Selecting Your First Hunting Bow

Ancient arrowhead – archery a very old hunting method.

Most hunting archers start out first as hunters with rifles, then graduate to archery as their curiosity and interest points them that direction. Increasingly I’m noticing people who are interested first in archery and second in hunting with the bow. For whatever reason, interest in archery seems very much on the rise, and it seems that so many people want to start out both in archery and as hunters simultaneously. This quick article addresses a few important concepts to help you start your hunting archer experience.

First, a few quick notes on bows. For all intents and purposes, there are two basic types, compound and longbow. Within the longbow category, there are true straight longbows and what are termed “recurves” that employ the graceful backwards curls at the tips to shorten the bow and impart power. The compound bow uses a series of pulleys and cables to engage the maximum draw weight of the limbs earlier, usually then letting off because of leverage imparted by the oblique cams to allow a much lower hold weight but also, in some specific models, not letting off.

There are many articles on these aspects of bows, but the two huge advantages a compound bow have over the more traditional versions of longbows is 1) the ability to store much more energy in the limbs, and 2) typically the cams provide a dramatic let-off in pull weight when you are anchoring just before the shot is taken. The extra energy storage translates into more energy transferred into the arrow, faster flights, and longer effective hunting range at any given pull weight. The let-off allows you to hold your drawn bow for a much longer period of time, giving you more time to wait for the exact right opportunity to shoot without spooking an animal with the draw action.

You owe it to yourself, the animal, and other hunters to do this right.

The biggest advantage to a longbow is in the speed with which you can draw and let your arrow loose. It is also much lighter, simpler, and usually less expensive. It is also more traditional, which appeals to many romantics. I even know a fellow who builds his own longbows and hunts with them! Bow-fishermen tend to use recurve and longbows due to the quickness of the draw and release, which is an advantage with moving fish in close proximity. They also use a special type of compound bow with zero let-off for the same reason. Remember that a compound bow stores more energy, so you could use a lighter-draw compound with zero let-off and still have more energy for your shot.

If hunting big game is your goal, you must recognize that a longbow will significantly limit your range in comparison to the compound bow. Also, for every range that the longbow will effectively drive a hunting arrow tipped with a razor point deep into the animal, the compound bow will drive it deeper or through the animal and simply do more damage.

For these reasons, if you plan to hunt almost immediately as an archer, I strongly recommend the use of a compound bow. This is especially true for those who are slighter in build or muscle. If you can only pull back a 35 pound bow, you are already at the thin lower end of ethical archery hunting. Please consider starting with a quality compound bow and then later graduating to a traditional long bow when you are more accomplished and stronger. If you insist on using a longbow to start, then focus on small game until you are sure about your ability to take large game.

In choosing a compound bow, there are a few basic principles to guide your selection:

1. A shorter brace height tends to create a more violent release and higher energy.
2. Shorter bows tend to be less stable during the shot but are easier to handle in tree stands or thick brush.
3. Extreme cams tend to create more vibration and violence at the shot, along with infusing more energy into the arrow.

As you can see, everything is a compromise. Extra bow weight stabilizes your shot, but sucks for both packing around and also weighs down your support arm muscles during a long hold before the shot. Rather than attempting to discuss all of these attributes, I will quickly discuss each in turn and make a recommendation for you to consider.

Generally, a brace height of 7 ½ inches is considered to be a good balance of energy production and ease of taking each shot. When you get down into the 6 ½ inch range, you will be maximizing the stroke of your limbs and the energy in the shot, but there is very little room to avoid the slap of the string against your arm or clothing and vibration can become excessive. If you crave a smoother shooting bow, stick to 7 ½ inch brace height as a minimum. For a beginner, I would shy from any bow of less than 7 inches of brace height.

Bows that are in the range of 32 to 36 inch axle-to-axle length will suit most beginners. Below 36 inches it becomes increasingly hard to shoot a bow using your fingers, but most archers now employ mechanical releases that allow very short bows of 30 inches or less to be selected. Keep in mind that as the bow gets shorter it becomes more mobile and also more unsteady. Also, a longer bow will tend to extend your range in regards to accuracy, but the shorter bow gives you an advantage in a tree stand. Bows that are about 32 inches will be very good for most hunters using a release and appropriate rests.

Cams are a different and difficult discussion. It is pretty safe to say that modern bows with a brace height of around 7 inches and IBO speeds of between 310 and 330 feet per second will work for just about anyone. Extreme cams are generally required to push up beyond 335 fps, and these will make for a harsher draw and a more violent, vibration-prone release. These high-octane bows will also typically require more attention to fine tuning and keeping the bow in tune. Beginners should stay in the 300 to 330 fps range with a brace height of no less than 7 inches, and an axle-to-axle length of near 32 inches. Modern bows are engineering marvels, and you do not need to select the whiz-bang fastest bow…in fact it may hinder you.

Once you’ve narrowed your selection to a few bows from reputable manufacturers based on online review articles and some of the points I’ve provided here, you really need to engage a reputable pro-shop and staff for final selection. Selecting and equipping a bow is somewhat technical, and it is one time when professional assistance is in order. Avoid the temptation to mail-order your bow. Even if you do get lucky and get it about right, you will likely still need to go to the pro-shop to get your bow properly set up and tuned. Just start at the pro-shop and the few extra dollars you spend will get you a bow that is properly set up and tuned.

Using a bow to take big game is a generally solitary and quiet experience. I love to see archers take on this sport. Big game harvest success rates are typically much lower than for rifle seasons, meaning archers go home empty-handed more than their firearm-packing counterparts. However, the solitude is generally greater and the experience is more intimate. You are simply that much closer to the animals you harvest.

One parting shot. As with any harvesting of big game, ethics are important to you, to the animal, and to your hunting community. You owe it to the animal to:

1. Be capable of keeping a 5-shot arrow group within one half the diameter of the animal’s vital zone at your maximum range. For a deer with a 12-inch vital zone, this means six inches!
2. Use a high-quality modern razor hunting tip on your arrows.
3. Be sure of your range estimation or measurement in the field prior to the shot.
4. Use a bow that transfers enough energy into the arrow to fully penetrate the vitals of your game animal at your maximum range (or reduce your maximum range).
5. Be sure of your shot and don’t take risks in harvesting your animal.

By adhering to ethical practices in the field, you will be making sure that you can hold your head up high and that your actions won’t cause suffering for the animal nor adverse ramifications for other hunters and your sport in general. You owe it to yourself, the animal, and other hunters to do this right. Now go out and enjoy this wonderful sport!