# Newbie Female need advise on bow



## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

Hello! I am very new to shooting bows. My boyfriend hunts a lot so I got a couple used bows off craigslist to shoot with him while he practices. Well I have really started enjoying it and gotten pretty good. So I have decided to go hunting with him. 

I am in Alabama and we will be hunting white tail. I started off using a vortex 38# draw but it was as much as it could go so we put the other bow down to 51# it's a bear marshall instinct. I have gotten to where I can pull it pretty easily. 

So questions are... I keep having issues with things messing up on my bow. Peep sight, arrow rest, loop and now after havingthose fixed the cam module screw fell out and its pulling way past my head. So with things messing up all the time I went to look at bows today and felt a little overwhelmed about picking the wrong one. The one I am using has 1 cam and at 51# I'm doing good but the one I tried today has dual cams and at 50# I had a lot harder of a time and couldnt do it repeatedly. Is that normal? And what would you recommend as a good bow to purchase? Should I keep the one im using and have it repaired yet again? I have 2 weeks before opening day to figure it out and I'm so worried my bow wont be ready for it.
Thanks in advance!


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## kwood (Oct 4, 2011)

Groomergirl27 said:


> Hello! I am very new to shooting bows. My boyfriend hunts a lot so I got a couple used bows off craigslist to shoot with him while he practices. Well I have really started enjoying it and gotten pretty good. So I have decided to go hunting with him.
> 
> I am in Alabama and we will be hunting white tail. I started off using a vortex 38# draw but it was as much as it could go so we put the other bow down to 51# it's a bear marshall instinct. I have gotten to where I can pull it pretty easily.
> 
> ...


Ok there's a lot of stuff going on here. 

1. On the bow that have something fall off the cam - it is very possible you lost the mod or the draw stop. This is an unsafe condition to shoot the bow in, and shooting it this way could result in permanent damage to the bow and or yourself. Bring it to a shop to get it checked out, if you think it's a good bow for you, and be forthright with them about what happened.

2. Poundage - yes, different bows have different draw cycles that either make them harder or easier to draw - and this can also affect a bows performance. It's therefore possible that you could pull 60# with one bow and 50# with another. So it's certainly possible you could have te same situation with a much smaller poundage difference. Still, it doesn't mean that you should pick the bow that you can pull the most weight on. Typically, but not always, the bow that is harder to pull, will store more energy and will shoot the arrow faster. Still, some cam systems just feel different and they load up the muscles differently at different points in the draw cycle. Chances are you will be able to shoot more poundage with the bow that you are the most accustomed to shooting. Muscle memory is a big part of this and you will
Adapt. Heck, scales vary from shop to shop as well so a 1 lbs difference is of pretty meaningless here. 

3. Secondly, if you're trying to make a performance comparison, (assuming both are set up the same with respect to draw length, etc., you need to compare them on a chronograph. Take an arrow, and shoot it through the chronograph at yor local archery shop. Most have one available for use, and it may be free or cost a couple bucks to fling a few arrows through. All else being equal (which is a big if) I would generally choose the faster bow, regardless of how many pounds you can pull with it. 

Another piece of the muscle memory puzzle is that if you keep trying to increase and do it slowly most likely you can continue to increase your poundage if you want to, simply by shooting regularly and increasing it. 
If you just started shooting and can shoot 50# chances are you can shoot 55 or 60 eventually - IF you wanted to (and you don't have to by any means but just throwing that out there if buying a bow special or you, is in your future).

4. Regarding if you want to shoot this bow or not ... I would strongly consider getting your "forever" bow right now . Sounds like you enjoy it enough! Shoot us your specs on here (draw length and draw weight) and we can provide you some recommendations!


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## pottergreg (Mar 20, 2015)

Go shoot all the bows you can, I realize most shops don't cary a lot of short draw/low poundage bows. Make some calls and do a road trip if you can't get your bow fixed. My wife has owned a lot of bows and nothing pleased her as much as her Xpedition, Good luck!


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## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

Thanks for the info!! And yes I have a lot going on haha. 

The cam module screw (I think that's what its called from what I looked up) sets the draw length? And the screw fell out. I found one piece but not the 2nd. 

Cabelas doesnt carry those so I will have to order one. But at this point I'm not able to practice at all with it. We dont have a archery shop anywhere near us beside cabelas and when i went there today they let me pull several bows but not shoot them. 

There is a man who does some bow tuning out of his house and sells new breed bows. He is still about an hour from us and only works a few hours a week and it's very hard for me to get to him to fix things. I plan to talk to him tomorrow about the screw. 

I am pulling 51# with the bear marshal in the pic with one cam. It was set to 28 inch draw length but when i measure my wing span and decide by 2.5 (what i read to do. Not sure if that's accurate) I measure 26 i think. 

I would love to buy a new bow just not sure what's the best for me since its hard to try them out around here. So hoping for some pointers on good bows with 50 to 55# i dont want to use a womens or youth bow. I want a good one haha


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## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

pottergreg said:


> Go shoot all the bows you can, I realize most shops don't cary a lot of short draw/low poundage bows. Make some calls and do a road trip if you can't get your bow fixed. My wife has owned a lot of bows and nothing pleased her as much as her Xpedition, Good luck!


I'll look those specs up!! Thanks. 
I wish we could find a good bow place around here for me to try some out!


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## midnight_f150 (Jul 4, 2009)

Also look at the Mathews avail. The wife loves her avail.


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## kwood (Oct 4, 2011)

Groomergirl27 said:


> Thanks for the info!! And yes I have a lot going on haha.
> 
> The cam module screw (I think that's what its called from what I looked up) sets the draw length? And the screw fell out. I found one piece but not the 2nd.
> 
> ...


OP you sound a lot like me with that last sentence. LOL. But I have found, through lots of objective trial and error I this sport that you can't trust the "who it's marketed to" as a good judge of "who it's for" when it comes to bows. This is particularly true for people like us who do not have problems pulling poundage offered in typical men's bow lineups but probably do not have the draw lengths to achieve optimal performance with an off the shelf men's bow. (I can explain this in more detail later but have found this is very important). 

Your new breed guy sounds like your best bet for getting a bow. I would get over cabelas right about now. While there are probably some talented and passionate folks who work poses like this, it's a lot more hit or miss than the dedicated archery shop. 

If you can, please post a pic of you shooting at full draw. And if not obvious from the pic what you are using for a release (make and model). If you can measure your actual draw length on your bow. (This is measured from throat of nock to the deepest part of the grip, plus 1.75")---- why + 1.75"? idk, just is the way it is). 

28+" sounds Loooong to me unless you are a pretty tall girl. They exist; just have to question if wingspan formula is off 2.5" lol. For me, though not big fan of formulas like this, it was relatively accurate. Within an inch anyway. 

Regarding bows again: you will likely find the best bow for you if you look at Women's, Youth, and Men's (short draw of cam specific size range) bows. I would look at all 3 those categories. If the bow adjusts over 6" without putting in a press I would forget about it. That's designed to kinda work for everyone but typically not "ideal" for anyone. That may sound a bit harsh or arbitrary but again I can explain. 

We got some stuff to work through here but I think we can get you successfully ready to hunt in 2 weeks one way or another because you have a ton of drive, and I can sense a passion for this sport and level of determination that will make situations like this, possible to emerge from successfully.


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## kwood (Oct 4, 2011)

Also I will give you an example of at least one bow to look at, each inhabiting 3 different "marketing" segments to illustrate the point of being open minded; each of these are class leading bows performance wise that could end up being your "ideal" bow. (And, it may limited to what I have experience with too): 

Women's: Bowtech Eva Shockey, Mathews Avail
Youth: Mathews Stoke
Men's: Hoyt RX-1 (#2 cam), Carbon Defiant #1, #2 Cam, Xpedition Xplorer SS

There will be many if not more in each of
These categories that would be weak bow choices as well. 

Also - if you're limited to Bass Pro check out Diamond Carbon Knockout (it is the same bow as Bowtech Carbon Rose, one I feel is extremely underrated performance wise).

If cash is an issue, Bowtech Heartbreaker and Equalizer and maybe Elite GT 500 w Cuda Cams are "oldies but goodies" and short draw specific bows that really kick butt performance wise. In fact, it's to the point that it's tough to be impressed with some of the "latest and greatest" 

Good luck!


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## laur (Sep 6, 2017)

The Bear Marshal has adjustable length 23-30". If you were to set it to correct draw length, you might not have as many problems with it.

That said, kwood has tons of great advice. If you buy a new bow, getting one that maxes out at a shorter draw length is your better bet than one that goes to 30 or 31".


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## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

kwood said:


> Groomergirl27 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the info!! And yes I have a lot going on haha.
> ...



Yall are awesome. I will get some pics today but right now both of my bows are out of commission. With the cam module missing the draw is way lon. And the vortex the peep sight fell off again so I'll pull it and get a pic. They set the bear to 28inch and I was doing it but I measure out at 26inch from that formula. I think i might have autocorreted a word instead of divide i put decide so maybe that helps more. But i will measure those today and take some pics. I would love to fix what I have just worried something else will go wrong. Thats why I was thinking about a new one. I have only been shooting 3 or 4 weeks at this point.


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## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

kwood said:


> Also I will give you an example of at least one bow to look at, each inhabiting 3 different "marketing" segments to illustrate the point of being open minded; each of these are class leading bows performance wise that could end up being your "ideal" bow. (And, it may limited to what I have experience with too):
> 
> Women's: Bowtech Eva Shockey, Mathews Avail
> Youth: Mathews Stoke
> ...


I'm attaching a pic of my release I'm using now. 
I will get some pics of my pulling the bow soon.


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## kwood (Oct 4, 2011)

Groomergirl27 said:


> I'm attaching a pic of my release I'm using now.
> I will get some pics of my pulling the bow soon.


OK - I can tell that's the entry level trufire release, is it the kids/women's model or the adult mens model? I started with something VERY similar.

-When you put your release on, and latch it onto the bow like you are about to start pulling, where on your index finger does the release hit? in front of 1st knuckle(tip of finger), right about on the 2nd knuckle, or somewhere further back between 1st and 2nd knuckle?

-Do you shoot a "D-loop" on your bow (little string loop the shape of a D, where you nock the arrow?) measure that, if you get a chance. 

-If possible, post your pic of your form from a few different angles including from behind your draw elbow. 

-If possible, have the draw length of your bow measured, so we know we are measuring it correctly. 

Or, just go to your nearest Bowtech dealer, and test drive a Bowtech Eva Shockey. AMAZING bow, tops out at 28.5" and is FAST and awesome performing bow that will KICK BUTT in the woods/on the mountain. They come in 30-40, 40-50, 50-60# versions. There are other great choices out there, but that's one that is pretty much a surefire winner, and a fairly common brand with a good dealer network.


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## Groomergirl27 (Sep 29, 2019)

kwood said:


> Groomergirl27 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm attaching a pic of my release I'm using now.
> ...


I am short but have pretty big hands for a girl so dunno if that may be why but I hit it I think right at my 1st knuckle. I'll look tomorrow. I'll have someone take pics too. Wasnt able to today. 
I do use a d hook.
The release is a means I think it's an old one my boyfriend had. I have looked at others but the trigger is different. And i like it lol.


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## midnight_f150 (Jul 4, 2009)

PSE has a new womens bow for 2020.

PSE 2020 Bandit NXT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nCUChsDnf8


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## kwood (Oct 4, 2011)

Groomergirl27 said:


> I am short but have pretty big hands for a girl so dunno if that may be why but I hit it I think right at my 1st knuckle. I'll look tomorrow. I'll have someone take pics too. Wasnt able to today.
> I do use a d hook.
> The release is a means I think it's an old one my boyfriend had. I have looked at others but the trigger is different. And i like it lol.



OK - so it sounds to me like that release is a little on the big side. (to clarify, when I say first knuckle, I mean the first one from the top; perhaps I should have clarified that). 
That can be changed, with some relatively simple tools. 

but, what I am a lot more interested in, (and you should be too) is if you're shooting the correct draw length to begin with. While the wingspan formula is just a guideline, 2" is a lot and I have never seen it be off by more than maybe an inch, for someone shooting a mech release+D loop?

Also asking because you are at a fork stuck in the road, and while there is a little bit of overlap in the models that truly excel at both 26" and 28", for the most part, we are looking at a different set of bows; many of which "will work" at 26" but not as well as a bow geared for someone who shoots closer to 26"; and vice versa.


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## Akcrapo (Apr 30, 2018)

You might see if you can get your hands on an Xpedition Xcursion 6HD. They do have a rotating mod, so you can adjust the draw length, which you seem unsure of, without a press. And they’re still solid on the back wall and they’re fast, which is two of the things most adjustable bows lack. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Beegirl1 (Nov 26, 2013)

I have had a few different bows but I have a PSE Decree now. It black and red and deadly looking. I can easily draw up to 60 pounds and my draw length is 27 so it fits!


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