hope to start bow hunting 2005.......

[Bearbong]

I'm new to this site and am looking to start bow hunting this year to extend my Oklahoma hunting season.

I was hoping for some serious beginner advice. The seriously discounted bow packages I have seen are all 60 pound draws. Being a bow virgin, is there any reason that wouldn't be adequate power or is that even what that means? Thanks for any advice.

[ewolf]

Most bows that are 60 lbs can be turned down to 50. This is more than enough power to take any animal in NA. I would turn the bow down to start with (3 turns). As you get more comfortable, you can turn the weight up. This is however not really needed, 50 lbs is more than enough to kill a deer.

As a newbie I would also suggest cut on contact broadheads. Magnus Stingers are hard to beat. You will get more penetration with 2 blade fixed heads than any other broadhead (don't get caught up in broadhead hype). This might help if you hit a shoulder (It's most likely going to happen to you sometime).

Learn to bare shaft tune (just ask we can help), and practice and you should be well on your way to a dead deer.

The last peice of advice I can give you is kill animals. Don't wait for a monster, kill small bucks or does first. You really need the experience and the confidence. Even shooting other animals out of a tree stand is good practice (In fact tonight while hunting I shot at (I missed[:@]) a possum running at 35 yards). Shooting any animal from a treestand is good practice.

Hope this helps

[DavidPaul007]

I agree with ewolf, 60lbs is fine, especially starting out. Some people shoot no more than 60lbs their whole life. I would recommend starting out small...as in not spending a fortune to get started. Bowhunting gets expensive very QUICK and will make you go when you check your bank account.

I bought a PSE Nova almost 3 years ago as my first bow, and I'm just now getting a new bow. The PSE has served me well, I'm just ready for a faster, quieter, smooter, heavier draw bow. But the important thing is to not go nuts when starting out just to find out bowhunting isn't for you.

These boards as well as the archery boards at archery talk contian a wealth of information just waiting to be read...happy reading.