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

1082 Views 28 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Bowguy67, 3 mo ago

WexfordBowhunter

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

I'll start...

My first compound was a Bear Whitetail hunter. Very early compound bow technology and all I'll say on its behalf, is that it was a starting point. It got me shooting in the back yard.

My second compound was a Bear Epic Extreme. Pretty nice little bow. It was my first "real" bow when I got serious about archery hunting. It was fairly compact, drew nice, and shot fairly fast for a bow from that era. I think that bow was ahead of its time. I hunted with it for for 10 years and shot 9 deer with it, including my first archery deer and my first archery buck.

My third compound was a Matthews Z7. Also a very nice bow. Also fairly compact, shot about 284 fps (slower due to my 27.5" draw length), and was pretty quiet. The draw cycle wasn't as smooth as I'd like, but all in all, it was a good bow. I hunted with it for for 4 years and shot 12 deer with it, including three pretty decent bucks with it.

I liked both my Epic Extreme and my Z7, but the Z7 was definitely a higher quality bow and I shot it better than my prior bow, so I'd give it the nod as being my favorite.

I was never one to chase the latest and greatest. I'd have shot the Z7 a lot longer, but my bow arm shoulder was giving me problems and drawing it to the point to get the cams flipped over was just painful and shooting it was no longer fun.

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Pahack

· #21 · 4 mo ago

My first was a Bear recurve.
Bear Whitetail 2
Martin Lynx
Jennings Buckmaster
Darton Maverick
Mission Ballistic
PSE DNA SP
Mathews MR7, Mathews No Cam and a Atlas
Hoyt Carbon Defiant 30, Hoyt Defiant 34
Now a Hoyt Ventum 33 and Hoyt Satori
Favorite of them all…
Hoyt Defiant 34.

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Bowsnbucks38

· #22 · 3 mo ago

First bow was a Bear Kodiak Magnum recurve. Got my first archery buck with it. What an arc the arrow flight took.
First compound was a Proline - don't remember what the model number was. I took several deer with that one, some years back.
Second compound was/is a Golden Eagle "Super Hawk Turbo" - (it has 5 forward speeds and a shift with a wooden knob on it!!) I've taken a number of deer with it.
Now, I have a Horton Vortec RDX crossbow. Years of construction work took a toll on my back & shoulders. Painful to draw my Golden Eagle now.

I wish they'd have had Go-Pro's back when I started archery hunting. The scenery I've seen ..........

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Woodland Warrior

· #23 · 3 mo ago

1.Jennings Buckmaster
2.Hoyt Razor Tec
3. Hoyt Katera
4. Hoyt Hyperforce

Love my Hoyt bows. Want to get a carbon bow but still haven't pulled the trigger on it. The price is hard for me to say yes too. I'll eventually give in. I'll keep telling myself to get what I want because you only live once and you can't take it with you when you go!

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The Pennsylvanian

· #24 · 3 mo ago

Started out on an old Fred bear whitetail hunter. Never actually hunted with it, still have it. Then bought my first real bow in 2002 mathews conquest pro, shot it until 2011, killed a pile of animals with it all over thw country. Then bought a bear legion, killed quite a few with it, upgraded to a bear domain in 2015 and shot it until last season when I bought my first crossbow, a bearx constrictor, and just bought a bearx saga420 as a back up.

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Bowguy67

· #25 · 3 mo ago

I’ve had lots of bows. At one point I was getting two a year. My favorite though is my desceased uncles Kodiak hunter.
My cousin asked me to take it hunting in his memory as he couldn’t draw recurves that heavy. First 45 min hunt w it took a doe. Next day, 1-1/2 hour another adult doe. Hate to shoot it too much now but my cuz told me to keep it and use it occasionally

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Bowguy67

· #26 · 3 mo ago

Uncle Andy’s bow. Just over first two hours hunting with it

Plant Organism Fawn Terrestrial animal Deer

Terrestrial animal Fawn Terrestrial plant Sculpture Tail

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loridr

· #27 · 3 mo ago

Bowguy67 said:
Hate to shoot it too much now but my cuz told me to keep it and use it occasionally

Best thing you can do for that old bow is to shoot it occasionally.

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Bowguy67

· #28 · 3 mo ago

I do brother. Hadn’t been shot in a few years. Had to make a string before I even shot it. Not sure where it was stored but it gets used sparingly. Hate to break it. Best I can figure it’s from the 70s. At least that’s what they say the blue stripe means. The bicentennial or something. I’m not a bear freak s as l though I’ve got a couple. That same year I got a KMag from another fella on Thursday. Adjusted and shot it Fri and Sat. First light Sunday morning in NY I had a buck couldn’t get shot at w low light and bad eyes but a few mins later another doe. That was maybe ten mins into first light w that one but no sentimental value.

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Bowguy67

· #29 · 3 mo ago

I’ve got one more bow w sentimental value and it’s about even with my uncles bow. This might seem like what I’m telling is untrue but it’s not.
I wanted a black widow when I was married. My kids were tiny. The bow was finished and my “kids” gave me the final pmt for my birthday. Has their name on the bow.
This was early 2000s so no pics. My daughter would come home from babysitter every day. Ask if I killed a deer w “her” bow. Each night as I worked I’d lookout the sliding glass window and see a bunch of deer walking across the stone wall out back. I decided to try them one night. As I got to a stand I had pre hung I saw motion as I tied to haul line. I untied and a bunch of does stopped 12 yards away. I shot one. My daughter came home asked where the horns were.
ok so a few nights later I ran down to a just cut cornfield. I was skinning bears and stunk. Same boots and everything. I just grabbed bow, license, stand and jacket. I jacked up, looked at watch as I pulled bow up. It was 5:24 on a digital watch. As I noticed a rack buck walking just below. I shot the buck. Watched him run into a power cut. Looked at watch. Still 5:24.
I’ve got a lot of crazy unbelievable bow stories but someone prob things I’m making it all up anyhow. I’m not. That bow I still have too but haven’t shot a deer w it recently

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