Archery

Looking to buy a new bow for Black bear hunting and deer hunting, any suggestions would be great.

Thanks, Matt

Ninja Bow

I’ve had experience with smaller compound and recurve bows but want to start hunting and am looking for some info on draw weight and length

45-lb draw -weight is enough to satisfy every State Game Commission (or DNR, or whatever they call it in each State). It’s the arrows you should actually be worrying more about, since without a properly made arrow, even the best bow in the world is just another bow. But here’s something to keep in mind: Pull too much weight and you risk not only injuring yourself, but you also rick losing accuracy.

Make sure your arrows are up to the job, no matter what animal you’re going for.

As for the length of the bow, that’s up to your personal preference and where you plan to be hunting. Here’s a hint: The longer length recurves do not work well in heavy brush; best to go with something less than 56" if you plan to be in heavy brush. Of course, the shorter the bow (even with recurve bows), the more string pinch there usually is.

And forget about using a long stabilizer on the bow; it’ll just get caught in the brush/weeds/etc. if you REALLY need to use a stabilizer while hunting, then you need to practice more or use a lower draw-weight — or both. (or maybe even a physically lighter-weight bow)

I want to hunt on a small amount of land, and so I don’t want the whitetail deer running onto the neighbor’s property. I don’t need stupid responses like "well practice and be accurate" or something…I understand that. I just want to know a bow with good take down capabilities that’s reasonably priced. Thanks!

I’m going to give you the truth based on 35 years of bow hunting- the term take down capabilities does not apply to bows- All bow shots kill by creating a loss of blood. The animal will run until he bleeds to death. On a killing shot, the deer’s death run will carry him from 40 yards ( when hit in the femoral artery) to 300 yards- a liver shot- with the average run going 100 to 200 yards. There is only two exceptions to this- a spine shot and a neck shot- they will drop in their tracks when hit there, but those shots, unless the deer is extremely close, are an accident, most of the time.
Studies have shown that deer hit fatally with an arrow, will run for 7 seconds full blast before they black out from lack of oxygen to the brain- they can cover a good bit of ground in that 7 seconds.
You can improve on this only slightly, by making a double lung broadside shot on a deer with a broadhead with a very large cutting capacity, such as the rage expandable with a 2 inch cutting diameter- on a perfect shot, this should increase the blood loss by a good bit, which may result in stopping the animal quicker- but a bad shot, such as a shoulder hit, will result in a lack of penetration because of the wide cutting area of the blade. That’s about the best information that I can give you.

I am just starting out bow hunting, and I was hoping someone could give me the name of a good bow and a couple pointers.

The best bow for you really depends on your draw length, height, and what pound draw you are capable of pulling back. Brand name should be a minor consideration when picking out a bow, as how a bow feels in your hands and when you pull it back are more important. The best thing to do is visit the closest archery shop and just simply try out some bows and see what fits.
I started off hunting with a 15 year old hand-me-down bow, and I got 3 deer in my first 3 years. Dont worry about getting the latest and greatest, just get what feels right for you.

I am getting ready to buy a new bow after this season, and i have narrowed it down to the mathews or the hoyt. At first i was leaning towards the hoyt because of the price but i recently discovered that the local pro shop carry’s both bows for the same price.

Hoyt makes a fine bow, but the Katera is not my favorite- they went for the speed by lowering the brace height, and this does not make a forgiving hunting bow.The Dxt is a great hunting bow.However, you should check out the Bow-Tech Guardian while you are deciding. Good luck.