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Looking to start bow hunting again. #8328390 07/22/21 05:26 PM
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camtheguitarman Offline OP
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Howdy all,

I'm looking to be getting back into the game after about a 12 year hiatus, the lease I was on didn't allow hunting with a bow so I just let it go. Anyway, I've come into some property over in the Lovelady area and am thinking its perfect territory for some bow hunting.

So. 1) What would you guys recommend as a good mid to upper priced bow and why.

and 2) What sights are in yalls mind, best for East Texas pine country hunting?

TIA

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328440 07/22/21 06:07 PM
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jnd59 Offline
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Bows are so person specific. I shoot the elite bows. A lower end Ember for hunting and an Echelon for target. I like how they shoot. I've put about 10k arrows through the Ember. When it is tuned I just don't miss. I would shoot some bows and decide on your draw weight and axle to axle length (ATA). Then shoot the bows that have a max draw weight based at what you plan to hunt (not necessarily what you are at now) and ATA length from different manufacturers. The reason I say pick a bow that has a max draw weight at your target hunting weight is because they (supposedly) shoot better when at their max poundage. You don't need to shoot 70 lbs to be successful with a hunting bow. I shoot 60 and, although I could go to 70, at my age I couldn't practice with it as much. I think that is more important than maximizing poundage.

For sites, my hunting bow has a Fast Eddie XL 2 pin. I like it. I was worried about going to a double pin but I just set the first pin at 25 yards and the second sets to about 37 yards. That covers it for hunting if I don't have time to set the distance. If I do have time to turn the dial to the correct distance it is always spot on.

Last edited by jnd59; 07/22/21 06:08 PM.

No matter how high a duck flies a hammer still breaks a window.
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328476 07/22/21 06:29 PM
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Jsullivanj Offline
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Visit a local shop. They'll have tons of bows you can try out and I recommend that you buy from them.

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328527 07/22/21 07:08 PM
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stxranchman Offline
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I basically did the same thing in that I had not picked up a bow to hunt with in over 13 yrs. I had bought a crossbow in 2012 and hunted with it till 2014 season when I finally realized how much I had missed hunting up close and ground level for deer with archery equipment. So instead of dropping a lot of money(after looking a Mathews and Bowtech bows at a bow shop) I decided to buy a ready to shoot kit bow from Cabela's with some of my points. I bought a PSE Stinger package bow for $300 shipped and was pleasantly surprised at how well it shot. I had bought a new bow in over 18 yrs to that point. I took it into a shop to let them set the draw weight to 58# and adjust the draw length to just under 30". A few years later I bought a 1 yr old used Elite Impulse 31 that is a great shooting bow and smooth. But for twice the price(used) it was not twice as good a bow for me. I only deer hunt so I know at my age that I limit my shots to 30 yards and under. This bow can shoot much better than I can at any distance.


Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328677 07/22/21 09:06 PM
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STX that reminds me of a customer several years ago that decided to get into Archery and brought in a PSE Stinger he had ordered online. Set it up to fit him taught him the basics and away he went. About 2 weeks later he came in with a picture of the bow and a pig he had shot at the range he had joined. Some hogs came across the range when it was just him there and he put a field point through its heart from a little over 30 yards. He got hooked and started shooting out to 100 yards and bought a Mathews and Hoyt for that but still hunted with the Stinger the last time I saw him.

Go shoot several bows through out the spectrum and decide, let the bow tell you what to get.



,


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328750 07/22/21 10:08 PM
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txtrophy85 Offline
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I just bought an Elite and am in love with it BUT......its way more bow than you need for whitetail out of a stand.

Just about every manufacturer offers a good bow.

I like to keep my bows longer than a couple years so I don't mind buying the flagship line. My previous bow was a Mathews Halon 32, and I loved that as well, it just did not shoot well at longer (40 + ) ranges


Diamond archery also makes a good line of single cam bows....more entry level, but lots of features. I shot a diamond bow for years and killed a pronghorn at 84 yards with it.




For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328795 07/22/21 11:21 PM
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Plan a day, go visit a pro shop and shoot some. They'll have a large enough selection to likely match any price range you need to stay in, customize it to your needs, properly tune it, etc.

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328912 07/23/21 01:50 AM
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kmon11 Offline
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I am not one that switches bows often but pick one ans stick with it. I shot a PSE from 84 to 1998 when I bought a flagship bow. Shot the flagship until 2014 and could not find a part that broke and replaced it with a single cam diamond that was faster and smoother than my old 98 bow. Still shooting that one and it puts arrows where I want them out to 50 yards but on deer I do not shoot past 30 but setup for those distances anyway.

Like I said earlier shoot several in different price ranges and let the bow tell you.


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8328914 07/23/21 01:51 AM
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llbts1 Offline
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I would agree with visit a local shop. The support you get if needed is worth anything extra that they may charge. Also, sometimes you can pick up some good deals on last years used bows at a local shop.

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8329209 07/23/21 01:26 PM
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camtheguitarman Offline OP
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Thanks for the input guys! Looks Like I'll be making a few trips to the local bow shops. I'll keep posted with what I decide on!

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8330223 07/24/21 03:33 PM
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The archery shop is the only "try before you buy" option where ( a good one) will set the bow to your specs and you can actually release some arrows to get a feel for it. Big box, chain and on-line typically will not offer a "try before you buy", and if they do they will rarely make adjustments to your specs. My advice is to be prepared to buy when you go this route. The person helping you will invest a lot of time and effort to get you trying some options. It is not fair to use their efforts without any intention to actually buy. I'm not saying you should buy something you don't like, or that you "have" to buy from the shop. I just think you should not shop prematurely when wanting to try bows. Once you're ready and find an accommodating shop, consider the future service to be as much or more of an influence than a brand name or some other spec. Maintenance and support are very important with compound bows. Best of luck! There's a lot of great choices out there. Some companies have resiliency and seem to be prepared for the future. Other companies are struggling and may not be around in a few years. That only matters if their specs are proprietary to the point that new cables or strings could not be readily obtained in the future, or if you are concerned about limb or cam issues. I would not overlook the used bow market, especially if the shop has used or consignment bows.

To directly answer your questions, Elite, PSE, Bear and Mathews/Mission have a stronghold in the market, hit various price-points and have quite a selection. Diamond, Bowtech, Martin, Hoyt, Prime, Quest have somewhat less selection and price-points are lumped in wider gaps. Some offer a "ready to shoot" package if that is appealing to you.

Sights - I personally like multiple pins. The single pin sights are great for a very fast bow and from a tree-stand. If you're always within 30-yards and elevated that might be the way to go. On multiple pin sights, I like a lighted feature so make the FO stand out in lower light conditions. Tru-GLo is a Texas based company. A good sized aperature peep sight that is served-in (without a tube) would be my first and only choice. G5 comes to mind but there are others.

You didn't ask about a rest, or arrows. To me, these are more important than the sights. I want a drop-away rest that is tunable. The shop should be able to limit and nearly eliminate the rest's influence on the arrow. Then, if the arrow is of tight tolerance and properly fletched, any error is on you. Too many people accept poor vanes on mediocre arrows. Whether feathers or vanes, do some research and get your arrows made with the best.

Welcome back to archery!

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8330876 07/25/21 03:24 PM
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Alrighty, after shopping around and shooting all day Saturday, I ended up going home with a packaged Elite Ember. Gotta say, I’m really digging this bow and can tell I’m really going to enjoy it for seasons to come. Now on to practice, practice, practice! Thanks all again for the input! Look forward to showing y’all a harvest in the future!

Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8330904 07/25/21 04:33 PM
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lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8330913 07/25/21 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by camtheguitarman
Alrighty, after shopping around and shooting all day Saturday, I ended up going home with a packaged Elite Ember. Gotta say, I’m really digging this bow and can tell I’m really going to enjoy it for seasons to come. Now on to practice, practice, practice! Thanks all again for the input! Look forward to showing y’all a harvest in the future!



I highly recommend having a shop install a drop away rest like a QAD or a ripcord. Those capture rests are ok for a bit but the drop away will make the bow shoot so much better, especially a little further out


For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
Re: Looking to start bow hunting again. [Re: camtheguitarman] #8335585 07/29/21 08:49 PM
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There is a good little bow shop called 4U archery not too far from Lovelady, in Grapeland. Check em out, they will treat you right!


Some days you're the pigeon, other days you are the statue!
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