You’ve got two major categories to play ball with here.
Traditional style bows include long bows, recurves, horse bows and plenty more. These bows are traditional technology - limb shape, material, arrow rest / aiming system. Whereas modern bows we standardly refer to are called compound bows - which have modern technology on them, such as sophisticated aiming systems, advanced limb mechanics and plenty of other advancements opposed to a traditional bow.
I’ll speak to both in this article.
Compound Hunting Bows (Modern)
Knowing what to purchase can be hard, especially if you're going for a compound bow, as theres a broad range of optionality in gear and product - and opinion to match. If you’re beginning, something with a high amount of variability in draw weight will be a good start, so you can start off light while your learning technique, and not be hindered by the strength of the bow. Then dial it up as you go. Typically 30-60lbs or 40-70lbs are a pretty solid range to start for compounds.
As a minimum you will need:
- A suitable draw weight range
- Release Aid
- Arrow Rest - biscuit or drop away
- Sights (pins)
- Quiver
- Stabiliser
- Arrows
- Target
Buying a complete kit / set-up at the beginning that includes all those thing’s is a good way to get your feet on the ground, without getting bamboozled by all the gear options out there. What I will say is shoot your first 6 arrows into the bush (it wont take you long to do that anyway) then buy a proper dozen next. Carbon, cut to length, spined correctly. This will drastically increase the efficiency of the bow and your accuracy. Shortly after that, buy a drop away rest, then slowly upgrade and increase your gear from there - until your ready to go up market with your bow frame. Collecting all of these things can take years.
Spending. Money wise for beginners let’s say there’s 3 major lanes to fall in.
$500 - $800
$800 - $1200
$1200 - $1800
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$500 - $800
The Minimum amount to spend on this I recommend would be: $800 (as a start up kit, arrows & all). The cheaper you go, typically the more dangerous, less reliable and less fun the bows are to use. It’s not fun to shoot something that won’t shoot consistently, that breaks easily or its quality won’t cover its basic use for very long. If you’re looking on our website for this - The Gorilla is the only bow i’ve used in the $500 price range I’d ever recommend. It’s solid, reliable, and shoots red hot out the gate - a couple tweaks to it’s string, a new peep and an upgrade or two It’s suitable for hunting - though you can just pull it straight out the box and hunt. I’ve also put it through a chronograph (with arrows that weren’t made for it) and it shot at 290fps - which competes with some big names in the industry. This price range will get you started, and off the ground with the minimum gear required - and a decent entry bow.
Some bows for this:
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$800 - $1200
This moves us out of house brands and into the lower end professional brand range. We like to work with Bear Archery for this, and we’re also looking to move into PSE, as they have some fantastic entry bows. The $800 - $1200 range get’s you a bow with a higher quality frame and accessories. Difference in build design and geometry can be felt in the hand - and seen on the other end of the archery range. This price also puts you in the ring to have budget for a better release aid, and start off with higher quality arrows - seeing better performance out the gate. Making hunting easier, as well as early experience more fun.
Some Bows for this:
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$1200 - $1800
Here we land in the higher end of the entry level - more then enough with this to be in the market with a bow that can shoot straight, consistent, be optimised for hunting, and exceed the timeline of the other bows as far as out growing it goes. This Range allows for a higher quality bow, better accessories bow on and off the bow. Buy a better sight with smaller pins & easier adjustability, a drop away rest to increase accuracy, properly cut arrows and you might even be able to slide a fresh target into this range (foam aint cheap).
Links for this:
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Prior to buying your compound - measure your draw length and make sure you don’t fall outside of the bows variable range e.g 27” - 31”.
Once you’ve purchased the bow; I highly recommend getting into your local range for tuition - or getting the bow into a pro shop to have it properly measured and fitted to your specs. I have some eye brow raising stories of people self teaching and setting up bows they bought on Ebay.
Trad Bows are their own beast - the principles of archery remain the same, but the execution is different.
As a minimum you will need:
- A suitable draw weight bow for your experience level (better to start light)
- Finger Tab or Archery Glove
- Quiver
- Arrows (Trad arrows & compound arrows are different)
- Target
Starting at a draw weight you can handle can be hard to gauge, especially if you’ve never done it. My advice would be to link up with a local shop or range prior to purchase so you can feel it out.
Otherwise, theres an option to get an ILF Recurve - which is essentially an interchangeable limb system. Start with 30lbs limbs - then as you’re ready, purchase 40lbs, 50lbs 60lbs etc. As a general guide, 30-40lbs for both men and women isn’t too bad of a place to start (obviously size, weight, strength - all depends) but that weight range is typically low enough to use, and high enough to be effective and have fun with.
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When it comes to getting bow set-up for hunting deciding which route to go will drastically impact your experience of bowhunting. I’ve hunted with bow trad and modern bows, and there’s pro’s & cons to each. As an overall, it’s a lot easier to hunt with a compound bow, especially when beginning, as there aiming systems, speed of arrow, and efficiency far out weigh a traditional bows.
Notes for you:
Thats it for now, happy shooting and if you want to know anything else - just ask.
Author: Lachlan Keevill
Preparing you for Adventure.
