Jack,

I'm not from Idaho so I can't help you on the archery shop question. I can try to help you in your decision based on my own opinions and experiences. So heres some unsolicited opinions:

Mathews makes a good bow but they are expensive.
Hoyt makes a good bow for a little less money but still expensive.
Bear makes a very good bow for even less money.

I've shot all these bows plus many more. For the money Bear/jennings is the best value. That being said a Hoyt is hanging in my closet. When I shot my bow I simply couldn't bring myself to buy anything else.

Short bows are all the rage these days, though I still prefer a longer bow. I prefer a bow with at least a 40 inch axle to axle length, and a brace heighth of around 7.5 inches (shorter is faster but longer is more forgiving). This makes for a very smooth forgiving bow.

Speed is over-rated if it comes at the cost of accuracy and smoothness. Find a bow in the middle ground; one that is fairly fast, with a forgiving brace heighth, a smooth draw and release, and is well balanced. A bow with all these characteristics is a winner regardless of the name on the limbs. It may very well be that said bow is a mathews or it may be a jennings. Best of Luck.