What is your go to bow?

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Bow Companies has to have "THE LATEST GREATEST FPS BOWS TO STAY IN BUSINESS". EVERY YEAR. Even if their previous BOW is GREAT. They need the Bow Hunter to get a NEW ONE. Otherwise they would go out of business. Their are Bow out there today from 30-40 yeas ago the can still kill an elk/Deer/BEAR the same as all the new ones.
It is a "LOOK AT ME" Game with the newest Boe=w on the market. That Bow hunter probably has a new bow every year or every other.
You can take a 20-30 year old bow and Kill a Moose/Elk/ Bear just the same and the all the new Bows today. Noe the CROSS BOWS are like missiles from the 6th century only lighter and better Bolts now AND THE X BOW!!!. Should not even classify them as Primitive Weapons. Just get a .410 break open shot gun and put a Bolt "Arrow"in an 410 case with no shot. They shoot GREAT, I know I shot them!!! Need to check if legal in your State.
Whatever floats your bubble these XBows are at the top of the food chain and you can harvest an animal cleanly.
I wish everyone a good Hunt and enjoy NATURE whatever you hunt with, just have Fun and harvest what you shoot at any animals

 

[K.E.C.]

Bow Companies has to have "THE LATEST GREATEST FPS BOWS TO STAY IN BUSINESS". EVERY YEAR. Even if their previous BOW is GREAT. They need the Bow Hunter to get a NEW ONE. Otherwise they would go out of business. Their are Bow out there today from 30-40 yeas ago the can still kill an elk/Deer/BEAR the same as all the new ones.
It is a "LOOK AT ME" Game with the newest Boe=w on the market. That Bow hunter probably has a new bow every year or every other.
You can take a 20-30 year old bow and Kill a Moose/Elk/ Bear just the same and the all the new Bows today. Noe the CROSS BOWS are like missiles from the 6th century only lighter and better Bolts now AND THE X BOW!!!. Should not even classify them as Primitive Weapons. Just get a .410 break open shot gun and put a Bolt "Arrow"in an 410 case with no shot. They shoot GREAT, I know I shot them!!! Need to check if legal in your State.
Whatever floats your bubble these XBows are at the top of the food chain and you can harvest an animal cleanly.
I wish everyone a good Hunt and enjoy NATURE whatever you hunt with, just have Fun and harvest what you shoot at any animals

Howdy, I agree with you, I've used any of the bows that I have owned around 8 to 10 years before I either got a new one or updated the one I was using. And that's works for me. I'm still a believer of mastering what I have. Same goes with my rifles. A good friend of mine is a bowsmith and owns a archery shop. He has told me that this younger generation and a couple of older people, buy new bows every year and some of them will buy a couple a year because it's something new and shiny. What ever floats your bubble. And yes hope everyone has a safe and memorable hunting season.

 

[jessej]

I may have already said this. Can't remember. So I'll just put it here again.

The bow doesn't make the archer,
The archer makes the bow.

Same with a lot of other tools.
Guitars come to mind.

 

[HSmithTX]

I am in the camp that the new bows aren't ANY more accurate or much if any faster than the older bows and haven't been for a long time, if I remember correctly the fastest bow tested by Lancaster (or was it outdoor life? or bowhunting magazine? whatever) was a 2014ish PSE, rated at 360 and shot 357 or something? Silly fast. The bow companies have had their ways to inflate speed ratings for as long as it has been advertised, I look to third party testing of off the shelf bows that you and I buy for real world speeds. I was shooting 480 grain arrows at 270+ back in 2004 with a 28" draw and a single cam bow pulling 73 pounds. The same bow would shoot a 330 grain arrow near 320, and it had a brace height around 7 inches and ATA of 37. Buy the new super bad *** whatever and it really isn't going to surpass that by much if any and especially if it is near 7 inch brace and 34+ ATA. The new bows are however VASTLY easier to keep in tune, VASTLY quieter and super soft in the hand. The cams and equal loading of the cables and things like that (thank you Mr Darton) on basically all of the new bows make setting them up, getting them shooting great and stay shooting great way easier, basically for the life of the string and cables things stay very close to optimal. Some of the new bows are also WAY WAY more speed consistent across draw lengths than they ever used to be, PSE and Bowtech are the best among them from the third party tests I have seen. The draw cycles are crazy smooth now compared to older bows shooting similar speeds too. There are definite advantages to the new bows over say a 2015 or older bow, but is there $1000-$1800 buying new bare bow worth of advantages? The answer to that is very personal I would say, I would love to have the new flagship bow from several companies but I am not willing to spend the money it takes to get those advantages on a bow. It's chump change compared to what I and a lot of us have spent on a rifle by the time its ready to shoot and well less than what I and a lot of us have spent on a single scope but I just can't make it make sense in my mind yet. We now seem to be entering the next generation of bows where some or all your accessories that you love on the old bow aren't going to move to the new bow when you get one, so $2000-3000 is in play for a new flagship bow ready to hit the field. It will be interesting to watch for the next few years.

 

[jessej]

Have you looked at the new 8 limb bow?

If you buy their stabilizer package and quiver, you'll spend 750$ on just those items.

 

[HSmithTX]

Yeah the integrated accessories is what I was referring to, the stuff you have relied on for years doesn't move to the new bow. Most new bows have an integrated arrow rest option if not requirement, things like that. On this last bow I bought I made the move from a 3D Rover Pro arrow rest to an HHA drop away, I was skeptical LOL but tuned properly it works great. Don't get me wrong, I am still beezatchin steady about no micro adjustments on the new rest but if we tell the truth once I settled on the arrow I was going to shoot and I got my 3D Rover set it didn't move one click for many years. This new rest should be the same more or less.

 

[K.E.C.]

I am in the camp that the new bows aren't ANY more accurate or much if any faster than the older bows and haven't been for a long time, if I remember correctly the fastest bow tested by Lancaster (or was it outdoor life? or bowhunting magazine? whatever) was a 2014ish PSE, rated at 360 and shot 357 or something? Silly fast. The bow companies have had their ways to inflate speed ratings for as long as it has been advertised, I look to third party testing of off the shelf bows that you and I buy for real world speeds. I was shooting 480 grain arrows at 270+ back in 2004 with a 28" draw and a single cam bow pulling 73 pounds. The same bow would shoot a 330 grain arrow near 320, and it had a brace height around 7 inches and ATA of 37. Buy the new super bad *** whatever and it really isn't going to surpass that by much if any and especially if it is near 7 inch brace and 34+ ATA. The new bows are however VASTLY easier to keep in tune, VASTLY quieter and super soft in the hand. The cams and equal loading of the cables and things like that (thank you Mr Darton) on basically all of the new bows make setting them up, getting them shooting great and stay shooting great way easier, basically for the life of the string and cables things stay very close to optimal. Some of the new bows are also WAY WAY more speed consistent across draw lengths than they ever used to be, PSE and Bowtech are the best among them from the third party tests I have seen. The draw cycles are crazy smooth now compared to older bows shooting similar speeds too. There are definite advantages to the new bows over say a 2015 or older bow, but is there $1000-$1800 buying new bare bow worth of advantages? The answer to that is very personal I would say, I would love to have the new flagship bow from several companies but I am not willing to spend the money it takes to get those advantages on a bow. It's chump change compared to what I and a lot of us have spent on a rifle by the time its ready to shoot and well less than what I and a lot of us have spent on a single scope but I just can't make it make sense in my mind yet. We now seem to be entering the next generation of bows where some or all your accessories that you love on the old bow aren't going to move to the new bow when you get one, so $2000-3000 is in play for a new flagship bow ready to hit the field. It will be interesting to watch for the next few years.

I agree with what your saying. Would someone like to get into Arrow cost. In my part of the country, we have Rock everywhere, even with a clean pass throw most of the time my arrow hits a rock. Destroy the broadhead and sometimes shatters the shaft. What's the average price these days- 25. 30. A arrow ready to use. I still love bow hunting and at 62 I'm content with what I have.. thanks, happy hunting.

 

[jessej]

What's the average price these days- 25. 30.

Yep. I try not to think about that. It would ruin my hunt!

 

[s3silver]

I still use my Mathews mr5. It's been an excellent bow and get pass throughs easily. I look at all the new flagship bows every year and still cannot justify spending $1500 for a new bow.

 

[jessej]

I still use my Mathews mr5.

I still have a MR series on my bow wall. I'll never part with it. Imo, Mathews made a giant leap ahead of the rest with the MR.
I haven't shot it in 3 years, and guarantee I can go to the 90 yard taget and put them all in a pie plate the first round.

 

[Buck-bomb]

I've always been a big fan of Mathews and Hoyt. Have also owned some elites and they make a solid bow, but I believe Mathews is the superior bow company in the industry

 

[s3silver]

I still have a MR series on my bow wall. I'll never part with it. Imo, Mathews made a giant leap ahead of the rest with the MR.
I haven't shot it in 3 years, and guarantee I can go to the 90 yard taget and put them all in a pie plate the first round.

I agree, and their bows just got better, smoother, and quieter. Also, now all their flagship bows employ the AVS system.

 

[RD57]

I bought my Mathews Switchback in 2005 and it is my only bow. It is at 70 lb draw weight and requires year round shooting on my part to have no issues with drawing during hunting season. Being 65 y/o and having shoulder surgery in the past it can be a bear to draw when it's freezing cold and I've been motionless in a stand but I just can't seem to part ways with something that works so well for me.

 

[Allen Kitts]

I bought a new Matthews VX3 this year for my first out of state whitetail hunt and I love it! Dead in the hand and smooth to draw. I had been shooting a Hoyt Carbon Extreme for the last ten years or so. I still have it as I have had some sentimental kills with it and I will probably pass it on to my grandson. I think really with Bows anymore you have to shoot them all and find the one that feels the best in your hand and fits your eye. Everyone is making a good bow these days.