# how much do bow tech make?



## huntfish25 (May 29, 2004)

on another post the issue was that box stores should pay there employs more money.

i will like to know what these local pro shops pay there bow techs? 

do you hired them full time?

do you keep them all year long?

what kind of benfits you get?

i dont care if it shop owners or a bow tech him self. i cant beleave that a local shop pay much more to there bow techs then the box stores. plus keep them at the same pay all year long. let not for get the benfit to go along with it. i am not trying to put anybody on the spot but i keep on hearing that people work at bass pro and other should get pay alot more.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

*bow technician*

Was one of your questions the right question? Bow manufacturers want to sell their bows and the box store is one outlet. In other words, untrained employees. I would think training would have to be a requirement in order to sell bows. If bow manufacturers want to sell their bows so bad, how come we can't buy straight from the factory and eliminated the "middle man?" I'm almost postive the last time I tried to buy strings for my Hoyt, Hoyt told me to go through their nearest outlet center (box store for me). And then these box stores don't have supplies on hand! Check around and you'll find that some bow manufactures want their dealers to buy X amount of bows or the dealer isn't allowed to order. Bowtech did this to one dealer I know, so I had to go to another dealer. In the mean time, I changed my mind.


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## MysticFlight (Feb 8, 2006)

I agree. In my opinoin any store/pro shop should be trained on te brands they sell. My local HOYT dealer has no one that knows anything. They look at me funny when I ask them about tiller or brace hieght. Let alone they are using an 80's apple press on HOYT bows. When I asked them about it they told me it wont hurt anything, BS HOYT call for pocket only pressing and the apple wont do it. The problem is they sell alot of bows each year and that seems to be enough even though I know 3 people that they have ruined their bows when pressing the way they do. I guess if you sell enough for the manufacturer you can do whatever you want and pay as little as you can for your employees. Inow drive out of my way to purchace my equiptment and do all my own tuning. Its amazing that I have gotten more knowledge from this one website than all the "TECS" at my local dealer know combined.


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## 3-D Junkie (Sep 13, 2005)

I worked at Sportsmans Warehouse in the fishing department. To be honest I was disgusted by the archery department. They didn't have a clue. The archery leadperson himself had no idea how to synch a cam & 1/2 bow. And they sell cam & 1/2 bows. After I quit there one of the part time guys, from the archery department, brought his bow to me to tune it because he didn't know how and either did the other 2 guys that worked there. They believe that their staff doesn't need to know much about bow tuning because the customer doesn't know either. Their theory is that if the customer knew how to tune their own bow they would do it themselves, so if someone does bring in a bow for work they won't know if it is done wrong. Many times while I worked there I talked to management about how unsafe it is to have unqualified people working on bows. They just don't care.
So if anyone wants their bow done right,--- learn to do it yourself, or go to a pro shop, where archery is their only business.
Another funny story----- The archery leadperson said he is on PSE's Pro Staff. But he couldn't tune his own Mach X, so he sold it. When you can't tune your own bow you have no business touching someone elses.


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## 3-D Junkie (Sep 13, 2005)

To answer your question. You won't make your fortune as a "bow tech". The guys that do it, and are good at it, do it because they love it. Not everything in life is about money. At big box stores the money really sucks, at Pro Shops its a little better, but generally at pro shops you get some really sweet discounts and that's a huge plus for the guys that buy a lot of stuff.


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## huntfish25 (May 29, 2004)

the point is some people said that the box stores should paid there bow tech more money so they will get better bow tech. when i work at bass pro few years ago part time i was making 8ph and when i left after 6 mouths i was 8.50ph. they give raises every 6-12 mouths. i was only there part time to make extra money. so the question is what do the pro shop make. i did not think anybody can make a liven being a bow tech and i dont think a shop can afford to paid big money. if you want to buy a real good bow you need a pro shop i do agread


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## archertom (Oct 19, 2006)

Bow companies these days ship there bows set up for decent shooting, just put your equipment on it, adjust the rest, knocking point, tiller, and draw weight so it groups good and go with it. If you want more than that, then it's up to you the individual to fine tune the bow in most cases. You may find a PRO shop in some places that can actually tune it right. I talked to a guy that works on different kinds of bows at a bow shop and the more I talked to him, the more it was clear that he had no clue as to the questions I had for him. If you want your bow fine tuned, I would suggest doing it your self. Most "Bow techs" make less than 10 bucks an hour in my neck of the woods, and are part time guys.


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## MKD (Feb 8, 2003)

Or you could send your bow to CRACKERS. From what I hear he is the man. Allot of good things said about him. I have a Hoyt that might need his attention in the future.


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## 3-D Junkie (Sep 13, 2005)

Some bow techs can pull a pretty good wage. If you know your business and have a good customer following it is only smart for a pro shop owner to pay you well. If a tech has a lot of dedicated regular customers, those people are going to buy products where they know that the guy working on their bow is going to set them up right.
If you owned a shop, what would you pay a guy like Crackers to work for you? A guy like that, working in a good pro shop can increase sales considerably, don't you agree?


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## rock monkey (Dec 28, 2002)

there are plenty of guys like crackers around the country. you just dont hear about em. is there some special knowledge he has?, probably. nothing that cant be learned by anyone else.

using lighter and stronger string material and shorting the strand count isnt brain surgery. setting a bow into specs isnt brain surgery either. shortening the ATA by a half inch can have a pretty profound effect on a bows shootability also.

sending a bow to 'get tuned' is like mail ordering a tailored suit without knowing your measurements. just like mr ragsdale has said years ago, its about getting a bow to fit you, not you to fit the bow.

lots of what anyone needs to know is on mr ragsdale's site. but wait, he's old school...that doesnt apply anymore.


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## JohnAnderson (Sep 11, 2006)

rock monkey said:


> sending a bow to 'get tuned' is like mail ordering a tailored suit without knowing your measurements. just like mr ragsdale has said years ago, its about getting a bow to fit you, not you to fit the bow.
> 
> lots of what anyone needs to know is on mr ragsdale's site. but wait, he's old school...that doesnt apply anymore.



Where is Mr. Ragsdale's site?


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## rock monkey (Dec 28, 2002)

www.bowhunting.net/bobragsdale/ragsdale.html#top


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## JohnAnderson (Sep 11, 2006)

rock monkey said:


> www.bowhunting.net/bobragsdale/ragsdale.html#top


Thanks Rock.


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## 3-D Junkie (Sep 13, 2005)

rock monkey said:


> there are plenty of guys like crackers around the country. you just dont hear about em. is there some special knowledge he has?, probably. nothing that cant be learned by anyone else.
> 
> using lighter and stronger string material and shorting the strand count isnt brain surgery. setting a bow into specs isnt brain surgery either. shortening the ATA by a half inch can have a pretty profound effect on a bows shootability also.
> 
> ...



Your right! There are several guys that have the knowledge that crackers has when it comes to bow tuning. But they don't grow on tree's. If you walk into most pro shop's you will find guy's that are very good at tuning and can do a great job of outfitting the "average" hunter and making the persons equipment fit them. But you must know that the real serious hunters and target archers that don't tune their own equipment have that one person, that is the only one, they let work on their bow. I know tech's that have a tremendous number of loyal customers. If they left the shop they are currently at and went to another shop, those customers would follow them.
I also agree about the mail order tuning, but for many archers they don't have a seriously knowledgable tech that they trust in their area. So the tuning they can get from a guy like crackers is far better than what they can get locally. I think that what crackers does is give them a great starting point and then it is up to the customer to tailor the bow to themselves.
I have seen tech's that can't even achieve a good starting point. Just look at my earlier posts.


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