Merkdog, I can't stress enough what others have said about going to a good archery shop and get measured for draw length and comfortable poundage that you can handle. A good shop should do this for free. Also, don't get hung up on a brand name. All the companies out there warranty their bows for life. I have worked in various archery pro shops over the years and I have yet to run into a company that has not taken care of the customer. Most usually go above and beyond and replace parts free of charge that the customer admitted to breaking or causing the failure themselves. You need to shoot a few bows that you like and buy the one that feels the best to you. Most of the companies have package deals that start around the $500.00 mark. They are good bows that will work well for someone starting out. Keep in mind when looking at a package deal if you will be happy with the accessories that are coming with the bow, or will you be replacing them soon. If so you would be better off buying a bare bow and adding what you will like to it. This is also where a good archery shop comes in handy. They should give you an honest assessment of the equipment and suggestions for improvement. You can find some good deals at the big box stores but archery shops tend to give better service if you buy from them. If you consider a used bow, also purchase at a reliable source or have someone who is very knowledgeable of bows look at it for you before buying. Cracked limbs can be hard to spot sometimes. Archery is a wonderful and sometimes addicting sport. Good luck. HD.

Best advice so far. Those advising a person new to archery to purchase one off Ebay or CL are wrong. The bow needs to be fitted to you and unless the archer possesses the knowledge and equipment to make bow adjustments, they are bound to need a pro shop. Most shops tend to work on bows they sell much cheaper than on those bought elsewhere and brought in. i.e you are going to save money and headache in the long run buying from a pro shop.

Find a pro shop or two. Visit them with the intention of shooting as many bows as you possibly can. Then buy the one that feels right to you.

Might want to take a look at the bowtech assasin. Its a little over that 500 mark but its a good qaulity nice package bow. Good luck!!!

If you're a real newbie
 

I'd get my draw length measured. Just go to a retail store with bows, look, handle, and ask the clerk for a draw length measurement.

I'd go to the internet site, Hunter's Friend, that lists many makes of compound bows, by draw length, retail price and field ready price.

Unlike normal retail prices, the retail price for the bow is like getting the price of a new vehicle, without the additional cost and price of the tires and the steering wheel. On Hunter's friend they list the "retail price" and the price for some of the field ready, or shootable, bows.

A lot of bows and a lot of different prices.

I echo a few others.

Get to a reputable pro shop. Shoot and handle as many "sample" bows as they will let you. Fit, feel, balance, etc. is more or less an individual thing. And in my book necessary for the shooter to be as accurate as he/she can be. These days there are so many well made, lightning fast, durable compound bows that I cannot see how you can go wrong. The compounds I have shot over the past 3 or so decades have included Pearson, Bear, High Country (shot competitively for a few years), PSE, Hoyt and Mathews. All shot great and performed without a flaw except one particular PSE that had one limb split. After something like 80 bazillion shots. My personal favorite was my last - a Mathews SQ2.

As for a hunhting set up, my advice is to keep it as simple as you can. I was not a fan of complicated rests, complex sight systems or mechanical broadheads. A simple durable drop away rest, a fixed 2-3 pin fiber optic sight ... and a quality fixed or replaceable blade broadhead were my cup of tea. Not much that could go wrong.

Checked the site Hunter's Friend out. Wow, pretty nice - they send you a bow ready to hunt and tested to insure shooting 3 arrows in a 2" group at 25 yds! Case, quiver, rest, release, site, broadheads & arrows, and stabilizer - all there and you can get it with a decent bow all for under $500. Wish I could have gotten my bow there!

Make sure to check out the PSE Stinger 3G. You can pick up a ready-to-shoot package for $399 and all its missing are the arrows. Draw length and weight are super adjustable, easy to shoot, and very forgiving for a new archer. I got one back in December and couldn't be happier. Look at the reviews online and its difficult to find one negative.

+1 on this bow. Really nice bow. Good bang for your buck. Buddy bought a package deal from lancaster archery last year 600$ out the door.