Planning on a first bow....

[varmint101]

Alright, so I am planning on going bowhunting come October 1st here in Indiana for the first time and I want to get a setup soon so I can practice a lot.  I haven't found a used one that I liked yet.  Wal-mart has a Buckmasters bow kit for sale.  It's model I think it says is BTR32 and to me it looks sort of like their G2 with the split limbs and all that.  The kit comes with a whisker biscuit rest, 3-pin sight, silencers, peep sight, 4 arrow quiver and a loop all for $250. Adjustable from 55-70 pounds and 28-30". Factory set at 70 and 29".  My draw is 29 1/2.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find what % let-off it is.  I don't want anything that is only able to be set over 65%.  What I would love to know from ya'll is if you think this would be a good set-up or not.  I went to Galyan's and tried a bunch of their PSE bows and wasn't really too hot on them...at least the ones I tried.  I really liked the Parker bows, but can't afford them at this time.  I would like the whole set-up to be under $350. What do ya'll think?  Any info or insight would be greatly appreciated!!  Regards,

Matt

[JACKNZ]

One thing to keep in mind is that the faster a bow is the harder it will be to shoot well.If you buy something with average speed you will find it eazyer to handle.Also 55-65lb will kill anything so there is no need to over bow your self,It,s more important to learn how to shoot well than it is to carry a real heavy wheght bow.My own opnion is that single cam bows are way over rated,I have and always will shoot a twin cam,Iv,e never had a twin cam go out of time in twenty years shooting them,And Iv,e
 never had a problem with nock travel.Timing and nock travel was invented by someone trying to sell an idea we didn,t need anyway.My friends that shoot single cams are always having problems with string stretch..Keep it simple and you can,t go wrong.Basicly the same goes for split limbs,just something more to go wrong with no real advantage..
Beware the salesman my friend.All my componds have been plan no frills
types and Iv,e not had half the hassles I could by trying to be fast,ect, ect,
BEST OF LUCK..Jack.

[Thomas Krupinski]

Matt,

If you are new to archery, it might be a good idea to see if you can find some folks who will let you try their bows first, before buying them.  If you have a local archery shop, that may be the place to start.

Bows are personal things and shooting them is the way to find out.

Are you certain of your draw length?  Many people measure or guess wrong and go longer than they really want to.  There are some bows that are easily adjustable (with cam modules) so that you can inexpensively change both the draw length and the percentage of letoff.

For hunting I like the wisker biscuits and have them on both of my Martin Cougar Magnums.

Also don't rule out a used bow or outfit from someone who is upgrading.  You could probably get to try it first and might come in with a bit better equipment for the money.

The best thing you can do is find a local experienced bow hunter who can help you get started.

Good luck and enjoy.