Hello all,

I have a few questions that I’m sure you guys get all the time. I’m 33 years old and grew up in a small town in Tennessee and am now living in Indiana with my wife and 3-year-old son and a 4-week-old baby girl.

I’ve never been hunting, nor do I even own anything that’s camouflage, but I’ve always said that if I ever decided take up hunting it would be Bowhunting. It just seems like it would be more of a challenge in my opinion, hunting deer and turkey with a bow. I know it would be a good sport to get my son, daughter and maybe even my wife involved in, and a good opportunity to spend some good quality time with them, all the while enjoying mother nature and all she has to offer.

I haven’t been to any archery shops, b/c I don’t wanna feel pressured into buying anything expensive, especially since I’m living on a shoestring budget and know nothing about bows. I’d like some information about some bows before I venture into an archery shop, particular what to look for in a bow for someone that’s illiterate when it comes to bowhunting. I thought about looking on ebay for a cheap bow, but I’m not sure what to look for.

If anyone has a favorite bowhunting website that may be some help or any suggestions, I’d much appreciate it. I've searched this website, but I'm still sorta lost. I would love to start hunting next fall of ’05.

One other question, since I’ve never been hunting before, you can guess that I’ve never eaten any deer meat or wild turkey. I’ve never field dressed a deer, so I’m clueless on that subject as well. And to be honest, I’m easily “grossed out” with blood and guts, but I think I can field dress a deer if I needed to, with some help. Would it be a good idea to find someone, maybe in my Church to tag along with on a few hunting trips to see if this is a sport I’d like to invest in? How would you as a hunter feel about someone going with you on a hunting trip to get a feel for hunting?