Tips on purchasing used bow for son

[Tbuckus]

I’m going to start the conversation with the disclaimer that I’m new to bow hunting so please excuse any stupid questions. Only rifle hunted until last year.

Due to limited funds, im looking for a used bow for my son. He just started college and the bow elk season out here works best for his school schedule.
When looking at a used bow for sale, is there any visual clues that I need to be looking at to know if it is still in good shape, or do I need to go to a bow shop and have them look at it? I’ve heard people talk about the limbs cracking or breaking.
Does it matter how old the bow is? I’m guessing that if they are taken care of that they’ll last forever just like rifles.

Diamond and Bear have what I’m assuming entry level complete bows in the $350-$450 range. Is it realistic to get a good used bow for less than that price?

 

[Jbehredt]

Bent axles, bent cams, cracked limbs can be hard to see. Find a trustworthy seller and you shouldn’t have to worry about such things. Draw length HAS to fit. Those entry level bows are super adjustable so they can be a good way to get started. Let him decide what he likes and doesn’t then upgrade accordingly. If he happens to be a 27.5 - 28” dl there’s a great bowtech listed on here. Bow is right in your price range and not something he would ever need to upgrade.

 

[OR Archer]

If that’s your price range I’d suggest going to Cabelas and picking up one of the PSE Stinger packages. It’s a nice Bow for a small price tag. It’ll be new with a warranty. Just have someone help him get it set up properly and it’ll serve him well while he’s in school.

 

[KMT]

As mentioned above, spotting a cracked limb can be next to impossible. I would go to a bow shop and have him measured for draw length. Once you know that, you can hopefully buy from an honest seller...there are plenty. Don’t discount the entry or mid range “package” complete bows from cabelas, bass pro or sportsman’s warehouse. They will do the job just fine. I bought my kid a package bow and it was fine until he outgrew it. He now shoots my old bow, which is 15 years old. It also works just fine.

It’s can be easy to get caught up in the ridiculously priced gear mentality. But no amount of money will make him a better hunter or a better shot.

 

[Tbuckus]

Thanks for the info guys.
Luckily we are both close in size but my local shop did make some adjustments since he has a 28” draw length, allowing him to shoot my bow. I’m probably not going to draw my rifle tag this year so we will probably hunt the general season together. Which I can care less about getting a bull myself. I get more excited when someone gets their first bull than shooting one myself.
Plus I really want to do some shoot together as kinda bonding thing. We didn’t do one last year at Hoodoo since we only had one bow, but plan on fixing that issue.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

Check Archerytalk.com classifieds. There is some insane deals on there, 1&2 year old flagship bows that sold for 1000+ on sale for 500 or less, that’s the route I would go instead of getting a somewhat beginner bow that he would upgrade in a few years. Just saw a super clean elite energy 35 sell for less than 350 and that’s a bow he could shoot for years. You can look on the sellers reviews and see if they have good feedback, I know a few guys that pick up a couple used bows a year over a dozen in total and have never had an issue buying them online.