favorite bow from each decade?
Equipment
OK seeing the Allen Bow thread got me thinking of all the bows I've owned, and some times I bought multiple bows in a decade.
I know folks who buy a new bow every year or every other year.
My question is what was your favorite bow you have shot from each decade you have been shooting/hunting?
70's Martin Cougar magnum 72lbs 30% letoff
80's Hoyt Pro Vantage Rocket 72 lbs 35% letoff
90's actually 1998 Mathews MQ1 72 lbs 60% letoff.
00 Mathews Legacy (to be honest I hated this bow just never replaced it bease i killed a ton of stuff wit it. 80% letoff until 2013
10 aka 2013 Mathews Creed 60 lbs. 80% let off by far my favorite ever.
Not counting my recurves (and probably not exactly by decade)
70's Bear "Brown Bear"
80's Hoyt "Pro Hunter", used through the 90's
00 Hoyt "Maxxis 35"
10 Hoyt "Nitrum 34"
80's I don't even know what they were. Anything I could get my hands on.
90's Mathews MQ-1
00'S Mathews Switchback XT
10's BowTech Experience
80's Golden Eagle Turbo
90's PSE Fire Flite Express, even though the cast magnesium riser split at full draw. I can laugh now! :^0
00's BowTech 82nd Airborne
10's Elite Pulse. My favorite by a mile!
In the 70's I had an Allen with magnesium riser and 4 clear plastic wheels that blew up once the sun got to them.
Then in the 80's a PSE Citation Hunter that blew up all the time. Then still in the 80's my Martin Wart Hog. I killed a bunch of stuff with that bow!
The 90's were my recurve days with a Martin Howatt Hunter. A 56" bow I loved but was stolen. Then came my Pearson Spoiler that I shot lots with too.
One of my guests shows up at camp with a gift for me a while back. A new Mathews DXT. Still my favorite bow today. It shoots lazers. Will probably be my last bow.
1) Bear kids bow 2) Pearson spoiler 3) High country excalibur 4) Parker 5) Elite Hunter
Damn only 5 bows since I was 12 and im 37.
I shoot my bows forever...... 80's Bear Whitetail Hunter 90's High Country Safari 00's to present Mathews Legacy ( I love,love,love)
I do not have any ambition to get anthing else......at this time.
80's Jennings T Star
90's PSE Fire Flight
00's Bear Truth, Hoyt Alpha Max
10's Hoyt Spyder Turbo, Samick Sage, and Black Widow TSA take down
90'S Darton Maverick 2000's Darton Maverick 2010 Darton Maverick 2015...hmmm... I just sold my Darton Maverick... Shooting the HTR now but switching to the Bowtech Prodigy
Whoops, that was a Wing bow with the clear plastic wheels.
These are the decades I owned them in, notn ecessarily the decade they were produced!
80's Jenning Arrowstar 90's Martin Cougar Speedflite 00's Mathews Switchback
I think I need to start buying more bows! I've only owned 3 in 30 years! Ha! I do find one that likes me though and I tend to stick with it a long time.
90's Bear Shadow
00's NAA/Fred Bear TRX 32
10's PSE Bowmadness XS & Bear Grizzly recurve
I don't know if I can call them favorites, but these are what I owned and shot.
80's Darton SL50
90's Recurves made by my father
00's Same recurves,
10's Bowtech General
These are the only bows I've owned during these decades, minus an AR 34 Ram-and-a-half from 04'-'09, but I should've kept my Maverick.
80's = Pearson - no name (all black, I guess it would be considered Ninja or Tactical now and cost more then the camo options, but there wasn't a camo option for this bow back then, so this bow was ahead of it's time by 30 years)
90's = Darton Mustang
00's = Darton Maverick
10's = Elite Z28
2015 & beyond = Excalibur Micro
70's Herters recurve, Groves Compound
80's Browning Compound Stalker. Jennings T Star
90 York CNC Darton Wrangler
2000 Matthews Switchback
2010 Matthews Z7
80's - Bear Whitetail II 90's - Xi Pinnacle (and an Xi Legend Magnum) 00's - Bowtech Guardian 10's - Same Bowtech Guardian
I just haven't shot anything that I like better than the Guardian yet, but I keep trying to!
70's Shakespere Mancos recurve
80's Bear Whitetail II
90's XI Legend XRG
00's PSE Mach X
10's PSE Source
Note sure of the years, but since 1970 -70s early teenager, shot person recurve, killed everything from sparrows to rabbits. Not a big game bow. -80's: PSE don't know the name -early 90's- Browning (Mirage?) -late 90s - Mathews MQ1 - great bow but had to buy new cam every time I wanted to test a new draw length -07ish - Mathews target bow - forget the name, bought used but sold 3 years later for same price as I bought it. It is still a good bow today. Person who bought it uses as hunting bow. -2012 - PSE Bowmadness - I like as easy draw length adjustable, no press needed, allows me to tinker with it. -Now - viewing new higher end bows, but spending money on clothing upgrades.
Hoyt pro Hunter. 80
Hoyt aspen. 90
Hoyt ultra max. 00
Hoyt carbon 10
80s Jennings T Star
90s PSE Mach Flite 4R
00s Hoyt Powertec
10s Hoyt Pro Edge Elite
70's Bear Recurve 80's bear whitetail compound 90's to 2004 Oneida Arrow Force 05 Bow tech Allegiance 2011 Bowtech Invasion 15 Bowtech Experience
Experience is my favorite followed up by the invasion. I killed more with the Oneida but I obviously had it longer.
80's No favorites, I owned a Bear Polar LTD (junk)
90's Hoyt Powertec Redline single cam (great bow, I might have had the only Redline cam that wasn't a lemon)
00's This was the decade I started my own Pro Shop. I bet I owned and shot 30 bows from 2003 - 2013. My favorite might be a Parker Shooting Star.
10's No doubt, Elite Pure.
80's, High Country Sniper 90's, Mathews Featherlight 2000's, Mathews Outback 2000 to 2010, Mathews Outback 2010 to present, Mathews No-Cam HTR
I miss my Browning Nitro 80
80s PSE Phaser 90s Golden Eagle ? 00s Mathews Q2 10s Mathews Drenalin At least until I buy the no cam
90s- Jennings Carbon Extreme 00s- Mathews Q2XL 10s- Mathews eZ7, only bow I've had in this decade....
80s- jennings forked lightning 90s- darton maverick 00s- hoyt alphamax 10s- elite e32
80s- jennings forked lightning 90s- darton maverick 00s- hoyt alphamax 10s- elite e32
This made me realize that I haven't purchased many bows in my 30 years of bowhunting. The best, I don't know but, 1980s browning bushmaster, 1990s Oregon Dechutes, 2000s through present Mathews FX and a Quinn Stallion Recurve.
70's Martin Super Diablo( I believe) 80's Bear Whitetail/Martin Hunter recurve 90's Mathews Ultra Max/Martin Hunter 2000's Mathews Ultra Max/RER Recurve 10"s Mathews Switchback and Mathews ZXT/ Cari-bow Tuktu I still hunt with both my recurves and compounds, I lean towards the recurves around the house and the compounds out of state. Shawn
70s. Bear grizzly and kodiaks
80s bear whitetail hunters and Dartons Sl 1000
Early 90s High Country
Late 90s Hoyt something Early 2000s Hoyt something
Mid starting late 2008 Matthews DXT Now Matthews Creedxs
70's Bear 76'r 80's Bear Whitetail II 90's n/a 00's Elite GT500 10's Dryad ACS Longbow and Bear 76'r
80's - Martin Cougar Magnum. Wish I still had it.
90's - PSE Mach 6. Had two, 3D and hunting, just sold the hunter this past summer
00's - Mathews Switchback. Still have it, it's my primary compound. Probably due for an upgrade one of these years.
10's - Custom longbow. Love it, but need to shoot it more.
Lot's of other bows in between, but those were/are my favorites.
70's Bear Kodiak 80's Bear Polar LTD II 80's Martin Cougar Magnum. I also wish I still had it 90's - 2000's PSE Fire Flight 2009 Mission x-4 2013+ Bowtech Destroyer 350
Flung a lot of arrows over the years with them bow's
80's york express 90's jennings carbon extreme 2000 elite e500 2010 bowtech rpm360
70,Browning Stalker 2,80 Rockey Mountain recurve,90 Hoyt provantage,00 Mathews Switchback,still shooting it.
70s - Bear Polar LTD 80s - PSE Jet Flite Express 90s - Was still using the PSE 00s - Hoyt Vectrix XL 10s - I don't have one but I would pick a Hoyt Carbon Spyder 34 with Z5 cam.
80's Martin Cougar Magnum 90's started with Hoyt Super Slam but ended with Mathews MQ1 00's Mathews SwitchBack XT - still my favorite all time! 10's Mathews No-Cam
Bear track, I have owned my DTX since 2008 and can't put it down! I go shoot the new bows every year and somehow go back home to O'l Faithful! I tell people that when i do finally upgrade, i will hang my DXT on the wall with all the animals i have taken with it
90's. High Country Supreme
00's. Mathews drenalin which I still have today.
70's - Bear Whitetail Hunter (only reason it was my favorite - only one I owned) 80's - Morrett (made in Calif) 90's - Jennings Buckmaster 00's - Mathews Conquest Pro 10's - Martin Moab
80's Darton SL50 and Jennings T-Star 90's Golden Eagle and PSE Mach 6 00's Bob Lee and Pittsley Predator recurves 10's Pittsley, and just purchased a G5 Prime Alloy due to serious shoulder issues. Unable to shoot my Predator with any consistent accuracy due to my jacked up shoulders. The G5 is a sweet shooting machine!
Excluding long bow and re-curve,
4 wheel compounds
1st compound
Herter's Pro Magnum (still hanging in basement) :}
PSE Citation (not for long, never comfortable shooting)
Single Cam Bow's
Hoyt (great bow)
Pro Line (Darton refused to cover limb warranty after take over of Pro line) never looked at a Darton product since.
Mathews Conquest (stolen with all of my hunting gear)
Mathews Switchback XT (I haven't looked back or forward since !) :}
70's Bear(Whitetail hunter),Early 80's Bear (Brown Bear), Late 80's Onieda Eagle, 90's Hoyt (????), 2000 Hoyt (Sierra), Mid-2000's Hoyt (PowerTec), 2014 Hoyt (Carbon Element).
In the 90's I only had youth bows, so the best I could say would be the browning micro midas, 00- 2008 bowtech general 10- either 2013 bowtech experience or 2015 prodigy
70's: Browning Wasp (50# recurve) 80's: Browning Woodsmaster (or something like that) compound 90's: Mathews Z-light 00: Rough decade: Shot a Legacy, an LX and an Alpine Silverado then in 08 started shooting a Quest Today: Quest Heat - or is it a Rogue (not sure)
70's-Bear Super Mag 48….80's-PSE Pacer….90's-Browning Mirage SR….00-Mathews Switchback XT
80's PSE Polaris 90's PSE Polaris 00's Bear Instinct 10's Bowtech Guardiam
Let me ask another way. How many of the old bows broke or wore out? I bought a new Browning Trident in or about 2001. I think it was made in 1996. It still shoots fine. I moved up to a Reflex Bighorn in or about 2006. It is still my bow of choice.
60's - Can't remember the brand - 30 lb nylon recurve
70's - Remington Wasp recurve
80's - Martin Lynx
90's - Mathews Feathermax
00's - Mathews LD
10's - Elite Answer
