New to the sport

lot0210 · 12-02-2008, 09:47 PM

Hay cool site you guys have here and am glad to be a part of it. Have recent ly taken a iterest in archery for bow hunting and archery compotitons. Thoug I have loved the idea of useing bow from the first time I read Lord of the Rings and the wheel of time seiries (ya I know what your thinking GEEK

) .

I have no idea where to start with this sport or what any of the terms that you use mean so pleas help.

Holy Smokes · 12-02-2008, 10:10 PM

This is a wonderful sport and can be very time consuming
are you wanting to get into modern archery or antiquited.

lot0210 · 12-02-2008, 10:17 PM

a mix modern to hunt and do compititon shots with. and for fun do some old fashond longbow archery maybe some kuboky

Holy Smokes · 12-03-2008, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lot0210

a mix modern to hunt and do compititon shots with. and for fun do some old fashond longbow archery maybe some kuboky

I would suggest that one would contact a full service archery shop that would be able to fit you with a right sized bow
thwere are several great companys with very up to date bows and accessorys.
also a good selection of stick bows.

Holy Smokes · 12-03-2008, 07:41 AM

I would also suggest that you find a seasoned archer /ro to give you some lessons so as to get the form down the 1st time as this will be the foundation of all future archery
also self help vids and books

J.Blay · 12-03-2008, 11:02 AM

If money is plentiful, I would suggest jumping straight to a top end compound bow with lessons. If you have several archery shops in the area, check them all out first to see which one has the most helpful staff. I can tell in a few min. if someone has a genuine love for the sport, or if they just want to sell me something. I'll drive 50 miles to get trustworthy service when I live 12 miles from an archery shop. If you want to keep costs down you may want to start out like I did. I was shown how to finger shoot a Bear recurve when I was 14. Eventually I bought a 55# model of my own. I practiced what I was shown while shooting at a stack of hay bails with a paper plate held on with a stick poked through it. I shot from 5 yards untill I could hit the paper plate every time. I moved back 5 yards at a time and waited until I could hit the plate consistantly before moving back more. When I could hit the plate most of the time at 10 to 25 yards I felt ready to try bowhunting. Recurve bows can be found at a much lower cost than most compounds. I bought one at a yardsale for $20. It is an excellent bow. I just haven't been willing to risk putting down my compound to shoot it. I'm afraid I may have wasted my money on all the compound stuff I've bought.

lot0210 · 12-03-2008, 02:33 PM

unfortunetly I do not have a lot of chash and will have to start slowly getting supplys and lessions are all but out of the question so can I teach myself?

J.C. · 12-03-2008, 02:37 PM

yeah, there's a lot of self taught archers out there. just do your research and ask alot of questions.

monkybrainz · 12-07-2008, 01:53 AM

mind the forarm...lol listen to alot of whats said here, im new to the site but it seems like alot of knowlegable people here, and their always willing to help...have fun

lot0210 · 12-07-2008, 05:17 PM

first quistion how do you look for a decent used bow? How do I know that the string is good and the arms have no cracks ? Also do you need the forarm guard do you hit your forarm with the string that offten?

Ok it was more like 3 questions but anyway .

MoSkeeter0311 · 12-07-2008, 05:27 PM

One of the places I recommend to go and do some reading is at "Hunter's Friend".
http://www.huntersfriend.com/index.htm

and go to the Technical advice (top bar, third from left) and start reading. It will give you a lot of the nomeclature of the various parts of the bow and a lot of other information.

hstubblefield · 12-07-2008, 06:06 PM

hey welcome 2 the site

lot0210 · 12-14-2008, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoSkeeter0311

One of the places I recommend to go and do some reading is at "Hunter's Friend".
http://www.huntersfriend.com/index.htm

and go to the Technical advice (top bar, third from left) and start reading. It will give you a lot of the nomeclature of the various parts of the bow and a lot of other information.

Thanks for the site has helped with the lingo alot and the anatomy of a bow is grate too

brokenarrow · 12-14-2008, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lot0210

first quistion how do you look for a decent used bow? How do I know that the string is good and the arms have no cracks ? Also do you need the forarm guard do you hit your forarm with the string that offten?

Ok it was more like 3 questions but anyway .

First Welcome to the forum and the sport...

There are some great deals out there on used equipment, but like you ask...Buyer beware...
Until you know what to look for you are better off buying new, unless you buy from a reputable shop or someone you trust not to stick it to you. Look for newer bows(within 10 yrs old) and popular brands(PSE, Hoyt, Mathews, Darton, Martin)

The main thing with archery is being comfortable with you bow. If it doesn't feel right in your hand it will effect your form and if your form is inconsistant your accuracy will suffer...

So the best thing you can do is go to a shop where you can test drive alot of bows and find the one that feels the best to you...don't let them steer you to the brand they want you to use...IT'S YOUR BOW!!! not theirs and if you don't feel comfortable holding it...IT WILL EFFECT YOuR SHOOTING!!!

anyway once you find a model you like look for a lightly used one...And in the beginning I recommend an armguard, after you get your form down you can loose it...

Don't hesitate to keep asking questions, that's a big step towards success

Good luck,
Ed

Lefteye · 12-17-2008, 04:20 PM

If you're talking compound bow, I have video that says to measure your wingspan (finger-tip to finger-tip) subtract 15 inches and divide by two. This will give you your approximate draw length.
That's all I got to share - I am pretty new to the sport myself.

AzRednekRabbit · 12-17-2008, 04:41 PM

I agree with brokenarrow. Hit a shop and just test everything out. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to anything invlolving shooting. It's better to be safe than make a mistake and hurt yourself or somebody else. Any shop that is worth a durn will let you shoot every bow on their rack and will answer your questions fully. A good bow will last you for a loooooooooooong time so get one you really like. As for the arm protector, I'd use one starting out but you will eventually quit wearing it. When I started shooting I did hit my arm quite a bit and it doesn't exactly tickle. After a while you will realize you arent hitting it anymore but that doesn't mean you will never do it again. Good luck to ya on you purchase. You will definately enjoy it.

lot0210 · 12-25-2008, 09:21 AM

hay lookie what santa brought me this year . honestly had no idea

http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/A...0/t_=156995880

http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/A...0/t_=156995880

BOWtech07 · 12-26-2008, 01:04 AM

I recognize that bow...PSE for sure...looks to be a "precision edge" model, but I could be wrong....thats what I started with...it's a shooter all the way.

lot0210 · 12-27-2008, 10:06 PM

It is a PSE elite series Mach-Flite 4r shot some today and it is awsome (and my first time shooting a bow) whiped my arm once with the string. Need to get a forarm protector . I also noticed that the draw is a little short (its a 29in draw) need about another inch. but other than that loved it.

monkybrainz · 12-28-2008, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lot0210

It is a PSE elite series Mach-Flite 4r shot some today and it is awsome (and my first time shooting a bow) whiped my arm once with the string. Need to get a forarm protector . I also noticed that the draw is a little short (its a 29in draw) need about another inch. but other than that loved it.

told ya to mind the forarm. haha, try an release, my new PSE seemed short but i got a release and its just fine now.....tuchy little buggers them releases!