So I've decided to take the plunge and get into bow hunting. I've rifle hunted for the past 10 years but given the opportunities and challenges bow hunting presents I am excited to give it a try. Now the scenario ... given our financial situation after purchasing a house just recently we've found it in our best interest to take advantage of some reward options we have with our credit cards. What I ended up with is roughly $450 in Amazon gift cards to get a gift for myself. Thus presents the challenge: Whats the best entry level bow for around that price point on Amazon? I've talked this over with quite a few friends and the majority end up telling me to just buy gear with these cards and buy a bow when I get some cash. I figured I'd consult the experts & veterans on here before making the final decision. The options I'm coming across on Amazon are:

- PSE Brute X RTS/Sinister/Stinger/etc...
- Diamond by Bowtech Core
- Bear Outbreak/others...

Are any of these Amazon options worth giving it a go? Or should I just get some gear?

I think its hard to internet shop for such an important item. Of course you can look at specs and reviews and compare as much as you can, but in all honestly you should go to a Cabela's or Bass Pro and shoot the bows you like most.

I shoot a Bear and I love it. The one you posted about though I don't know how confident i would be in recommending it. Now I don't knnw for sure because I've never shot or handled it, just compared to the others it doesn't look like one I would be interested in.
The Diamond looks like a solid bow. Good IBO and a good range on draw length to fit whatever you need. My cousing just bought a Diamond and he loves it. He just got into bow hunting this year and he's smoked his first deer with it earlier this season.
I've never been a fan of PSE. I'm sure they make a great bow but my brother had one back around 2002 or something and I just never like it. But that was back before they really got into the modern era of bows but that's just always kept me steering clear from them.

Good luck on your search. Don't buy unless you feel comfortable. Congrats on getting into the sport. Nothing like bowhunting. Won't ever want to shoot a rifle again after that first bow kill

Use the gift cards to buy a new Ipad or Kindle or some music or something. Stick to buying your first bow face-to-face. You will not know if you like it or not unless you shoot it first. Each brand and style shoots and feels different and that will make a difference in how much you will enjoy the sport.

Go to hunters friend online,

Thanks for this. I think that's a good call going in and shooting/getting fitted. I didn't realize they did that at Cabelas. Appreciate it man.

I would go to.Outdoor World and.see Alicia to get fittted before I would go to Cabelas or Bass Pro.

I would also recommend going to a proshop in your area before going to a large retail store like Cabelas/Gander/Basspro.

All those bows you mentioned are good ones. Whatever you decide, go to a pro shop and get properly fitted for the bow. You will save yourself a lot of headaches down the road.

The budget bows of today are better then the pro models of five years ago

there are some good deals out there now that the 2013 bows are on clearance making room for the 2014 bows. Agree with Bobo the budget bows now days are some good shooters and hunting bow, not as smooth as todays top line bows but darn good shooters.

Bow shops and techs are not all created equal, some of the big stores do have some ok techs working in them and some "pro shops" have some techs that do not always turn out good work.

+1

+2

The difference between a PSE Prophecy (basic) and EVO (Pro series) is very little compared to what they use to be even a few years ago. The pro series will be a bit smoother and quieter, but when shooting 330 fps with the Prophecy, you can't kill a deer any deader!

yep like said already, lots of really good entry bows out there. heck i still shoot a martin cheetah. if you buy from amazon, most bows have good adjustability so you can take it to a proshop and get setup properly with it. go to a few archery ranges and you would probably find plenty of help on getting setup as well. bows are pretty easy for DIY.

That's only in the eye of the bow holder....8)

Just my opinion but I would avoid the big box stores and go to a BOW shop. Cinammon creek ranch has been great to me thus far. I have now had the above mentioned big box store screw up twice on what should have been simple requests, one of which was fitting my 13 year old daughter with a bow. Completely horrible. Very nice guys but lacked the knowledge to properly size and set up a bow properly. I'm sure there's something closer to you than cinnamon creek ranch but I would make the drive if not. They are about a mile from cabelas and know what's going on in the bow world. They have a ton in stock and you can shoot them all. I shot several bows at the 1k price and wound up buying the new Hoyt Charger because it felt better to me than the one I was originally after (carbon element) and they encouraged the purchase of the cheaper bow even though they wouldn't make as much on it. Good luck and don't jump and buy the first one you shoot. Try them all.

Go to different shops and try out bows.

With that being said, I would look hard at the Mission Ballistic.

I'm sure others will say differently, but I found my PSE Stinger to be a worthy starter bow. Not nearly as refined as they get, but hard to beat at that price point IMO. Regardless, it doesn't make sense not to go shoot several prior to buying...regardless of where you buy it.