getting back into the swing of things...
 

First of thanks for any of u took the time to read my post, much appreciated. Looking at getting back into archery, and hunting... found a 2005ish bear epic extreme, a 2013 bear encounter, and an elite e-500 2006 yr all in my price range..opinions?? And thanks again

Welcome back! From my point of view, all that really matters is which bow fits you, and which one "feels right" - all the branding and different models makes for good Internet bravado, but doesn't make any difference in the woods.

So, my suggestion, shoot each one, multiple times. Make sure that each has been set to your proper draw length and are set to the same pull weight - then shoot them, ideally without paying attention to which one is which - then pick the one that feels best when you shoot it. Afterall, the only thing that matters is can you hit what you are shooting at consistently, and do you have the confidence to do so (which comes from practice)

Personally, I shoot the same bow I did six years ago - while one of my hunting buddies is on this third "big name brand bow" and my other hunting buddy is on his second.

Others here may disagree - and that's fine, as I mentioned, this is from my point of view only... but it's hard to go wrong with a bow that fits and feels good in your hand.