Outdoor Guy

i've never tried bow hunting before.........about how much $$$ will it take to acquire the basic essentials???.........how much time should i expect to spend practicing???........and any other advice for a newbie.........

gibblet

you could spend anywhere from $300 to well over $1000 on a complete setup. you could go new or used. then you'll have to figure in clothing if you don't have any - camo, maybe a treestand, a few tools if you don't want to go to the shop for every little thing. then you'll need to either build or buy a target and spend every other day practicing, for 30-45 minutes until you are 'good' - and then you can drop down a little if you want to. and when your pulling strength increases you can practice and fiddle for hours if you want. its really fun to practice and if you have an aquaintance that bowhunts that could help you with your decisions it would help. plus there are really some experts here that can help you with your decision making process on equipment and such. good luck and welcome. be careful, you could end up as addicted to it as most everyone here.

Outdoor Guy

i've been a long time hunter........have tree stand, camo, etc........planning to try my hand at bow hunting......have a local group of avid bow hunters that will give me some pointers.......can a newbie appreciate the difference in a $300.00 bow compared to a $600.00 bow?..........coming from the rifle and handgun side of hunting, i know there is no subsituting for quality, but what's the most noticable difference from the low-end to the high-end on bows, if any at all?........

nubo

Outdoor guy! You can pick up a bow for about a $200.00 if you buy a used bow ,this will give you a chance to decide whether bowhunting is for you or not . There's no sense in spending a lot of money until you know that your going to enjoy bowhunting.Ebay is a good place to search for a bow ,there are lot's of bow's that are already rigged up ,But I would go to a pro shop and get yourself measured up and decide on what wieght you want to be pulling .
Now that you've found this site you can alway's come and ask the question's about what you find on whether this bow might suit you or not .
The folk's on this site will tell you about what you need to look out for on a particular piece of equipment such as bracelength ,axle to axle length,draw wieght, draw length . these are some thing's that you'll need to know before you buy it .Good luck with finding a bow and don't forget to ask us for help when you need it .
Buying a bow for $300.00 apposed to $600.00 ?There can be a big difference in the qualitybut both will do the job .The high end gear will have smoother draw and less noise and vibration's ,some of this you can eliminate with anti vibration devices .I started out with a cheap bow that I thought was really great and I really liked till I bought my new bow .You might not notice the difference in the 2 bow's but after time when you learn more about your equipment you'll know what to look for . I would start out cheap and if I enjoyed it then in a couple of season's I would upgrade. Youcan get some great deal's on high end gear as I said off of ebay or hunters friend that you might not need to upgrade for a few season's.



nubo

idahoelkinstructor

Outdoor Guy if I were you I would start off by going to a local pro shop and let them help you find a bow that fits you. A quality pro shop will let you shoot several models. It will not take long to figure out what feels good or not to you. I myself don't like buying bows on E-bay, though they do have good deals. By just looking at a picture a person can't draw or shoot the bow the bow, or inspect it for safety. Most new bows look good in adds, but you don't know if you realy like them, until you draw and shoot them. You can get a very good new bow in the $300 range. Of course you might after shooting a bunch, like a bow that's in the $600 range. There nothing wrong with starting of with, the top of the line equipment.

Outdoor Guy

spoke to a friend today.......looks like i'll be able to borrow his "old" bow for this year.......make sure i like it.......and learn more about it, before i make a big investment.......thanks for all the suggestions.......i'll be back regularly to pick up more pointers/advice........

b2simple

Welcome Outdoor Guy,

There is a lot of information here to learn and the members here are more then willing to share what they know. Last year was my first year bow hunting and I LOVED IT, I hope you do to!!! Good Luck!

Clint.

That is a great way to get into bowhunting.
In a year you can know if it is for you. A friend of mine went out and bought himself a nice bow and tried his hand at hunting with it. I don't think he ever killed a deer with it.
For one thing, he didn't practice like he should...and we owe it to our game animals to practice.....so he constantly wounded deer that he never retrieved.
For another thing, the guy is the sort who develops "buck fever" whenever he sees a deer. He goes bonkers and hasn't learned to control those feelings.
To make a long story short, he finally gave up in frustration. It was good for him, good for the deer, and good for the guy who got a deal on his used bow. I wish you the best as you begin bowhunting. I believe it is the best kind of hunting going.....but I still like rifle season too!

Clint

Ate-Up

Welcome! Your in for a wild ride. Bow hunting is a different world.Once you get your first kill with a bow you will be hooked. Just make sure you shoot a bunch of different bows before making your first purchase or you will have more bows then toes and fingers. It's nice to have buddies that can steer you in the rite direction.