So...what bows have you owned, which has been your favorite and why??

Started with a PSE at age 11....Nova I think was the model? Used a few years until I grew into an adult bow. Killed my first archery buck with it and missed several deer with it.

Then a Hoyt. Alphamax or Alphasomething I think? Used for about 10 years. Killed quite a few deer with it. Still have it and shoot it from time to time. Hot dang have bows come a long way since then. Squishy as mud backwall, twangs in your hands like a tuning fork. Shoots pretty good still.

Elite Answer bought 2012 or 2013 used until 2019. Current backup. Loved that bow until I got a new string too late in the summer and couldn't get it tune for the life of me. I'm not big into that technical archery stuff though. Love the draw and backwall on that bow, stops like a rock and zero jumpiness. Has a lot more twang in the hands than my current bow.

Mathews Triax only used one year as an emergency plan B. Hated it. Draw cycle is awful I launched not one, but two arrows on accident in the woods that fall. Collecting dust in my basement if anyone wants it. I've had friends looking for bows I won't give it to.

Bowtech Revolt currently. Really like everything about it except it's super heavy. The tuning is idiot proof and the draw/shot cycle is nearly perfect.

Far as compounds:

Bear Polar LTD

Can't remember brand / name of my second one other than it had a metal riser with recurve wood core limbs. May have been a Ben Pearson

Ben Pearson Renegade

PSE Mach 5

Pearson Spoiler with overdraw

Golden Eagle Split Fire 1 (still have it)

No favorite, each were high end in their day.

My first bow was a Darton of some sort, bought new in 1988.

Then a PSE ThunderFlite.

Then a High Country Hunter.

Then a Golden Eagle LiteSpeed II...which I still have and is free for anyone who wants it.

Then I went to a crossbow for a while because I never learned to shoot that Golden Eagle for beans.

Then in 2009 a Bowtech Captain that I still have.

2016 Hoyt Defiant followed when I had the Bowtech slip out of a stand and splinter a limb. Bowtech replaced them, but it was mid-season and I wasn't interested in losing hunting time.

Hunted through this season with the Defiant, but every cold morning I'd kick myself for not getting a carbon riser when I got the Defiant.

So...this past November I picked up a Hoyt RX7 that I'm slowly putting through its paces and getting rigged up for hunting.

Favorites....?

Currently the Hoyt Defiant, because picking that bow up after 7 seasons with it feels like putting on a well-broken in pair of well-fitted boots.

The RX7 is growing on me. I anticipate running both of them for a while with the RX7 as the primary hunting bow, although I'm not ready to really let the Defiant collect dust. I got it in 2016, took a buck with it that year....and out of 7 seasons I've had it, it's killed 5 bucks.

I haven't "bonded" with prior bows like I have with my Defiant, and I'm pretty sure the RX7 will be similar. They feel like they just belong in my hand when I pick them up.

thebuckshow said:

I started out with some type of Jennings.
Got a Reflex Excursion after that. It had deer hoof prints on the riser. I shot my first bow buck with that one, a nice 10 point, probably why its my favorite.
Then a Mathews Hyperlite. I couldn't get that bow to shoot no matter what I tried. I'm sure it was mostly shooter error, but I couldn't get good groups.
Traded the hyperlite in on a Monster. Shot fast, but same thing, couldn't get the consistency I wanted.
Crossbows were made legal, and I never looked back.

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Some of the Mathews suck. A bow such as the monster was unforgiving and unless you had perfect form executed each and every time you’d see mixed results. Not just Mathews, any of the bows like the monster only geared toward speed. Listen years ago we’d shoot whitetail hunters, brown or black bears with fingers. Not knowing anything bout tuning a bow perfectly and before Berger buttons were even a thought we’d shoot black walnut hulls in hay bales consistently at 30 yards. Yea better eyes, maybe more shooting though I still shoot a lot but those old wheel bows shot better than todays need for be hyper tuned and easy to get out of tune/time race bows. Imo the manufacturers have given you all what you’ve asked for. If a bow came out today shot 500 fps, pretty soon all bows would have to be near that or the sales would suffer. Imagine a nice easy, forgivable wheel bow came out. Would you buy it? Wasn’t you bud, was the bows

I started with a bear whitetail, moved onto a pse thunder flite, than a PSE g Force with 6" overdraw next was the baby G force with 6" overdraw, than my favorite of all time the PSE Stingray.
I shot my biggest buck with the Stingray with the same PSE 6" overdraw. I was shooting 27-28" arrows. That bow was quieter, smoother pulling, shot lazers.

I wanted to continue hunting with the Stingray longer. The day I noticed a limb was cracked. I took the bow to a PSE dealer right away to get it replaced (lifetime warranty). I was like a father with a sick child rushing to the emergency room.

The dealer called said the bow was repaired. I rushed to go get it, paid the $20 and I noticed the limbs had a USA flag decal not Stingray? I pulled the bow back what the ----. It was shorter draw fit for a kid. I looked at the cam wheels see if the bow string was on the same sting loops I had marked with a gray sharpie for my correct draw lenght and they were. Whats going on here I asked the dealer?

PSE didn't have 70 pound limbs, only had 50 pound limbs for that model. Well I want a happy camper. I said I brought in a adult hunting bow, now I got a kids hunting bow? I went home called PSE. The best they could do was I to pay shipping and return the bow they would give me hundred some dollars credit on a newer bow they have on there site. I did not like none of them and I want happy with the service I received, so I went with Bowtech.

Bowtech Realm was the bow I bought from a dealer an hour away from home shot great up until I had a custom string put on it. I could not dial in that bow. After all the back and fourth to the press, bare shaft paper tuning and so on for 2 weeks, I decided to get a stock string. Problem solved.

I moved up to the Realm SS. Comfort setting works best for me. I can hold it at full draw and smoke a cig to the filter while holding that bow back at 63 pounds. Performance setting I don't like it one bit.

That said the stingray is and was my favorite bow of all time.