Well....I was in the same situation that you were in 2 summers ago... My parents purchassed some timber to build a house on so i decided to try bowhunting... I looked around for about a month before i finally bought my bow... Since i am an inexperienced hunter and didn't have a whole lot of money to spend i ended up buying a package bow. It was the 2002 model but i got it for cheper but it was a decent starting bow. I bought it at scheels in iowa city and i spent 3 and a half hours there getting everything set up on it. They adjusted the draw weight, the draw length, cut my arrows, put in a peep sight, put a sting loop on for my release, and the whole 9 yards. I then practiced every day before the season started... IMO package bows are good starter bows if you get them set up for you... I graduate from college in may and im hoping to get a government job at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque New Mexico....But as soon as i get a job, im gonna invest some good money into a nicer bow and put everything on it exactly how i want it... I am glad that i bought this bow that i have now because it was something good to learn with and it was something that i used to make sure that bowhunting is something that i really want to do... I love bow hunting, and im 100% positive that im going to stick with it.