I'm shooting a hoyt aspen. It's a relatively slow bow with a long ATA because I prefer to shoot fingers. Arrow are xx78-2315-with 125 thunderheads. On the mechanical issue I have heard rumor of penetration problems with larger game or even non perfect hits on whitetails. I have no personal experience with them. I am considering switching to a bow using a release as my finger release does not seem to be what it us to be. On the bear topic, I am a first time hunter so all I know is what I read and hear. I am soaking it all up right now and hoping for the best. Good luck.