# Firearms and Shooting > Archery >  Thinking of bow hunting

## Nunga

hey guys im thinking of getting into bow hunting and need some advise on it. I used to belong to the one tree hill archery club back in the day so i am not totally green when it comes to setting up and shooting.

First question bow or crossbow? and do i really need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on these space age looking kits? DOC say you need 30lbs for a bow and 150lbs for a crossbow to hunt on DOC land..those are not very high specs for those from what ive seen out there. is there a reason people get this expensive gear? its not like a gun where you spend thousands on a good scope and barrel so whats the difference between the cheaper ones that are the same power as these expensive ones?

cheers guys  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Feral

Bow. There's a whole lot of different people that think differently about bow hunting. Compound bows are fast and have a let-off at the back end of the draw so you can hold a shot. THey are also very accurate. With this high performance comes a price tag. THey are also sensitive bits of gear and there is a lot to keeping them "tuned" and they need to be sized for you specifically. Long bows / recurves are more for the purist IMHO but guys do well with them. I have a compound which I have shot small game with but I take the rifle everytime for deer simply because I want guaranteed meat for my efforts.

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## Nunga

thanks for the info. I was talking about the cheaper compound bows. Ive seen $300.00 ones out there that have adjustable pull weight and length, whats the difference between that and one that costs well over a grand? are they lighter to carry?

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## Kiwininja

Made of better materials and the science that's gone behind them in design of the riser the use of high quality aluminium or carbon, efficiency of the cams and flex guards the quality and preload in the limb design equates to consistent performance shot after shot coupled with accuracy ..not saying that the $300 dollar bows won't get the job done (most shots out to 30m) but if you have a look on YouTube you will gain a better perspective of what this all adds up to ..brand names are always going to have the price tag ..and most peeps trust brand names and with today's compound bows they are far ahead of yester years in that respect ..so they all will get the job done ..people just have their favourites 

if traditional is your thing there is a guy who goes by the name Toa hunter gatherer who makes stunning trad bows ..as feral said that is definitely a purist style of shooting stick n string 


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## Blue Arrow

You're getting good advice here. A couple of things I'd like to add. Minimum draw weight on Doc land is 35 pounds. Small game and goats are good to bow hunt / learn on as you can usually stalk in to 10-30 metres to get a shot. Deer on the other hand, you will need to practice out to at least 50m (although you might get them closer) unless you intend on bush stalking, which is another skillset. Not trying to put you off just to give you realistic expectations when you first start.

My compound bow cost around $500 from Archery Direct and I have shot goats, turkeys, rabbits and hares with it. I've only shot one deer (which I couldn't find afterwards) with it although I've seen dozens but not been able to get close enough.

I started hunting through archery, I have recently got my FAL and bought a rifle. The skills I learnt in 2 years bow hunting have enabled me very quickly to become sucessful with it. I still enjoy the bow, but only use it now when the freezer isn't full.

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## Boar Freak

Was hunting with my PSE xbow for a bit and have a Mongol just for fun and small game. Hunting in bush I would choose a bow rather a crossbow. The technology side of bows is really personal. I am happy with my 400 bucks setup but I grab the rifle 99% of the time.

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## Boaraxa

Some of those cheapys can be very deceiving a mate of myn got his hands on a traditional & 2 compounds I forget the brand but all around the 300$ mark each they looked the part but after a while you could spot the flaws , shit threads into alloy so things kept coming loose all the time or cross threaded , better off spending a little more & getting a known brand ..even a second hand for 4-500 youl get a pretty good used bow maybe a fred bear or a pse , iv got a bow here with a bunch of accessories couldn't even get 700 for it came with 40 broadheads under 2 years old once I saw no one was willing to pay that I decided its not worth selling ! so don't be put off just because it not new

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## Dougie

I've got an Apex youth bow, was about $350 on trademe (new) and had it for two years. 

It's served its purpose, I've probably gotten some bad habits from it but I've really enjoyed shooting targets, rabbits and goats with it. I wouldn't attempt a deer with it as I just know it wouldn't do the job. 

It's adjustable 5-55lbs. 

I started with it backed right off because I couldn't pull it back at 55! 

I think I would now hunt more now if I had a better bow. I've done exactly zero maintenance on this one: the rear sights have needed tinkering twice after the rubber has perished and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before my never-waxed string will snap and really ruin my day. 

Just need about $2k to upgrade my setup  


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## Dougie

> Some of those cheapys can be very deceiving a mate of myn got his hands on a traditional & 2 compounds I forget the brand but all around the 300$ mark each they looked the part but after a while you could spot the flaws , shit threads into alloy so things kept coming loose all the time or cross threaded , better off spending a little more & getting a known brand ..even a second hand for 4-500 youl get a pretty good used bow maybe a fred bear or a pse , iv got a bow here with a bunch of accessories couldn't even get 700 for it came with 40 broadheads under 2 years old once I saw no one was willing to pay that I decided its not worth selling ! so don't be put off just because it not new


Tell us more about this bow!!


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## Boaraxa

http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...e-surge-32421/

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## Kiwininja

> I've got an Apex youth bow, was about $350 on trademe (new) and had it for two years. 
> 
> It's served its purpose, I've probably gotten some bad habits from it but I've really enjoyed shooting targets, rabbits and goats with it. I wouldn't attempt a deer with it as I just know it wouldn't do the job. 
> 
> It's adjustable 5-55lbs. 
> 
> I started with it backed right off because I couldn't pull it back at 55! 
> 
> I think I would now hunt more now if I had a better bow. I've done exactly zero maintenance on this one: the rear sights have needed tinkering twice after the rubber has perished and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before my never-waxed string will snap and really ruin my day. 
> ...


Awesome to read someone who has used and given us your thoughts on how it's performed and what it is capable of achieving so cheers 


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