years and could not draw a bow back so went to Crossbow the next year when they became legal in Texas.

Have now come full circle, back mostly to the recurves with a couple Bear Kodiak Magnums 45 and 50 that pull a little more with my 29 inch draw. I will still hunt with the compound or crossbow some if the wind is not right for my recurve stand but much prefer shooting recurves, Second Childhood perhaps.

First bow was a Browning Cobra. First bow I took a deer with was a Browning X-Cellerator (only place that sold bows within 50 miles of my hometown was a Browning dealer.)

Deer was a doe. I was 15. Probably the most memorable hunt in my life and my best trophy. And that's saying something over 45 years of hunting. Sadly, I don't even have a photo of it.

I had a PSE NOVA that I hunted public land on for a few years. It had the old prong style rest and a peep with tubing. I didn't get my first bow kill until several years after.

PSE nova and killed a doe with it. Was my first bow kill. I had shot a hog with it before but didn't find it

Fred bear whitetail ii 1998 bought from oshmans, I was 16. Killed and retrieved a doe the first year at 53 yards. Tried many years after. First and only successful retrieval of a deer. Lost one with the same bow 7 years ago. Gave it up. Went rifle. Killed a few with the ten Point crossbow. Lost another one three years ago, gave it up again, I'm done with a string. Rifle only.

First bow was a Shakespeare recurve, when I was about 11. First compound was a Bear Whitetail Hunter, with which I took my first archery deer, a longhorn spike, I was 16.

Oshman's had a sale on Browning bow's in the mid 90s. I bought one, put a peep sight, sight pins and got pretty accurate. 2nd morning in the stand I had a doe come out in the perfect spot for a shot (she couldn't have been better positioned if I had drawn an x on the spot). She was probably 10 yards away. One never forgets watching the arrow disappear into their 1st bow kill. She ran a few yards, stopped and looked back to see what all the commotion was, staggered and ran another 20 yards.

Last week of the season I killed a small buck with the bow too.

I've since switched to a crossbow since i don't practice like I should.

JR

First bow was a Reflex Bighorn Hunter kit my dad bought me when I was 16-17. First deer was a fat die at about 20 yards while I was perched about 20 feet up sitting in a hang on stand. Aluminum arrows and 100 grain Muzzy's if I remember correctly.

I'm 50 and just got a crossbow this year.
To much arthritis in my hand to keep a good draw on a compound.

Very excited to be in the stand this weekend.

Oh it's a Bear X Archery Fortus, 350 FPS

Bowtech Tomcat

I shot recurve and killed one deer when I was in jr high.
I lived in Tennessee in my late 20's and bought a compound PSE because the rifle season was so short and the bow season so long. I couldn't believe how easy it was to shoot. Compounds even back then are just as accurate at 35 yards as a rifle. I killed 3 deer that year but never did like bow hunting. I don't like tracking deer and it seemed like every night someone on the lease would wound a deer with a bow and we'd spend hours looking For it. The landowner I hunt with now was wanting to take up bowhunting and I discouraged that enough he never bought a bow. I love shooting targets and can spend hours doing it. However I just don't get the charge many do hunting with a bow. When I shoot something I like it to flip over and stay where I shot it.

PSE Vulcan got a doe on the Brazos River bottom. Took 30 minutes for me to stop shaking so I could climb out of the stand.

Some no name recurve with no sights, no gadgets and field points. In the late 1960s--first kill was a ring-necked pheasant at about 10 yards in the corn field at our home in western PA. Next kill was a monster rat under the neighbors shed! I was about 14 years old.

Bear Kodiak. Never saw a deer. Shot my first archery deer with a Bear Whitetail II I got at KMart for $64 on clearance. My next deer will be killed with a Black Widow PSA.

My dad purchased a Mathews Switchback XT when I moved to North Dakota since the archery season was so long and to have a rifle buck tag, even for residents, everyone had to put in for a draw. Took it out to a place I had scouted and dropped a little seven point on the first hunt. Sadly it took me nine years to get my next animal but that Switchback is still my only bow and it took down a cow elk and nice mule deer last year.

My first bow was carved from a cedar limb when I was 17 and worked until upper limb cracked, but it shot good before that.
In 1970 I bought my first "real" bow which was a Ben Pearson recurve, 50# @ 28" which I still have.
I can't tell you all I shot with it including having it set up for bowfishing for Talapia when I had my fifth compound.
I had a simple hand wind reel on it and it was a pleasure to carry and shoot.
Few years back after old age and shoulder problems I retired my compounds (sold) and started hunting with a crossbow which seemed too unfair, so I'm now gone full circle last year and gone back to my old, old recurve.
I've now set it up for deer hunting last year and this year with a new three arrow quiver, and I don't know if it's the bow or me, but it shoots better than ever.
Can't wait for tomorrow morning!

Mine was a hoyt intruder and shot aluminum easton arrow with true glow sight standard fixed reast scott release... first deer was a 7point when i was 14

Bear Grizzly, 45 lb draw.

This was back in the late 90s and I was a young teenager...Dad brought home a recurve someone did a terrible job of spray painting black. Told me he was getting paid to clean it up and contracting the job out to me. We cleaned it up and it ended up being a nice looking bow that I was disappointed to have to return to the owner...until he told me it was actually a gift for me. It just had the two silencers and a quiver.

I hunted with it about 4-5 seasons with plenty of misses before finally connecting with a nice 11 pt buck with an extra brow tine. That deer only went about 50 yds. The next season was my last to bow hunt and I got another really nice buck (10 pt my dad had hunted a few seasons, but no shot opportunities). I still have the bow and arrows and hope to get back into bow hunting soon as time and money allows.

First one was a PSE Nova. This thing was true garbage. Killed my first three archery deer with it.

Replaced it with a $400 Martin Cheetah. Absolutely loved that bow. Nothing special but fit me well and shot great.