Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject. The huntersfriend website posted above is loaded with good information. The main decision I need to make is whether to start with a compound bow or a recurve bow. I'm not sure if there is a better reason to start on one rather than the other. I appreciate the simplicity of a recurve but compounds look intriguing as well. I'll be using it for target practice only for a long while so the compound is probably more user friendly in that regard (as long as I buy the right one and have it set up properly). What do you guys think?

The guy at the bow shop has decades of experience in the taxidermy and bowhunting business; he has my full confidence. I'm going to have a chat with him today about compound vs recurve for a first bow.

I was testing out a Bear recurve I've got here at the house (unfortunately, it's left handed) and just feeling the draw weight. It's at 40$ and it felt fine (no shaking, pretty stable) so I think I could handle 45 or 50#; no need to go higher than that.

I've also been checking out a PSE Typhoon. They sell for under $300 so I'll have to ask him about that.