Sounds like a lot of good advice here, but if there are no pro shops around maybe some people on this site may have an extra bow or two for sale. I would rather buy a bow from someone on this site than off e-bay. If someone here sales you a peice of #@%& you can at lease talk to them about it or trash there name .......just kidding ! I picked up my first three bows second hand from people the first one for $50.00 (Bear White Tail) w/ all the extras All of them have been good bows. Just now am I looking at a new bow.

just my thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thnks bigbulls. one of them is real close. i am about 30 miles from devils lake so i wll check that out. i will check ebay out too. but i have a prob about byin over the net. if the bow is $hit you cant send it back. were as if i bought one from a pro shop or a sports store i could take it back.

One other thing to consider about used bows. In my opinion, the very first thing you should do with a used bow is tear it down and check everything out. Cams, axles, spacers, bushings/bearings, riser, limbs, limb pockets, threads in the limb bolt and accessory mounting holes.... The whole shebang. Then clean and lube all the critical points, reassemble the bow and replace the cable(s) and string.

You don' t know how many shots the string/cables have on them, what the bow has been used for, what it' s been through, what hidden damage may be present, and whatever modifications the previous owner might have done. It could be pretty hard to get parts if you don' t have a pro shop handy, and it would be highly advisable to have your own bow press. (A good bow press is a great tool to have on hand anyway.)

Not trying to scare you off the used bow market, but you do need to approach used bows with both eyes open.

Frankly, if I didn' t have easy access to a good shop, I' d seriously consider sticking with recurves and longbows. Again, that' s just my opinion.

Mrfishy

BEWARE!

By the time some of these " Zoomies" and " Mr. Gadgets" get through with you, you will be spending hundred of dollars more for a " toy bow" that is nothing more than a crossbow without a stock and takes a computerized robot with small hands and short arms to shoot consistently accurate. They will have your bow so loaded with unnecessary " stuff," your bow will make the control panel on a fighter jet seem simple.

Your arrows will be mounted with fieldpoint type heads that have weak blades that popup after the arrow blows through a deer. Actually, the heads are better suited for bowfishing. They will also have you using " plastic" feathers that are so twisted around the shaft, the vanes will look like a spiral stairway in a lighthouse.

Go these links and study. This site has some good " packages" for a decent price. The total cost of starting to bowhunt for the first time is not just the bow, you have to consider the cost of the complete set of gear. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars and accumulate a bunch of gadgets to have a good, accurate, and reliable bow that will kill a deer as dead as any bow. A lot of deer has been killed with a 170 fps bow.

Work your way up. That way you will learn in a cheaper manner as you go, and gradually learn to know what you need vs. want you want.

http://www.huntersfriend.com/bowselection.htm

http://www.huntersfriend.com/bowspecs8.htm

thnks for the links they are a great help

HuntingNet.Com Classifieds: Archery

Mr Fishy,

We have some VERY GOOD bows for sale on eBay right now, if you haven' t already bought one. They' re last year' s models from Storm Archery.

Check out our auctions at
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...deliquidations

(this should appear as one line) If you can' t get this link to work, go to http://www.ebay.com and enter this into the search box:
3606818309

It' s one of our bows for sale. Click on the ' view sellers other auctions' link to see more.

Good luck!

I am more interested in the technical aspects of the bows than in shooting them or hunting with them. I buy bows, keep them a little while, and then sell them. I know there are others like me - our vice makes it easy for people to buy a bow that is not the very latest. Take for example Bowtech bows, really in fashion now because of their speed. Last year (2002) the Patriot was a favorite. This year (2003) the redesigned Patriot is on everyone' s mind. I bet you can get the out of date model in little used condition fairly cheaply. (I don' t have one, sorry.)

I remember a book once with a title something like " champagne living on a beer budget" . The central theme was to buy used, from well to do folks who buy new things and then get rid of them when they don' t suit. I have some (elderly) wealthy friends whose hobby it is to pick up trash that people want to get rid of. They drive around neighborhoods in their Mercedes on trash days and see what people have put out. You would be surprised at how much stuff people get rid of that show no signs of wear or ever being used (sometimes even in unopened boxes). People don' t have the time or inclincaton to bother with a garage sale or posting on an eBay auction or even driving to a Goodwill donation center.

thats a nice bow but i realy cant see buyin a bow off ebay. non refunable and sold as is. if i buy one from a proshop or a store they will help me out with any problems or take it back or i can see what they feel like before i buy it and feel whats best with me.

Mine.