Many years ago I bought my first compound bow and all the accessories to go with it. As a beginner I didn’t really know what I was buying or what to look for. Now that I’ve bought and sold several bows since then, I know exactly what to look for and what to recommend to other bow hunters like you.
To choose the right compound bow you need to know what your dominant eye is, draw length, and draw weight. Other considerations when buying a bow are the axel-to-axel length, brace height, let-off, bow speed, type of cams, bow weight, noise of the shot, vibration from the shot, and color or camo pattern.
If you’re a beginner looking to buy your first bow for deer hunting, follow this step-by-step guide to make sure you end up buying something that you will be happy with. I created this guide to help you avoid the mistakes I made when buying my first bow.
If you already know what you’re looking for in a bow, including all of its specifications, you can click the green button below to scroll down the page and see my bow recommendations and the accessories to go with it.
Step 1: Determine your dominant eye
To determine what your dominant eye is, look at a distant object with both eyes open and make a triangle with your hands with the object in the center of the triangle. Now, close your left eye. If the object is still in the middle of the triangle, then you’re right-eye dominant. If it’s not, you’re left-eye dominant.
You should buy a left-handed or right-handed bow based on what your dominant eye is, not your dominant arm. If you’re right eye dominant then buy a right-handed bow. Left eye dominant people should buy left-handed bows.
Step 2: Determine your draw length
A bow’s draw length indicates how far the bow string is capable of being pulled back on the bow.
To determine your draw length, all you need to do is stand with your back against a wall with your arms spread out and palms facing forward. Now, measure the distance from the tip of one middle finger to the tip of the other middle finger. It’s very important that you don’t overexert your arms out as wide as you possibly can. Spread your arms out in a relaxed and comfortable manner and take your measurement in that position.
Once you have your measurement in inches, divide that number by 2.5 and that’s your draw length. My measurement is 71” and I shoot a bow with a 28” draw length. (71” X 2.5 = 28.4”).
Notice how I rounded down to 28” even though my draw length is 28.4”. Don’t round up your draw length. I suggest rounding down because you’ll likely use a D-loop on your string which will add a little bit of length to your draw. Also, a bow with a little shorter draw length will make it easier to shoot when wearing thick hunting clothes.
| Wingspan (Inches) | Draw Length (Inches) |
|---|---|
|
55" |
22" |
|
56" |
22.4" |
|
57" |
22.8" |
|
58" |
23.2" |
|
59" |
23.6" |
|
60" |
24" |
|
61" |
24.2" |
|
62" |
24.8 |
|
63" |
25.2" |
|
64" |
25.6" |
|
65" |
26" |
|
66" |
26.4" |
|
67" |
26.8" |
|
68" |
27.2" |
|
69" |
27.6" |
|
70" |
28" |
|
71" |
28.4" |
|
72" |
28.8" |
|
73" |
29.2" |
|
74" |
29.6" |
|
75" |
30" |
|
76" |
30.4" |
|
77" |
30.8" |
|
78" |
31.2" |
|
79" |
31.6" |
|
80" |
32" |
Step 3: Determine your draw weight
A bow’s draw weight indicates how much force is required to pull the bow string back.
If you never shot a bow before, you might find it difficult to draw back at first. For example, when I pulled a bow back for the first time I was in high school and routinely lifted weights in the gym. Just to give you an idea of my physical ability, I could easily do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups (unassisted). I’m 5’11” and weigh 180lbs.
Despite how physically fit I was, I had a hard time pulling back a bow with a 60-pound draw weight. However, pulling a bow back for the first time feels very awkward. With a little coaching on my form, I was able to pull the bow string back with much more ease.
Many bows being sold on the market today have the ability to adjust their draw weights. This makes the purchasing decision much easier if you’re on the fence between two different draw weights.
If you’re shooting a bow with a draw weight under 40 pounds, check your states hunting rules and regulations to see what their legal requirements are for draw weight. Not all states have the same rules and regulations. However, many of them will require your bow to have a minimum of 30 or 40 pounds of draw weight to hunt deer.
As a deer hunter, it’s important to choose a draw weight that you can get comfortable shooting. Even though the draw weight may feel a little heavy at first, a little practice will quickly get you shooting that weight more comfortably. However, you shouldn’t be struggling to pull the bow back every time you shoot.
With that being said I need to mention that a bow with a higher draw weight is going to produce more energy that can shoot arrows at faster speeds. So, the more weight that you can pull back the better. However, you still need to be able to pull back your bow comfortably. It’s amazing how cold weather and adrenaline from buck fever can prevent someone from being able to pull their bow back at the moment of truth.
| Your build/body type | Your bodyweight (lbs.) | Suggested Draw Weight (lbs.) |
|---|---|---|
|
Small Child |
<100 |
15-25 |
|
Large Child -or- Small Woman |
100-130 |
25-35 |
|
Average Woman |
130-160 |
30-40 |
|
Large Woman -or- Small Man |
<160 |
45-55 |
|
Average Man |
150-180 |
55-65 |
|
Large Man |
>180 |
65-80 |
Step 4: Go to local bow shops
I encourage you to go into as many local bow shops in your area that you can to look around and get your hands on several different bows. I recommend going to several mom and pop shops instead of the big retail store. There are several reasons why I’m telling you to go to a mom and pop bow shops instead of a large retail store. However, that topic needs its own article. Just take my word on that.
Some bow shops might let you test-shoot a few bows. Make sure to take advantage of that experience and shoot as many different bows that you can if the bow shop allows for it.
Find someone that works at the bow shop that’s willing to teach you the basics of compound bows and shooting one. Let them know you are a beginner. However, I will caution you to not jump in and buy the first bow you see or shoot. A bow shop will most likely view you as an easy sale and want to sell you a bow that they carry in house.
This is where I made my first mistake when buying a bow. I bought my first bow and all of its accessories in the first bow shop I walked into without getting a proper education beforehand and shopping around. I wish I had held and shot multiple bows before I spent my money on a bow. I didn’t truly know what I was buying and what other products were out there when I bought my bow and I ended up trading my bow out for something different in the first year or two.
Step 5: Determine your other bow preferences
In the second paragraph of this article, I mentioned several other considerations to look into when buying a compound bow. As a reminder, these considerations are axel-to-axel length, brace height, let-off, bow speed, type of cams, bow weight, noise of the shot, vibration from the shot, and color or camo pattern.
Even though each of these considerations are important, it’s more important that you don’t overanalyze them. If you’re an over-analyzer, that might not be easy for you to do. Just remember that today’s modern compound bows are deer killing machines in comparison to any bow made prior to the 1960’s.
Compound bow technology seems to get better every year. However, here are the key things to remember in regards to these other considerations:
- Axel-to-axel length. The shorter the axel-to axel length the faster the firing speed and the less control you will have for aiming the bow. The longer the length the easier it is to aim. I usually recommend buying bows with an axel-to-axel length between 29-32”.
- Brace height. Try to buy a bow with a 6” or greater brace height. This will provide a more forgiving shot when shooting at different angles.
- Let-off. This is a percentage of draw weight that is held by the bow once you have the bow string pulled all the way back. Many compound bows have an 80% or greater let-off which makes it easier to hold the bow at full draw for a long time. A bow with an 80% let-off means you only have to hold 20% of the draw weight once it’s at full draw.
- Bow speed. Bow speed is expressed in feet per second (FPS). Bow speed is important because the faster your bow can shoot, the more kinetic energy your bow will create when sending arrows downrange at your target. Speed isn’t everything though so don’t get caught up in any marketing gimmicks.
- Type of cams. The cams on the bow influence the draw cycle, firing speed, and let-off. Cam technology is getting more and more advanced. As long as you aren’t buying a really old bow, I wouldn’t worry about what kind of cams your bow has.
- Bow weight. The heavier the bow the more difficult it can be to hold at full-draw for a long duration. Lighter bows are usually made of more expensive materials.
- Noise of the shot. . Quieter is better for hunting. Some bows make a little noise when pulling them back before the shot. However, most of the reputable bow manufactures have engineered their bows so that this isn’t as much of an issue. When considering the noise of the shot itself, the speed of sound is much faster than the speed of your arrow. Therefore, don’t think that a quiet bow will keep a deer from reacting to the sound of your shot and potentially ducking out of the way of your arrow.
- Color or camo pattern. The bow color or camo pattern isn’t that important when it comes to hiding from deer. Color or camo pattern is a personal preference for the most part. However, keep in mind that deer can see the color blue and can notice objects that are shiny or reflective. This is the only thing you need to avoid when picking a bow color or camo pattern.
Step 6: Buy your bow and its accessories
When you buy your first bow, it’s easy to experience paralysis by analysis. Therefore, use my suggestions below to help guide your purchase decisions.
The problem I ran into after buying my first bow is that I became extremely passionate about bow hunting and wanted to upgrade my bow and it’s accessories to the highest quality products. I would have saved myself a lot of money if I just decided to make the investment for a high-end bow and accessories from the very beginning. However, everyone’s journey is different, so make the right choice for you and your budget.
Rest assured that no matter which bow and accessories you decide to buy, these products that I recommend below will last a lifetime if you take care of them. If you buy something different than what I recommend below then just be sure you are buying a hunting bow, and not a target bow. You should also try to buy a bow from a reputable company. The companies I recommend buying from are Mathews, Hoyt, PSE, and Bear.
These are the bows that I recommend buying:
| 1st choice | 2nd choice | 3rd choice |
|---|---|---|
- 1st choice – Highest quality, expensive
- 2nd choice – Great quality, more affordable
- 3rd choice – Good quality, budget friendly
If you plan on buying a budget friendly bow, you will probably notice that many of them can be purchased with accessories included in the price. Buying a bow that is already set up with accessories will most likely be the cheapest option over buying your accessories separately. However, you get what you pay for. If you have room in your budget, I suggest buying a bare bow with no accessories and then buying the accessories that you want on it.
These are the bow accessories I recommend buying:
Bow accessories are necessary for shooting a compound bow. They will also make your bow deadly accurate and help you keep it in good working order. Learn more about each accessory below.
Bow Case
It’s important that your bow stays protected so that the sight and arrow rest don’t get bumped out of position. If your sight gets bumped out of position then you won’t shoot it accurately until you sight it back in again.
You also want to keep your string in good condition and prevent anything from cutting or damaging it.
I recommend a hard case as opposed to a soft case because of the added protection. I frequently transport my bow in and out of my truck and take it on trips, so that added protection provides peace of mind that my bow will always shoot accurately when I take it out of the case.
I bought a hard case that has a lock on it to keep someone from tampering with it. It’s also handy for traveling on an airplane if you plan on doing an out-of-state hunt in the future.
Arrow Rest
An arrow rest is an essential part of a bow. There are lots of different types of arrow rests on the market but I highly suggest starting off with a drop-away arrow rest. Other arrow rests like whisker biscuits are less preferred because they can damage the fletching on your arrows over time. They also make a little more noise when shooting which is not preferred.
Sight
Adding a sight on a bow will significantly increase your shooting accuracy and is considered to be an essential accessory for any compound bow.
The number of pins on the sight and the size of pins are important to me. However, these things are a personal preference. The smaller the pin size the more accurate I feel that I can be (aim small, miss small). I prefer several pins on a sight because I practice shooting far distances and having more pins allows me to aim at the target from several different yardages between 0 – 70 yards without having to adjust the sight.
Some sights are set up so that you can adjust them to specific yardages. I don’t like these for hunting situations because it’s one more thing you have to mess with before you take a shot. I want to minimize my movements and simplify the shooting process as much as possible. Therefore, I don’t buy sights that I have to touch, or adjust, while hunting.
Release
A release is an essential piece of gear. I started shooting my bow with a trigger-style release and I still use this style of release today. There are several different styles of releases. I think a trigger release is a great choice for beginners but other releases have benefits that trigger releases don’t have and vice-versa. If you practice enough then it doesn’t matter what kind of release you have as long as its reliable.
Stabilizer
A stabilizer is not something you absolutely need to spend money on right away. However, having one on your bow will help your shooting accuracy because it keeps your bow stabile while taking aim. A stabilizer also absorbs vibration after the shot, cutting down on the noise that a shot makes.
Wrist sling
A wrist sling is also something that you don’t absolutely need right away. However, when you start practicing with your bow you should refrain from griping the bow, letting the bow only rest on the palm of your hand. This feels weird at first because when you take the shot it feels like the bow will fall out of your hand the moment you fire a shot.
A wrist sling will keep your bow in your hand after the shot. You can also keep your hand completely relaxed during the shot without feeling like you are going to drop the bow.
Quiver
A quiver is the thing that holds you arrows and attaches to your bow for convenient handling. This is an essential item. It keeps your arrows and broadheads protected, and it helps prevent you from cutting yourself.
Allen Wrench Set
You will need one of these to make adjustment to your bow sight and other accessories on your bow.
Bow String Wax
Putting wax on your string will help keep it in good condition so you don’t have to buy a new string for several years.
Step 7: Get your bow set up and tuned and buy arrows
Once you have your bow and all of it’s accessories in hand, you’re ready get your bow set up and tuned for shooting. I strongly encourage you to not do this yourself. Setting up and tuning a bow is a skill that takes a practice and specialty tools. I always take my bow to a local bow shop if I need work done on it because they are going to do a better job than I will for myself.
Before you go to the bow shop to get your bow tuned, purchase your arrows online so that you can take them with you to the shop to get them cut. Can you buy your arrows from a bow shop? Yes, you can. But before you buy any arrow, make sure youread my article about how to choose the correct hunting arrow for your bow. This is a critical step to not overlook!
