brushbuster07

I've muzzleloaded for three years and shotguned for 6 years and I'd now like to try bow hunting. I'm in college and it'd be nice to be able to hunt a little more than a total ofthree weekends a year like for muzzy and shotgun season. With bow season being like three or four months long I'll definately be able to find more time to hunt, plus I'll get in on the magical rut time seeing how here in Iowa there's no gun season during prime rut.

I have scents, camo, a stand, and all that good stuff but I really have no clue on what bow to get. I have a pretty good job in the summer and I'll hopefully be getting a mechanical engineering internship this summer so I'm looking to spend around $400...maybe a little more if I HAVE to...can you get a decent bow for that much?? Any ideas on brands or models??

bowmanaj

This was my first year going at it with a bow. I have a Bear Lights Out. Its a great bow for the price, and its within your price range. Mine set up with everything ran about $440. It shoots well and its pretty quiet with string leeches on there. I got my first bowkill in October 11th, my birthday.

Getting into bowhunting is the best thing I ever did. Ive never been able to be in the woods in october and early november witha gun, so thats why I wanted to go at it with a bow..to get in there during the prime time. Ive seen more deer throughout this season than I have my whole life since Ive been hunting.
Good luck to ya, you'll love it..

stalkingbear

While there are companies such as mission,reflex,diamond,and others that offer great bows performing better than their price range suggests,the ONLY way of knowing EXACTLY which bow fits YOU and which you'll shoot best is go to a proshop and handle and/or shoot as many different bows as you can,while listening to their reccomendations. The nice thing about proshops is that if you buy your setup from them,not only are you guaranteed it'll fit you perfectly,they'll also properly install/fit/tune your setup on the spot. Too many people go to mass merchants such as basspro,d**ks sporting goods,etc and then wonder why they can't shoot their setup nowhere near as good as they should.

marquismarc

shoot a diamond and see if you like

bigbucks98

Try the bear archery bows...element (entry level bow), instinct, truth, truth 2

Cannonw24

Everybody has there own preference and I havent shot every kind of bow, however I prefer Reflex to anything, second choice is a martin. Advertisement means nothing! whatever you choose will be good enough. In archery hunting, the skill lies in the hand thats holding the bow not the bow itself!

MATHEWS PA BOWHUNTER

If you can go to a couple of different pro shops that sells the different brands and try several in your price range . See which one fits you best, and feels best. The pro shop will set up anyone of there bows to fit you to try to make a sell if not they should. Tell them a head of time that you just want to make the right purchase. IMO

Pat Curtis

Once you start bowhunting...and get that first kill, gun hunting after that is kind of boring (IMO!).


My first bow was a Bear. Once I got hooked I tech'd up with better equipment. I've had a few Mathews b/c I want a smooth and quiet bow...since speed isn't a big deal to me.

mossbergman11/OH

i will also say a bear bow. maybe a lights out they all good. diamonds are good too. dont buy a real top notch matthews until your 2nd or 3rd bow becasue you may not like bowhunting but just IMO hope i helped

stalkingbear

it seems yall are missing the point. Even tho I'm a diehard mathews man,I never mentioned a certain brand or model as that's up to him-what fits him better and what he shoots best. The main things we can do however is to reccomend to stay away from extreme bows such as speed bows that are much less forgiving and harder to shoot accurately. It's up to him to select a decent bow by comparing them all side by side with some help from proshop.