Hunting for a bow for bow hunting

[Que]

I belong to Izaak Walton here in Virginia. It's a great club with some awesome people. I am in the board of directors and helped to push through approval for a 3D archery range. I was telling one of the guys that I would liventobkearn how to shoot a bow. Two weeks later, he put together some spare parts and gave me this Hoyt XT2000!

Well, I've gotten the bug and I'm now interested in something a little newer. Another member at the club with whom I practice with offered me this Hoyt 34 and I want to get some thoughts from you seasoned experts. I have no reason to believe the guy is attempting to swindle me, but I like to get the council of many when contemplating spending this kind of money. Here it is and what he said about it:

"Okay well here we go.. Hoyt Spyder 34 60# camo, in excellent shape, black gold 4 pin ascent sight, nap apache rest, new never used octane quiver, hi-tek front & back matching camo stabilizers loaded with rubber & weights, off-set bracket for back bar, quick disconnect, wrist sling, peep, and pretty much new hard bow case... $800."

 

[HuntMeister]

No question, it is a great bow but how does it feel to you? This is what is important IMO.
Price wise it seems reasonable but to be honest i do not know what they go for. Might stroll on over to archery talk and check the classifieds for some comparisons.

 

[Que]

No question, it is a great bow but how does it feel to you? This is what is important IMO.
Price wise it seems reasonable but to be honest i do not know what they go for. Might stroll on over to archery talk and check the classifieds for some comparisons.

I checked other sites like eBay and will certainly look at Archery Talk. The other places have them going for $750-$800 without any upgrades or even a case. I like the feel of the bow, but that was not this particular one. I will be trying it out this evening.

 

[Ryninger]

Can't go wrong with a Hoyt. Toughest bows on the market. Find out if he registered it (affects warranty)... I like longer ATA bows, 60# is perfect! $800 isn't a steal, but it's a good deal! When I sold em, high end Hoyt's/Bowtechs/Mathews/PSE would easily be $1200-$1400+ Out the door for a complete rig with arrows and cheap case... If you get it, take it to a hoyt dealer to get it fit properly, strings/cables checked, and a tuneup.

 

[singlesix]

Glad you are getting started with bowhunting, consider the Traditional Bows also.

 

[NVG]

Hoyt does make a good bow. I am no fanboy of Hoyt though. My advise is, go to a pro shop and get properly fit (draw length & appropriate draw weight). Shoot any/all bows you can and let the bow "pick" you and not vice versa. Especially before dropping that kinda dime. Best of luck.
Warning-Archery is addicting.
NVG

 

[MRP2003]

I would go to a bow shop and ask how much they would give you for the bow on a trade and how much a new bow is. $800 is probably a good price but I doubt your friend could get $800 selling it out on the market. I have a Hoyt and know its worth more to me than what I could sell it for.

 

[HuntMeister]

I checked other sites like eBay and will certainly look at Archery Talk. The other places have them going for $750-$800 without any upgrades or even a case. I like the feel of the bow, but that was not this particular one. I will be trying it out this evening.

If the bare bows are going for $800 used then I would say this is a good deal as long as you are happy with the accessories on it. You could always sell off the items that you don't like to help fund replacements. I personally do not care for the stabs, I would place a shorter stab on the front and remove the rear all together.
How did it feel to you?
I believe the warranty is only good for the original purchaser. If he is a good friend and the original purchaser, he can take care of warranty issues for you if one were to develop in the future as long as he registered it with Hoyt.

 

[midget]

Shoot what you have now until you become proficient. Then look for a new bow. Until you have shot enough to notice the difference between bows, spending big money on a new one is a crap shoot. You won't notice as much of a change in the draw cycle, the hold, the balance, etc.

I shot my 200$ Mathews Prestige for quite a while before I stepped up to something nice... In retrospect, I still wish I had that thing...

 

[Bradsknives]

Absolutely nothing wrong with your current Hoyt XT2000.....it will easily do the job (assuming it fits you correctly) if you become proficient with it, and do your job. I would get at least one bow season under your belt to see if it's something that you will pursue long term (bow hunting is a totally different game than gun hunting). After getting a season under your belt, if you decide bow hunting is something you are going to continue to do, then look at upgrading your equipment.

 

[Woobie]

One thing that stuck with me when I bought my bow was how, at the bow shop I was going to, a bow 2 or 3 years old probably couldn't even kill dear, and that the newer one would pretty much guarantee a kill, because, you know, it shoots 5fps faster. I have no idea how the native Americans kept from starving to death.

Now I recognize bow guys can be like us gun guys, and we just want to have the newer cooler equipment. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The older stuff, while not as good, still isn't bad, either.

I cant comment on value, but I would make sure that the new bow fits you well before you pay. Is his draw length the same as yours?

 

[Que]

Thanks for the advice. How does one know when he's become "proficient" with a bow? I got to shoot the Spyder and the difference is night and day. Although the draw is at 60 pounds, it's much easier to draw and hold that the XT2000, at 50. The issue that concerns me the most is noise. The XT2000 is loud when released and the Spyder is completely free of noise.

As Woobie mentioned, I've been told that any bow can do the job and there's always something new to have. Both bows have been fitted to my draw length and provides an anchor spot that is easy to duplicate.

 

[Hookeye]

Native Americans didn't sport hunt.
They ran critters into lakes, and paddled up and clubbed them.
Cliffs were handy too.
If they shot something and it took 3 miles to wander before expiring, they tracked it (no property lines).

As for bows..........my rig doesn't break 200 FPS, was made in 1972 and I really like it.
Rig before that didn't break 200 FPS and was made in '83. Killed my deer dead.
Most times using recurve I blow right through my deer......not arrow with BH sticking out of critter..... talking full pass through at hit location. Deer runs off, arrow on the ground.

I do run cut on contact heads and try to keep my FOC up. Paper tune every bow I have. I even run helical fletch and CoC heads on compounds. Might cost me some speed, but I have no headaches.

 

[midget]

Thanks for the advice. How does one know when he's become "proficient" with a bow? I got to shoot the Spyder and the difference is night and day. Although the draw is at 60 pounds, it's much easier to draw and hold that the XT2000, at 50. The issue that concerns me the most is noise. The XT2000 is loud when released and the Spyder is completely free of noise.

As Woobie mentioned, I've been told that any bow can do the job and there's always something new to have. Both bows have been fitted to my draw length and provides an anchor spot that is easy to duplicate.

Proficiency is something that is difficult to meter. For me, it was when I felt I could go into the woods and make a perfect shot 99.9% of the time. For ME to reach this, I had to shoot quite a bit. It wasn't a matter of time, as much as the shear amount of practice and work I put into it. I sold my first bow a little over a year after I first bought it in favor of a Mathews Chill. I was able to notice a night/day difference between the two when I shot. That being said, I didn't know know well enough at the time what I was looking for and ended up changing that for a longer ATA bow.

Practice with what you have. The less 'forgiving' it is, the better off you will be in the long run as it will force you to focus on what makes a good shot. After you get to the point where you are comfortable with your skill set, then go and shoot a lot of bows. 800$ can get you into several different higher end bows, and there is no sense in rushing the decision. If you decide you do what to go with that style of Hoyt down the road, they are easy to come by.

 

[cschwanz]

Proper fit is the biggest issue for buying a used bow. Id want to maybe have a shop look at it for wear/tear issues, string and cable quality etc. Then have the shop check your draw length to see if the bow is the right size. If its not, it can usually be adjusted or a part swapped out to make it fit right. If the draw is too long or too short, you won't enjoy it and it won't shoot well for you.

No idea on value, I don't know the Hoyt stuff very well.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

I would say he has offered you a solid deal considering what is included with the bow. I also think for the amount of money you are willing to invest in a bow, you would cut yourself short by not trying out a few other maker's bow's. It's the age ole' Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge type battle when it comes to who has the best bow, but you will appreciate the choice you make a lot better if you try out some other setup's.

Like cschwanz said above, make sure the bow fits your draw length and don't settle for it because it's available. If you do make it over to ArcheryTalk, look up the threads that talk about grip. It is an important lesson that will start you out shooting true and consistently accurate. Good luck and hope you will be in the woods with a new bow this fall!

 

[indiucky]

Glad you are getting started with bowhunting, consider the Traditional Bows also.

^^^^^^^^^ This Que....

It's the archery equivalent of your Winchester 94....I did compounds from age 15-19 and then went back to recurves and longbows....It's hard to explain but it's just better.....

 

[Hookeye]

And Black Widow Bows does a "test drive" program where you can pick a bow with the specs you want, already built, to try out for a week.

 

[Ryninger]

A black widow recurve makes me salivate more than cooking bacon!

 

[Hookeye]

Yeah, they are kinda nice. Have had 3 wood riser models built, plus bought 3 metal riser old models used.
I liked the looks and feel of the HS58, pretty much hate a 60" or longer bow.
And the grip angle/other of the HF1225 is different.......but it too feels good and I like it more and more.
Decent old clunker.

I'd like a PCH .............just don't want to work Sundays to get one.

Started out with a 62" 62# MA2 back in '87. Liked my 58" 55# SA2 best of all (got another at 57# later).
Have had a couple dozen other recurves, plus shots dozens of others buds have/had.

My preference is for a thin, medium to high wrist grip, decent mass weight and 58" or shorter.
Have always liked the BW standard grip, but wouldn't mind it just a tad higher.
Don't need the Asbell swell though.

Last deer with SA2 (pinched nerve issue........had to sell it and go compound , barely could do that)