Go to a pro-shop and try many different brands. Do not get hung up on brand names and internet comments. ie: "Matthews is best". The BEST bow is the one that fits you correctly and is comfortable to shoot for YOU! What is important is having the pro-shop measure you and then you knowing these measurements so that you can properly shop for a bow that will fit you. i.e. your draw length is an important measurement to know.

Unless you know your measurements, I wouldn't buy a bow off the shelf. I very much encourage you buying a bow from a pro-shop for your first one. Their job is to fit you to a bow. Shoot a bunch of different ones. You will get that Ah-ha moment with one of them. Once you have one and get accustomed to it, it will become easier for you to shop for a second one later on if you so choose. Just running off to a store and buying such-and-such a brand because you heard about it from a buddy or read about it on a forum will more than likely lead you to a disappointing experience.

As a side note: Don't get hung up on the advertised bow speeds! The old adage "a slow hit is better than a fast miss" is true when it comes to bow hunting. Most shots on critters are around the 15 to 25 yard mark. You do not need the arrow to be traveling at mach speed to kill a deer at those ranges. IMO, bow manufactures began publishing arrow speeds purely as a marketing tool and then they began chasing speed alone! This led to bows being made that sounded like .22's going off when the bow was fired. They also made the brace height so small as to render the bow almost completely unforgiving of form. The industry went down a path of selling overdraws and so forth which had people shooting arrows that were too short and too light! The point here is that there is a ton of crap to throw your head into a spin and it is all totally unnecessary and a waste of money.