I have always been a gun hunter and decided to try bow hunting. Have always wanted to get into it. Booked a trip to Illinois for whitetail in early January. Bow only. My budget is 1000 to maybe 1800. Have been looking at Hoyt, elite and Mathews. I am sure buying a bow is like buying a gun. Ask 10 people get 10 different answers. I plan to hunt whitetail with it. Don't want something I have to struggle to pull back and hold but will get the job done and pretty fast. Any suggestions?

I like the Hoyt Faktor really well. Great draw cycle, decent valley and no jumpy cam, good speed, smooth and shock free.

Field and stream ranks them every year. I like BowTech and they tend to win most rankings. So, Chevy, Bowtech, Skeeter, that's the best.

I prefer Mathews but try them all and buy the bow that fits you best. Mine is about 8 years old, not as fast as some new bows but the new ones aren't as comfortable or smooth as mine. I get a wild hair and go shoot new ones every once in awhile to see if I like them. Good luck

Ford, bowtech, shallow sport

Bowtech, Hoyt, Mathews, Elite, and a few others all make really great bows now. Walk into a bow shop, shoot them all, and see which feels best to you.

I have an old Bear that puts them down.

... FORD CHEVY DODGE TUNDRA!!!


that's what your gona get... Put them in tiers, companies high end offering, slightly lower etc.

pick the range your looking at price tag wise,

then go shoot ALL THE BOWS IN THAT CATEGORY. Shoot a Mathews, bowtech, pse and a hoyt.

then see which one you feel right holding... that's your bow

Yeah but at what range?

Shallows sports ride like a piece of plywood

Go get in a shearwater or a Haney

just bought an obsession evolution and i love it. dont just stick with the big names, shoot all the bows you can, obsession, elite, new breed, xpedition...

Go shoot several and let the bow pick you rather than you pick the bow...read it in a fortune cookie and it's pretty much true.

Personally I went with a bowtech and have been very pleased.

I shoot bowtech but the best bow out is the one you like the best when you shoot it. Shoot as many as you can to feel the difference. Don't get worried about ibo speed or name brand, or highest draw weight. All bows out there will kill deer just fine so shoot as many as you can and decide what YOU think is the best you can afford to outfit.

None of them are bad now these days. Just depends on what you want. They all offer different things.

Smooth, accurate, and quiet: Elite, Mathews(single cam), Hoyt, Strother, and Prime
Speed: Bowtech, pse, Xpedition, and Obsession

I have shot all of the above. Shoot as many as you can and get the one that feels best to you.

My cheap little PSE does the job. But I would rather have a Matthews!!

I'm not going to comment on what's the best; there's no such thing as best, what's best is what works for you.. If you're going to bow hunt in January you need to get after it and get a bow, and start shooting with someone that knows archery...... Bow hunting is another world to gun hunting.

The best bow on the market is one that your comfortable with and feels good. Shoot all kinds and types and you will find one that feels better over the rest of them. That's the best bow on the market for you.. It could be a Hoyt or Mathews or whatever but shoot them all.

Agree. Go yesterday and practice all you can with as many different situations you can at home.

That being said, I started with a Used PSE Nova for $100. Shot the absolute heck out of that thing. It was loud as all Git out but man I ruined a lot of arrows because it was the most accurate bow I've ever had. Since then jumped up to a used Mathews Drenalin. Built it with all the good new gizmos, loved it, sold it. Realized as it drove away that was a mistake and luckily found another one that I'm getting used to again. They mean what they say about smooth. At 72 lbs, I guarantee it's plenty fast and somewhat quiet with no shock.

They've got new bows over 350 fps. That's crazy fast but I bet they're tough as heck to get back. I wouldn't know, I'm too scared to draw one and have to have one. They're just too dang expensive for me. Your budget will get you a dang good set up I think. Most everyone has said it already. Go shoot a bunch and you'll know which one fits you. Take your time and let it find you. If the salesman gets pushy, go find another store. I recommend the one in Lewisville. All-Star. Any one of them will do you right. And if you go to Cinnamon Creek, speak up if nobody jumps on you when you walk through the door. Maybe even ol Wes will be there to get ya hooked up! But if you go in and don't say a word, they'll never know what ya want.

Shallow sport is 100x better built. Go ride in an x3 in get back to me. About to order one

the bow chooses the man, like the wand chooses the wizard

LMAO. a shallow sport is a great boat but not better built than a shearwater (not shoalwater). but if you need a very shallow runnting boat I agree they are the best for that.


you will love them until you get caught in rough water. then you will never want to set foot in it again

I've ran just about every Texas coast built boat and been in their plants. Shoal water is a good boat but there are only two boats built with a +- 8" draft that can get up in the same that are actually smooth in heavy chop and shoal water ain't one of them.

Dargel kat and SS x3

All the cats by haynie and shoal water are great boats but they ride just about the same as the shallow sport. Exception being under 20'. The cats win those by a touch.

As far as construction. Shallow sport and SCB are light years a head of SW and haynie in technology and materials

bobo, I said shearwater, not shoalwater.

shearwater is built in florida

http://www.americanmarinesports.com/shearwater/26-carolina/26-carolina-gallery/


and I still maintain that a shallow sport rides like a piece of plywood, but they will run in 4" of water.


at least your not buying a blue wave

Is this thread about bows or boats?

You can't compare a boat that takes 24" to get up in to boat that 8"

Nothing is rougher then ma jek redfish line

Yo' momma

no, you can't its apples and oranges.


worst ride I ever was in was in a 18" shallow sport classic with a 120 on it when we put in at bird island and drove to the land cut.....that was the worst 60 min of my entire life. I kept wishing the boat would sink so I wouldn't have to endure the ride any longer.

same boat, we were fishing in the Lydia ann channel over by shamrock island and got caught in a northern that blew in, 30 mph winds and we put in next to the ferry.....took us about 45-50 min to get back north in what would have been a 12 min trip. that time I did not know if we were going to make it back, it was terrible.


only time I've ever been in majeks it has been glass slick to slightly over a ripple so I cannot tell you how rough they are or aren't.

I like the Haney Bigfoots, the Pathfinders and the shearwaters.

I,ve been bowhunting since 1985. Believe me and all the previous comments. Go to a bow shop and try out the new models that are out there. Todays bows are very good. Just shoot several and find the bow that feels comfortable to you; one that is light to hold; feels smooth when you draw back; has a good let off; and releases an arrow smoothly. Don't worry about the brand. It doesn't have to be FAST! Todays bows that are FAST are also LOUD. An arrow going 300 fps is plenty fast, even at 40 - 50 yards, to go through a deer.

Thank you very much guys for all of the great info. I have been looking at bows on the Internet and reviews. I'll take the advice to let the bow find me. Going to look in my price range and start shooting until one speaks to me. I guess same with rifles. I prefer Weatherby and my favorite go to gun is a 308. Have owned a Weatherby 300 magnum, Remington 7mm magnum and so on but my go to gun is my Weatherby 308. Not much of a kick, drops deer with one shot and accurate as all get out. Have a really nice Zeis scope on it and my confidence is high hunting it. Just need to find a bow I feel the same about because I am sure I will keep it for years to come.

whatever is most expensive is the best duh...

I'm stickin with my Skeeter!

Back to boat, I mean bow talk. What did you pick OP?

To be 100% transparent. You can't find a bad bow mfg anymore. Really comes down to the feel and pull style your looking for

Beauty is in the eyes of the Bow-holder!

^^^^This^^^^

Ford, Bass Cat, Hoyt(Compound), and Parker(x-bow)

Il shoot a bear bow till I can't draw a bow anymore. It spoke to me at the bow shop easy dicision. And it didn't break the bank. Very quite and accurate. Light wieght Small and compact was what I was looking for. And a solid back wall to hold a draw on.

All make great bows.. I have a Diamond Black Ice and love it and will never get a new one until this one snaps. but wouldn't buy their new bows.. bowtechs either... just went the wrong direction with their new stuff imo.. iv shot just about all of the new ones.. Hoyt and Matthews shot great but im not about to carry them around all day.. PSE or Bear would get my pick. Elite is never a bad choice either

Bullfrog, You had to know there is no right answer here.

Quick... who make the best coffee

MONSTER LO-CARB!
i agree with the above. let the bow choose you. bowtechs chose me and now i have 3 of them. though i will look into elite next year when its time to upgrade. too many friends shoot them that shot bowtechs and they are trying to pull me into the darker side...

Matthews. That is all.

Sorry to get off the boat topic; but as far as the best bow on the market is the bow you hold in your hand..... Some guys can't afford to buy the latest and greatest. Get what you can afford and what you shoot well and you'll have the best bow in the world..



Beauty is in the eyes of the Bowholder!

Nope, whatever bow leetifannywaddell uses. That is why WGI cameras are the best.

bahahahhahahahahahhahahahahaahha in the cameras lol

do yourself a favor and shoot as many as u can