Considering my first bow

***Klutch*** · March 5th, 2015, 02:21 PM

Hey guys, I'm looking to get into bowhunting for deer. I've never done this before and want a bow not a cross bow. I want something good enough to get me started and then after a year or two upgrade. I don't want the cheapest thing out there but I want something that is reasonable in both price and quality. I'm not against buying something used but I don't know what size I am, length of pull, arrow length/weight, so any and all advise is NEEDED and appreciated. Basically school me on archery as I know nothing about it.

**God's Country** · March 5th, 2015, 02:37 PM

Parker makes good quality bows in different price ranges. Plenty to kill a deer.
However your best course of action is to locate a good bow shop in your area, and have them hook you up. They will fit and tune the bow to you, answer all your questions, get you hitting paper, and whatever comes next. A good shop won't push you into a $1k+ bow unless that is what you need. Make sure they understand your intentions and you will make a good purchase. It will cost a bit more, but anything you buy used is going to need to go to a good shop to get everything fitted anyway. Any decent shop won't charge you for anything on a new purchase. IMO the used market is for more experienced bow owners that really know what they want. No different than guns.

**Yoder** · March 5th, 2015, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by God's Country

Parker makes good quality bows in different price ranges. Plenty to kill a deer.
However your best course of action is to locate a good bow shop in your area, and have them hook you up. They will fit and tune the bow to you, answer all your questions, get you hitting paper, and whatever comes next. A good shop won't push you into a $1k+ bow unless that is what you need. Make sure they understand your intentions and you will make a good purchase. It will cost a bit more, but anything you buy used is going to need to go to a good shop to get everything fitted anyway. Any decent shop won't charge you for anything on a new purchase. IMO the used market is for more experienced bow owners that really know what they want. No different than guns.

It's like you read my mind. I have had the same Parker bow for about 13 years now. Great warranty, never needed it. I put my first new string on last year. For being new to archery I would ask around for a good bow shop. They will get you measured and get the bow tuned. You can figure it out yourself with youtube and reading online but it would be easier to just go to a shop. Once you know what you are looking for and have some experience Archery Talk is a great website to pick up used equipment. They have a classified section just like here with tons of bow and related equipment.

Bow hunting is awesome. Nothing in the world like it.

**Lycanthrope** · March 5th, 2015, 03:32 PM

Go to a bow shop and see what fits you.....then look for used. There are DIRT CHEAP bows out there that have only seen one season when someone lost interest.

I bought a two year old Hoyt for under half of retail a few years back.

Lycanlot'sofoptionsthrope

**MT1** · March 5th, 2015, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by Lycanthrope

Go to a bow shop and see what fits you.....then look for used. There are DIRT CHEAP bows out there that have only seen one season when someone lost interest.

I bought a two year old Hoyt for under half of retail a few years back.

Lycanlot'sofoptionsthrope

This is a good suggestion. New bow costs are crazy. A good quality bow (good, not even high end) can easily cost you $500 and thats before arrows, sights, equipment, etc.

Resale on bows is moderate at best. Go to a local archery store and see what they recommend. Once you have a model(s) in mind look at Craigslist, auctions, etc.

Bow hunting is a time consuming sport. You'll likely have a few hundred hours of practice invested before you will be proficient enough to stick a deer. Find a current bow hunter to work with and you'll avoid developing bad habits that will lead to wounding an animal and not finding it.

***Klutch*** · March 5th, 2015, 06:48 PM

Guys thanks for the advise thus far. Do you guys know a good shop around me? I'm near Ephrata/Denver

**akley88** · March 5th, 2015, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by *Klutch*

Guys thanks for the advise thus far. Do you guys know a good shop around me? I'm near Ephrata/Denver

lancaster archery supply is where everyone i know goes

**aubie515** · March 5th, 2015, 08:24 PM

Kinsey's has a large archery department and indoor range. I haven't been the Lancaster Archery Supply, but they do a lot of archery business as well.

My archery shop is a place in Kutztown. Guy has some great prices.

I'm no bow expert, but I have an Elite bow that I was thinking about selling to get a crossbow. I'm going to crossbow because my 6 year old daughter wanted to go hunting with me and a crossbow is much better for kids.

**mosseater** · March 6th, 2015, 02:13 AM

Just don't get wrapped up in the supposedly "time tested" mis-information that cirulates amongst some bow hunters. When looking for my latest bow, now almost 10 years old, I wanted new but cheap(er) and shopped the rack at Kinsey's for clearance goodies. I almost walked out because a "salesman" told me I can't shoot fingers with a bow that short. He had a meeting to attend and turned me over to Mike Myers who without question, hooked me up with the bow I looked at on the rack. I highly recommend Mike. Really good guy, IMO.

"meh, let's give it a try. You want to shoot it, I'll put a rest and a sight on it and you can try it."

Long story short, because of Mike, they sold a bow that day, and I've been killing deer with it ever since. I wanted to keep it simple. I have always shot fingers and probably always will. To me, that's the essence of the sport. I wanted a short bow (35") cause I like to get into the the brush. I shoot a flipper rest and a sturdy, micro-pin fiber optic sight, and a large dia peep (no rubber band) for low light. The bow is a single cam Jennings with 70% letoff and I shoot with a glove, not a tab. I started out shooting feather fletching, but when a good sale came up on Carbon Express Terminators with vanes, I jumped on it...and saw no difference at all, except it was quieter (at 256 fps, a deer WILL hear the whistle of feathers before the arrow get there. Not so with vanes). I shoot a heavy arrow with a one-piece, welded three blade broadhead. I've used the same broadhead to kill at least two deer. The whole setup is virtually bullet proof. And it breaks most of the "rules" of what one should do.

Get what feels right for you at a price you can live with. Don't be swayed by the people who know it all. Keep the good and discard the bull. You'll figure out what YOU like as you go. Time behind the string is what yields results moreso than dollars on the counter.

**jerkin** · March 6th, 2015, 08:49 AM

Couple things to make your life easier. First, for a beginner I wouldn't even think about buying used unless it was through a shop that would set it up. There's just too much you don't know. Most bows require a new module to adjust the draw length more than 1/2" either way and those can run you $50 if you can find one for that bow. If it needs new strings there goes $50-100. Things like that can kill a good deal on a used bow.

Find a reputable shop and buy from them. I'd get on Archerytalk and look around to see who people like from your area. I've seen Lancaster Archery mentioned, I know they have great prices online but that doesn't do you any good if they have some 18 year old kid that doesn't know shit set up your bow. Do some research. You want to start a relationship with these guys because you're going to need them. After a few hundred shots your string will probably stretch a bit and may need twisted to get the draw length right again, it could also throw it slightly out of time. Most guys replace their strings every couple years, this requires breaking down the bow, re-serving the strings, tying a new peep, new string loop, etc. It's not something you do yourself.

Though it doesn't sound like mosseater had a good experience, listen to what the shop guys are telling you. If you found a reputable shop they have set up hundreds if not thousands of bows and know what they are talking about. You probably don't want to spend a bunch of money on a rest, sights, etc. yet because you don't know what is going to work for you and you can upgrade down the road.

You say you want to upgrade in a year or two so I assume you will want to sell this bow to help fund your next one. Take a look at the classifieds on archerytalk, you'll see that bows from the big players like Hoyt, Mathews, PSE, etc. and some select smaller mfg's like Elite Archery sell quick and command a premium. You will have a much harder time selling a bow from a second tier mfg. like Bear, Alpine, Parker, etc. If I were looking at new bows right now I'd start by looking at the PSE line. They've been making excellent bows for the last several years and are cheaper than Hoyt and Mathews.