mauser06

guys....after this long hunting season im finally ready to take the arrow and start bowhunting.....i always wanted to....almost bought one....but bought a flintlock instead.....love flintlock hunting......but i have a MUCH better chance finding a buck in the fall then in the winter after rifle season when flintlock season is.....i see many many bucks in the fall while turkey and small game hunting and always kick myself when i have a bruiser come into easy bow range and im sittin there with a shotgun! come rifle season i rarely see antlers.....and im passed the stage in life that just shooting any deer is as exciting as it used to be..sure taking a doe with the rifle is still exciting and im putting that delicious venision in the freezer......but having 8 does and only 2 small bucks to my name in 7 seasons, im ready to start more serious hunting...im in college, butwhen school lets out for summer, i may have money left to buy a bow as early as may....or will work and buy one by june sometime if i can....if not...well it will have to wait....i dont know what makes a good bow though....i know a bigger brace height the easier to shoot.....and would like something 36 or under axel to axel just for something easy to carry and manuver ect.....other then that i dont know...im looking to spend maybe 400-500 or so on everything....500 or so with a target seems realistic....i figured buying a bare bow and adding good sights and rest ect will be better then a package correct?? i figure a good BARE bow price for me will be about 250ish or so? maybe 300? anyone want to recomend some bows in the price range that will shoot and serve me well?? i know bowhunting takes practice and time......i have that....and a backyard to shoot in every day in the summer...just want to start looking at bows....then maybe visit a few shops and shoot some of the ones i like from reading about....then pick accessories ect...then when i got the cash buy it all......ill probably order alot of it from ebay or where i can get a deal to save cash and get better stuff as cheap as possible....just need to know good bows in my price range ect........thanx guys

TerryM

If you order from ebay you can definitely do it with your budget. Also Cabelas, Basspro, Huntersfriend.com have great entry level packages. Look at combos like the Reflex line, Diamond, Bowtech tomcat. Use a starter setup for a while and then upgrade if you want ( you will get hooked ). Hey you might not like bowhunting but I doubt that.

Dubbya

I would recommend get high quality accessories, as they can make even a mediocre bow seem great. The opposite is also true, bad accessories can make a great bow mediocre. I suggest doing lots of research, on components as well as shooting several bows before you buy. Good luck

mauser06

thats what i figured dwd2001....i figured the stuff that comes on a package bow isnt all that good and if i spend extra money on that i will have a better shooting bow...terry....im pretty sure i will love bow hunting...i love being in the woods period....and love to sit be close to game....and work hard for it.....i know bow hunting is a game of distance and more challenging then thumping one at 150yds with a 3006.....thats part of what im looking for...so what are some of the better bows that are 250-350 or so??? or even who manufacturs the better bows...i know mathews hoyt and bowtech are like the..top 3.....but dont know that they make entry level bows..i gota look into them.....reflex ismade by hoyt right?? they should be good bows right? what about PSE, jennings, browning, ect?? whats worth looking at?? believe it or not im here on this forum reading ALOT.....so i kinda know what accessories im leaning towards already...ill spend the money to get a good rest and sights ect...just dont know what bows are good for my money...thanx guys

Matt/TN

reflex excursion is best bow for money and the browning f5 tornado is an excellent bow too

BigJ71

Welcome to bow hunting!

You can spend as much as you like or as little as you like but in the end it's the person pulling back the bow that does the job, not the bow.

I have shot Brownings all my life, I currently have two bows that are set and ready to hunt at any given moment. One is a Browning Bloodbrother and the other a Rage One.They both shoot just fine. I actually like the cheaper (when new) Rage One better. It kills just fineand it's one of Browning's least expensive models.

The new expensive bows are fast and have all of the bells and whistles you can think of, but I think I will stick to my "entry level" bow.

It's not the money...I can buy ANY bow I want at any time I want one, or a hundred for that matter. My opinion is all that extra money is for speed and speed alone. My bow is as accurate as any other hunting setup out there. It's accurate enough that I have to aim at different spots on my target or I will damage fletching and nocksso that's not what the extra money is for. I have also never had a deer "jump" my string so it must be quiet enough, so that's not what the extra money is for.I have never had any of my "entry level" brownings break or fail in the field so the extra money isn't for reliability either. I'm not saying a cheaper bow won't break, it will but I can tell you that the more expensive ones do to, so that's not what your paying for.That leaves us with speed plain and simple. Well there is also the "look what I shoot" factor but I will leavethat for another post.

If it'sa super duper fast bow you like thenspend your last dollar on one but if you want to hunt and have fun in the field ANY of the lower priced bows will perform JUST as well as any other hunting bow out there period. Just make sure whatever bow you buy fits you good and youfeel comfortable shooting it, don't worry about the price and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Now before anyone jumps out of their Bowtech embroidered shorts, I am talking about hunting bows in hunting situations.

BigJ71

Great advice there!

mauser06

thanx guys.....after reading it all..looking at a few.....and knowing that mathews, hoyt, and bowtech are "top of the line" and bowtechs tomkat was recomended by someone, and i looked at it online a few places, read about it and seen the price and features, and it shoots nearly as quick as the other bowtechs, i like it for what i know so far and have a dealer right out the road! the dealer also deals many many other brands...im the kinda guy that likes to have a reliable known name..dont ask why...but ALOT of guys love bowtechs hoyts and mathews, and bowtech has an entry level bow...sounds good to me....but i WILL shoot a few before i buy.....price and names mean nothing when i dont like the way something feels....i wont buy something just because someone said its good..or it has a good name on it...that means nothing when it comes to the way i myself like it....so dont think im just jumping on the band wagon or anything...ive always likes the looks of browning bows...i heard alot of good about PSEs reflexs ect before now and they are still in business..must be doing something right...so my minds not made up...just looking on here and seeing whats out there...told dad im looking to buy a bow after this symester and he said yep.....i think im bowhunting again next season too....dad used to be a hardcore bowhunter....i had guys that didnt even know me tell me about my dad and what an awesome bowhunter he was...i used to shoot with him daily....this summer should be awesome if we both get into it.....he has an older bow in the garage he had laying around for years...big old bow..he will probably stick with what he knows...put new cheaper stuff on it and shoot fingers and alumanum arrows just because thats what he knows...but ill put a bet on it that he kills a deer before me!! lol..cant wait!

rybohunter

Go to shops and shoot bows in your price range. Getting fitted to determine your draw length is important. Competition among bow makers these days is high, so even low end "starter" bows will serve you well. PSE, Martin, Reflex, Parker are some good bows. Don't be too leery of package deals, some of them can be very good. When starting out I recomend keeping things as simple as you can. Good luck.

saltflat

Reflex Reflex Reflex these are good bows and you cant go wrong for the money.