Best Hunting Archery Compound Bows
Hunting Archery Compound
Bows
Compound bows are used for target
shooting, tournaments, home
protection, and hunting. I grew up
shooting bows with my brothers and my
dad. We did target practicing in the summer, to get us ready for archery
deer season towards the end of summer. The equipment over the last
thirty years has come a long way with bows being faster, quieter, lighter,
and of coarse pricier. But, you get what you pay for. You don’t want to be
out in the woods stalking a real trophy and have your equipment let you
down. It’s good to set a budget and find the best bow within your range
that have all the features that you are looking for.
Browse Full Line of Compound Bows
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Oneida Eagle Phoenix lever Action Bow
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Bear Archery Divergent EKO RTH Compound Bow Package
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Obsession Bows Turmoil RZ Compound Bow Package
Oneida Eagle Osprey Lever Action Bowfishing Bow
There are a lot of great benefits to hunting with a compound bow during
archery season. Archery hunting is all about being extra stealthy so you
can sneak up close to get your shot. Compound bows are super quiet,
and if you miss a shot you can usually get another shot to seal the deal.
With a rifle, you will have a game animal running at full speed before you
can hammer out another shot. Another benefit is that there are less bow
hunters than there are rifle hunters. So you pretty much have most of
the forest to yourself, instead of a big shooting range to worry about with
a stampede of rifle hunters. It’s earlier in the year, which is bad because
it’s usually still hot, but the game are not spooked at all, which will make
it easier to find them and to get in close to them to get your shot.
Another benefit is that it is more of a challenge, and getting a game
animal with a bow is that much more exciting. Plus, your awesome for
being a bad ass and being up to the challenge in getting out there face to
face in close proximity to the game. I mean, how amazing is that!
What to look for in a new compound bow:
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Draw Length
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Draw Weight
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Draw Letoff
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Bow Weight
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Bow Package Deal
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Bow Case
Draw Length
Draw Length is very important, and it’s a good idea to measure your draw length,
and measure it twice. For two reasons, a short draw length will cause you to not
be able to pull the bow back far enough to line up the perfect shot. A long draw
length will allow you to pull back too far to get the full draw and you can hurt
yourself. Draw length of your compound bow is crucial.
How to Measure Your Draw Length
To measure your draw length you need to stand with your back to the wall and
stretch your arms out against the wall. Make sure you are standing straight, and
your arms are fully stretched out, with your palms out. You can have someone
mark the wall at the end of your middle finger tips on both hands, or you can
have someone measure the length from the end of your middle finger to the
length of your middle finger on your other hand. This will give you the length of
your arms stretched out at full length. Take this measurement, and divide it by 2.5
to get your draw length. Round the number up to the nearest half inch.
Draw Weight
Draw weight of your compound bow is also very important. You want a bow that
has a variable draw weight that you can pull back now, but you can increase the
draw weight as you practice more and more and build up additional strength to
pull the bow back. You don’t want too much draw weight because it can cause
you to shake as you stress your muscles out, but a high letoff of 80% can alleviate
the muscle shaking issue to give you a good stable and accurate shot. You don’t
want too low of a draw weight because a low draw weight will give the arrow less
power and less accuracy, causing you to miss a shot or wound an animal and not
be able to retrieve it due to a bad shot. Most bows will have a 55 to 70 pound
adjustable draw weight.
Draw Letoff
Draw letoff is an amazing invention. I used to get buck fever when I’m pulling
back on a nice buck, or that is what I called it, where I would shake and not have a
steady aim. I realized that I was using too high of a draw weight and had to dial it
back. The problem was having to hold the full weight of my 70 pound draw
weight, and it was fine for me to pull back, but a few seconds into the hold of the
draw I would start shaking. It was too much weight to hold at full draw. With the
Letoff feature, most of the weight of the draw is gone at full draw. Many bows
have an 80 to 85 percent letoff. The higher the better! Once at full draw, with the
letoff feature, it’s like your not holding much weight at that point. This gives you
as long as you want to aim and have a more accurate shot.
Bow Weight
Carrying around a heavy bow for miles as you get into a good spot to hunt is not
a good time. The weight can really wear on you after a while. They do make bow
slings, and backpacks that you can use to carry your bow, which is also great. But,
it’s also important to get as light of a bow as will fit in your budget. Today’s bows
are very light in all models, but in the high end they are amazingly light weight.
Arrow Speed
As bows have evolved over the last couple of generations, the speed of an arrow
has greatly increased. The speed that the arrow travels when shot from a
compound bow varies depending mainly on the type of compound bow, the draw
length, the draw weight, and the weight of the arrow. Most modern compound
bows shoot an arrow at a speed between 300 and 340 feet per second. The faster
the better. In the old days you could shoot the arrow and literally watch the arrow
flop up and down as it traveled to it’s intended target. With today’s high tech
compound bows and high tech light weight arrows, the arrow is pretty much in
the target almost instantaneously. It’s a beautiful thing. Faster, quieter, and more
accurate give the bow hunter the added advantage needed for a successful bow
hunt.
Bow Package
Bow accessories are expensive. If you find the right package that fits what you are
looking for, you will save a lot of money by buying a package deal. All of the
components are perfectly matched for look, style, and precision. Many bow
packages typically include an arrow rest, an arrow quiver, sight, stabilizer, D-loop,
and peep sight. Buying a package deal saves you money, as well as time so that
you don’t have to do a lot of research on each of the individual components.
Bow Case
Now that you have spent a nice chunk of change in buying the perfect bow and
accessories, or a bow package deal, it’s important to protect that investment with
a good bow case. Bow cases come in many different shapes, styles, and come in
both a light weight soft case, and a sturdy hard case. My recommendation is to go
with the hard case because it will completely protect your bow and the
components. The soft cases are nice, but you have to be a little careful with
where you put them with your other hunting or camping gear so as to not let any
weight damage your bow or your components. A hard bow case offers complete
protection and peace of mind that your sight pins won’t get bent which could
mess up your entire hunt.
PSE Archery Brute NXT RTS
Compound Bow Package
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Model Number - 2012BTRST2970
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Brace Height - 6-1/2"
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Weight - 3.7 lbs.
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Arrow Speed - 328-320 FPS
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Axle-To-Axle Length - 30-3/4"
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Draw Length - 22 1/2 - 30”
BlackOut Epic
Compound Bow Package
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Model Number - AV05A420A6R
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Brace Height - 6"
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Weight - 4.1 lbs.
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Arrow Speed - 340 FPS
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Axle-To-Axle Length - 32"
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Draw Length - 26" - 30"
PSE Archery Stinger Max RTS Pro
Compound Bow Package
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Model Number - 2028SSRST2970
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Brace Height - 7"
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Weight - 4 lbs.
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Arrow Speed - 312-304 FPS
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Axle-To-Axle Length - 30"
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Draw Length - 21 ½ - 30”
BlackOut Pursuit
Compound Bow Package
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Model Number - AV04A320A7R
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Brace Height - 6-1/2"
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Weight - 4.1 lbs.
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Arrow Speed - 330 FPS
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Axle-To-Axle Length - 31"
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Draw Length - 26.5" - 30"
PSE Archery Stinger Max RTS
Compound Bow Package
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Model Number - 2014SSRST2970
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Brace Height - 7"
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Weight - 4 lbs.
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Arrow Speed - 312-304 FPS
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Axle-To-Axle Length - 30"
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Draw Length - 21 1/2-30”
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