COMPOUND BOW FOR A WOMAN
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: PRITCHPUP
19-Jan-15
IM LOOKING TO PURCHASE A COMPOUND BOW FOR MY GF. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BOWS AT ALL. MY GF SEEMS HIGHLY INTERESTED IN LEARNING TO SHOOT A BOW AND EVENTUALLY WOULD LIKE TO HUNT. SHE IS VERY ATHLETIC AND AND WORKS OUT SO IM NOT TO SURE ABOUT THE DRAW WEIGHT AND WHAT NOT. LOOKING FOR OPINIONS ON WHAT KINDA OF BOW FOR A BEGINNER AND SOMETHING SHE COULD USE FOR FUTURE HUNTING WITHOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY $400 BUDGET MAYBE. THANK YOU FOR ANY INPUT.
From: dmann
19-Jan-15
Diamond infinite edge is a good beginner bow will fit a wide range of draw lengths and weight goes from 5 to 70 lbs I believe.
From: CTCrow
19-Jan-15
My wife got the infinite edge. Can't go wrong for the price.
From: Brotsky
19-Jan-15
Mission Craze. Right in your price range and it's a great bow. Infinitely adjustable, 19-30" draw and 15-70#. My wife shoots one and she loves hers. A lot of good options out there. Mission Craze, Diamond Infinite Edge, Hoyt Ignite, and Bear has a couple as well. Have her shoot a few and see what she likes.
From: guins1971
19-Jan-15
My daughter has the hoyt ignite. It has a wide range of weight and draw adjustments. Easy to adjust as well. No bow press needed.
From: DC
19-Jan-15
Take her to a bow shop and let her play with some.
From: PRITCHPUP
19-Jan-15
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE HER TO A SHOP, BUT I LIVE IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY AND THERE IS NOW BOW SHOP HERE. I KNOW IN SAN DIEGO THERE ARE SOME BUT I WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE.
From: PRITCHPUP
19-Jan-15
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE HER TO A SHOP, BUT I LIVE IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY AND THERE IS NOW BOW SHOP HERE. I KNOW IN SAN DIEGO THERE ARE SOME BUT I WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE.
From: rick allison
19-Jan-15
Buy her flowers...date in the city...dinner, movie, and archery shop....
Nuff said...good luck & have fun...oh, you should jump in with her.
From: drycreek
19-Jan-15
Sorry, but a bow for a beginner should not be a surprise. It's too personal. It MUST fit her in many ways. The fact that you are gonna buy her one will make a nice surprise, then take her where she can get hands on. C'mon, it'll be worth it !
From: Bear Track
19-Jan-15
I'm buying a new one for my lady too. I did the research and for a one time buy have decided opinions like drycreek's is the right one. Get it fitted to her there and skip the surprise this time. I looked at Hoyt and Bowtech and chose the Bowtech. For the little bit more speed the extra $400 was not worth it even if it was for me. I think Midwest sent me a link to choose from and the bows made for women are far form the kids' bows that they had to shoot long ago for women with 24" draws like my wife.
From: Ace of Spades
19-Jan-15
My wife got the Hoyt Ignite and loves it! I like it to, looks pretty sweet and was under $400. I agree it's pretty personal so she might want to try shooting a couple different ones.
Josh
From: Joehunter
19-Jan-15
Go to the shop first by yourself and check things out. See what they have in stock and talk with the tech. Pre pic 2 or 3 bows in your price range for here to check out and shoot. Tell the tech what you are up to and make sure he is willing to help your girl friend and is not some Bubba! (if things do not feel right find another shop) You want this to be a positive experience and you need to have confidence she will get set up properly. Buy arrows and everything she needs. Maybe even some range time and a lesson to get her shooting correctly. This will save you and her a lot of frustration.
From: Jaquomo
19-Jan-15
I would want a pretty heavy one for my first wife. Heavy arrow too, with a lot of KE. She was tough and mean.
Seriously, good advice here if there's no local bow shop, but I'd recommend a little mini vacation to a pro shop can get her set up b properly.
You don't say whether you shoot, but sounds like maybe not? What a great opportunity for you to learn together!
From: astrovan2487
19-Jan-15
My first bow was a Parker Side Kick, total cost was under $300 new I think. Came with everything but the arrows and target. It has a ton of adjustment so plenty of room to up the draw weight if she wants. 18-28" draw length and 40-60lbs for weight. It's a really nice bow for the price and does the job, I got 4 deer the first year and 5 the second year with 100% recovery, never once had an issue with it.
From: Fuzzy
20-Jan-15
I am not into compounds, but sounds like a good trade ;)
From: bowhunter55
20-Jan-15
My wife's first bow was a Mission Craze. She wanted an upgrade so I bought her a Mathews Jewel. She loves it. Set at 50# she's deadly with it.
From: PRITCHPUP
20-Jan-15
NO, I DONT SHOOT. NEVER HAVE. IM MORE INTO GUNS BUT I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN AND MAYBE TRY TO GET INTO IT. BUT THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HELP AND I LIKE THE IDEA OF CALLING A FEW SHOPS AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER THEN TAKE HER. LAST QUESTION. ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD BOW SHOP IN SAN DIEGO AREA??
From: Cheque
20-Jan-15
My sister shoots the Mission Craze and loves it. Started at 30 lbs and killed her first deer with it at 45 lbs this last October. Inexpensive and good quality.
From: The Yode
20-Jan-15
The Mission line also requires no bow press to change draw length. Since they are made by Mathews, they have a life time warrantee for the original owner as well.
As said above the KEY is to have her hold and shoot different bows so she can decide what works best for her.
From: Helgermite
20-Jan-15
PSE also makes some good bows setup as a full package in that price range. I had my daughter go to an archery shop. The first thing the tech did was have her close her eyes and placed different bows in her left hand (she shoots right handed)with her arm extended and asked which one(s) felt the best. This is a good starting point and doesn't influence with brand preference. Also it's best to learn to shoot based on the dominant eye instead of whether they are right or left handed.
From: ben yehuda
20-Jan-15
The advice above about finding a good pro shop, letting her shoot some bows, making it a positive experience, etc. is spot on.
My wife shot a bow for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
She's about 5'2" and can't pull a lot of weight, so the shop guys set her up with a PSE mini burner and she really enjoyed it.
We didn't leave with the bow, but maybe for her birthday later this year.
Good luck! and shoot some yourself! I got my first bow a month ago and can hardly remember what guns are.
From: SE Ohio Flatlander
21-Jan-15
My niece is shooting a Mission Craze. My wife settled in on a Mission Riot. Both are affordable but will be just slightly over your budget with the add-ons. Like mentioned above...no bow press required for adjustments. I surprised my wife by just taking her with me to the bow shop. We got her fitted and dialed in at 35lbs at the shop. She's up to 47lbs right now and age 56. Since she put down the crossbow she's become addicted to her compound and can't put it down. The bow shop guy spent a lot of time with her and we left with everything she needed 3 hours later. Every other accessory was half off and they threw in a target to boot. The Matthews lifetime warranty is a nice feature.
From: Julius K
21-Jan-15
My wife has the infinite edge. Very simple to adjust, and is nice to have when someone just wants to try shooting. Like my borther in law, he has a 27" draw and my bows are 29".
From: Charlie Rehor
21-Jan-15
Google "Bob Fromme" he has a fine shop in the San Diego area! Good Luck! C
From: DonSchultz
02-Feb-15
I am a fan of the Darton Ranger. comes bundled with all the dl modules.
From: tadpole
02-Feb-15
All good advise here....can't believe no one even yelled at him.
From: milnrick
04-Feb-15
Check the Quest BLISS in Pink Camo, designed for women. Fast, light weight and affordable. Millies been shooting one since they hit the market. Once you get the bow, don't forget to order arrows. When you do look at Victory's Pink Arrows wife started shooting them last year and they're very impressive.
From: RogBow
04-Feb-15
Performance Archery (Bob Fromme) one of the worlds best bowhunters, super slammer. He could hook anyone up with something that would work well. He's also down to earth and not a snob, will talk to you in depth about what's needed.
From: bowbender
26-Feb-15
Bought my granddaughter a bow tech carbon rose. She loves it. It's light, fairly fast, and she shoots it well. I am taking her elk hunting this fall. Hope she gets a chance to use it on one.
