# Selecting first bow...help?



## afitzg7 (Feb 5, 2012)

Or maybe the Martin Crossfire?....similar specs, just faster.


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## afitzg7 (Feb 5, 2012)

It seems like for the price, the Heartbreaker is the best but when looking at the smoothness of the draw cycle, the Jewel may win out. I don't really want to shell out that kind of money but at the same time, I want to find something that will suit me best without "settling" on something just because of the price difference. Decisions decisions...


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## KSGirl (Jan 6, 2010)

I started out shooting my daughters Browning Micro Adrenaline to see if I would like archery, which I did. My first bow was a Mathews Passion which I have loved shooting. I shot a beautiful buck my first year hunting with it and got my first turkey. I don't think you can go wrong with a Passion but everyone has a different idea of what feels right so it's important you shoot several bows and see which one feels right to you. Just an FYI but I'm getting ready to sell my Passion, getting a Jewel. I've never shot the Heartbreaker but it seems alot of ladies on AT love it. Good luck and welcome to the addiction.


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## mtnmutt (Apr 4, 2010)

I bought my first bow 18 months ago.

I am also cross-dominant (right-handed, left-eye dominant). I bought RH because I was very late in purchasing the bow in June for elk hunting started in late August. You really need at least 6 months before opening day to practice and build your muscles up to your hunting DW.

Don't make my mistake and buy a RH when you are left eye dominant.

I just ordered RH Jewel. I was going to switch to LH, but 2 people familiar with teaching archery and rifle shooting talked me out of it because I had good muscle memory from 18 months of shooting RH. You are wise to try RH bows since those are in the shops, but you really should get a LH. Try as many bows as possible. Try them all at the same DW if possible.

To help with developing and keeping my muscle memory, I shoot a cross bow rated target in my basement at 5 ft with my eyes closed 30% of the time. I do this every other day. Due to a shoulder problem, I don't shoot everyday.

When increasing DW, you may want to do just half turns. I over practiced after a full turn and ended up damaging my left shoulder.

Don't get so caught up in fps for hunting, but do try to buy a higher fps bow. You need to concentrate on Kinetic Energy. Minimum for elk is 42KE. But the experts will tell you that women should do at least 45-50 KE for elk. Higher is definitely better for elk.

There are many archery KE calculators on the web. bowsite.com has one. Mass = arrow in grains. Velocity = fps what your bow shoots with that arrow, DL, DW. Higher DW will yield more fps and therefore a higher KE. A heavier arrow will yield a higher KE.

Here in CO, most elk are taken at <25 yds. We have heavily forested areas. Other places may have more open areas. I know one person this year who shot one at 8 yds and one at 5 yds. I know that sounds crazy but it happens.

You can get a higher KE with a heavier arrow like the Easton Full Metal Jacket 500 and a 100 or 125 grain broadhead. Make sure the broadhead is sharp. 

Practice at longer yardages than you plan to shoot an animal. Practice on 3D targets.

You also will want a higher FOC arrow for hunting than target. I think target people like 8-10% FOC. I don't recall the FOC for hunting, it may be 12-14%. Elk are much tougher than deer and you need more front weight.

Bottom line, the bow has to feel right for you otherwise you may not practice as much and you may lose your confidence and 2nd guess yourself.

I would be interested in hearing from you on how well you did with a LH bow. If I have funds next Nov, I may buy a LH bow and see if I can switch to LH.

Good luck and most of all, have fun!


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## afitzg7 (Feb 5, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to get my bow really early as I'm not planning on actually hunting for at least another year. (It took years for me just to warm up to the idea of taking an animal. I think the venison jerky helped me work through that HA) I was also told since I'm starting out, to make sure I go with a bow matching my eye dominance. If you're already on a RH bow, I would imagine you would want to stick with it. My aunt has the exact same issue as you and has shot with a "wrong-handed" bow for years. She's an awesome shot too. She said she tried to switch to the "correct" handed bow and it gave her fits. It may not be worth it if you're shooting well as is. Just a thought.

I'll be doing predominantly spot-and-stalk in WA which my boyfriend said gets you typically a little closer to the deer so I'm hoping long shots won't be a big issue. I'm not too worried about the fps but I really want to make sure that if I have a good opportunity at an elk that I'm not questioning whether my arrow will have enough power behind it. Since I'm putting so much money into a bow, I may as well make sure it can cover what I need from the beginning. 

I'll be careful building up the draw weight. I actually used to be an avid rock climber and shoulder issues are very common in the sport. A lot of people screw up ligaments, tendons, rotator cuffs, etc by training too hard, too fast. So at least I can kind of relate and know what happens when you get ahead of yourself.


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## afitzg7 (Feb 5, 2012)

Also, I found a like new Passion but the cam is 26 and I need a 25.5''. I tried finding one for sale online with no luck. Can't find them listed on the Mathews site either. This may be a dumb question but how in the heck do I get new ones? Am I having issues because it's a discontinued bow model?


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## mtnmutt (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks for sharing about your aunt's experience regarding "wrong-handed" bow.

Re: Mathews Passion cam. Some bow shops will have those other cams in their shop. You could still buy the Passion with the wrong cam and get the right cam from another shop. I think one shop told me a Martin Leopard Cam would cost me $10. But do try before you buy. The Passion is different than the newer Jewel.

For 3 yrs before I bought a bow, I went out in the woods calling for elk for someone else. I even had a hunting license for the 2nd and 3rd yrs, but I had no time or money to buy a bow. I never called in an elk close enough for my friend.

4th yr, I had a license and a bow. Out on the opening day by myself, I called in an elk to 16 yds open easy broadside shot. I was shaking for several minutes and I could not pull bow back. I stopped shaking and he was still standing there. I pulled back, aimed high on the vitals and he ducked 5 inches. The arrow just cleared his shoulder. I never thought I would get an elk to come that close after 3 yrs of calling for another person. I failed to practice on 3D and I only studied field dressing a little bit. Now, I practice visualizing every part of a hunt to help my confidence. It has helped with the shaking when I see one close, esp the 6x6 I saw at 40 yds this past season. That elk I missed 2 yrs ago, I did call him back to 23 yds, but at the time, it was outside my range, at a difficult angle and he was dead downwind sniffing the air for my scent and was about to bolt, so I passed on the that opportunity. Know your limits and stick to them, The elk deserve the best of us and our good judgement. You don't want to track a wounded animal for hours.

Go scouting with your boyfriend and get used to seeing the animals before you have the bow in hand for hunting. You never know if you will have buck fever or not, so try to see animals before you hunt. I found practicing deep breathing helps settle me down.


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## tsaxybabe (Feb 24, 2010)

For your first bow you should check out the Mission Craze. Very smooth draw cycle and can increase poundage all the way up to 70! I started on that for two years and then once I got good at shooting and got my draw weight up, I upgraded to the Jewel. It would be a better idea to start on something very adjustable like the Craze rather than the Jewel or Passion (or other bows in this class) because if you start with a 30-40lb Jewel and then get to 40, you're stuck getting new limbs. Better to get your draw weight worked up as high as you want and then get your "big girl bow" 

Edit: If you do decide to go with the Passion you found, replacement cams are cheap and your bow shop can order one for you and install it.


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## Stubby'smom (Mar 20, 2010)

Make sure you shoot any bow that interests you. The BowTech Heartbreaker or the Assassin SD are both nice bows. Do not buy a bow without shooting it first, especially since you are a new archer. Even if you need a LH bow and it might not be available you should still pull and release a RH one so you can get the feel of the bow and how it draws, holds and releases. What you see and where you hit will not be relavant in comparison to how the bow feels. The other can be fixed by ordering a LH version.


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