I think starting with a top-of-the-line bow has its pros and cons.

I myself started with a Bear Whitetail Hunter, as I know Matt / Pa and others did as well. Mine was a $100 package from Wal-Mart, used. (Don't ask why Wally World had a used outfit hanging on its rack; beats me, too.) It got me started for very little dough, but -- I could see how it could have been easy to get disapointed since the gear wasn't technically up-to-speed (pun intended ) with all the high-tech stuff out there.

It was amazing how much more fun the sport was when I upgraded to a (then) top-of-the-line bow when I bought my Mathews. Yes, I had put a lot of time in with the Bears, and even took my first whitetail buck with it... but watching those arrows zip into the target in comparison was really, really cool.

I also think that most of the top-of-the-line bows are getting pretty good resale value today, so even if you did buy a high-end bow, you should be able to get your money back or close to it in case you decided down the road not to pursue our sport.