Bow Hunting

[myusername]

i know there has to be several of you guys on here that bow hunt every year. i believe bow season goes until february here in ohio. i have shot a bow, but it has been a few years and i dont know much about hunting yet, but i am looking to getting into the sport. i want to know what kind of bow you guys are using, and what you would recommend a beginner like me to get. i plan on getting one right after christmas, but i need oppinions first

 

[myusername]

btw, i am not looking to spend any more than say, $400 for the bow. i probably wont use it as much as i'd like, so i dont wanna make myself spend a ton on one

 

[245stroker]

I've been bow hunting for about 15 yrs. I started out with a cheaper bow and then once I got into it more, I spent more and upgraded. Right now I shoot a mathews dxt. Very nice bow but pricey. If your looking for a decent one to start out with, I'd suggest something like a martin, pearson or hoyt. Stop by a bow shop if you have one near by and see if they have any used bows. Talk with one of the guys there and just ask questions.

 

[myusername]

we have one gun shop around here, and the guy is way overpriced and sells beat to hell equipment. i was at the local dunhams sports today though, and saw a bow that really caught my interest. it is the bear strike rth compound setup. it is $500 for everything, ready to shoot i believe. it looked pretty good, and i looked up reviews for it and they were mostly good. a freind of mine is telling me to look into hoyt, but i cant even find anyone online who lists prices or that i can be sure even sells them. i dont wanna get something too cheap, because i want it to last quite a while if possible, and be able to have the power it needs and pretty acurate

 

[stabor1122]

i know there has to be several of you guys on here that bow hunt every year. i believe bow season goes until february here in ohio. i have shot a bow, but it has been a few years and i dont know much about hunting yet, but i am looking to getting into the sport. i want to know what kind of bow you guys are using, and what you would recommend a beginner like me to get. i plan on getting one right after christmas, but i need oppinions first

Bow season in Ohio is from September till February so it gives you lots of opportunity for deer. I have tried a few different bows myself. Bear is not a bad choice and can be reasonably priced. Hoyt is not bad either. I liked the feel of the Martin Tomcat but I never actually shot it. My Dad has a Parker but he has close to $500 in his. It is lightweight and shoots really nice. Personally I never could get really accurate with a regular bow so a couple years ago I switched to crossbow. It was a night and day difference for me. 90 percent of an accurate shooting bow is you. Just about any bow on the market will do what you want if you are able to. The down side to a bow is you have to be able to hold it at full draw sometimes for 2-3 minutes while the deer comes into range. With a crossbow, it is already being held at full draw. You just have to watch through your sight for a good shot. The down side to a crossbow is the draw weight. In Ohio you need 150lbs on a crossbow. Not bad once it is cocked and usually you will only have to do it once a day when you are hunting (unless you miss..lol). The one I bought was a Barnett RC150. It was $200 new. Came with a red dot sight, quiver, and arrows. The arrows were junk so plan on buying good ones (about $30-$40 for 6), and broadheads. You are in Marysville, if there are no archery shops around you, you could check out Gander Mountain in Hilliard and I think there may be a Dicks Sporting Goods in Hilliard too. I dont think they sell used stuff there but at least you can get a feel for some different brands there. Good luck and whatever you go with practice a lot before you go out into the field. Make sure if you shoot an animal that you are going to kill it. Doesnt feel good to just wound it.

 

[Triple_B]

When I started bow hunting, I got a Hand-Me-Down compound bow from a neighbor. It was like a $150 bow, shot 35 lbs at 19" draw. Killed a deer with it, but it got small for me quick. So I did months of research and found the perfect compound bow. Diamond Razor Edge. Made by Bowtech. Its adjustable from 19"-29" draw, and 20lbs- 60lbs. I was shooting around 50lbs at 26" draw and it was perfect. I bought it from Cabela's and it came with a 3 pin sight, Hostage Capture Style Arrow Rest, 2 piece quiver, a peep sight, and a braided wrist sling. Cost me $330. I have used it for 2 years and havent had a problem yet. I send it to an outfitter so they can re-string it about every 8 months. Great Starter bow or for experienced bow hunters. I love it! I'd look into getting this bow!

 

[stabor1122]

I just checked the regulations and in Ohio you actually only have to have 75 lbs draw on a crossbow and 40 on a longbow (recurve or compound) but personally I would not use less than 125 on a crossbow or 60 on a longbow. You need that strength to get a good kill shot.

 

[myusername]

thanks for the info guys. stabor, alot of good info there. there is both a dicks sporting goods and a dunhams here in marysville. i havent been to dicks yet, but dunhams basically only had bear in stock. and nobody knew anything about them except they would "get the job done". i plan on going to gander mtn before i actually buy one, because i was told they have good bows there for good prices. and awk, i thought you were a bow hunter, but wasnt sure. alot of good info there, and it kinda narrows down my choices a little bit. if i'm buying a bare bow, i dont wanna spend any more than like 350-400. i will be willing to spend maybe another $100 on top of that for a rth kit. i looked at a bunch of different bows on ebay, but the thing that scares me is that if i buy one, i wont be able to see if i like the feel or anything of it before i buy it. i know in my price range, i cant ask for the best equipment, but i figure i should probably get a bow that i think feels best and be a better bow. rep given to all of you guys who helped

 

[myusername]

good point bro about being comfortable with the bow, one of the best things for accuracy is comfortable to you, and confidence in your equipment

i couldnt give you any rep because it said i need to spread it around first lol. not like its a big deal since you have so much anyways... i may go to dicks sporting goods tomorrow to see what they have. on their website, it sais they carry martin and pse and all those brands, so we'll see what they have in stock. like i said, i am gonna wait til probably between christmas and new years to buy one, but i wanna get an idea what i'm gonna get before i go buy it, so i know what i'm getting since its a pretty big purchase.

another question, what brand of arrows do you guys use and what tips for different animals? at dunhams, they didnt have much. it looked like easton was about all they carry but they had a hundred different types of tips. i have a couple friends who bow hunt, but they didnt buy there stuff, there parents did, so they dont know exactly what to look for and what works best

 

[stabor1122]

thanks for the info guys. stabor, alot of good info there. there is both a dicks sporting goods and a dunhams here in marysville. i havent been to dicks yet, but dunhams basically only had bear in stock. and nobody knew anything about them except they would "get the job done". i plan on going to gander mtn before i actually buy one, because i was told they have good bows there for good prices. and awk, i thought you were a bow hunter, but wasnt sure. alot of good info there, and it kinda narrows down my choices a little bit. if i'm buying a bare bow, i dont wanna spend any more than like 350-400. i will be willing to spend maybe another $100 on top of that for a rth kit. i looked at a bunch of different bows on ebay, but the thing that scares me is that if i buy one, i wont be able to see if i like the feel or anything of it before i buy it. i know in my price range, i cant ask for the best equipment, but i figure i should probably get a bow that i think feels best and be a better bow. rep given to all of you guys who helped

Thanks for the rep. Dicks usually doesnt have a great selection (maybe 20) in the store. I wouldnt expect more than about 5 in your price range. Gander usually has 2-3 times that (around here anyway) and more helpful staff. If you can take the time to go there Bass Pro Shop in Cincinnati has a good selection too and knowledgable staff. If you really want a good selection you could check out Cabellas. About 2 hours east on 70 (just inside WV) or about the same to the Michigan store. I have been to both. UNBELEIVABLE selection. You could/will spend hours in the store and not see everything. They do know what they are doing there also. Even if you do buy one somewhere else, if you are a hunter/fisher/outdoorsman you should take the time to check them out sometime.

 

[myusername]

Thanks for the rep. Dicks usually doesnt have a great selection (maybe 20) in the store. I wouldnt expect more than about 5 in your price range. Gander usually has 2-3 times that (around here anyway) and more helpful staff. If you can take the time to go there Bass Pro Shop in Cincinnati has a good selection too and knowledgable staff. If you really want a good selection you could check out Cabellas. About 2 hours east on 70 (just inside WV) or about the same to the Michigan store. I have been to both. UNBELEIVABLE selection. You could/will spend hours in the store and not see everything. They do know what they are doing there also. Even if you do buy one somewhere else, if you are a hunter/fisher/outdoorsman you should take the time to check them out sometime.

i have been in cabela's in michigan. i used to go to the michigan race twice a year, and everytime, we'd surely stop in just to check it out. but me and my brother were so young that the only thing that mattered was the aquarium and the animals on the mountian, and the paintball stuff. that store is so sweet. my brother and his friends are into hunting with guns, so maybe we'll all have to make another trip there since now we have an interest in the stuff they sell. if i'm not doing anything sunday, i'll make a trip to gander mountain. and awk, thanks again. there is a ton of good info in your posts. all of you guys have helped me quite a bit