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Thinking about archery...

SFC B

SFC B

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Joined
Mar 2, 2013
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Location
Colorado Springs
Ok guys, I am at a point where I can visualize my full retirement in a couple of years and am thinking about ways to maximize my hunting opportunities. I have never truly used a bow but with the available seasons I am gonna start looking into it. Due to some shoulder injuries I am not sure how well I will be able to hold at draw but will have to try to see. If that doesn't work I will have to put in for the crossbow exemption here in CO. Any suggestions on what to look at for an ENTRY level bow? I just scanned a bit at Bass Pro the other day and was a bit overwhelmed at the range of bows.
 
Today's bow technology is amazing. You can get a 50 pound draw bow with 80% let off and still kill an elk. You don't have to break the bank on a set up. I got my wife a PSE Stinger X and she loves it. I bought one too as a backup bow and having shot a bow for 33 years, and shooting several top of the line bows, I actually like it. I got the RTS pro package all set up to hunt for about $450. Get yourself a bow with a wide range of draw weights so you can start at like 30 pounds and work up to your hunting draw weight. Don't be obsessed with heavy poundage, especially with shoulder issues. There's women on TV that kill elk and moose with draw weights from 45 to 55. Hell, elk get killed every year with 45 pound recurves. Each of the major manufacturers sell a wide range of draw weight and poundage bows. MIssion, Hoyt, PSE, Bear, Diamond, to name a few. Get to shops and shoot each of them and find the one you like the best. They are really easy to adjust for draw length and weight, so the shop shouldn't have an issue setting you up with one to try. At a lower draw weight, with a good cut on contact head, and a high letoff, you can no doubt kill anything in Colorado. Another plus to archery is the extended seasons for elk and antelope :cool:
 
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My BIL has an Elite that has a very high let off. Once you get it back you can hold it very easily.

One thing that I'd advise is to get a previous year-model bow. Most companies come out with a new model or sub-model every year. The last bow I bought, I paid $900 and it was selling elsewhere for $1k plus. The next year they were selling for $600 new. Lesson learned.
 
I've got an Elite Pure 60# bow that is an absolute joy to shoot. Not the fastest but it's smooth, easy to draw and very little recoil. You can find them on AT or eBay from time to time. Think I gave $300 for mine with a second set of 50# limbs. I shoot my Answer and E35s more but I do love the Pure.
 
I would skip the Bass Pro and go to a reputable archery shop. Explain to them what you are hoping to accomplish and try a few different bows. Start low in poundage and see how your shoulder feels. You might be surprised to find that it's not necessarily the holding weight that bothers your shoulders but how the cam draws, turns over and dumps into the valley/back wall. There are a lot of"entry level" bows on the market now that are packed with features. Check out the Mission, Hoyts and PSE packeages that are available to get you started in the right direction
 
So, as some of you may have seen in my other post, I was lucky enough to have volunteered at an outing for disabled vets and their families this last weekend (it was with an organization that had taken me goose hunting so it was even better to give back a little). It was at Colorado Youth Outdoors, a wonderful non-profit with a bunch of stocked fishing lakes and as pretty sweet 3D archery range. Had a great time helping kids and families with fishing and actually got to shoot my first compound bow. It was a 35lb target bow but I was able to stick the 3D pig pretty easily in the kill zone from 20 yds. That was encouraging. Yesterday I went to Bass Pro to buy some stove fuel, scent wafers and my OTC Bull tag and decided to see what it felt like to pull and hold a big boy rig. 60lbs with the let off felt pretty dang good :) I am now more encouraged and think I my have yet another "hunting thing" as the wife says :)
 
Don't do it! You'll be addicted! In all seriousness I'd do as others have said and skip bass Pro and go to a good archery shop. They'll make sure whatever bow you get is tuned and setup correct. I've seen bows walk out of a box store and take hours to get right at a bow shop after what the box store did to it. My sister has an Elite and she really loves the let off that they have and they are super smooth to shoot. Most guys on TV shoot 60 lb bows and they kill all day long.
 
I will definitely buy from a bow shop. This seems to be one of those things you really need some expertise to make yours.
 
You're in the Springs, go over to Bill Pellegrino's Archery Hut! Great shop. Also, don't feel the need to pull a whole bunch of poundage if you have shoulder issues. You can kill a lot of animals with a sub-60# draw weight...
 
When I was overseas I saved my pennies and was able to buy the bow I wanted and set it up how I wanted so I shopped around. I'm not a brand snob nor do I care about the name, I just wanted a bow that met every single one of my "needs." A good dwell zone was a need over a want of high let off. I shot a lot of different bows and it came down to the Elite 32 and the Mathews Creed XS. The Creed won out due to zero vibration after the shot but man, I still question myself because of the dwell zone and warranty Elite had. You can't go wrong with Elite. I'm very happy with the Creed, not a fast bow, but damn the thing will flat out drive tacks and I can walk at full draw without the cams jumping. Moral of the story is don't buy anything without shooting it first, make a list of needs and don't settle for anything unless it checks them all. Just fyi, if you do get the crossbow exempt in CO and were to buy one, you could hunt with it in Wyo as well without any exemption.
 
If you have a buddy that is knowledgable that would be one of the first places to start. He will help you, with his own biases of course, find a good deal. At the end of the season I would be checking FB and CL for a used setup. They will be cheapest first of the year. A couple of thoughts on things to look for:

1. full capture rest: most likely a whisker biscuit for the entry level, drop aways are nice if you can afford it, but not necessary.
2. a decent sight: you can go fixed pin or slider. if my first bow I would say fixed pin, with maybe 3 in it.
3. try out different releases in the store. If you tend to punch the trigger, maybe skip those and go to a back tension model.
4. More than gear, get out and practice, join a leauge, get lessons. best to lay a foundation now that is good then to fix problems in the future.
 
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