Hey guys, I'm new to bows and looking to pickup my first. I have done a TON of online research about everything. I have narrowed my search to the martin cheetah or the bear element/instinct. I went to thebass pro shopin savannah georgia while on vacation to check them out. I like the way the martin felt compared to the element but the guy told me to get the bear because it came with better components.

Next he sized me up for my draw length, he had me put my fist on the wall and pull my other hand back to my face, he measured and said I'm a 27" draw. I thought this method was full of holes I could have bent my arm more or less, pulled my arm back more etc. I'm 6' tall and have a wingspan of 73". I was thinking the 28.5 or 29" range.I just looked at the bows and left.

I'm hoping the next place I check out will be a little more in-depth.

I don't hear much about the martin cheetah's anyone have any insight on it?

I have not and will never concider Bass Pro to be a Pro Archery shop.
The guys they have working there where probably in another section yesterday and will be in another section tomorrow.

Take what your told from these guys with a ton of salt, best bet is to go to a "TRUE" Archery Pro Shop

Exactly... Might I add, don't hem yourself in by limiting your choices to those two bows.

After going to visibly check out and feel all the bows in my price range these are the two I like. I tried all the major brands.

Only way I might end up with something else if a good used bow comes along.

I'm headed to the sportsman center in bordentown NJ this week to try again.

What do you guys think about ordering something from huntersfriend if I know my sizes and what I want?

If huntersfriend is a mail order deal, then I'd say no. The reason you pay more at a good pro shop is because it's generally a small operation with personalized service geared towards setting the customer up with a bow that fits, is properly equipped andin a decent state of tune before it ever leaves the store.

At my place, if something goes wrong with my rig, it gets taken care of quickly. Often at no charge. If someone else walks in the door with a bow bought at Bass Pro, mail order, etc., they will certainly pay for any and all services done to their bow.

For me, it's worth spending the little bit of extra money knowing I have some recourse if anything happens to my rig. Your mileage may vary.

I can't speak for there ready-to-hunt bows, but i got my arrows from hunterfriend and i am very pleased with there service. if you read the info on there bows it claims they set everything up to your exact specs then actually paper tune it and target tune it before they ship it. sounds pretty good, but like i said, i have only gotten arrows from them. the nearest pro shop to me is a 45 minute drive and being married with two small children it is hard enough to get out to go hunting, so getting out to the pro shop is very difficult. just my 2 cents.

And to answer your original question... No, you'd have to be a human abnormality to shoot a 27" draw length at nearly 6'... I'm 5' 11" and comfortably shoot a 29" dl...belowis a 28.5" with a loop, and you'll see how much bend is in my arm at that dl...

Took my brother there the other day to buy his first bow. Had a young guy that didn't know what he was doing. To him three tries to get the draw length changed and it never did change. We bought the bow and going to take it to a REAL archery shop. They have good prices on bows but wouldn't trust them to work on them. Anybody know any recommended shops in SW Ohio/SE Indiana?

I'm 6'1" with a 73" wingspan as well and I shoot 29.5" although I can shoot 30" pretty comfortably. (I used the same method you describe and came out with 30" even, 3x's in a row; trick is that you've got to sight down the tape with your dominant eye like you would look down an arrow shaft and keep your shoulders square as if you were executing proper form.)

Had to stick that Predator in there huh, Greg? LOL