# Beginner



## pottergreg (Mar 20, 2015)

Look for a good used bow, I am guessing you are about 24" draw, do you know how many pounds you can comfortably pull. The PSE Chaos is a nice bow that you can find for around $200. My wife started on a Chaos and they are really accurate and reasonably fast.


----------



## Brandan329 (Mar 12, 2014)

I have a pink skull works camo pse chaos one 40 to 50 pounds with adjustable draw I will sell. It's in great condition


----------



## Heikross (Jun 27, 2012)

Look into the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro as well. It's very lightweight, smooth on the draw, and can be found used for quite cheap. Brand new retail price is 379.99. It's completely adjustable for any size and strength level and is just an all around great bow.


----------



## kayaly2004 (Apr 14, 2016)

*Price?*



Brandan329 said:


> I have a pink skull works camo pse chaos one 40 to 50 pounds with adjustable draw I will sell. It's in great condition


What is your asking price?? Looking for a starting bow myself. Very small female as well.


----------



## Mrspigstika (Mar 29, 2016)

I was told to try the Mission Craze, any thoughts?? Anyone have one for sale?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## terriergal (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm not quite as petite but my daughter and I both shot the older Parker Challenger ( when that model used to be a vertical bowl instead of a crossbow) to begin with. You can start with the 40lb limbs and if you want you can later order the 50lb limbs. With such a short draw you're going to remove a few pounds draw weight even when the bow is maxed out. I started with the 50 pound limbs, and our archery guy just backed it off to about 35 pounds for me to start with. I am pretty sure you would have to get an inexpensive extra module from the manufacturer to shorten it down to the draw length that you need.

You can find them fairly inexpensively on eBay these days, and they occasionally show up in the used section of pro shops. Some people hate Parker and some people love them. Personally I have had better luck with them in their lower end price range then I did with the BowTech soldier I tried for a year and a half. ( similar pricing) I simply could not get the BowTech to shoot decent groups with fixed blade heads and I do not want to use mechanicals. I would recommend you not use them either because of your short draw length and low draw weight .

I would also stay away from any dual cam technology. For me it is much less forgiving. Even on the BowTech soldier which had a slight variation on the dual cam technology that was supposed to keep them timed just right with no fuss. I have always had better luck, better groups, with the single cam.

I am just now starting to contemplate getting some good arrows after having made do with lower and arrows. I'm learning not to buy them singly at Walmart  Buy them in boxed dozens or half dozens because then they are matched for spine and quality. The single ones you buy at the sporting good store are usually rejects. Because we are smaller framed archers, shooting accurate small groups is going to be very important. Every form error and every mechanical error will be magnified. You can probably shoot junk out to 20 yards decently enough to kill a deer. It's from 20 to 30 yards and out that you will notice everything going wonky if you have bad equipment or form errors. 

You are going to want to shoot the highest weight that you can *comfortably* control, because being accurate is as important as the amount of kinetic energy you can lob down range.

In my experience, men have a lot more margin for error and therefore a lot more options because of their natural upper body strength. They can shoot more weight, therefore heavier faster arrows, and they can get away with using mechanicals, which shoot tighter groups than fixed blade heads.

However, we short draw / low draw weight archers can't always use mechanicals successfully because we don't have enough Kinetic Energy to deploy the blades consistently. (Although my husband also has had terrible luck with rage low KE heads, losing both deer he hit with them-- and now neither of us will ever try them again on deer but we will probably use them on turkeys.) 

Also you don't want to increase your draw weight too quickly, because of the danger of causing damage to your shoulder ligaments and possibly elbow ligaments. Women may be able to ignore this in their 20s and 30s but when you start reaching 40 and beyond at least in my case the cumulative damage starts to play a bigger factor. Especially if, as in my case, you end up having a hysterectomy early and don't have any hormones...I think those hormones do help your body to recover from physical stress faster.


----------



## terriergal (Aug 20, 2011)

Sorry, that should be "vertical bow" not "vertical bowl." My phone does not understand me !


----------



## Mrspigstika (Mar 29, 2016)

Ya, I was wondering what role a vertical bowl played in the scheme of things : )
Thanks for all the insight!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## stick2014 (May 5, 2016)

2014 Hoyt Ignite Vicxen Collector's Edition. RH 15-70 lbs. 19-30in
draw. Comes with Limbsaver stabilizer, pink wrist strap, 3-pin Fuse
sight, 4 arrow Fuse quiver, and Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit (sight,
quiver, and whisker biscuit pictured separately, not on bow) The
string stop also comes with it. This is very rare for this type of
bow. I had to have it installed. I loved this bow. It was a great
starter bow. ASKING $500 OBO. Please make offers! The worst I can say
is no  No trades. Contact me at 417-848-0358

Located in Springfield MO


----------



## piedmontarcher (Jun 18, 2014)

Mission craze is a good starter bow because of it's versatility (adjustable limbs 15-70# & DL 19-30). You do give up over all quality of performance. The upgrade to the Craze is the Riot. If you know your draw length it's always better to go with a draw specific cam. A premium bow for women / youth, without breaking the bank, is the Mathews Mustang. I have both a Mustang and a Riot available. If interested either PM me or call 434 - 610 - 5885. Scott


----------



## seasaidh (Apr 11, 2016)

stick2014 said:


> 2014 Hoyt Ignite Vicxen Collector's Edition. RH 15-70 lbs. 19-30in
> 
> 
> That is a great bow for a great deal! My friend loves her Vixen. I'm a PSE gal myself, but much respect for that bow for a great starter bow.


----------



## rolltidepixie (Jun 1, 2016)

I'm a petite beginner too, and I'm thinking seriously about the new Bear Cruzer Lite. It's the lightest one I could find at my local shop, and it's also the cheapest at $299.


----------



## lk2shoot (May 4, 2012)

Don't overlook the Diamond bow if you haven't purchased yet. That was my starter bow and it was a great one to learn on. I since shot a Mathews Jewel for a couple of years and am now shooting an Elite Spirit. Have had much success hunting with all three. The Diamond was a lot of fun and I killed my first two hogs with it, first time ever bow-hunting (when I was only pulling 35#). And it sold for a good price and very quickly when that time came. 

Good Luck and Have Fun!!


----------



## Lexie (Jun 30, 2016)

Try the brand new Diamond SB-1. Retails for $399 and is easily adjustable from 7-70 lbs and 15-30 draw length. You won't outgrow it. I just got a purple one a few days ago and love it.


----------



## Duality (Jun 8, 2016)

Not going to make any guesses whatsoever as to how much you can comfortably pull, but go for one of the cheaper "grow-with-you" bows as they fit anyone and everyone that can pull the string back.

Examples would be 
Hoyt Ignite
Diamond Infinite Edge Pro
Bear Cruzer
Mission Hype (maybe a Riot if you can find a nice one), Craze, or Menace.

Hope you enjoy the sport. Happy shooting.


----------

