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New to bowhunting, need some advice.

A

AJsArmor

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Appreciate any and all advice you guys have to offer. I've been itching to get a bow for years and I'm finally ready to pull the trigger. Looking at bows, it's a bit overwhelming. One thing I know for sure is that I want a bow with a short axle to axle length because I plan on doing some stalking. That's primarily how I hunt in early ML and rarely take a shot over 30 yards. But I've already made several ladder stands and probably going to have at least a dozen more in place before next year.

The other thing is cost, I'm on a tight budget with the holidays coming up. I've been looking at the Martin Cheetah which Cabela's sells for $450 setup, right in my price range. With a 30.5" axle length it's nice and compact for what I want. Anyone know much about them? What to look for or avoid? Appreciate it.
 
Hello AJ, On a budget I would look for used. Lotta great bows out there for that and under your price range. I would also recommend a little longer axle to axle bow, especially for a stalk. You need to develop a good form and sometimes a short bow is tough to not develop bad habbits. Another good thing to have is a good shop that would help you develop, adjust. While your at it buy the daughter a fun bow and you guys will have a riot at some 3d shoots this coming summer.
 
hit all the shops you can, shoot every model, and manufacturer you can. when you find one you like, check ebay, and classifieds on hunting sites like ours, archerytalk, and others. you can get some good deals on the top model from a year or 2 ago. better warn ya, you may want to steer clear from shooting THIS years hot new bows...then you will fall in love with something way over your price range, and will be soured on "last years technology".
 
good advice so far....

Martin, PSE, Mission and companies alike are worth investigating as they make great mid price range equipment.....

and i couldnt agree more, find a good shop and plug in, you will learn lots!!
 
I an't help you much. All I can say is that you sound very similar to myself about 5 months ago. I settled on the Martin Bengal and for the $$ I have no reason to believe it was not a good purchase on my part.

So..with that said...all I can tell you is that I feel Martin makes good stuff at an affordable price.
 
Go look at and shoot as many bows as you can. Test drive them all, and when you are done, buy a hoyt!
 
Wait till about 1-15-07 or so and you will find Limb's Bow for sale in the classifieds. Make him an offer he can't refuse. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

In all seriousness you should be able to find a very nice 1 to 3 year old bow that will likely be fully equipped in the 400-600$ range. The original owner will probably have about 1000-1300$ in it. A very good bargain to say the least. Look on archerytalk.com as well. I would anticipate a bow listings starting to pick up very soon as the 08 models are rolling out and hunting seasons are starting wind down. Jan and Feb are great months to buy a used bow.
 
Here's a tidbit of advice:

Once you get your bow, practice, practice, practice. Know that bow inside and out- become one with it, if you will. You don't wanna blame that missed shot at a dandy buck on a lack of practice.

Best of luck!!!
 
AJ:

I bought a used Ross last winter ('06 with many accessories) for under $425. With Ross coming out with a slightly different line-up in '08, I would imagine that many Ross owners will be upgrading. These are not super fast bows but super smooth and real nice shooting bows.

Many other brands are also top notch and I believe with PSE's X-Force raising the speed barrier, many companies will be trying to upgrade their speed. Therefore many owners will also be upgrading and there should be some super used buys this offseason. My last two bows have been used and I have shot good bucks with both of them. If you have the coin for a new one, good for you. If not, you can still own a great bow at a discounted price.
 
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