Working at a Pro Shop, I'm able to introduce many new archers to our sport. They come from all walks of life and backgrounds. From guys and gals who are looking to join family or friends on their next hunt, or that developed an interest from watching the outdoor channels, to the parents who have daughters dragging them to "The Hunger Games" or "Brave," archery is growing at a remarkable rate. But where should someone start when looking for a bow? The questions that probably come to mind are:
Should I shoot "traditional" or compound?
Do I want to hunt or target shoot and if so, what kind of game or targets do I want to shoot at?
Should I buy new or used?
Finally, what's this little venture going to cost me?
TRADITIONAL OR COMPOUND?One of the first decisions to make, is whether to shoot a "traditional" bow, or a compound. A "traditional" bow typically refers to a longbow or a recurve: bows that have no wheels or "pulleys" and that are truly the definition of "stick and string" (...the type of bow used in the movie "The Hunger Games"). If simplicity and tradition is what you crave, then a longbow or recurve is what you want. If, however, you're interested in speed and increased accuracy and range, then a compound bow (...those bows that DO have wheels and "pulleys" on them) might be a better fit for you.
TraditionalWith a longbow or recurve, you will only need a glove, arm guard, and some arrows. One of the benefits of choosing to shoot a traditional bow is that the initial financial investment (heck, even long-term overall investment...) can be significantly less than with compound bows. However, shooting a traditional bow – for most people, and without a SIGNIFICANT investment in time spent practicing – typically means less overall accuracy and distance.
When looking for a traditional-style bow, look somewhere on either the bottom limb, or on the handle/riser, for the tip-to-tip length and draw weight. Unless you are very tall, a tip-to-tip length of 62-66" is a good place to start for most people. The draw weight of the bow is the weight measured at 28" of draw. Simply put, if your draw length is less than 28", it will be less draw weight; if greater than 28", the draw weight will be more than is stated on the bow. You can go into your local archery shop where they can use a "draw check" arrow and bow scale to help you determine what your traditional bow is drawing at your specific draw length.
Once you've established your draw length, you then just need to hold, draw, and shoot several different types of traditional-style bows – at different draw weights – to see which one feels the best and allows you to shoot comfortably and accurately. Everyone is different, as are different bows, so the trick is finding the bow that fits you, your shooting style, and what you want to do with it. Those that want to shoot a traditional-style bow for target archery (like the Olympic archers) might need a different bow than someone who wants to hunt with it.
CompoundWhile a compound bow will ultimately require a few more accessories, you first need to determine draw length and draw weight. These differ, however, with a compound bow as opposed to traditional bows.
When determining your draw length, you first need to decide how you want to draw the bow back. For traditional archery, drawing the bow back using your fingers is the norm. With compound bows these days, however, most people use some sort of mechanical release aid. Now, while using a release aid has become the standard for a variety of reasons, you can still use fingers if you want, but you'll need to look specifically for a longer axle-to-axle bow, which can be tough these days. Axle-to-axle length is measured as the distance between the axle of the top wheel or cam to the axle of the bottom cam. For finger shooters that usually needs to be 40 inches or more. With so many compound bows becoming more compact and having shorter axle-to-axle lengths, the angle of the string as you pull back becomes so sharp, that holding and shooting accurately with fingers becomes almost impossible. A release aid not only helps most folks have a more consistent and "clean" release of the string (which helps accuracy), but it allows folks to shoot highly compact bows as well.
Regardless of how you wish to shoot (fingers or release), determining the correct draw length is much more important with a compound bow than a traditional bow due to the way a compound bow works. Unlike a traditional bow that simply flexes the limbs directly as you pull on one string, a compound bow uses Cams (pulleys) and/or wheels that "compound" the amount of flex the limbs receive as you pull the string back. Different Cams and wheels will "compound" the flex of the limbs differently, but all need to be set-up to your specific draw length.
As you pull back, the Cam(s) will start to roll over and compress the limbs (the difficult portion of the "draw cycle") and then "fall" into what folks call a "valley" whereby the Cams hold the majority of the weight of the compressed limbs rather than your arms. This is the "let-off" you hear people talk about when people talk about compound bows. Different Cams have different amounts or "percentages" of let-off (which is something to consider when purchasing your bow), but all Cams need to be matched to your specific draw length so that the draw cycle and "valley" are properly set to maximize speed and efficiency. While this might seem pretty complicated at first, all you really need to do is figure out what your proper draw length is, and the archery shop employees and bow manufacturers will do the rest; it really is pretty simple.
Like with a
traditional bow , the best way to determine your draw length is by using a "draw-check" arrow. However, if you don't have a "draw-check" arrow to start with, one way to determine your draw length is to measure your wing span, finger tip-to-finger tip, then divide the measurement by 2.5. While this is only a starting point (as some bow manufacturers measure their draw length differently), it should at least get you close so you can either narrow down your initial purchase, or help archery shop employees figure out where to start.
Draw weight is the next thing to consider. The average hunting weight for most men is 63 to 65 pounds of draw weight (with a range of between 55 and 70 pounds), and 40 to 45 pounds for most women. For target archery, most choose draw weights that are much less than that. In either case, the key to finding your appropriate draw weight (especially when starting out) is being able to smoothly draw the bow all the way back without having to do much (if any) large arm movements and "gyrations" to get it back; you'll see some people struggling to get their bow back each time they draw their bow. You do NOT want to do that!
Now, don't get suckered into thinking you have to pull heavy weight to hunt. If you can't draw the bow with ease, the animal will most likely see you draw, and spook anyway. I tell people that if after a practice session of at least 30 arrows, you can't sit flat on your butt, with your legs straight out in front of you, and draw your bow easily, you're shooting too much weight. Keep in mind that most compound bows will have a 10 pound weight adjustment, so choose a bow that will allow you to shoot lighter weight to start, and then gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
On this Hoyt bow, you can see WT (draw weight) ranges between 60 and 70 pounds.
For instance, many bows these days come with 70 pound limbs, which means when at maximum poundage, you'll be pulling 70 pounds of weight to get the string back. Those same bows, however, usually can be turned down to about 60 pounds with a simple adjustment. If you can easily pull back 60 pounds to start, go with a 60 to 70 pound draw weight bow, and start at 60 and slowly work your way up to 70. If 60 is too heavy to start, then choose a 60 pound draw weight bow, and have the limbs "turned down" to about 50 pounds to start. With modern Cam designs and limb composites these days, even "lower poundage" bows still produce incredible speed and kinetic energy.
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