Help for a REAL Rookie

[Taxman003]

I' ve been gun hunting for two years now and live in an area that doesn' t allow centrefire rifles due to population. So, I am interested in one day acquiring a bow so I can' t hunt down here with my boys.

Someone at another website made the following offer to me.

If your interested in archery I have two bows just sitting around the house collecting dust that I will let go really cheap.

Bear Whitetail II - $75.00 (with quiver & arrows)
Martin Lynx magnum - $150.00(overdraw, quiver & arrows)

The site (presuming he meant sight) alone cost $100 @ the hunting show in 2002.
I have taken 3 deer in the last 4 years with the Martin.

Christmas is coming up, start hinting to the wife now!

What do you guys think. I know absolutely JACK about bows. I would think the prices are reasonable, but a I was wondering what other questions I should ask or what else I should look for.

Thanks.

Mike

[Kanga]

What is the draw lenght, poundage, brace height.

Then do you know your draw lenght?
Do you know how much weight you can comfortably pull back?

The worst thing you can do is spend money on a bow that does not fit you.

I would suggest for a first timer like yourself to go to a good Pro Shop not BassPro,Cabellas or Walmart.

Most Pro shops will have 2nd hand bows for sale these are usually trade-ins and some are likely to be last years models.

[WV Hunter]

The worst thing you can do is spend money on a bow that does not fit you.

Ausie is right. You' d probably be best off to at least go to a pro shop and see what they have. They can also make sure you are getting the correct fit all around. If it' s inexpensive that you are after, you may find a nice used setup, or there are many manufacturers that offer bow packages that are nice and won' t hurt your wallet. One example is the pse nova package. They run somewhere around $200ish for the whole setup. Other companies have similar as well. Good luck

[Bill Olmesdahl]

Please do not buy, if you want to get a good low price bow look into seeing a local archery dealer and ask them do they have some used bows instock to sell. Makes sure the boys are measured for a bow, so you can buy the right one, the bow will be no good if the draw is to short or too long. You may have to pay a little more. Also see if there is any archers in the area, a local club is a great place to 2nd hand used equipt at low costs...

[PABowhntr]

I tend to agree with the others to a certain extent. If you had a friend that worked for a shop or that was reliable in terms of working with bows....and you could get your hands on the bows before buying then maybe it would be a worthwhile alternative.

However, since that does not seem to be the case then I suggest that you do go the pro shop route. If you are looking to save some money and yet still get a reliable bow that fits you then I suggest you take a look at the PSE Nova. It is arguably the highest selling bow ever simply because it is an inexpensive, well built " little" bow that has been around for quite some time. There are alot of PSE dealers in the country and just about every PSE dealer has a Nova in stock to suit your needs.

Hope this helps.

[Arthur P]

I agree with the others. You need to go to a shop and get fitted properly or you will have a VERY hard time learning to shoot. Both those bows can be adjusted for draw length, but only with the proper cam modules. I know you can' t get the modules for the Bear any more and, depending on age, it might be a problem on the Martin.

I couldn' t agree more with Frank' s recommendation on the PSE Nova. I' ve been very impressed by that bow model.

The site (presuming he meant sight)...

As you have noticed, a great many bowhunters have one heck of a difficult time with the English language and you have to use a good bit of interpretation to understand them. The three words in particular they most often have trouble with: Sight (site), quiet (quite), spine (spline).

[CLOUD 9, MN]

The guys are really giving good advice! These issues are unbeilvably important! Listen to them!

Good Luck!

[Smitty_nc1]

$75.00 for a Bear Whitetail II. Thats a laugh. You can get one from a pawn shop for $30-$35.

But thats beside the point. Check out you local shop. You should be able to get a good starter setup for around $200-$250. If you have never hunted with a bow, start out with the basics. There is no need to go crazy with alot of high tech gadgets until you get to shooting consistantly.

[RedAllison]

Tax, old used compounds are like old used wives. Worth very little except to the blind or the desperate!!!
The old Bear... maybe $25-$30 tops!
The Martin... on a good day $50 tops!

Thats only if they throw in a roll of toilet paper and a THANK YOU for good measure!
RA

ps
I agree on a $200-$300 kit with the basics. The PSE Nova kit is a great kit in the mid $200 range. For about $50 more the PSE Beast kit has an even better cam and still comes in reasonably. But even if you dont spend that, dont buy some old turd in a punchbowl (aka yesterdays technology). Todays bows only make it easier to hit with!!!

[Taxman003]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I should have mentioned that prices were in CDN $$$ (so that' s like $ 8 American isn' t it).

I had posted something to the effect that I didn' t have the $$$ for a shotgun or bow right now when this offer came in.

I am seriously considering getting a bow in the next few years.