Let's see yall getting "nocked" up!

Didn't think it would get side ways quite this soon. Ill try to get back on track. One of the reasons I Jeep, is that I hunt and along with that, Archery is one of my other "money pits", so the wife calls it. A lot of times the range is packed so I find a little more enjoyment in packing up the block, hitting the trails and finding place to shoot in peace. "Nocking up" is a reference to nocking an arrow, guess my Ignant ass should have checked the OP and unchecked the spell check which added the K. But seriously, always looking for folks to shoot with, haven't found many in the four months I've been on the West Coast.

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My wife and I are both in to archery but very new to it. She booked us some lessons almost 2 years ago as a "different" thing to do on a date. I really took to it and went back 3-4 more times, joined the club and purchased a Bear Cruzer as a "nice" beginnner compound bow. I tend to really dive into things but I didn't want to spend big $ on a Hoyt or Mathews right off the bat. About 2 months after that I purchased her a bow so she could go with me whenever we wanted. After joining the club I was going over 2-3 times/week for months. Now we go over 1-2 times/month. We're not hunters or anything we just enjoy it as a hobby. We do want to get the kids lessons so they can enjoy it also. Having 24hr access to the club is cool too.
 
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Not into archery but my father in law, who is 80+, just took it up about a year ago and loves it. He uses a recurve.
 
I started out using recurve bows since I was about 11 or 12 years of age for target and rabbit hunting about forty years ago... and been into compounds for the past 20 years for elk hunting here in Arizona. It puts big game hunting in to a more of a challenge of one on one since you have to get so much closer as compared to rifle hunting ( 20 to 40 yard shots vs. 200 to 300 yards).
 
DeJkUnlimited said:
My wife and I are both in to archery but very new to it. She booked us some lessons almost 2 years ago as a "different" thing to do on a date. I really took to it and went back 3-4 more times, joined the club and purchased a Bear Cruzer as a "nice" beginnner compound bow. I tend to really dive into things but I didn't want to spend big $ on a Hoyt or Mathews right off the bat. About 2 months after that I purchased her a bow so she could go with me whenever we wanted. After joining the club I was going over 2-3 times/week for months. Now we go over 1-2 times/month. We're not hunters or anything we just enjoy it as a hobby. We do want to get the kids lessons so they can enjoy it also. Having 24hr access to the club is cool too.
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See yall are in NC, I spent about six years in Jacksonville, and the wife is from Morehead City. I loved it over there. My wife has a Bear, they're damn good bows, I like their cam systems because they're so easy to make draw length adjustments with the modules. Bear gets a bad name because alot of club snobs are ignorant and just listen to whatever BS a non shooting sales rep at Dicks tells them. Bears are a little on the heavy side, but that just means they're sturdy. I have an 09 Diamond Rock, made by BowTech but without the BowTech price tag.FB_IMG_1483419082451.jpg

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dchew said:
Not into archery but my father in law, who is 80+, just took it up about a year ago and loves it. He uses a recurve.
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Hell yeah! Much respect for the recurve shooters, that's a whole nuther beast that requires a little finesse and technique beyond what us compounders have to worry about. Doesn't have a nice 5-pin sight gang like a compound. I've tried it out, but I haven't gotten it down yet.

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Reviving an old thread because I need advice from people who have other hobbies besides just archery... helps with perspective, lol.

I dabbled in the sport a long time (decades) ago, and recently my wife has expressed an interest. Given increased challenges with access, etc., my long-range shooting hobby has sort of stalled out, so I'm pretty excited to pick this one back up.

They archery crowd says that in order to avoid heartache and disappointment, we need to get set up from A to Z at a shop. But it's a LOT more expensive that way. A good chunk of the expense is in the quality of the equipment... those no-name bows on Amazon are tempting but I wouldn't buy one. However, there's also the arrows, releases, etc. and that stuff gets really marked up at the shop.

So I'm trying to figure out what route to take. Suck it up and bleed at the Archery shop or try to save $$$ with "savvy" (read: "lucky") internet purchases. Between arrows, releases, and other accessories, is there anything I can try to save some money on? Thanks! 🍺
 
The best bang for your buck is to buy a top of the line model that is one or two years old. A lot of guys buy a new bow every year.

Also. Go to your local shop. Take some lessons. Get to know the guys that hang out there. A deal will pop up. Don’t go in with a mail order bow and ask them to tune it and expect to be well received.
 
Archery hunting is so much more fun than rifle hunting. But a shoulder surgery has me sidelined for a bit. Hopefully I’ll be ready for stick and string season this year. Hunting is what got me into 4x4’s and ultimately jeeps.
 
JT@623 said:
You do know they make these things called guns right 🤔
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Haha! Long range shooting is my hobby of choice but I'm just sick of going on fruitless treasure hunts for primers, decent bullets, and H1000 (or similar) powder. And I'm as likely to buy a $60 box of ammo as I am to buy a chinese made jeep. I was in Basspro the other day and saw a box of RUM for $114.00. That's past ridiculous and right into disgusting.

The US firearms industry needs to figure this shit out. I'm tired of the blame game... that's what the lefties play.

Archery will scratch the itch until (hopefully) sanity returns to our country. I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot of practice with my new bow...
 
HighwayTrout said:
The best bang for your buck is to buy a top of the line model that is one or two years old. A lot of guys buy a new bow every year.

Also. Go to your local shop. Take some lessons. Get to know the guys that hang out there. A deal will pop up. Don’t go in with a mail order bow and ask them to tune it and expect to be well received.
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^^^ This,

The big box stores that sell and tune bows are hit and miss too. I bought my first NEW bow from Scheels, they have all the cool gear and brands but the techs are inconsistent at best. No tech at work the day I got it so I took it home and set it up myself. It shot okay but needed some tweaking, it would shoot a 12" group at 50. I took it in to get fine tuned and after they were done I ruined about 6 arrows because it was all over the place, my buddy noticed that my top cam would lean over about 15 degrees at full draw. The archery shop I took it too had to completely disassemble it and re twist the strings to get them back to factory length then start from scratch tuning it, cost $200 to get it done. After that it shot about a 4 inch group at 50 because that's about all I'm capable of.

When I bought my next new bow I got it from the archery shop, they tuned it for no additional cost. When I got it restrung they tuned it again and only charged me for the strings.

Keep an eye out for "That Guy" who buys a new bow every year and get their used stuff. The archery shop might even have his stuff on the consignment rack.

Look for a top shelf bow that is NOS and marked down several hundred dollars

Or buy a big name (Hoyt, Bowtech, Mathews) bow kit, they're lower line bows but still good. Some of them are basically their tech from 5-10 years ago.

I recommend cheaper arrows to start with too, store brand or lower line ones that come pre-fletched are plenty good enough to get into the sport. After you've quit loosing or damaging them transition into better arrows.
 
CalSgt said:
^^^ This,

The big box stores that sell and tune bows are hit and miss too. I bought my first NEW bow from Scheels, they have all the cool gear and brands but the techs are inconsistent at best. No tech at work the day I got it so I took it home and set it up myself. It shot okay but needed some tweaking, it would shoot a 12" group at 50. I took it in to get fine tuned and after they were done I ruined about 6 arrows because it was all over the place, my buddy noticed that my top cam would lean over about 15 degrees at full draw. The archery shop I took it too had to completely disassemble it and re twist the strings to get them back to factory length then start from scratch tuning it, cost $200 to get it done. After that it shot about a 4 inch group at 50 because that's about all I'm capable of.

When I bought my next new bow I got it from the archery shop, they tuned it for no additional cost. When I got it restrung they tuned it again and only charged me for the strings.

Keep an eye out for "That Guy" who buys a new bow every year and get their used stuff. The archery shop might even have his stuff on the consignment rack.

Look for a top shelf bow that is NOS and marked down several hundred dollars

Or buy a big name (Hoyt, Bowtech, Mathews) bow kit, they're lower line bows but still good. Some of them are basically their tech from 5-10 years ago.

I recommend cheaper arrows to start with too, store brand or lower line ones that come pre-fletched are plenty good enough to get into the sport. After you've quit loosing or damaging them transition into better arrows.
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Thanks guys!! Great advice! I'm still cringing a bit at the high quote I got yesterday... but there are only a couple of shops here to choose from here. The first estimated $1800 - $2000 to set up my wife and I as "beginners". I'm thinking $5-600 each is a plenty good price point for people trying out the sport, and I really don't mind upgrading my equipment in a couple of years. Hopefully the next shop will be a little more reasonable!
 
Last time I nocked up my bow it was a 50lb Bear recurve 50 years ago...my dad was a huge archery dude, and he was a serious deer hunter...rifle season, archery season, even took a deer with his .44 Automag...
 
sm31 said:
Thanks guys!! Great advice! I'm still cringing a bit at the high quote I got yesterday... but there are only a couple of shops here to choose from here. The first estimated $1800 - $2000 to set up my wife and I as "beginners". I'm thinking $5-600 each is a plenty good price point for people trying out the sport, and I really don't mind upgrading my equipment in a couple of years. Hopefully the next shop will be a little more reasonable!
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I'd also like to recommend you avoid "Turbo" or other speed models, there's nothing wrong with them but they are significantly harder to shoot than standard models.

They usually gain speed by putting twitchy or aggressive cams on them and shorter brace heights which increase arrow speed but are far less forgiving to mistakes.
 
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