Hey

Never bow hunted before, but am interestd in picking up and bow and doing it. Around here - DC area - it would make a HUGE difference in the number of days I'm in the field as there are plenty of places I can bow hunt within the beltway where rifle or even muzzleloader are off limits. And I've seen some huge bucks out and about.

Anyway, wondering what your thoughts are on affordable bows for a beginner. Went to a local shop the other day and they had Mathew and Mission bows. Mathews were about 1400 out the door - which is sooo far out of the range of anything that's feasible for me I was about to walk out the door. Then showed me a Mission Bow (Maniac model) that was about $700 out the door. That still struck me as too high. They didn't have used bows.


Anyway, what is a good price to expect to pay to be fully ready out the door with a bow. What's are good brands? They were pretty dismissive of Bear bows - I've never heard of them but I assume they are the competitor of Mathews the way the guy was throwing off on them. Actually had one there to show me how much they sucked (when he drew the bow, the cams twisted slightly off of vertical).

I've been looking on line around here, and seen a few Browning bows on craigslist. Are they any good? Are the bows at Dicks Sporting Goods or Bass Pro worth looking into?

Appreciate any guidance/insight