New bow hunter looking for first bow guidance!!!

[IZZY]

New to the bow hunting scene, looking for some guidance and ideas for a good bow for a beginner...I have been doing some reading, and for the most part have a general idea in regards to what I should be looking for in general...I am trying to get something that is about 32" axel to axel, minimum 7" brace height, hybrid or single cam, will be using on mule deer, elk and moose hunt...from what I have been reading so far, speed is not the all end be all, but I have a need for speed, so I am looking at stuff that have roughly an IBO speed of 310 fps...so far, I have three bows that I have narrowed it down to.
PSE Brute X
Bear Anarchy
PSE X Force Drive..
I am currently on deployment in A-Stan, but plan on going into a bow shop when I get home to test these out...
Do you guys have a preference? and why? Do you know of any other bows I should be considering?

Thanks in advance...

 

[justin davis]

I like a longer ata bow. They shoot better and are more forgiving for me. Current bow is 35" ata.
Hoyt, New breed, Athens, Elite all make great bows.

 

[Matt W.]

I've no real opinion on BowTech because I have not shot one, but they do offer a decent military discount.. Might be worth adding to your list...

 

[sk1]

i think bear makes really nice and smooth drawing beginner bows.....that being said if your budget isnt really tight, I would consider bumping up to a low end hoyt or mathews bow.....i just feel they are worth the money and have the best customer support

 

[Sean]

Look at an Elite Hunter. Very good bow, decent speeds and very forgiving.

 

[KMT]

Everyone has a different opinion on which bow is best. The bows you mentioned are all good. I would shoot as many bows as I could. You will gravitate toward one that you like, regardless of the brand. I'm a firm believer that any bow that will set you back $350+ at Cabelas or BassPro is as good as any other bow that will cost you $800+ at a pro shop. It seems to me that bow price is related more to the amount of advertising than actual quality once you get to bows that are of at least descent quality. I wouldn't worry too much about IBO speed. Any bow you buy today is going to be fast enough to hunt with.

 

[Maxhunter]

Best advice is go shoot all three and see which one feels the best to you. Also I'd recommend looking at the 2013 Hoyt Charger.

 

[IZZY]

Thanks everyone for all the advice...I am learning that each person has the brand/type that they favor...being that I have not currently held a bow before, it is going to be quite a learning experience come February...I will most definately be taking all your advices in mind...I appriciate it...safe hunting this season and good luck...

 

[Shane]

There are tons of really good bows from all manufacturers these days. There's no one "best bow", no matter what any of us say. Find one that feels good to you, and go with it. The most important aspect of buying a new bow these days, since you can't really go wrong with most bows, is to make sure that you get someone that truly knows what they're doing to set it up and tune it for you. If you can get it shooting broadheads to the same spot as field points, then you're good to go. Just because a guy works at a bow shop, it doesn't mean he really knows how to (or will take the time to) properly tune your bow. Ask around in your area and find out who the REAL bow tech is. Buy a bow from him and let him tune it or pay him to tune one you bought somewhere else, if you can't buy from him.

I shoot a Bear Carnage. The Anarchy is basically a longer ATA version of the Carnage. I LOVE the Carnage. It shoots very fast and is very quiet. When I shoot with guys that shoot other bows, I always get comments about how quiet my bow is. A couple weeks ago, I was shooting 3D with a guy that had a new Matthews Heli-M. Both 29" draws and 70#. Speed was similar. If anything, mine was slightly faster. His bow was significantly louder than mine. He was blown away at how quiet the Carnage was. I shoot Axis Full Metal Jacket arrows that are a little heavier than his all carbon arrows. Some of the quietness may be attributable to the heavier arrows. I imagine that any deer shot by his obviously inferior bow (KIDDING!!) would be just as dead as the ones shot by mine though.

Find one you like and take it hunting.

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

Let the bow pick you and not you picking the bow. Like stated before...shoot as many as possible and then make your decision. Out of what you have listed I prefer the Drive! Smoothest of them.

 

[Matt W.]

I think the better idea is to find a good shop. Then just pick the best bow you can from what they have. Especially since this is your first bow. That shop will be your best friend as you work through this.

 

[IZZY]

Thanks for all the good advice I appriciate it...Once back from this deployment, I plan on going to an archery shop in Tucson, the one that seems to have the best review is bull basin...also, I plan on attending the PSE 2 days archery class in Tucson since I live about 30 mins away...what questions should I be asking? What should I be on the look out for?

Thanks again

 

[Tdiesel]

as others said find a bow that fits you but some of your list at first reminds me of my first bow a Parker wildfire xp almost 8" brace and 310 ibo still have the bow and somtimes I still hunt with it just cause that bow feels right to me. Just a thought of another line to check out oh ya usa made and lifetime warranty

 

[c5mrr270]

My best advice would be to get a bow with an easily adjustable draw length. As your form develops and you possibly change releases, grips, etc. you will be glad you can change your draw without having to buy new strings and cams. All the bows on your list are solid bows. Also as somebody mentioned bowtech gives a discount to military personnel and the assasin would be worth looking at to.

 

[desertstalker]

Don't forget quality accessories! Strings, rest, sight etc. If you find yourself looking to cut total cost when adding accessories, you would be well served to choose a more moderately priced bow and deck it out with quality accessories. The bow will only perform as well as it's weakest link (usually the guy releasing the arrow!)
Don't handicap yourself with a cheap rest on the most highly advertised bow. Have fun!

 

[IZZY]

Ok so after a couple of trips, and about 8 bows, I finally got my first bow...PSE Vendetta in skull works camo, 62lbs, 28 inch draw...PSE Galaxy sight, stabilizer, quiver, 12 arrows with practice tips...and I cant put this thing down...it is smooth and just awesome...got a one on one with an instructor at PSE on Tuesday, then I will be shooting and practicing in hopes of using this for javalina...loving archery so far...

 

[J-Daddy]

Vendetta is a great bow, I shot one for 3-d last summer and it was smooth as silk and a great shooting rig.

 

[ju5th3r3]

check out the Genetix or Eclipse www.newbreedarchery.com

 

[swat8888]

I got my first bow, Hoyt rampage XT, from bull basin in Tucson. You are correct they are a good shop, although pricey. I would also do a lot of research on accessories first. I didn't do hat great of a job and ended up paying a lot extra and getting some stuff that didn't work out for me. But like others have said go shoot some and see what you like. Bull Basin doesn't carry bear....I know they have PSE, Hoyt, Matthews, and Bowtech. If I were you I'd find a good used rest and sight and buy them from archery talk or on these forums although more people are selling stuff on AT. You can figure out the stab/quiver later. They may charge you a little extra for installing your own sight/rest but I doubt it if you buy the bow there.

 

[IZZY]

I want to use the bow for javalina hunt in about 3 weeks, however bull basin could not get me the bow that I wanted...I went to both bull basin and pse proshop...after shooting about 8 different bows, I fell for the PSE Vendetta...and I could not find anything shooting smoother or better from my perspective. I wanted the skull camo but as I stated bull basin could not get that for another 3 weeks, so I went to the PSE shop, and got outfitted with everything from stabilizers, sights, quiver and arrows...I upgraded to the galaxy 5 pin sight, and with the 10% military discount, it came out to 950 bucks, which is 100 bucks less than I had planned for. So I think I got a good deal...I am going back to PSE for a one on one lesson on Tuesday, then will be going to the 2 day class at PSE in March...after the Tuesday class, I plan on shooting about 50-75 arrows a day about 3 times a week...hoping that will get me ready for the javalina hunt end of february...