Howdy,

Never hunted with a bow, but seriously considering it. As a prospective new bow hunter, what's a good "starter" bow or should I consider trying to find a used one? If used, where do I start looking? I'm in Dallas, if that helps. Thanks in advance.

I am not a bow hunter but I have used one of these longbows and they are fun:

I had no idea what I was doing, but it was thrilling to finally hit a target after awhile. I am sure the real hunters will give you solid advice.

Some will suggest going to a bow shop, getting fitted, etc etc.

I'd spend a little time at huntersfriend.com and get all set up

Bows are like women. What one man likes, another man will not like at all. But they are sure fun to play with!

There's a bow shop called Cinnamon Creek I hear about a lot up that way that has great reviews and inventory. I'd go check it out and look at all your options. Shoot a few bows and decide if you want a $500 ready to hunt bow package or want to go all in and spend $2,500 on top of the line equipment.

I started with a Academy special Bear that I bought from a friend for $100. Over time I bought good hardware and arrows. I killed several deer with that bow and was glad I didn't jump into bow hunting with a top end bow. I have since upgraded but realized that you don't need the latest and greatest to be successful.

I would suggest buying something that is slightly used and make sure you actually want to go hunting. Start with Craigslist or a bow shop. They often have consignment bows you can shoot before you buy.

Much appreciated for the helpful responses. And the gif.

How much gun hunting experience do you have?

If I had to pick 2 things not to cheap out on to start it would be a target and arrows. I shout out my first target in like 2 months. Getting consistent arrow flight with inconsistent arrows will not be fun and will kill your motivation.

I'm in Dallas for a bit longer and have mostly good experiences with cinnamon creek. I've hunted at Lavon and Grapevine USACE land. I prefer Grapevine. Be aware the at either place if you leave out game cameras it will probably get stolen, especially Grapevine.

Been rifle hunting for whitetail and other large game, as well as bird hunting, sporting clays, etc., for about 32 years now.

I've got a Hoyt Charger, but I'd recommend any Hoyt or Matthews. Craigslist is probably where you could find a used one that's only a couple years old and still in good shape. Once you do get one take it to an archery shop and get it sized at the right length and draw weight that fits you best

You'll get a load of different opinions from people. But as a semi-new Bow Hunter i'll tell you my experience.

I went into the a bow shop and had them "guesstimate" my draw length and asked for my budget. They ended up showing me a bowtech carbon icon, they also had hoyt and elite and mathews but most were out of my budget. I didnt want to go too cheapo or brands like PSE because of some stories I've heard (although Im sure will work fine).

They watched me shoot and we did some tweaks to draw length, sights, etc. I would recommend a drop away rest (which did not come w/ the bow), and quality arrows and broad head (fixed is my preference).

I would start with less draw weight then you think to get the hang of it and be able to get a lot of practice in without getting fatigued. Then turn it up yourself or have the shop do it, then re calibrate your sights.

I would then shoot a lot in different positions (shooting, standing, kneeling) in different clothes (jackets, wearing ball cap or face mask or whatever you may be hunting in) and do a bunch of short sessions instead of fewer long sessions before you actually go into the field. Watch videos too- i like bowhunt or die- to see how people deal with things like deer in different positions or distances, wind, tactics, scents, camo, noise, etc.


Also regarding targets as mentioned above, one mistake I did when practicing with broadheads was pulling them back out of the foam target, this destroyed them fast ! Now I unscrew the broadhead off if it passes through, and pull the shaft out. You'll get much more life out of it that way. Also practice w/ 3d targets if you get a chance.