First let me introduce myself...My name is Jay. I am a 32 year old Probation Officer in Nothwest Florida. I bowhunted alot when I was in my teens and early twenties. Then I kinda lost interest in my search for a big buck in my area. I had limited land to hunt and realized I was educating my deer during bow season and making them nearly impossible to kill during gun season. I have since matured as a hunter and realize that the hunt is much more rewarding than the kill. While it is still a challenge to kill a good buck with a rifle, I really want to add more to my hunt. I have decided to get back into bowhunting for the challenge it offers and the satisfaction. In addition, my wife has shown interest in bowhunting recently. So here are my questions:

1. Given a budget of around $300 (not including accessories), what is the best value on the new bow market?

2. How do I measure draw length?

3. What is the lightest draw weight necessary to take a whitetail (average 120 pounds)?

Thanks in advance for the help.

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If your wife is wanting to get involved in bow hunting, 35to 40 lbs will be just fine. Check your state's laws on mininum draw weight for bow hunting. Another thing to is don't let someone try selling you a 1000.00 set up, thats everything included. There are great bows out there in the 300.00 dollar range. Give PSE a look, there fairly decent priced and there an excellent bow!

Thanks for the advice and the welcome...seems to be a cool group of folks on here.

Keep it coming!!!

check out the new Bear offerings at their sight. the lights out seems impressive, at $329 msrp, I am sure you can get it for a great deal. As for a bow for your lady on a budget, i would say it is hard to beat the parker buckshot or diamond edge if she is small. If she has a longer draw length, then martin offers some great ones for a good deal, and they also have some bows you would like. I think you will be amazed at how far Bows have come since you last shot a new one
Welcome the the forums and good luck!!

On a small budget like mentioned, I'd search the local bow shops for a used bow thats 2 or 3 years old. There are some awsome deals out there on bows that are barely broken in from people like me who like to trade off every 2 years. This is also a good time to look for them too, bow shops want to get rid of the old stuff before they have to inventory them for taxes. Good luck