Hello,

I am new to this forum, and new to bow hunting and whitetail hunting. I won’t do my first hunt until next fall, but the idea of hunting with stick and string has always been something that sounded challenging and interesting. I finally got the bug bad this fall listening to several coworkers discuss past hunts and experiences. My Dad was and is an avid rifle hunter, but I never really got the jones for that as a young man. Enough with the intro.
I will be buying a compound rig in the spring so I can spend my summer learning how to shoot, so my winter will be occupied researching what to buy. We have what is regarded as a good outfitter within an hours drive from here so I will be going there. I have read a couple books on the basics of bows, and have heard a lot of opinions, so I am going to ask for a few more, and ask a couple questions.
Opinion 1: PSE bows are proprietary, and only work with PSE sights, rests, etc. Is this true?
Question 1: What is a good way to measure your draw length?
Opinion2: longer bows are better for a novice. True? What constitutes a longer bow? 34 inch or more axle to axle?
Question 2: This one is pretty loaded. Can one buy a decent setup including all accessories for less that $500? If so what equipment have the members here used, or recommend, that fit this criteria. If not what is a reasonable budget.

TIA