Well, as work issues cause visions of yet another week long muzzleloader season to fade away, I'm once again seriously considering bow hunting as a means to extend my season and allow me more hunting opportunities despite my busy work schedule.
The problem is that looking at bows at all the local bow shops, as well as looking at manufacturer provided promotional marketing materials and such, I find that I leave more confused and with more questions that I started with. There are so many brands and models of bows out there that my head spins thinking about it.
This combined with the marketing hype (every year every manufacturer comes out with a new, whiz-bang gadget that they claim makes their bow the only one that stands any chance of harvesting a deer.), and biased salesmen that want to sell me what they want, not what I need ("Yes, Mr. Salesman, I'm sure that that Mathews is great just like the other Mathews you just showed me, but I can't afford either, thanks. How much is your commission again?"). I don't even know where to start as a beginner in this sport.
Anyway, because of this I thought I'd ask some of you guys who've been where I am now your opinion on the right direction to get started in bow hunting.
Some background information to help you help me...
I don't have tons of cash to spend...I'd like to stay under $300 (street price) for a bow, and maybe $100 on assessories (rests, sights and such...not including arrows and broadheads). I already have a wrist strap caliper release that I bought last year on clearance that will suit my needs I think. I simply cannot afford, now or in the near future, a bow in the price range typical of Mathews, Hoyt, or Bowtech. Just ain't gonna happen right now.
I have gone around and shot several bows, including models from Mathews, Hoyt, Bowtech (I know I already said I can't afford them, but I still wanted to shoot them to see if the extra $100-400 was worth it...and had fun doing it!
), Parker, Fred Bear, Browning and PSE (and maybe a Darton, but I'm not sure).
I will say that I didn't care for the Hoyts at all. Just not comfortable to shoot. They just felt "wrong" to me. The Bowtechs were pretty nice, definately giving the Mathews bows a run for their money (and a LOT of money at that, I might add!), and I found the Mathews bows to be the best shooters for me. I wish I could afford one, as I thought that they were not only exceptionally smooth and quiet, but I could actually shoot them well. But, alas, a Mathews is not in my (near) future.
So I'm left with Parker, Fred Bear, Browning and PSE. I shot several PSE bows, and didn't really like them. The ones I can afford look and feel "cheap" to me (no offense the the PSE shooters, just my opinion). The Browning, Parker and Fred Bear bows were all decent, with the Bear TRX slightly edging out the competition IMO, but also being higher in the price bracket as well. My biggest concern is with getting a good quality bow that will allow me to learn how to shoot and shoot well, and still perform well on game when I feel comfortable enough to hunt with it. Forgiveness and ease of shooting is much more important than speed to me at this point. I intend to hunt from a ground blind as I'm pretty scared of heights (if God had meant me to climb trees, He'd have made me a squirrel!
). I'm pretty sure my draw length, with a release, is right around 29", +- a little bit if I have a string loop, etc..., and I can draw and hold 70lbs, but will probably start at 60 and work up because it's a bit of a strain (not to mention that when I shot a Bowtech Extreme VFT I found out exactly what is meant when one refers to a radical cam, short valley and solid wall. I yanked, and the bow yanked back! Thank God for solid wrist strap releases!).
Anyway...sorry for the long post, but I felt that it would give the experienced bow hunters here a better feel for where I was in the buying process and what kind of bow that would best serve me.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Mike