Good starting compound bow

[Jboswell2017]

What would be a good bow that I can start with... I only hunt axis deer and I don’t need anything new.... just something reliable

 

[Rob5589]

Welcome to the forum! Man, very open ended question. How much do you want to spend? Any archery experience? Any shops near you where you can shoot some bows? Compound or recurve?

 

[GMC]

Mathews Switchback XT in your draw length.

 

[KSP277]

1 Year old archery equipment is the deal of the century. There’s tons and tons of great bows out there traded in every year only bc somebody needed the new flavor of the month. Find a reputable shop around you somewhere and check out the used rack. You’ll save hundreds easily. Shoot a couple see what you like

 

[Gobbler36]

What would be a good bow that I can start with... I only hunt axis deer and I don’t need anything new.... just something reliable

Get on archery talk or the classifieds here and buy a 2 yr old or last year bow at a huge discount with the latest tech

 

[SlickStickSlinger]

I started hunting last year and picked up a Hoyt Powermax. I dont have a lot of experience to say much other than it killed my muley buck dead. I put in a lot of miles with that bow in my hand and the biggest issue I had was with the sights fiber optics catching on twigs pulling them funky.

I have considered buying a flagship bow just because I know I'm basically a fish getting its lips ripped and will be hunting as long as I can pull a bow back. But the Powermax works as advertised at a good price point. Might as well shoot it for a few years. I bought it used (2018 model) with hoyt rest, beestinger stab and hoyt quiver for $450. Not a bad intro at all IMO.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Remember, many bowhunters will pay well over a $1000 for a bow. Plus anther $800 on sights, release, stabilizer, and quiver. All for the idea they own a good one. And many will indeed sell them after the new model comes out. But, in my book, saving hundreds off one of those used bows still doesn't put it in the good deal bracket. Yes, I am frugal.

I used to shoot exclusively trad bows. But, after an injury at work, I went back to hunting with a compound three years ago as well. I bought a Mission bow, that IBO's at 340 fps, is deadly silent, points and aims rock steady, and dead at the shot, It has a lifetime warranty. And, was the same design with identical specs as Mathews flagship bow that year. The price or the bow, sights, quiver, and stabilizer ran me less then $610.

I'm not saying to buy a Mission. Or, not to buy a new or used bow of any cost. I'm saying everyone is making a great bow. You just gotta find the one that clicks the best for you. The rest shouldn't matter. In my case, I got lucky that the Mission bow fit perfectly versus a flagship bow from a more prestigious brand.

 

[16Bore]

IMHO, they are overblown. 3-4 years back, keep it simple, rock on.

 

[Jboswell2017]

Thanks for the fast reply’s... but I think I’ll be purchasing a used bow and save a little money..

 

[Huntindog45]

any of the major company plug n play models. get one that has all the components already. They are all good entry level bows. as you keep going in the archery world you will learn what you like and dont like and someday you can build the exact bow you want but i would start with a simple ready to shoot set up. there is a really good one on camofire today in fact... for like $350

 

[Antarctica]

I've had 2 bows in my life - a Bear whitetail 2 when I was 18, and a PSE stinger when I was about 47. The PSE stinger is better, I'll give it that. But not a game changer better.

My point is that a cheap ass $300 bow (i.e., the stinger) is probably more than I'll ever need. Its puts meat in the freezer.

 

[browning2480]

My son just bought an Elite Hunter from the Classifieds here. It was a few years old for like $350. That thing shoots good.

 

[Jboswell2017]

Well I hunt axis deer year year round..... I also go hunting at least 2-3 times a weak.... so I don’t want to buy a cheap bow and it not lasting me very long... this bow has the potential to get used a lot so I also want a reliable bow that I can depend on and also be satisfied with

 

[acesand8s]

I would go with a mathews switchback or mathews z7. Quality bows, can be had a good price, if you ever want to resale them, you can pretty much sale them for what you have in it.

 

[SlickStickSlinger]

My bias still says the powermax has a reliable name at a very affordable price, especially used with some accessories.
I hunt backcountry high wilderness. Where are these axis deer you are wanting to hunt?
I agree with everyone here. Bows are generally pretty reliable a few years old from what I understand. A lot of being reliable is what kind of upkeep you are doing to extend the reliable of the bow.
If you are being pulled by the marketing as I am sure most of us have for a flagship and you can afford it, go for it. If you can live with something used without regretting not investing in the flagship, go for that. Just know either route you go there will be a new "better" bow out next year that is just as reliable as most bows a few years old (depending on how they were/are taken care of)

I speak from a self educating research point of view. My suggestion is based off of a TON of reading different threads and articles dating back decades to current. Take it FWIW.

 

[Desk Jockey]

IMHO, they are overblown. 3-4 years back, keep it simple, rock on.

Welcome to the forum. I am a relatively new bow hunter and think all the above is good advice. I bought a brand new and expensive bow right out of the gate. If I were doing it again:

- Buy used a used BARE bow that is 1-5 years old or new/old stock for a shop at a STEEP discount. Almost certain the bow will shoot better than you can for a while. Plus, even if you have the money and wanted to spend it, you don’t really know how to evaluate the differences in the bows until you have been shooting for a while.

- buy some descent accessories from you LOCAL shop. A good rest and ain’t are the most bang for the buck. Spending money in your local shop is key. You will have a lot of questions and can get some good help early on as you are learning. Spending money to support your local bow shop will make it easier for them to pay attention to you.

- get some decent, middle of the road arrows and make sure they are the right spine for your bow. Cheap ones aren’t as good and high end isn’t worth it until you can shoot well.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

+1 for the powermax, still kills em just as dead as the day I bought it, that's one piece of gear I have zero urge to upgrade.

 

[IdahoHntr]

As a beginners bow, I think its tough to beat a Bear bow. Yeah you can find 1-2 year old used bows for half of what they sell brand new, but that's still $500+ for just a bow and no accessories. Bear has a few middle of the line bows that you can get your whole setup for about $500 and be shooting bows with just as good of specs as the others. Like has been said, when you buy your first bow, you have no idea what you are looking for in a bow and so it makes sense to start cheaper and get a feel for what feels good to you. Spend the money when you have a better idea what exactly your looking for.

Overall, I think your better off buying a cheaper bow and spending money on buying equipment to tune that bow and learning that skill rather than just jumping in to a more expensive setup right off the bat. Being able to tune your own bow is a priceless skill and if you know how to tune, just about any bow on the market can be a shooter.

 

[Rob5589]

For the most part, all the manufacturers build a good bow. It will mostly come down to how it feels to you. I have no issue buying used but, I also do all my own setup and tuning. Do you do your own set up or do you have a shop near you?
You could buy something like this, https://www.huntersfriend.com/A20A-...-package-field-ready-compound-bow-system.html
My first bow after a long lay off was this bow (earlier version) from HF. It was literally everything you need and is all set up and test fired. Hard to beat for 500 bucks. I still have the bow for my back up and it's still shooting great.

 

[WyattTN]

I agree, powermax is sweet, also I have seen some great deals on older spyders. what a great bow, and can be found for as little as 2 to 300