New to bow hunting - used or new?
kett...@yahoo.com
bow. I'm set on getting a compound, but I don't know if I should go
through the effort of trying to find a decent used bow or just bite
the bullet and buy a new set-up.
I've done a fair amount of looking (both on-line and at the local
archery shop) and it seems like I can get a decent used bow with all
of the accessories for ~$300-400 or I can get a decent new bow with
all the accessories for ~$700.
I'm just curious if anyone has any good advice.
Thanks
Elkaholic
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
news:5a9a10a5-7e04-45da...@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
My suggestion would be to go to your local archery pro shop if you're new to
archery. If they have used setups, take a look at them. Shoot as many
different bows as you can, until you find one that just feels right, you'll
know which one when you shoot it. A good pro shop should be able to help
you greatly with measuring you for proper draw length, draw weight, set you
up with the proper arrows (both length and spine), help you with basic
sight-in and give you some basic instruction in shooting.
Many guys just have to have the latest and greatest, trading in their "old"
bows that have absolutely nothing wrong with them, and if you can benefit
from their silliness, go for it!
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com
Josh Grant
fish...@charter.net> wrote:
> <kettne...@YAHOO.COM> wrote in message
>
> news:5a9a10a5-7e04-45da...@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
> archery. If they have used setups, take a look at them. Shoot as many
> different bows as you can, until you find one that just feels right, you'll
> know which one when you shoot it. A good pro shop should be able to help
> you greatly with measuring you for proper draw length, draw weight, set you
> up with the proper arrows (both length and spine), help you with basic
> sight-in and give you some basic instruction in shooting.
>
> Many guys just have to have the latest and greatest, trading in their "old"
> bows that have absolutely nothing wrong with them, and if you can benefit
> from their silliness, go for it!
> --
> G & S Guide Service and Custom Rodshttp://www.herefishyfishy.com
I agree with Steve 110 % Do you know other bow hunters at work or who
are your hunting buddies allready? I would ask them what Pro-Shop in
your area knows their stuff!! Go in and let a pro set up your rig
even if you buy used it will take some tweaking by a pro to get it
right. Archery is an addiction you are now warned :)
Josh
Chris Barnes
> I'm going bow hunting this fall for the first time and I need to buy a
> bow. I'm set on getting a compound, but I don't know if I should go
> through the effort of trying to find a decent used bow or just bite
> the bullet and buy a new set-up.
>
> I've done a fair amount of looking (both on-line and at the local
> archery shop) and it seems like I can get a decent used bow with all
> of the accessories for ~$300-400 or I can get a decent new bow with
> all the accessories for ~$700.
You don't live in Texas do you? I've got an old bow that someone was
willing to buy, but I never did get around to taking pictures or
figuring out how to ship it.
It needs new strings, but other than that, should be in great shape.
It's a "Pearson" and cost me about $300 new (15+/- years ago). It's a
60% let-off compound. I kept the draw weight on the lower side (55lbs).
Selling it because I had shoulder surgery which got me to quit practicing.
Make offer ($175 for everything?)
--
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Chris Barnes AOL IM: CNBarnes
ch...@txbarnes.com Yahoo IM: chrisnbarnes
"Usenet really is all about standing around and hitting the ground
with clubs, on a spot where many years earlier a dead horse lay."
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
> I agree with Steve 110 % Do you know other bow hunters at work or who
> are your hunting buddies allready? I would ask them what Pro-Shop in
> your area knows their stuff!! Go in and let a pro set up your rig
> even if you buy used it will take some tweaking by a pro to get it
> right. Archery is an addiction you are now warned :)
>
> Josh
Josh, did you get my email to you yesterday or this morning?
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
Jim and Phyllis
Not as challenging, but twice the effective range. Deadly accurate!
Better than rifle.
Jim
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
news:e1d730dd-f05c-4516...@m71g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>I too had shoulder damage. That moved me from a bow to a crossbow.
> Not as challenging, but twice the effective range. Deadly accurate!
> Better than rifle.
Twice the effective range? What kind of crossbow are you shooting?
I have two friends that now shoot crossbows (Horton and Ten Point) and
they're constantly complaining that they can't shoot as far, nor get as much
penetration with the lighter crossbow bolts than they could with their
compound bows. I've been shooting out to sixty yards with good results
using my Forge Woodsman compound bow, but I'll try to limit my shots to
forty yards.
rjma...@yahoo.com
>
> I agree with Steve 110 % Do you know other bow hunters at work or who
> are your hunting buddies allready? I would ask them what Pro-Shop in
> your area knows their stuff!! Go in and let a pro set up your rig
> even if you buy used it will take some tweaking by a pro to get it
> right. Archery is an addiction you are now warned :)
>
>
I'll throw my 2 cents in also.
Once you get your equipment, get some lessons and then practice,
practice, practice.
Randy
Frank
Others recommendations are good. My first bow was a used recurve from a
pro shop. It's now a wall hanger and I've been through several
compounds now hunting with a crossbow because of arthritis.
Keep in mind that bows, unlike guns, are still going through radical
upgrades in materials and designs. They also wear out a lot faster and
need more maintenance. Also, for hunting, I believe simpler is better.
Something that works well at the archery range may totally fail you when
you are up in a tree stand.
Frank
> kett...@YAHOO.COM wrote:
>> I'm going bow hunting this fall for the first time and I need to buy a
>> bow. I'm set on getting a compound, but I don't know if I should go
>> through the effort of trying to find a decent used bow or just bite
>> the bullet and buy a new set-up.
>>
>> I've done a fair amount of looking (both on-line and at the local
>> archery shop) and it seems like I can get a decent used bow with all
>> of the accessories for ~$300-400 or I can get a decent new bow with
>> all the accessories for ~$700.
>
>
> You don't live in Texas do you? I've got an old bow that someone was
> willing to buy, but I never did get around to taking pictures or
> figuring out how to ship it.
>
> It needs new strings, but other than that, should be in great shape.
> It's a "Pearson" and cost me about $300 new (15+/- years ago). It's a
> 60% let-off compound. I kept the draw weight on the lower side (55lbs).
>
>
> Selling it because I had shoulder surgery which got me to quit practicing.
>
>
> Make offer ($175 for everything?)
>
>
but they got 5% of sale. Interesting in the guy that bought both at my
listed price was not a hunter or a shooter but was an arborist that
needed to replace his stolen bow which was used for getting cables up trees.
Chris Barnes
I would ESPECIALLY be willing to trade my old Pearson bow for a crossbow!
:-)
Chris Barnes
> Twice the effective range? What kind of crossbow are you shooting?
>
> I have two friends that now shoot crossbows (Horton and Ten Point) and
> they're constantly complaining that they can't shoot as far, nor get as much
> penetration with the lighter crossbow bolts than they could with their
> compound bows. I've been shooting out to sixty yards with good results
> using my Forge Woodsman compound bow, but I'll try to limit my shots to
> forty yards.
Steve is right here. The effective range of a crossbow is almost always
less than that of a typical compound. The reason for this is that
despite crossbows having a higher velocity, the mass of a bolt is far
less than the mass of an arrow.
It is the same effect that waterfowlers have when shooting steel shot
instead of lead. Steel shot has a higher initial velocity, but due to
the reduced mass, the velocity is lost at a much quicker rate. This
reduces the effective range.
Jim was correct about the increased accuracy. They are childly simple
to shoot. As evidenced by my daughter (11 years old) getting a "robin
hood" the FIRST time she ever shot one (it took me 2 years of shooting
my compound daily to get my "robin hood").
Frank
> "Jim and Phyllis" <jimandp...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e1d730dd-f05c-4516...@m71g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>> I too had shoulder damage. That moved me from a bow to a crossbow.
>> Not as challenging, but twice the effective range. Deadly accurate!
>> Better than rifle.
>
> Twice the effective range? What kind of crossbow are you shooting?
>
> I have two friends that now shoot crossbows (Horton and Ten Point) and
> they're constantly complaining that they can't shoot as far, nor get as
> much penetration with the lighter crossbow bolts than they could with
> their compound bows. I've been shooting out to sixty yards with good
> results using my Forge Woodsman compound bow, but I'll try to limit my
> shots to forty yards.
He's wrong. A crossbow is still a bow and even at 300 fps an arrow will
drop 16 feet in 100 yards. Lot of modern compounds with light arrows
shoot as fast as or even faster than some crossbows. I tend to agree
with your penetration statement. I believe Horton says to limit shots to
no more than 40 yards.
Josh Grant
fish...@charter.net> wrote:
> "Jim and Phyllis" <jimandphylli...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:e1d730dd-f05c-4516...@m71g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
> >I too had shoulder damage. That moved me from a bow to a crossbow.
> > Not as challenging, but twice the effective range. Deadly accurate!
> > Better than rifle.
>
> Twice the effective range? What kind of crossbow are you shooting?
>
> I have two friends that now shoot crossbows (Horton and Ten Point) and
> they're constantly complaining that they can't shoot as far, nor get as much
> penetration with the lighter crossbow bolts than they could with their
> compound bows. I've been shooting out to sixty yards with good results
> using my Forge Woodsman compound bow, but I'll try to limit my shots to
> forty yards.
> Steve @ OutdoorFrontiershttp://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
> G & S Guide Service and Custom Rodshttp://www.herefishyfishy.com
I just thought of something, If you are not very proficient with a
compound and can only effectively shoot 15 yards and you pick up a
crossbow and now can shoot a good group at 30 yards that is "twice the
effective range" There are a lot of guys I see at 3D shoots that are
not even proficient at 15 yards, so I don't think this is a far flung
idea.
Josh
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
> I just thought of something, If you are not very proficient with a
> compound and can only effectively shoot 15 yards and you pick up a
> crossbow and now can shoot a good group at 30 yards that is "twice the
> effective range" There are a lot of guys I see at 3D shoots that are
> not even proficient at 15 yards, so I don't think this is a far flung
> idea.
>
> Josh
That's true to an extent I suppose. However, if there are people shooting
at 3D events that cannot hit where they're aiming at 15 yards, with a
decently set up, modern compound bow, they probably shouldn't be allowed any
projectile firing object!
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
Frank
> "Josh Grant" <jg19...@GMAIL.COM> wrote in message <SNIP>
>
>> I just thought of something, If you are not very proficient with a
>> compound and can only effectively shoot 15 yards and you pick up a
>> crossbow and now can shoot a good group at 30 yards that is "twice the
>> effective range" There are a lot of guys I see at 3D shoots that are
>> not even proficient at 15 yards, so I don't think this is a far flung
>> idea.
>>
>> Josh
>
> That's true to an extent I suppose. However, if there are people
> shooting at 3D events that cannot hit where they're aiming at 15 yards,
> with a decently set up, modern compound bow, they probably shouldn't be
> allowed any projectile firing object!
Federal park here used to require weapons qualification to hunt. You
had to requalify every three years and with bow, I believe criteria was
3 out of 5 arrows with broadheads in the kill area at 25 yards. My son
at age 15 was so happy to qualify with his first three shots when a lot
of older guys were failing. Took him hunting and he missed his first
and only shot.
I know a lot of good hunters that do well hunting but are not great on
targets. They know their capabilities and understand deer habits and get
their shots.
Then there are the guys that see the trophy of a lifetime and take 60
yard shots knowing their chances are slim.
Such is hunting.
Frank
Chris Barnes
> I just thought of something, If you are not very proficient with a
> compound and can only effectively shoot 15 yards and you pick up a
> crossbow and now can shoot a good group at 30 yards that is "twice the
> effective range" There are a lot of guys I see at 3D shoots that are
> not even proficient at 15 yards, so I don't think this is a far flung
> idea.
When most people talk about "effective range", they are talking about
the effective range *of the weapon* - not the ability of the shooter.
Of course in a real hunting situation, both are critical. And the real
limit is the lessor of either the weapon or the shooter.
But for purposes of this discussion, the real question being presented
was the limit of just the weapon. For that discussion, a crossbow and a
compound have almost identical numbers (somewhere in the 40 +/- yard
range). For a compound bow, ranges beyond that tend to get limited by
the shooter (I know very, VERY few people that can reliably hit above
that); for the crossbow, it is the weight of the bolt that is the
limiting factor.
So as I said, the net effect is that the limits are nearly the same.
Frank
> Josh Grant wrote:
> > I just thought of something, If you are not very proficient with a
>> compound and can only effectively shoot 15 yards and you pick up a
>> crossbow and now can shoot a good group at 30 yards that is "twice the
>> effective range" There are a lot of guys I see at 3D shoots that are
>> not even proficient at 15 yards, so I don't think this is a far flung
>> idea.
>
> When most people talk about "effective range", they are talking about
> the effective range *of the weapon* - not the ability of the shooter.
>
> Of course in a real hunting situation, both are critical. And the real
> limit is the lessor of either the weapon or the shooter.
>
>
> But for purposes of this discussion, the real question being presented
> was the limit of just the weapon. For that discussion, a crossbow and a
> compound have almost identical numbers (somewhere in the 40 +/- yard
> range). For a compound bow, ranges beyond that tend to get limited by
> the shooter (I know very, VERY few people that can reliably hit above
> that); for the crossbow, it is the weight of the bolt that is the
> limiting factor.
>
> So as I said, the net effect is that the limits are nearly the same.
For me, the major advantage of the crossbow is that less movement is
needed to get the deer in my sights. Crossbow is more accurate but like
a compound you need to know your range. Modern compounds and crossbows
have similar velocities which means arrow drop is still a critical
factor. One of the equations I remember from physics says that even at
velocity of 300 fps, an arrow will drop 4 feet in 50 yards or 16 feet in
100 yards.
kett...@yahoo.com
up buying a new bow. I got a 2007 Bear Instinct for $260 + $18 SH. I
figure it will cost me another $300-400 to get all the accessories
(release, rest, sight, arrows, case, etc.). What pushed me towards a
new bow was the info I found about how badly damaged a compound bow
can be after being dry fired even once. If you buy a used bow on-
line, you might not know it's been damaged until it actually flies
apart when you pull it back to full draw (possibly causing serious
physical harm). Also, as with so many things nowadays, the bow you
can buy today for $300 is so much better than the one you could have
bought for $500 three years ago.
So, all together, I'm probably going to end-up spending $600-700,
which is way more than I had originally intended, but I think it's
something I'll use for a long time and hopefully get a lot of
enjoyment from. Plus, my local archery shop will do a professional
set-up when I buy all the accessories from them and hopefully they, or
some of their members, will provide some mentoring for this novice.
To add some detail for those who might be considering their first bow
purchase, here's how the decision proces went for me. I started by
looking on craigslist for used bows, but found mostly 10-15 yr-old
bows that I wasn't really interested in. Then I went to my local
archery shop (owned and run by a professional target shooter/bow
hunter and his wife) and they measured my draw length and gave me some
advice about what to buy (and what not to buy). They don't sell used
bows anymore because they had so many people bring them back
dissatisfied with the performance. Now they only sell bows that they
would actually shoot themselves. Then I went on-line again to see if
I could find a better deal than what the bow shop had. I found bows
and bow packages on-line for good prices, but I realized that if I
bought a package deal, I'd still have to pay a bow shop to either set-
up the bow or help me make adjustments. When I found new-in-the-box
bows on-line for cheaper than the archery shop, the shop owner told me
I should buy on-line because he couldn't match the price. So my bow
should arrive tomorrow and I'll be at the bow shop spending lots of
money soon.
I'm not saying there aren't good deals to be found on bow packages (I
bid on several on eBay) or on used bows (I bid on one of those), but
for me, I think the personal attention I'll get from spending my money
at the local archery shop will be worth the extra expense. The only
thing better would be to find a personal friend that has all the
equipment (such as a bow press) and the know-how to help set-up a new
bow (either a package deal or individual accessories purchased on-
line).
Elkaholic
Bro...@theanglingbookstore.com
dvds and books that might help in your pursuit of the awesome elk.
"Backcountry Bowhunting" is one that my friends in the Gunnison Valley
depend on- it includes a dvd too.
http://www.theanglingbookstore.com/archeryandbowhunting.aspx
Ted Nugent's latest dvd has been in real hit in the archery community,
and its entertainment value is priceless!
http://www.theanglingbookstore.com/spiritofthewilddvd.aspx
Best of luck this season.
Just Me
news:eb305029-051b-4a18...@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
Randy
And once you get the hang of it, practice some more to build that muscle
memory. Did we
suggest that you practice?
Rosscoe