Life long rifle hunter--going archery!

[GUTPYLZ]

I have to agree with you on the Huntersfriend.com. I bought my first bow on there and it had everything ready to shoot right out of the case. I love the combo they put together for me. They even paper shoot it for you. The sight will also educate you on the different bows. I know we all want to say we own the best bow that there is, but the truth is they are all pretty good. They all will atleast get the job done. Good luck this year on your hunt and with the new kid.

[6x6 bull]

Archery hunting will get into your blood. I haven't taken my rifle or muzzleloader out in so long, because the same thrill is not there. If I were you I would try to buy the best you can afford. The buying of cheap gear will only frustrate you and make your transition take longer. Go to a local pro shop and quiz them on your correct draw length, poundage that you can handle, correct spine for your arrows along with the correct length. Once you have your specs down check out one to two year old models of high quality gear like the Hoyt vectrix or the Mathews Switchback. Like someone said E-bay is great for this and it will give you some idea what this type of item costs. Good Luck. And as Uncle Ted says enjoy the mystical flight of the arrow.

[Mike Honcho]

6x6 Bull is right, Archery Hunting definetly gets in your blood!As far as a bow goes, if you're still looking for one, you'll definetly want to shoot alot of bows and find one that is comfortable to you. you could even get a brand new package deal from manufacturers like Reflex, Diamond, Bowtech, etc. or you could get a top notch used bow a couple of years old. But like 6x6 Bull mentioned, go to your local pro shop get measured and fitted so you don't end up buying a bow that doesn't fit you, and stay away from cheap gear.

[GPWDeer]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I will make a trip to the pro shop and see what they suggest for me. Then I will get serious about finding a bow by the end of the month so that I will have time to get comfortable with it.

I will probably shoot it everyday once I get one so that i can be sure I will be ready!

GPWDEER

[GPWDeer]

Hey guys...I passed the "strenuous" bowhunter education field day saturday. It was the biggest waste of time ever. They had us sit through the 3 hours of hunters education where they talk about animal identification and then safety and survival. Then we had to listen to a bunch of stats about the declining numbers of hunters and the whole be respectful speech. Then we had to take ANOTHER written test and then we headed out to the range where I assumed we would be shooting bows to show our mastery of archery equipment. Nope, they had us track a fake blood trail for about 30 yards (UP HILL), anyone every tracked a mortally wounded animal that went up hill away from water? Anyway, it was a straight line and the end of the trail were dum dum suckers which were there to represent the animal...LAME!

Anyway, I am official now. I have been looking at bows and I shot a few different ones this weekend. I am going to shoot a few more tonight. So far I like the Diamond "Rock" which I found in a package deal for $499, and I really like (but probably can't afford) the Diamond "Black Ice" which comes equiped with exactly nothing for $649.

Tough to convince the wife to let me spend $1000 on a package when I can get one for 1/2 that, but the black ice is very nice.

I hope to shoot some mathews and hoyt bows tonight at the pro shop.

I need to buy a bow this week so I can make sure I get a month of shooting under my belt (daily).

GPWDEER

[GRAYLIGHT]

Welcome to the dark side... Just kidding.... Good luck with your season. I think everyone has steered you in the right direction, so I'm just gonna say good luck and call in a big one!

[GPWDeer]

So, I have shot quite a few bows in the past week. I am currently leaning toward the Diamond "Black Ice" because of its size, weight and feel. It feels good, balanced, and light. It shoots pretty quiet and I think it would do the job. The other one that I am considering is the Bowtech Allegiance. It shot very smooth and seemed perfectly balanced. Does anyone have any pros/cons on these two bows?

I am probably going to buy one tomorrow so I can get in a month long cram session.

Thanks.

GPWDeer