Bows- Looking for new one this year

[Functional]

Already started getting excited for deer season and started going through my stuff. Started getting the itch for a new bow. I currently have an Elite Enkore with comfort mods and a PSE Ferocity (my first bow) as a backup. I believe I prefer a draw profile that builds as you draw rather than stiff evenly throughout but I'm going to (for the first time ever) go test bows before I get something. Going to try a Hoyt VTM and Matthews Phase 4 this weekend and see how I like them. Really love the look of the VTM in bourbon but really need to feel the draw cycle.

 

Anyways...Curious what you all shoot and experiences with them? 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

i was a Mathews guy.  my Switchback XT was magical.  like a fool, i sold it for the lastest/greatest and have been chasing the ghost of that SBXT every since.  i should have kept that bow and NOT buy anything else.  

 

i switched to a lefty bow in a Hoyt and pretty much decided i was over bowhunting.  where i live, it take monumental effort to travel and pack and plan to go hunting.  i was way over it.  

 

i have lost track of everything in the industry, but i do know i love a smooth easy draw with a gentle hump. i need this so i can let down smoothly.  i jerky let down alerts all the animals with the uncontroled movement.  they see it!

[gimruis]

19 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i was a Mathews guy.

I've got several friends that are pretty serious about archery hunting and they all use a Matthews compound bow for both deer in the fall and turkeys in the spring.

 

Minnesota just legalized the use of crossbows for the general population here during archery season and they are all not happy about it.  But most other states allow it around here already so they had to know it was only a matter of time.

[Functional]

@gimruis the crossbows they produce now are almost as good as having a rifle in the woods. They are absolutely nuts. I'm not personally a fan of them (my tune will change when I can no longer draw a bow back in the future) but there is a lot more that goes into hunting than the shot. Not only that I'd much rather someone put down an animal fast with a crossbow than suck with a bow and have wounded animals everywhere.

[gimruis]

7 minutes ago, Functional said:

the crossbows they produce now are almost as good as having a rifle in the woods. They are absolutely nuts. I'm not personally a fan of them

Yep, I've heard them referred to as a short range gun instead of a "archery."  Put the scope on the animal and pull the trigger.  Sure seems a lot more like a firearm than a bow.  That's why traditional archery hunters are against them.  No practice or skill required.

 

I don't really have skin in this archery game, yet.  I only hunt with a scoped rifle during our 9 day season.  Mostly because I simply don't have the time to archery hunt.  I like to fish and I like to bird hunt in the fall.  But someday I may take it up and it will likely be with a crossbow.

[Darth-Baiter]

one of my neighbors bought  a Ravin.  he is maybe 80 years old.  he called me to come over.  i went over, and saw that beauty.  it looked RAD!  he had this bag target hanging from his small shed.  he was aiming..aiming, wobbling...aiming.  i said, "WAIT dont shoot!!"   he pulls the trigger. and just wings the bag.  the bolt goes entirely thru both walls of his wooden shed and impales into the back fence.  i took the thing from him...and i tried it.  i didnt miss.  i shoot a bow.  and let me tell you.  i have never seen anything so fast.  i actually didnt see it.  i pull the trigger and the bolt just appeared in the target.  no big glorious rainbow arch glide.  

 

he put the thing away and he never speaks of it.  it scared him.  hahaha..  the Ravin is a system.. perfectly balance and weighted bolts.  matched red dot scope with perfectly spaced out dots.  all you do is sight in elevation at 20 and all the dots line up out to 100 yards.  as long as you use their ($$) matched bolts.  

 

i might try to borrow it for a winter wild pig.  we have a spot that allows crossbows. 

[gimruis]

18 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

a Ravin

I've seen those ones in the store.  They are ridiculous.  They utilize the reverse draw.  Not cheap though.

[Darth-Baiter]

nope.  this guy said he doesnt want to pass away with a bunch of money in the bank.  hahaha..

 

the big takeaway while staring at the bow, is the fact that the bolt touches nothing when it is fired.  no friction loses.  very similar to a drop-away rest on modern compound bows.  

[Bird]

Was a serious archer for many years.

My most accurate compounds were Bowtech then after I turned 60, went to Ten point Cross bow.

Now I hunt with an air bow, loud but deadly.

[Functional]

Well...I should have stayed home or gone fishing. Shot the Hoyt VTM and Mathews Phase 4 against my Elite Enkore. I wanted to love the hoyt because of how sexy it looks in their bourbon color but it didn't do much more than my Elite, little better draw cycle but not enough to drop the money on one. The Mathews though....blew me away honestly. Everything from draw cycle, how it felt on the shot, how well it holds, weight,... everything did it much better. I feel like the mathews fan base can be rabbid and it's always turned me off to the brand but I get it now. Absolutely zero remorse on this purchase. 

 

Phase 4 29 Ambush Green.

 

 

[Bird]

@Functional

Beautiful bow, congrats.

Dual cams is the way to go. Imo 

[casts_by_fly]

Very nice. If I were to go with a new bow, that’s the first one I’d go shoot to try. Enjoy it!
 

im shooting a bowtech rpm 360. I bought it used from a guy who babied his gear and always had a half dozen high end bows rigged and ready. Coming from an older browning mirage which was my dads bow from 2009 or so, it was a big change. I also got the bowtech adjusted and tuned to me. Turns out in the past I was shooting about 2” too long of a draw.  I might lose a good bit of speed dropping down to 27”, but the bow is rock solid and I shoot it better than anything I’ve ever shot. And the rpm 360 is a 360 fps ibo rated bow so I’m still getting 265 fps at 60# and 27”. I can’t complain about that. 

[Darth-Baiter]

has Mathews complete dropped the Solo Cam thing?

 

i havent been in a bowshop in years.  

[casts_by_fly]

4 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

has Mathews complete dropped the Solo Cam thing?

 

i havent been in a bowshop in years.  

yes, ages ago. 

[Functional]

@Darth-Baiter solo-cams are now sold in the "vintage" section in the forum I frequent ?. That said they are still held in good regard.