ok guys i have a few old bows and one i am interested in using for hunting. It is an old bear whitetail. it has no bells or whistles. very old pin sight system, and rest. i had a new string put on and let a lot of arrows fly this summer and have not been able to consistently hit a bale of hay. been trying to stick to the basics but i think my equipment needs to be modernized, or i need to sell and find something more modern ready to shoot that after a few hundred arrows i would be confident going in the woods with. The other 2 bows i have are old wooden longbows made by The Archers Company probably in the 30s when my grandmother was a teenager and i do not want to string or shoot them. :archer
The first question I have is who put the string on for you? When they were done, did they make sure the bow was setup for "you"? i.e. the correct draw length? How far are you trying to shoot? Can you shoot a good group from say, 10 yards away?
arrowhead archery put it on they offered no help with setting me up with bow. i have been looking online and dicks has a martin package bow that is "hunt ready" for 319pl tx. i know i would need a lot of practice. i was getting maybe 6 to 8 in groups at about 20 yds when i could hit regularly.
If you're looking into buying a new one, try Log Cabin in Land O Lakes. It's a bit of a hike from Dover, but you'll get all the help you need from Eric the owner. I'm pretty sure they sell Martin bows too. You could probably take your current setup and have him take a look at it. He fixed my BIL bow and didn't even charge him.
I bought my first bow from there after going to Arrowhead and having them tell me I needed a $600+ bare bow. I got a used bow all setup for about $350 and kept it for 3 years.
30.06 do you know your draw? What is that Bear bow specs? The Martin bow packages at Dicks are good bows but the only draw back is you need to change the draw length you will need a bow press. Some of the other bows are more adjustment friendly. If you like, shoot me a PM and I can give you all the advice you need. I can have you shooting that Bear in no time, but from my expirence you would be better off getting another bow. Those old bows were not efficient as newer ones and you will shoot alot better with more enjoyment out of a newer bow.
