Because I'm currantly looking at getting a new bow, this is an easy one for me.<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle> At this point everything is objective. It will be another month or so until I have time to go out get the "feel" of each. My decisions are all based on what best for hunting. That is all that's real important to me.
ATA: 33" - 37"
Brace Height: 8" or over. I feel this is important for hunting in very cold weather, like I do several days each season. It will help prevent any clothing contact and give a degree of forgiveness that I feel is needed when taking shots from odd angles.
Cam: Single cam unless I find a dual cam that meets my other criteria and is as quiet as the average single cam bow.
Back wall: I want a hard back wall which I've never had on a bow before. I'm hoping this will make my shooting more consistant in the field.
Limb type: Solid, never been real crazy about split limbs for a variety of small reasons. This is one area that I may give a little on, if everything else is equal.
Riser: Machined aluminum or possibly carbon.
Speed: As long as it's a modern bow, I'll accept whatever speed it comes with. I've come to the conclusion that speed is no where near as important as many other factors, especially when we're comparing 20-30 fps differences.
Weight: Not very important to me. I don't want a super heavy target bow, then again, I'm not sure a 2.5 lb super light bow is the right choice either.
Price: only important if everything else is about equal.
There are other minor things that may attract me to a bow to break any ties, such as, level nock travel, recurve limbs, more durable limbs, lifetime warranty, smoother draw, or even more speed.
Having said all that, I have yet to find a bow that meets my criteria.<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>