shoot em up man

I am a second year bow hunter and I am looking to buy a new bow. Last year I borrowed an old High Country from a buddy that he had stashed away in a closet for years. We had it set up to fit me and I shot fairly well with it. But now I am ready to take the plunge. I am looking to spend $400-$450. The ones I am considering right now are:
Bowtech Tech 29 (I can get for $450)
PSE Firestorm Lite
PSE Avenger (I have a dealer that has a new one that he will sell me for $400)
or something from Hoyt.
Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated.

TWIG69

Might wanna take a look @ the Team Primos 33Special. Saw the bow at gander Mountain for 399 setup.Fast short bow good for treestand.

shoot em up man

Twig, thanks for the tip. We have a Gander Mountain about an hour up the road. I will check it out.

Antler Eater

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have not shot the bows that you have mentioned so I cannot speak with any kind of authority on their specs.

I know that I wish someone would have given me some technical advice when I started out bow hunting years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time, money, and frustration.

Below is some information I would have paid for (actually I did pay to get it, and it was expensive, if you catch my drift) years ago. Because of places like this you are probably already well informed and you may find it repetitive. If so I apologize.



For someone starting out here are a few terms that I think might help point one in the right direction when purchasing a bow, brace height, ata (axle to axle) and draw length.

Brace height put in simple terms, is the measurement from the throat of the bow' s grip to the string. For a person just starting out in archery I would suggest getting a bow with no less than a 7 inch brace height. Theoretically a higher brace height will be more forgiving of flaws in your shooting form. It could cost a person a minimal amount of speed but in the scope of things, that is really minor at this point. Of course I suppose a disclaimer could be added here. People with a short draw length are not normally as affected by a short brace height compared to archers with a longer draw length.

Axle to axle (ata) is the measurement between the bows axles. This has come to be the accepted method of measuring how long a bow is. Again theoretically a longer ata, all things being equal, will be a more accurate bow. Most people consider a bow that is under 34" to be a short ata. The above disclaimer could also be applied here.

Draw length, in its simplest form could be defined as how far a person pulls the string back before accuracy starts to deteriorate. Identifying your correct draw length is critical to accuracy and comfort (avoiding being slapped on the wrist). I have always had good luck with the old wingspan method of finding a persons draw length. Normally it will get a person within a half an inch of the correct number but you will need a helper to run the tape measure. Stand up straight and spread your arms out 90 degrees (you should be forming a " T" shape with your body). Have your helper measure from the tip of middle finger to the tip of your other middle finger. Subtract 15 from that figure and then divide the difference by 2. Again that should get you close to your correct draw length. It is surprising how many archers draw lengths are too long. The flaw really shows up when hunting with bulky clothes on in cold weather, not to mention the inhibited accuracy it causes in the mean time.

There are many good bows on the market today so I' m not even going to get into brand names. The one thing you will have to do is shoot as many as you are interested in and choose the one that you feel fits you best.

It is very easy to become intoxicated with speed. While it is a plus to be fast, in this game, like so many other things in life, you don' t get something for nothing. Often times to gain something you have to be willing to give another thing up. The fastest bows usually have the harder pulling cams, short valleys, and low brace heights. Any one of these can be a bit of a handicap when a big buck is walking by your stand presenting a difficult angle to shoot from. In other words " the fastest" isn' t always the best.

The last thing I would mention is that is also easy to be over bowed. By that I mean pulling to much weight. The correct term is draw weight. On a cold late season hunt, when the buck of a lifetime walks by, a guy doesn' t want to be struggling to get the string pulled back.

Whatever bow you ultimately choose, I wish you well.

c903

" Antler Eater" has just given you some very good advice and info. You say you are going to be in your second year of " bowhunting," but you did not say how long you have been shooting a bow.

If your experience with bows, gear, tuning, troubleshooting, etc. corresponds with how long you have been bowhunting, I strongly suggest you follow " Antler Eater' s" advice.

Until your knowledge and skill level with equipment and shooting increases, stay away from short ATA bows, low brace, radical cams, and complex accessories.

Most of all, stay away from the " Whackin' Basket!"

outdoorsman09

i have a pse predator... got it for 350... it shoots great and dosen' t have very much recoil... i' m also a second year bow hunter i just got my bow in january when it was on sale... it works and shoots great...