Could use some advice...

sunset · 11-18-2007, 05:37 PM

I've got a friend who is a pretty good size guy...6'4" about 250 lbs. He is very strong. He wants to try bow hunting. He's never done it.
He has shot guns all of his life.
I've got him talked into bow hunting.
I need to know what bow would be good for him to try???
Thanks

Ben / PA · 11-18-2007, 05:46 PM

Is he just trying it or has he made a decison to be a bowhunter?

mobow · 11-18-2007, 06:13 PM

I'm just going to guess that he's got a long draw length, probably around 31 or 2 inches. That's the difficulty, but not impossible. There aren't many bows out there that go over 30 inches anymore, which is a bummer. Most of the time, a long draw archer has got to spend some money to get on that fits......and don't skimp on that part. It HAS to fit properly, or it won't be any fun.

I know of one that is a good price, and MAY fit....the Browning Rage. It's a short bow, but comes in peak weights of 55 and 65 pounds, and goes out to 31 inches. We may find that bow to just be too small overall for him though.

Hoyt makes a long draw bow, as does Bowtech. Elite also makes one that is available in both 31 and 32 inches.....I'm just not sure if Mathews does or not, but I also believe Martin makes one....not sure on that though. I'm also sure there are a couple more that do that I'm just not aware of......He's gonna have to do some looking, and unfortunately he's gonna have to spend some cash.

Nice to see ya lurkin around in here sunset.....

sunset · 11-18-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: mobow

Nice to see ya lurkin around in here sunset.....

thanks mobow, yep, I'm still around, been busy in nursing school.

This friend has land that he'll be hunting on. He's very serious about getting into this. Not sure what his draw is yet, but, I'm sure it's long. He's pulled another friends bow that was 75#'s seemed to do well with that.
My bow is only a 55# way too easy for him.
I was wondering what the best bow for a big guy would be. He'll be going to Cabela's to look. Wanted to narrow down the search a bit.

OHbowhntr · 11-18-2007, 10:32 PM

Get him to a pro-shop, and see what his DL is, and see if they have a few bows he can shoot. See what kind of $$$ he wants to invest, and then start looking. If he's a "REALLY" strong guy, draw-weightreally may not be much of an issue, but finding a bow that is a 31-32" draw may be. Last time I checked, there were a few LONG-DRAW bows for sale on AT.com that were at some pretty decent prices, you could also check E-bay, but this is against my personal "shoot it before I buy it" rule, but he may have a hard time finding a Long-draw demo, and it is going to be more costly than it is for one of use 27-30" shooters, that's for sure. Good Luck!!!

Paul L Mohr · 11-19-2007, 02:17 PM

All depends on how much money he wants to spend. Just because he can draw 75 lbs doesn't mean he has to

. Why make it harder than it needs to be. With a longer draw length like that there is no need for him to draw more than 55 or 60 lbs to be more than effective on deer. And his shoulders will thank him for it later. You WANT a bow that draws like butter if you can get away with it. Everything should be nice smooth and quiet when you come to full draw.

And remember, whatever you think is comfortable in regular clothes, standing up in a warm room under no pressure will be harder to pull when you are sitting in a stand cold and freaked out with a deer in front of you. I have heard too many stories of people being overbowed and either missing or not being able to draw the bow on a deer after sitting in a stand for a few hours. I am even guilty of it myself.

I can draw a 70 lb bow fairly well in my back yard practicing, but I bumped my poundage up to 65 one year and could barely get it back after sitting in a stand for a few hours. Luckily there was no deer, I tried it just for the heck of it because I was bored. I promptly got down and went home for the day, and lowered my poundage when I got there.

Two biggest things people do is cheat on draw length and draw weight just to gain a few FPS that they probably didn't need in the first place. And it is two of the worst things you can do that effect how well you shoot.

My opinion anyway.

Paul

burniegoeasily · 11-19-2007, 02:24 PM

Im 6'4" and 200lbs. What bow is best for me might not be the best bow for him. The best thing to do is to go to a shop and shoot a few with someone who knows about bows. Most shops will be able to fit him, then its up to what he likes the best. Just be careful, some shops will try to sell you everything they have got, which you won't really need. But they will try to make you think you need it all. That is why its best if you got someone along that knows a little about them.

sunset · 11-20-2007, 03:16 AM

Thanks guys! I really appreciate your input. I will pass this on to him. I told him how helpful you guys are. I told him to hop on here and get some great advice from some great folks.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

allenb · 11-21-2007, 05:01 PM

two brands you might want to look at are hoyt and oneida. my brother is 6`3 and he always shot an onieda. I shoot a hoyt and just from looking at all models I seen that some have 31 draws.don`t know if i was much help, but just a couple ideas.

allenakk

shawnfogelman · 11-21-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: sunset

I've got a friend who is a pretty good size guy...6'4" about 250 lbs. He is very strong. He wants to try bow hunting. He's never done it.
He has shot guns all of his life.
I've got him talked into bow hunting.
I need to know what bow would be good for him to try???
Thanks

The best advice I can give you is to just take him to an archery shop that has a very knowledgable shooter to properly get him set up...Bass Pro Shops and Dick's Sporting Good's are not the place to go either, for a set-up, the 18 and 19 year olds in there have problems with what a rest is let alone how to set up a beginner bow-hunter. Good luck!