31" Draw Bow

[WildernessEMT]

Good evening,

New to the world of bow hunting and getting my feet wet in gear. I went to my local shop and quickly learned that my 31" draw length changes the field of what bows are available to me.

The guy there was incredibly helpful. He recommended a Hoyt Powermax combo in the ballpark of $800 (out the door, set up, ready to practice). Seems a little rich for my first bow.

Are there other good options? I've been on Diamonds, PSRs, Bowtech websites looking, but have little knowledge of what I'm seeing. The guy recommended staying away from Diamond Edge and the like, as they would be adjusted out to their limits.

Any advice is welcome. Here to learn.

 

[Greenmachine_1]

How much do you want to spend?

What type of hunting are you thinking about doing?

There are always options to fit any budget and hunting style.

You are likely going to want a longer axle to axle bow. It will reduce nock pitch, better string angles, etc.

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[CApighunter]

I just picked up a used Elite Ritual 35 and it’s perfect for my 31 inch draw. They can be found used for well under $800

 

[WildernessEMT]

How much do you want to spend?

What type of hunting are you thinking about doing?

Both good questions:
- $500-600
- Deer and elk are both on the table at this point. I have more experience with deer.

I just picked up a used Elite Ritual 35 and it’s perfect for my 31 inch draw. They can be found used for well under $800

I'll give that one a look! Finding used bows is a new challenge!

 

[Greenmachine_1]

Both good questions:
- $500-600
- Deer and elk are both on the table at this point. I have more experience with deer.


I'll give that one a look! Finding used bows is a new challenge!

In that range, I'd suggest a used bow with a 35" ata. It's a bit of a catch-22. If you don't have the knowledge and equipment to work on the bow, you are always going to be paying someone for any work that needs to be done. On the other side, you can generally find some really good bows very reasonable that have lots of life left that are 1-5 years old. The performance is pretty similar to new bows.

The longer bows are going to shoot better, likely have a better draw cycle, and generally more forgiving while shooting. It'll be harder to use in a ground blind or treestand, and be heavier to carry around. So there are trade-offs with the longer bow.

Good luck in your decision. Hopefully this helps.


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[OR Archer]

Best budget bow for long draw guys is the PSE Drive XL. It’ll go to a 32” draw. New they’re $699 bare.

 

[mt100gr.]

Be on the lookout for an older Hoyt. Vector 35 or Carbon Matrix with a #3 cam. Dont let their age fool you. Very solid bows for 31" draw.

 

[Red7006]

I agree with trying to find a used bow in your price range. There hasn't been much change with the engineering of bows in the last 10yrs. Just make sure your looking at longer ATA bows. Archery Talk has a ton of used bows in there classifieds

 

[NYyotekiller]

A Bowtech Realm X would be a very good bow for your DL requirements and can be had in the $500-$600 range on the Archerytalk classifieds.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have a longer draw. Had good luck with HOYT 34s but honestly haven’t shot enough of everything els to say I know the field. If I were Looking for something cheaper, I would go for a 3-5 year old bow vs a lowered tier new bow.

 

[WildernessEMT]

This is all great information. Thanks for helping me along. I've started to browse the used bows over at Archery Talk. There is a lot to look at!

Won't fear slightly older bows if they look to be in good condition and meet my specs.

 

[Brendan]

Look for a used 2018 Hoyt RX1 Ultra #3 Cam or #4 Cam. #3 maxes out at 31", #4 goes to 32" so depends on how certain you are on DL. I'd lean towards the #4 at your DL (Should be a slightly easier draw cycle than the #3)"

Premium flagship carbon bow a couple years old, 35" ATA, and shouldn't be too far from your price range if you shop the forums and facebook buy/sell groups (for the bare bow anyways). If you want to go less expensive, Hoyt Double XL #3 cam would fit you too.

For what it's worth - It's what I've been shooting the last couple years and love it.

 

[Chet518]

I have the same draw length as you and find it tough to find the right bow. I started out shooting PSE and switched to Mathews shot competitively for a while and did very well. If I were you go to a pro shop that offers a variety of brands and shoot them all to see what you prefer don't be influenced by brand shoot what feels good . Feel how the bow cams over and how the draw cycle feels . Try a single cam vs. a dual cam . Once you get the archery bug you might as well stick a fork in it your done. Your local pro shop is your most important asset use them. Stay away from big commercial stores. What state are you from ?I'm sure someone on here could give you a recommendation. Go with a longer axle to axle length you will shoot better and also 7 " or longer brace height more forgiving when your forms not perfect. A good pro shop will help you out a lot just have to find a good one.

 

[Jordan1292]

I have a hoyt nitrum 34 with a 31" draw I'm trying to sale if your interested. 60lb limbs.

 

[Cuahitl]

Same dl as op. I went with the pse drive xl, it’s a good bow.

 

[warrbuk]

I’m a 31.5 draw.

I have a Elite V37 and a Impulse 34 I would sell you with 31” mods for a very good price. With that being said I would look for a used PSE Evoke 35 EC. You might get bye with the SE can model.

The EC cam model tunes very easy and I’m shooting 480 grain arrows at 295 FPS at 70.2 pounds


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[sneaky]

This is all great information. Thanks for helping me along. I've started to browse the used bows over at Archery Talk. There is a lot to look at!

Won't fear slightly older bows if they look to be in good condition and meet my specs.

Where do you live? I've got a PSE Decree HD that's 35" ATA and goes to 31.5" draw. Could probably sell it set up or bare or whatever if you're interested. I hunt with my recurves now so it just stays in the case.

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[406unltd]

My realm x goes to 31. Great bow and I would definitely recommend it. I’m no bowtech leg humper though so I would just shoot as many different bows you can and get the most comfortable one. Good luck

 

[ejp5281]

I am a tall guy (6' 6") and I personally find that I shoot a Hoyt well. I bought my bow years ago and it was actually part of the reason why I got my first job (they're expensive). I was able to get one new-old stock so the dealer cut me a break. I concur with many others on here saying to look for a used one either on this forum or somewhere like eBay. The hardest part about that I think is the inability to shoot the bow before you buy it to know how it fits you. Another kinda crappy thing is that some pro-shops where you may bring your bow for sutup/service if you don't do it yourself will give you a hard time if you don't buy from them. Whether or not you agree with it, its their business and they'll likely take care of customers that buy everything from there first before they make some time for you.

 

[Chazz]

I have a Elite gt500 that is set up for 31" draw. It can be yours for $300 got rest, sight, and arrows if to if you are interested.