A New BowHunter
 

Hey guys, Im 16 years old and I want to have a Bow Before the 2005 Deer Hunting season, but I don't really know what to look for when purchasing a bow. Could somebody help me out on this one?

Thank You
Icedragon

RE: A New BowHunter
 

First off ,Welcome
Do you have any friends or friends family that bow hunts , pick their minds
I would go to a bow shop and talk to them ,remember they want to sell you something .
Also at 16 you will probely still grow some so buy a bow that can grow in pull weight and pull lenght some.
I would for your first bow buy a used trade in .
I would have a instructor teach you the right way to pull and bend . So you can practice and not have to fix a bad habit
I would start with a bow set on about 50 lb ,learn to shoot it great then and only then up the pull weigh.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I remember when I went to Bass Pro, for a beginner they recommended to me a Parker or sumthing like that, what do you think of Parker Bows (or whatever the hell they are called?)

Ive shot one of my friends brownings quite a few times, he is 15 and I think his drawback was at 60 lbs.

But thank you Johnch for some help

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Yes, either parker or high counrty bows are good starting off bows but you would have to go to an archery shop to get your draw length and draw weight figured out. But if you want a rough idea of what your draw length is take a tap measure in your hand and extend that hand all the way out like you were shooting a bow then measure from there to the corner of your mouth and that should give you a rough idea of what your draw length is. But my best advice i can give you is go talk to your local archery shop.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

alright Ill try that tape thing you suggested, thanks.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Well it looks like Im around 32in Draw length

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I would guess, just guess that you might have mismeasured for your draw lenght. Not too many people running around with 32 draws. But, than again, you might have 6 ft 4 inches tall or have long arms. Find yourself a proshop nearby and have them measure you. And than get measured again just to make sure. If, I'm wrong and you have a 32 inch draw than dang, that is a long draw.

Parker makes a nice, cheap basic bow. It is not as fancy as the Bowtechs or Mathews but you can walk out with an okay setup for not a lot of money. Or, go to your shop and look at the used bows, there are a lot out there right now as people are trading in their 03 and 04 bows for 05 ones.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I am 6 feet tall. But what I did was take the tip of the tape and hold it between my thumb and index finger and stretched it to the corner of my mouth and it read 32 in, I dont know, how to do maybe then?

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I was always told measure yourself finger tipe to finger tip and than divide by 2.5. Don't know how accurate that is either, I had the guy at the bowshop measure me. I am 6 feet tall (well 5 11 15/16ths or something like that) and I shoot a 29 and I think that might be a bit much by 1/2 inch although two shops have told me now that I am a 29 even though I think a 28.5 might be better. Oh well, when I get my next bow I will try that length as well.

Again, not saying your measure is off but it sounds a bit long for someone your height. Now, you might be a long limbed person.. Someone around here probably has a better answer for you than I do.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

try making a fist kinda like your holding a bow and measure from like your last nuckle or joint whatever you wana call it on your thumb and that should give a a better measurement. because im 5 11 and i have a 28 inch draw.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

i work at a bow shop and i would really recomend you a Parker with these bows if the draw gets to short of you just plan outgrow the bow you can have the risers sent and and they will just send you the next size, i think it cost like $50 to get the new risers when you out grow them. But $50 is way better than a new bow. You can get a good Parker from $300-500. But like most people say just go to the proshop they will help you get set up. Just remember they are trying to sell something so if you are not comfortable with the bow or something doesn't feel right TELL THEM... You dont want to be out in the woods hunting with a uncomfortable bow. Hope this helps.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I think the wingspan method is a little more accurate for getting a rough draw length. Measure finger tip to finger tip. Subtract 15 and divide by two. That will give you a good starting point. As far as bows go, there are many good ones out there. Just depends on what your budget is. I would find a reputable bow shop in your area and have them help you out. Good luck and welcome to the boards.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Ok I redid the the Tape thing and did the knuckle part and now im reading about 28 in.

Thnsk for the help all of you:)

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I just sold my Parker Hunter Mag (fully loaded) on ebay. It was my second bow (first good one). The nice thing about Parker is you can buy em ready to shoot or hunt with. I shot mine for a year (Dec. to Dec.) and in Oct. harvested my first bow kill. I shot a nice 140lb doe. It did the trick and my arrow blew right through her. I would recomend a Parker to anyone lookin to get started. But remember..................:)

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Alright I did some lookin, and I was wondering what yuo people think about this Bow.

http://parkerbows.com/buckhunteroutfitter.html

RE: A New BowHunter
 

That is the bow I own right now, well the bow, I didn't buy the package. I got it because I didn't want to drop 600 on a bow and than find out I hated the darn hobby/sport/obsession and be out big bucks. That being said, I really like it and find myself showing up at odd proshops within a 60 mile radius of the home asking if I can shoot one of their fancy bows. Shot my first Bowtech today, a Justice (God, not a bad bow at all. Good speed, quit and steady. At 70 pounds pulled like a dream too. Now I just got to find a proshop that will let me shoot the allegience) and shot my first Mathews today as well (Switchback. Damn nice bow, felt nothing as the arrow was launched..Heard almost nothing too. Shot pretty good instinctively with it too).

I digress. I think the Parker you are looking at is a real good bow to start with and will get the job done. It has some limitations but I think you get a pretty good bang for your buck value on it.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Alright good, becasue It looks like it comes with a few cool accesories. $300 aint bad either, it fits my budget nicely.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Now I got more questions.

What types of arrows should I be using? My buddy recommends Carbon arrows becaue they are stronger he says.

What types of Broadheads should I be using for Hunting? Practice?

RE: A New BowHunter
 

1] First off just to be sure you've gotten your draw length correct ,stop by a proshop and get yourself measured just to be sure ,you don't want to go and buy a bow set for 28" if just maybe your actually 29.5 inch's [Just a precaution} and there is NO charge to get measured.
2] Set your budget NOT including accessories .
3]Try numerous bow's in that price range, because they all most likely will feel different to you.
4] Try to remember what you like about each bow ,also remember what you didn't like about each bow as well .If your taking your time buying try to document each bow like's and dislike's on paper.
5] Boil it down to about 4 selection's and then compare the 4 bow's of your choice.
6] Go with the bow that feel's the best for you. Because what feel's right for you might not feel right for the next guy.
7] Then consider adding another 200.00 plus for your accessories.

As for the Parker ,I looked a couple at BassPro last week and they look to be a pretty well biult bow ,although I never shot one .The price seem's to pretty reasonable .
Good luck with your choosing the right bow.Remember you have to like it in order to be able to shoot it well ,so don't buy it because someone else tell's you that that is the bow for you. You need to feel that it's the right one .


Let us know what you choose ,everyone on this forum will be here to help you with any question's you might need to ask.

As for the arrow's I'd choose the Carbon's that are in the 8 to 10 gr per inch. Although there are some good alluminum's out there as well .I found the alluminum's break alot easier than the carbon's ,but the carbon's were a little more expensive.
As for broadhead's there's soooo many on the market to choose from and they all are good .My choice was the Montec G5's for my setup . You'll have to check them out for yourself ,but I'd stay with the 100gr head ,depending on your arrow wieght.

nubo

RE: A New BowHunter
 

After doing everyhing that Nubo says you will find yourself drawn back to the proshops in 6 months (Or in my case 6 days) looking at a whole new set of bows and get to start the whole process over again. Not because the bow you have isn't just fine but because, well in my case its because I'm crazy. One of these days I will figure out if I actually want to buy one of the three Bowtechs I looked at or the Mathews I looked at. They all shoot so dang nice (So far, need to shoot two more of the Bowtechs). The way I see it, the longer it takes me to decide the longer I have to come up with a plan to convince my wife that it makes sense...If I could only afford two it would make it so much easier...Who am I kidding, I would than be looking at 8 different bows. That Oneida has intriqued me from the begining of bow shopping...Hmm, better make it 5 bows.


As far as arrows, if you decided to get that Parker combo it comes with some Super Carbons. I don't hear many people talk about them but I bought some when I got my bow (Proshop carries them and said they were okay) and I think they shoot darn good. I don't know how long they will last but I do shoot a lot and haven't had any problems so far with them loosing accuracy.

Okay, now I gotta figure which cow gets sold to buy my new bow...

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I drove up to bass pro and tried out the Buck Hunter Outfitter and my Draw length is 29 in and I will be shooting 60lbs most likely, I really liked that Bow, the way it felt and pulled back so easily. I think I will be purchasing that one soon.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

I had a Cabelas or a Bass Pro around where I live. In my town, there is one archery pro shop. The nthere is this place called Sportsmans Whare house, but they arent really a pro shop. They accomodate all the out door sports. Dont get me wrong, it is a cool place, just not archery specific. They fill my needs though. I just wish they had a little more competition.

RE: A New BowHunter
 

Hey congrats, on your new adventure, and just remeber it is all about the outdoors and the wildlife, try not to get to wrapped up in all the commercial stuff. you will have a great time