What Bow do you use?

I currently shoot a Game Over by Bear. I feel like it's a decent bow, but I'm curious of a good upgrade. In saying that I don't travel the world bow hunting so I don't feel the need for a high dollar Mathews. What are some suggestions based off of what y'all have shot? Thanks in advance.

A 60# Bowtech 360. Its great, with lots of speed for a 60# bow.

I agree on Bowtech

I use a Bowtech and have a Hoyt as a back up.

Thanks for the input guys.

I still use a Hoyt Alphamax that Ive had for about 7 years. New strings a couple times but its never given me a reason to get a new one.

I shoot Bear Kodiak Magnums more than anything these days. Best shooting as far as smooth draw and solid backwall bow I have shot lately is a Cabela's Fortitude which is made for them by Bowtech. No it is not a high end Mathews, hoyt or... but is a dang smooth bow and 330fps IBO. If I were to pick up another compound that would be it. The way I shoot them no need for the high $$$$ bows for me but if I were to be wanting one of those it most likely would be an Obsession.

I shoot a Mathews Drenalin. I shot PSE for years and then one day I helped a guy tune a Mathews switchback. I shot it and was sold. I had a new Drenalin a week later. That was in 2007. I've been hunting that bow and loving it. I recently went to the bow shop and shot all the latest and Mathews is still the bow for me. I'll be getting the nocam. In 30 years of bow hunting I've learned I need around 280 fps to get decent kinetic energy to push big mechanical heads through deer and pigs. I like a 7inch brace height which makes my shooting more accurate. I'm not caught up in speed but if the company advertises 320fps it'll be around 285 with my arrows and that will work.

Another big thing to think about is the cams. When your about to draw on deer you must do it slow and smooth. The big aggressive hatchet cams can not be pulled back slow and easy. You'll spook deer when those cams make you move fast as they break over.
You honestly got to just try them to know though. I was liking an Elite bow unlit shot the nocam. The nocam was a bare bow and I was stacking arrows at 20 yards just by shooting instinctive.

I'm still shooting my Mathews Switchback XT from 2007 and have no desire to move to anything else, both because of the cost of a comparable new one and how great it has performed for me. It shoots my arrows at 264 fps with a big 125 grain fixed blade, plenty enough energy to take down a cow elk and nice mule deer buck at 50 yards last year.

Mathews No Cam here. After shooting 8-10 different bows at Cinnamon Creek, the No Cam stood out as the smoothest and most comfortable for the way I shoot.

Bowtech Carbon Knight

IMO, all new bows are high dollar.
I still shoot my (2001) Mathews SQ2. I also bought a used Mathews Switchback XT last year for a back up for $300!!!
So, you can get a high end bow for about the third of cost on a brand new one.
With that said, you should go shoot as many makes as possible and find the one that fits you. That's why I shoot a Mathews. It fit me so much more than the others.

I went to a 60LB PSE Revenge last year and I'm really enjoying it.

Mathews Chill R @ 70 lbs

I started out with a bear attitude from Cabela's years back.
It was a very good beginners bow and I had my fair share of kills.
I went to Cinnamon Creek archery and shot pse , Hoyt and a few others
The one that grabbed my attention by how well I shot it was the Mathews Chill R!
I actually shot it better than a no cam!
Quiet , Fast and deadly

Love it

mathews Halon 7, wife shoots halon 6, probably one of the better bows out there right now, wife is hitting 230+ with 50# limbs and 25.5 draw

Thanks for the input guys!

I just got into bow hunting. I went to one of the very reputable shops on this forum and shot the following bows:

Elite Impulse
Elite Option 6
Mathews Halon 32
Prime Cyntergy
PSE Evolve
Hoyt Pro Defiant
Obsession DefCon M6Z or the Hemmorhage DE I don't recall which.

I wanted to shoot the Bowtech Reign 6 also but the shop (even though they carry them and are big fans of Bowtech) did not recommend it until Bowtech improves their build quality. Apparently they have had some limbs breaking with more than the normal frequency. I respected their input and gladly steered away from them.

My thoughts - after shooting all 7 of the bows, the first one weeded out was the Hoyt. Had by far the worse vibration of all the bows. Was very loud and just didn't balance well. It truly was the one I just absolutely did not like. All of the rest were very similar when it came to balance, let off, back wall, vibration, sound, comfort etc. For reasons that I can't honestly recall about each one I narrowed it down to the Elite Impulse, Elite Option 6 and the Mathews Halon 32.

I went home with the Mathews. It was by far the most "dead in the hand" bow I shot. Zero vibration, super quiet. Granted that comes with a penalty as it is the heaviest of all of the bows. However, the way it shot and felt in the hand amongst other things led me to pick it.

If you are looking for a new bow, make a list and go to the shop and shoot them all. Everyone likes different things and they will all fit you differently, just like a pair of boots or a bicycle. Good luck

ATHENS are the best shooting bows in my opinion smooth,quiet,and fast.

I shoot an Elite, backed up by a Matthews.

Obsession (Phoenix) @ 70 lbs.

I shoot a Black Widow PSA. I have a nice Hoyt Carbon Spyder in the closet though.

Mathews Halon 6 here

guess the Sage kicked that traditional desire up a notch or two. PSA is a sweet bow

I took the Hoyt out back and shot it a few weeks ago. It's satisfying to be able to shoot tight groups at 35 and 40 yards. But something about no sight, no peep, just the bow and me looking the arrow to that one spot.

Know the feeling. More accurate with the compound but more fun shooting Traditional, could be why I have 3 recurves and one compound

I just gotta get real close. But then again that's why I love bow hunting.

I still shoot my Matthews Z7. I started off with lesser expensive bows but picked up a used Z7 5 years ago. It would take a whole lot to make me switch bows again. I still shoot aluminum shafts too, too old to change now.

Diamond Black Ice for the last 8 years solid

Just got a backup Carbon Knight Bowtech

love Bowtech products

Oh as far as reliable the outlaw may have gave them that name but iv dropped my blackice out of three differnt trees ran over it with a trailer and then a utv... friend dry fired it the first day i had it.. went 6 years on that cam and strings before changing.. and finally at year 8 it finally seen a case for its first time ever... it would be funnier if it wasnt true lol but that bow has seen the worst and never let me down

Mathews

I'm in the old school camp of what worked for me years ago and it's not broken, I stay with what filled my tags.
Like that old saying it's not the bow, it's the Indian.

Hoyt Defiant 60#DW 30"DL
HHA XL DS5519 sight
QAD rest
Fuse stab and quiver
CE Maxima RED 340 with 100g Muzzy Trocar and Lumenock nocks
Scott Shark release

my girls, age 16 and 11, both shoot Diamond Infinite Edge Pro (one is pink camo lol the other is mossy Oak)
One is set up at 40#DW and 27" DL for my oldest and #24DW and 27"DL for my youngest
Both using Easton Carbon Aftermath 340 with Muzzy 100g Trocar nockturnal green nocks
Scott Shark release
octane quiver and Fuse stab

we jones'n to get em in the woods!

Bowtech Assassin.

Xpedition Xcentric

Elite Answer. Forrest

Mathews Z7 Magnum

Elite

Mathews halon 6 black tactical!

Mathews Reezen. Kinda has a rep as crappy, but I'm crappy too so we're a match.

Last week I got a Halon 6 32"

Liking it a lot.

Still have the diamond iceman it replaced. It's a great bow as well

Mathews No Cam

Hoyt Nitrum 30

Mathews Z7x

I have no desire to change bows, I bought this one in 2011 and I absolutely love it.

Mathews Z7 and Barnett Ghost 360 Xbow

Diamond ice man.

I use a Mathews Chill as primary, Bowtech Assassin as backup. Last year shooting at 70lbs, dialed it back to 62 this year (so I can draw easily from sitting position).

Elite Energy 32, buy far the smoothest draw cycle and rock solid back wall, with no creep! Backed up by a Bowtech Allegiance

Mathews HeliM. Had a DXT before and sold it to a buddy. Wish I'd kept it. Loved that compact bow in popups.

And I buy used off arechery talk classifieds. The pro staff guys sell them for half price before they're a year old when they get a new model. I got my HeliM with extras for $600

Obsession turmoil @ 70lbs shooting 310 fps at 27.5 inch draw.

Halon 32 6. Great bow but can't get used to the grip tho, I just ordered a torqueless grip.

Since 1980:
Browning Cobra, Browning X-Cellerator, PSE Nova, PSE Baby G, PSE Mach Flight 4, PSE Intruder, Mathews Q2, Mathews Switchback, Mathews Reezen (Q2 and Switchback both for sale in classifieds right now). I'm sure I've forgotten a couple.

Went to new bow shop here in Corsicana a week ago. Picked up 6-8 Mathews and PSE bows, picked out a few to shoot. Asked guy not to tell me which one he was handing me as I shot them.

Walked out with a Mathews Chill R. It and the Halon 32 felt identical, I simply liked the grip on the Chill a little better.

It's definitely an upgrade from the Reezen. I love shooting it. Thanks TT85 - you cost me a few bucks.

Mathews Switchback

My first bow was PSE but this year I have switched to crossbow, Crosspoint Sniper 370

Shot a Mathews for prolly 10 years. Switched to an Elite last season, best move I ever made. Smoothest, most solid, forgiving bow I have ever shot. I shot almost every manufacturer available before choosing the Elite. There was just no comparison to me.

I recently got a pse evolve 31. It's awesome. It has a 90 percent let off. It was realitivley cheap

I shoot a Mission ballistic. I love this bow. I just do not think you have to spend 1k-2k on a bow to have a good hunting bow. my bow is plenty fast and quiet. I group just as good with it at all distances that I hunt, than my buddies with high end Bowtechs and Matthews. mine is rigged with a qad ultra rest hdx, Iq logic micro adjust sight, and a limbsaver s-coil stabilizer I bought at walmart. I have MAYBE $800 in my Bow. My son has the new Blackout s3 from BP, and loves it.

PSE 65 Pounds. Got it for $120 from a friend who got it from Craigslist.

Picked up the Bear Crux at the end of last year for $399 as they stopped making this model. It's a great shooting little bow and I have been impressed!

x2 on Mathews Switchback. I bought mine used and certainly don't regret it. I think there's one listed in the classifieds right now.... Just FYI.

Yep that's mine. Shocked it hasn't sold yet I priced the whole shebang cheap.

I have been using a PSE Rogue X since 2009. It is a decent bow. I got a great deal on it and have not even pondered the thought of getting a new one. I am still have 3 of the GT XT Hunter 75/95 arrows that I bought the same time as the bow. It slings them with a 100 Gr slick Trick Mag at 294 FPS. Not the fastest, but it has been very deadly combo.

Bear Lightsout.

Bowtech Insanity is my main squeeze, Diamond Liberty is my side action girl

New to archery so my equipment is too. Mathews Halon 32/6 for hunting, Mathews Halon X for target & 3D.

Did I mention I'm OCD about gear....

Xepidition Xcursion 7

Started with a Mathews Switchback XT.

Now shoot a Bowtech Invasion.

If I was to start over, I would have zero brand loyalty. I would shoot them all, and see which I liked best.

Bear Legion, been good to me so far

Still have the PSE Nitro from back in late 1990's.

Ravin R9, first bow of any kind.

Mathews Halon is less expensive than some of the other bows being thrown around in this thread. It's right on par with the majority of new bows in reality.

Pse drive

Interesting choice considering your screen name

I shoot a Mathews Q2 it is an old bow and you could get a used one cheap. This is the best bow ever and after 8 bucks, 7 coyotes, 4 turkeys and countless pigs I will never get a new bow.

Obsession K34 with an Elite Impulse 34 as backup. Or Elite Impulse 34 with the Obsession K34 as backup.

Yup. Just switched. Still got my bears as backups.

Getting my PSE Expedite next week. Haven't decided on sight yet

Athens Testament. Looks like I'm only the second Athens shooter. I don't know if I should feel special or outnumbered.

I shoot a 48# draw weight T/D Recurve bow that I built.
2 Samick Red Stag T/D Recurves in 52# and 44# draw weight.
Mathews LX 60# draw weight.

I traded in the Mathews LX to The Kittery Trading Post in Kittery Maine back in 2002 and I guess it never sold and sat in the back room. So I was looking on fleaBay last year to see how much a used Mathews LX goes for because I wanted to shoot a compound again. Well some guy from Vermont bought all the bows in the back room at the KTP and was selling them for $50.00 more to make some money. Well I found my exact bow that I owned that was up for sale on fleaBay lol. It had everything on it that I left on it and was definitely my old LX. I am a lefty with a short draw length so he couldn’t shoot it and it was hard to sell from what the guy told me. So he sold it back to me and even gave me a discount lol. It was the one thing in my life that I regretted ever getting rid of. I am stoked to finally have it back and over the weekend, I upgraded to a new sight and arrow rest for it. I have so many great hunting and 3D tournament memories with this bow. I want to get my first compound bow hog kill with it this winter and get it on video. I picked up the Axcel Armortech Vision .019 5-pin sight with a Spot Hogg sight light and the QAD Ultrarest HD drop away rest for it. I really like the upgrades and have been going to my archery club every day since last week with it. I was thinking about getting a Mission Ballistic 2.0 since it’s a shorter bow to hunt out of my blind, but I am just going to stick with shooting the Mathews LX and put the money towards a eNinja electric bike instead.

2017 Matthews Z3 - I shot a Hoyt for years. I switched to Matthews this year and I'm glad I did. It's a nice fast/flat bow for me.

I shoot a pse full throttle and pse decree ic. love em

Matthews DXT

I have a pse x force tree stand version. I like it a lot, can shoot in a small blind and limbs don't Hit the blind

Same with he DXT very short ATA. Got to be smooth with it to stay accurate though

I have a couple of really nice Mathews bows; Monster MR6 70# 29DL and a Z7 Magnum 70# 29DL. Both are fully equipped and loaded with new everything. Going to sell or trade one of them. Don't need 2 setups.

Custom takedown longbow. Cedar and ramen woood arrows as well as carbons if I want to hit my target with more consistency.
Used to shot compounds and always shot Hoyt.

I shoot a black Mathews heli m..

I shoot a 2015 Mathew’s NoCam HTR, 67lb & 28," which I bought in 2016, used, for $750 with a rest, limb savers, and stabilizer.
Before that I shot a Mission Menace.
I was going to get a Creed or Creed XS, but found this thing in near-perfect condition on archery talk and pulled the trigger.
You can get a year or two year old, top end Mathew's bow very discounted on archery talk.

If you want a new bow without that $999+ Mathew's price tag, get a Mission Ballistic.

Started with a bear whitetail hunter ii, then a high country, then pse, then bowtech. Finally in 2010 i shot a matthews dxt, loved it. Bought it and have been shooting it ever since with no plans or desire to upgrade. Compact and very smooth.

Mathews switch back , its a few years old but works just fine

Mathews switch back , its a few years old but works just fine

Mathews DXT. Compact and quiet. I don't have the same affliction when it comes to bows that I have with guns. One that works well is enough for me.

2017 Hoyt PowerMax, it’s been good to me.

good picture Bobcat 4119, would look better if it was a Mathews.

Mathews Halon 32 and Hoyt charger.
Have had Bear and PSE.

Obsession turmoil. I have shot bowtech, hoyt, elite, pse, and bear. This obsession has been my favorite

Oneida Lab Circa 1986

Browning compound “magnesium metal riser” Circa 1975

2017 Mathews Z3. It's perfect for me and as much as I shoot.

I just found my way into archery. Picket up a Mathews Halon 32 last Friday. So far it has been an absolute blast to shoot.

2007 Mathews Drenalin. I think this one will take me to the end of the trail. Big difference from the Bear Alaskan from 1977.

A year and a half ago, I bought a Diamond (by Bowtech) Edge SB-1. Kmon1 set it up for me at Cabela's in Allen. Very reasonable price, and is smoother and faster than my old Bear Vapor 3000. Thanks again Kevin!

Hoyt Carbon Element

HHA single pin sight

UAD rest

Try Fire release

Tonight I'm carrying a Tall Tines recurve. About 50lbs at my draw length And hoping some pigs find their way in front of me.

Hope to see pics later of a stuck pig or 3

I’m seeing a bunch of older bows still in use and getting the job done You mean to tell me that a person doesn’t have to have the newest, fastest, baddest, most expensive bow on the market to get out in the woods and hunt??? That’s not what the celebrity hunters and hunting industry has been telling me on TV, in magazines, and social media

2012 Mathews Heli-m 28” #67 (bought used off of a member), Axiom 5 pin, QAD drop away, green LED hog light for a stabilizer

Compound wise I preferred newer bows. Keep a bow too long and suddenly it is worth little compared to your initial investment. Trade every three years max and you can get something, or at least sell it, when you do upgrade.

Well some did but a 60" recurve is tough to shoot in a 60" pop up. I didn't cant enough and well . . .

is right

At least you got out there. And the bow shooting in the blind sometimes you just have to have a sense of humor.

Shooting in the blind is one of the reasons I like my Kodiak Magnums, less cant needed and just love the way those little bows shoot.

I've been snake bit on pigs since I went to trad bows. I've got to break the curse sooner or later.

Bowtech RPM 360, second bowtech I have owned and luv it!! Knock em down guys.

When I shot vertical bows it was a BEAR WHITETAIL set at 60#. Had to give up vertical shooting for several years r/t left thumb injury where I could not hold the bow at draw (pressure on webbing caused great deal of pain!). Two years ago Missouri (my State) legalized crossbow usage during archery season. This past Christmas wife and boys bought me a WICKED RIDGE G3 Warrior crossbow. So far only a turkey has fallen. Taking my crossbow with me next weekend when I come to Texas for some piggies. Hopefully will have the opportunity to SMACK a hog with it.

2009-2010 Left Hand Bowtech Destroyer 350 @ 72.5 lbs draw.

Mathews single cam

I guess I am the only Prime shooter, love it and no issues going on year 3

Great shooting bows and strings forever is cool as well

Matthews Drenilin……….

Im real close to getting the logic.

If I could put the entire shot cycle of a triage in a logic platform, I would buy two.

I like my xpedition but I was simple amazed on the steadiness of the logic

Halon 32

Howatt hunter