Newb Needs Help!

[BARBARIAN-X]

Haven't shot a decent bow since I was a teenager, 20yrs ago, because work became priority. Now that I'm retired I have lots of free time so I'm looking to get back into it. Unfortunately I live very remote, fly in fly out, so I don't have the opportunity to try anything at the moment. Minimum draw weight for big game is 50 pounds here so I want at least that. I know starting too heavy is a big problem so how can I determine my draw weight without a bow to try? I figured there would be some sort of dumbell row test (for people in my situation) to determine draw weight but couldn't find anything like that. I have access to free weights if anyone knows a way for me to test.

I'm intending to purchase a recurve to use for a short time because that's where my limited experience lies. I would like to get a buy once cry once compound bow in the near future. Problem is there are no bow shops here so what tools would I need to work on a compound bow? I have zero experience with a compound bow other than a 30 lb youth bow I bought for my Son so if its too much fooling around I'll stay with a stick bow. Appreciate your help, thanks!

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

No love? Come on guys I'm just trying to get going here. I've seen size and weight charts for draw weight and I've heard things like weighted shopping bags for x number of reps as a guide too so I assumed some of you must train your draw in the gym which could give me a rough reference. I'm aware of the flaws with these methods but I wasn't looking for anyone's personal guarantee just a rough idea. I knew this was a question people wouldn't want to answer so I'll leave it at that and make my own mistakes on this one.

Problem is there are no bow shops here so what tools would I need to work on a compound bow?

Ok the 1st question I can understand the silent room but no one maintains their own bow and can tell me what tools they use or if its a pain in the ass? Crickets Chirping Sound Effect - YouTube

 

[RCA Dog]

Its totally doable, but it gets expensive. Bows are such a personal thing, everybody likes different stuff. That said, unless you are a really small guy, I would get something that has 60 lb limbs that you can turn back to 50 to start. As you go, you can gradually turn the limbs up until you are at 60. Down the road once you have built up some strength, and assuming you end up with the tools to do so, you can get 70 lb limbs for the same bow that you can turn back to 60 and build from there. Do not get a bow with draw length specific cams, unless you know exactly what your draw length is, and know that most draw length specific cams run long.

You will need a press that is capable of completely disassembling the bow, a drawboard, and a bunch of other miscellaneous small tools like allen keys, torx in some cases, some serving thread, etc. There is a learning curve to tuning a bow, but there is lots of youtube stuff out there to guide you.

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

Thanks I appreciate the info! I'm only 5'7 but I've done anaerobic and aerobic training for 35yrs during which I managed a gym, was a personal trainer and then was a LEO & self defense instructor for 20yrs before being injured on the job and forced into early retirement at 48. Last 3yrs have been difficult to train around some of my injuries so I've lost a lot of strength/conditioning in these areas. Luckily my injuries do not interfere directly with using a bow but I can barely read or write anymore and have to use text to speech and speech to text but it still takes me hours just to respond to posts. lol Since all this happened I often don't get many responses on forums anymore because my questions are seen as dumb or trivial to the experts...even a newbie would likely say just google that shit dumb ass but when you're unable to learn in that way anymore google just leads to hours of confusion and frustration. I'm looking for understanding not pity because these won't be the last dumb questions I ask.

A press and a drawboard...any particular ones that most people go for or does it depend on the brand of bow you have?
Appreciate it if anyone could link a good video to compound bow tuning. Visuals works for me reading does not. Thanks!

 

[RCA Dog]

I personally like the Bow Time Machine. It's a combination press and draw board.

 

[boom]

congrats on retirement.

if i were in your position, i would get a 60lb limbed bow. that will kill ANYTHING anyways. i bought a used bow, so i was limited in my choices and ended up with a 70lb bow. never drew a bow LEFT handed, but it was a WTH moment. you know what? i am no muscle man, but i could draw the bow fairly easy. i took a few turns out of the limbs and voila!! it is really good for me at the moment.

i think most of the population (men) could pull a 60lb bow..if not, you can turn it down closer to the lower end. most bows will safely go down 10lbs.

i find Elite bows to be super smooth drawing bows. not harsh, easy to let down manually from full draw. (a good thing in a hunting bow)

generalizing here: most speed bows are less forgiving to shoot, and have harsher cams. the engineers are closing the gap, i think. again, GENERALIZING. i am not a speed freak..i want easy to shoot (at animals). i have an excessive adrenalin dump when i get excited..i need easy.

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

I personally like the Bow Time Machine. It's a combination press and draw board.

Thanks I'll check it out, sounds good.

congrats on retirement.

if i were in your position, i would get a 60lb limbed bow. that will kill ANYTHING anyways. i bought a used bow, so i was limited in my choices and ended up with a 70lb bow. never drew a bow LEFT handed, but it was a WTH moment. you know what? i am no muscle man, but i could draw the bow fairly easy. i took a few turns out of the limbs and voila!! it is really good for me at the moment.

i think most of the population (men) could pull a 60lb bow..if not, you can turn it down closer to the lower end. most bows will safely go down 10lbs.

i find Elite bows to be super smooth drawing bows. not harsh, easy to let down manually from full draw. (a good thing in a hunting bow)

generalizing here: most speed bows are less forgiving to shoot, and have harsher cams. the engineers are closing the gap, i think. again, GENERALIZING. i am not a speed freak..i want easy to shoot (at animals). i have an excessive adrenalin dump when i get excited..i need easy.

I'm thinking of going 80lbs. Before I got messed up I used to bench 405lbs for singles and did bent barbell rows with 285lbs for sets of 10 but now I'm rowing 230. I'm thinking that should be good enough from the Youtubers I see pulling 80lb bows. Unless there's something I'm not understanding I'm just rowing 80lbs with one hand right? I just sent out a cable system I had here where I could simulate the drawing of a bow because the pulleys were adjustable. Wish I had thought of that when it was here. lol

Just got word that my family and I will be moving to Newfoundland next month. Can hunt everyday 10 months of the year! Looks like there are no bow shops near me there so I'll try to hit one on the way down. What are the top 70 to 80 lb hunting bows that I should be looking at? Buy once cry once and I'm partial to subalpine but its not a deal breaker. Hopefully I might get a chance to shoot some of these which is great news. Wasn't too keen on buying online without having held.

 

[boom]

dang..80lbs!!

that is rarified air for me. i'll never go past 70, not with my arms.

with 80, i imagine the challenge. (added challenge) would be to find arrows stiff enough.

my friend pulls a Mathews Monster at 80lbs. pulling his arrows out of the target at the bow range is funny. i damn near have to put a foot on the target. i tried to draw his bow, and had to quit. he DL was way to long for me and i was gonna hurt myself with the valley beyond my reach.

 

[Brendan]

I personally like the Bow Time Machine. It's a combination press and draw board.

You can't use a BTM on all bows. All new Hoyt Defiants and RX1's for example. Regardless of what people tell you, it's not safe unless the design has been updated recently, had a bad experience with mine and promptly sold it. Too bad, because I did like the design.

If you end up with a Hoyt or another past-parallel limbed bow, get an approved press. A synunm is a pain in the ***, but works if you're not using it too much, packs super small, and is cheaper. You'd still need a draw board which you can make for cheap. I use a Buckeye Bow-A-Constrictor with the draw board attachment.

Biggest thing you need before buying a compound is to find out your draw length. What I'd do is use this video:

Proper Draw Length with John Dudley of Nock On - YouTube

And then get a bow that has adjustable draw length, where you can adjust an inch or so down from your estimated length, and an inch or so up from there. Hoyt Carbon RX1 and Hyperforce adjust from 24.5" to 28" in the smallest (#2) cam for example. They're $$$ if you buy them new.

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

Thanks guys really appreciating the info! Please give some suggestions on good hunting bows in the 70 to 80 # range. Price is anywhere between $1000 to $1500 for just the bow. I'm probably only going to have a day or 2 in Ottawa and my time will be limited in order to accommodate my family so if I could narrow it down to a half a dozen contenders I can try to track them down before I fly. If I don't pre-plan this it might not happen because traveling with young children can easily go sideways. lol

I'm also wondering what rest to use particularly for wet and freezing weather...which is a typical Newfoundland summer. lol Seriously though I'm assuming a lot of these drop away rests would freeze up...???

dang..80lbs!!

that is rarified air for me. i'll never go past 70, not with my arms.

with 80, i imagine the challenge. (added challenge) would be to find arrows stiff enough.

my friend pulls a Mathews Monster at 80lbs. pulling his arrows out of the target at the bow range is funny. i damn near have to put a foot on the target. i tried to draw his bow, and had to quit. he DL was way to long for me and i was gonna hurt myself with the valley beyond my reach.

I'm not opposed to 70# bows because it seems going 80# limits selection so I'm looking at both. I just figure if I can pull it why limit myself. Didn't know there would be an issue finding arrows that are stiff enough for an 80# bow so I'll have to look into that. On the other hand I won't be able to get any locally so if they can be had online it won't be a hassle. Were I currently live there are no roads in or out so I'm used to ordering everything anyway. lol

You can't use a BTM on all bows. All new Hoyt Defiants and RX1's for example. Regardless of what people tell you, it's not safe unless the design has been updated recently, had a bad experience with mine and promptly sold it. Too bad, because I did like the design.

If you end up with a Hoyt or another past-parallel limbed bow, get an approved press. A synunm is a pain in the ***, but works if you're not using it too much, packs super small, and is cheaper. You'd still need a draw board which you can make for cheap. I use a Buckeye Bow-A-Constrictor with the draw board attachment.

Biggest thing you need before buying a compound is to find out your draw length. What I'd do is use this video:

Proper Draw Length with John Dudley of Nock On - YouTube

And then get a bow that has adjustable draw length, where you can adjust an inch or so down from your estimated length, and an inch or so up from there. Hoyt Carbon RX1 and Hyperforce adjust from 24.5" to 28" in the smallest (#2) cam for example. They're $$$ if you buy them new.

Not looking to hurt myself with a bow press, got enough problems! lol Thanks for the tips!
Draw length came out almost the same as measuring wingspan ÷ 2.5 which is approx. couple mils shy of 28 inches.

 

[realunlucky]

I recommended you get a 60-70 pound bow to start setup at lowest poundage and focus on form. Shooting your max pull weight can cause bad form which you want to avoid at all costs while building muscle memory. Turn it up later if you want but poundage offers few advantages with today's equipment. Nothing on this continent I would be afraid to shoot at my current 58 lbs. Imo nothing beats a Hoyt for durability and dependability

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[bsnedeker]

I recommended you get a 60-70 pound bow to start setup at lowest poundage and focus on form. Turn it up later if you want but poundage offers few advantages with today's equipment. Nothing on this continent I would be afraid to shoot at my current 58 lbs. Imo nothing beats a Hoyt for durability and dependability

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Agree 100% with this advice! Hoyt for durability and dependability, Prime for an extremely nice draw cycle. Those are the two I like the most in my shopping, ended up getting a hoyt last year but the Prime was right behind it.

I also recommend starting out with lower poundage for the simple reason that you will be able to practice longer without fatigue. You will need a LOT of practice so get a lower poundage to start, then work your way up to 80 if you really feel the need to do that (I shoot about 68 pounds right now and am considering going lower).

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

Thanks for your advice guys and trust me I have no intention of struggling to pull a bow. If I can't handle 80# I'll gladly move down as low as necessary. I've killed a couple of moose with a 30-30, my buddy even killed one with a 22, but I still prefer to use a 300WM for the job. If I can pull an 80 with little trouble the 80 will come home. Pretty sure all the 80# & 70# bows can be purchased with weaker limbs if necessary so keep the bow suggestions coming. So far Hoyt and Prime have been mentioned...any specific models or other brands? Need to know what bows to look at so I can maximize the limited time I will have to check them out. Thanks!

 

[Boreal]

Agree 100% with this advice! Hoyt for durability and dependability, Prime for an extremely nice draw cycle. Those are the two I like the most in my shopping, ended up getting a hoyt last year but the Prime was right behind it.

I also recommend starting out with lower poundage for the simple reason that you will be able to practice longer without fatigue. You will need a LOT of practice so get a lower poundage to start, then work your way up to 80 if you really feel the need to do that (I shoot about 68 pounds right now and am considering going lower).

+3 on this one. People often assume that a bow with a higher draw weight will allow for more leeway when hunting. It's just not true. A well placed shot with a quality broadhead from a 60 pound bow will be much more effective than a poorly placed shot from an 80 pound bow. You want to be able to shoot a lot with consistent form and not get to fatigue too quickly. Fatigue will ruin your shooting form, and the accuracy will never come.

I've got a Hoyt Carbon Defiant with 60-70 pound limbs and love it for hunting. I also shoot an Elite Impulse 34 (50-60 lbs) for targets, after I retired it as my hunting bow. Both were excellent choices, but I wanted a lighter bow for climbing mountains. Make sure whatever you get fits you, go to a reputable bow shop instead of a box store if you can.

Lancaster Archery has some great bow setup videos, I think the series is called Nocked and Ready to Rock. Check it out on YouTube.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Boreal]

I recommended you get a 60-70 pound bow to start setup at lowest poundage and focus on form. Shooting your max pull weight can cause bad form which you want to avoid at all costs while building muscle memory. Turn it up later if you want but poundage offers few advantages with today's equipment. Nothing on this continent I would be afraid to shoot at my current 58 lbs. Imo nothing beats a Hoyt for durability and dependability

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

+3 on this. People often assume that a heavier bow will allow for more leeway when hunting. It's not true. A well placed shot with a quality broadhead from a 60 pound bow is more ethical and effective than a poorly placed shot from an 80 pound bow. And the well placed shot from an 80 pound bow is no more effective than a well placed shot from a 60 pound bow. You want to be able to practice a lot with consistent form, and without fatigue. Fatigue will ruin your form and the accuracy will never come.

Whatever bow you get, make sure it fits you well. Go to a reputable bow shop rather than a box store, if you can. Lancaster Archery has some good bow setup videos on YouTube. I think they are called Nocked and Ready to Rock. It's a 12 video series of getting the bow ready from start to finish. Good luck, shoot lots, and have fun.

 

[elkguide]

There are so many great bows out there today. It's just so much fun to go to a few good archery shops when you "need" a new bow. I agree totally with what has been said about starting out with a lighter set-up. You can easily do yourself more damage by starting out drawing too much weight. You'll find that you shoot more with a lower draw weight as you won't tire as quickly. I've killed elk with a 78# bow as well as watched a hunter take one with a 53# bow. Both elk died within 75 yards. The deer that I've killed in the last few years died just as quickly even though I've got my latest bow set at 60#.

My best advice would be to get out there and shoot every bow that you can and see which one feels best in your hand and which one just feels right. My son is a loyal Mathews shooter and won't shoot anything else but if you were to give me one, I'd be at my local bow shop trying to trade it as soon as you left my driveway...… just can't feel comfortable shooting one. Now if you want to drop an Xpedition or and Elite by my house...……. I'd sure be so very greatful!!!!!! (that would be a 28.5" draw with 60# limbs and in "BLACK" camo!)

Good luck.

 

[BARBARIAN-X]

Thanks guys I appreciate that you're trying to look out for me and I get it. As I said in the post prior "If I can't handle 80# I'll gladly move down as low as necessary." so please stop with the get a lighter bow comments. I think my title is a little misleading "Newb Needs Help!" as I'm only new to compound bows, shot longbow & recurve for 9yrs (20yrs ago) and I've hunted since I was 4. I thought if I used the term "Newb" I would get a little extra hand holding without having to admit I'm fubar but that ship sailed. At this point I need suggestions on specific bows in my price range as my exfil time is getting short and I will have limited time in Ottawa before I'm off to the land of no bow shops again. Speaking of which any good bow shops in Ottawa, Canada?

Whatever bow you get, make sure it fits you well. Go to a reputable bow shop rather than a box store, if you can. Lancaster Archery has some good bow setup videos on YouTube. I think they are called Nocked and Ready to Rock. It's a 12 video series of getting the bow ready from start to finish. Good luck, shoot lots, and have fun.

If the draw length is adjustable what else is required to be fitted to a compound bow?
Thanks for the suggestion on the videos...exactly the kind of stuff I'm wanting to learn about compound bows.

There are so many great bows out there today. It's just so much fun to go to a few good archery shops when you "need" a new bow.

No bow shops here or where I'm moving. Totally understand the excitement of purchasing anything new for hunting and I used to feel that way but now when I go in public people stare or I make them feel uncomfortable so they scatter. Going to any kind of shop is difficult for me but in this case its an opportunity I can't pass up because its so rare that I would be near a bow shop. I'll even repeat my earlier question to add emphasis for anyone reading this...Any good bow shops in Ottawa, Canada?

My best advice would be to get out there and shoot every bow that you can and see which one feels best in your hand and which one just feels right. My son is a loyal Mathews shooter and won't shoot anything else but if you were to give me one, I'd be at my local bow shop trying to trade it as soon as you left my driveway...… just can't feel comfortable shooting one. Now if you want to drop an Xpedition or and Elite by my house...……. I'd sure be so very greatful!!!!!! (that would be a 28.5" draw with 60# limbs and in "BLACK" camo!)

Good luck.

I like what you did there! Please let me know if anyone sends you a bow so I can try the same.

Thanks guys for bearing with me and I really appreciate any and all advice given. (Where's the hug emoji?) In case it got lost in my chaotic regurgitation of information throughout this post I've listed the main things I'm looking for in order of time related importance so any help on these would be great. Thanks!

- Specific brand and model suggestions in my price range ($1000 to $1500)
- Recommendations for good bow shops in Ottawa, Canada.
- Reputable video links on maintaining and tuning compound bows.

 

[Brendan]

Draw length is not adjustable on every bow, on some it isn't at all without replacing cams and maybe limbs. Some require replacing modules on the cam, some are adjustable within a limited range, some are adjustable within a larger range. It depends on the manufacturer and model.

Easy button - buy a 70-80lb Hoyt Carbon RX1 or Hoyt Hyperforce. There are three different cam sizes for those bows:

24.5-28",
27-30",
29-31"

24.5-28 would be better than 27-29 if it fits you - You said you're a hair under 28, but I wouldn't buy anything this expensive without picking one up, drawing it, making sure you have good form and that the draw length is actually correct for you. Wingspan, and measuring with your fist against the wall are only estimates. Much cheaper to buy used / unregistered on one of the many facebook groups or ArcheryTalk, but you need to know exactly what you're looking for.

Lots of resources on tuning Hoyts yourself too. NockonTV Youtube channel (John Dudley) is by far the best resource out there right now, or just ask questions here.

 

[boom]

rarely mentioned. drawing a bow is one part of the equation. i cant count how many times i have had an animal stop and hang up behind a tree or something while i am at full draw. when i was shooting right handed i was fairly strong and could lower the bow and put that lower wheel on my knee or something to relax a bit. but even that has a timeline. i have to let down eventually. letting down slowly, with control is crucial to me. you kinda have to do it slowly to not alert the animal.

for me, i think a lower poundang bow is superior for me. i searched HIGH and LOW for a used carbon Hoyt. i ended up with 70lb limbs. 60's would have made me much happier. as it stands, i turned down my 70 pounder significantly. i am gonna leave it there.

it's my hunt bow. i need to let it down with stealth.

 

[elkguide]

One of the reasons that I have shifted to a lower draw weight is the weather factor. I found that after many hours in a tree stand or even still hunting at typical late fall hunting season temperatures, the muscles didn't appreciate being asked to come to full attention quickly. Even though all summer a heavier draw weight was easy, at the moment of truth, when having been less active for a while, it was a lot harder to quickly take an action. As to which breed of a bow to get...…. there is no way that I will recommend a bow for you. I definitely would go with a bow that didn't have a draw length specific cam. As I said earlier, I like the grip on an Xpedition, Elite, Obsession or BowTech bow. That style is the most repeatable and comfortable for me.
Good luck.