So I got this free bow...

[pookie]

I came home the other day to find that my buddy who is a massive bow hunter in Wisconsin sent me his old bow. Its a Hoyt Avenger set at 29 draw length (just right for me from what I have read and measured) it is 60-70 draw weight, currently set about 63 lbs. It has a HHA sight that is missing some pins. It has a Trophy Taker drop away rest. And he even sent me his old release. So here is what I need...

1. A shop in the Knoxville area that won't take advantage of a newb. From the Knoxville thread it looks like Bowhunter's Pro Shop in Maryville is the closest. I'd like some expert help in getting the bow set up for me. I'm close to Gander Mtn but nobody seemed to like them in the other thread. Is BassPro the same as Gander? The reason I ask is because BassPro seems to have quite the selection of arrows. Which brings me to question 2.

2. Arrows. My buddy who gave me the bow used the Easton Bloodline. My other buddy uses the Goldtip XT. Are there others I should look at? Why do I not want the BassPro (Redhead?) or Gander Mtn (Whitetail?) brand arrows? Also related to arrows, how do I know what position the fletching and nock need to be in so that the fletching won't hit the rest? And will the shop I buy arrows help me figure the fletching nock thing out?

3. Sights, I'm looking for something simple to learn and maybe hunt a few seasons on. Then evaluate what other options I'd like to have. I saw either a post here or an article about .029 covering up more of the target than .019. But how many pins do I need? Is it personal preference? Do I need a light and multiple bubbles or is just the brightest pins possible the best for a beginner?

Thanks and sorry if that is a lot to take in. I'm pretty excited.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

First of all....welcome to the site and also to the archery world! Sorry I can't help with question #1�if you were closer to Mid-Tn I could. Question 2 and 3 are somewhat related�both have to do with personal preference and what gives you the highest degree of confidence.

That being said, about arrows. I would stay away from the private label brands if possible, providing the funds allow you to do so, because most of time these are re-labled "seconds" and the tolerances are not as high as mainline products. Personally, I prefer Easton arrows such as the Bloodlines, Axis and the Aftermath because these are small diameter shafts that have a good all-around weight ratio and they carry alot of energy and hit hard, have high cross-wind resistance, they are low-friction and they are tough and durable. Goldtip makes a good arrow as well, but from what I've seen they aren't as durable as Easton's. Any shop worth anything will be able to show you how to position an arrow in the correct shooting position.

As far as sights, it really, really depends on your personal preference. No matter what you choose, I would not go with pins larger than .019 because at longer distances a .029 pin can cover up a target. Some like a single fixed pin because the sight picture isn't "clouded up" with multiple pins and they are okay judging how much distance to hold over or under target. Some also will use an adjustable fixed pin, like some HHA sights for an example, but that is problematic in my opinion, if you forget what yardage the pin was set at and you have a deer step out in front of you at 15 yards�you either have to make more movement to adjust the sight or hope you guessed right. I use an adjustable, scoped single-pin for my tournament setup, but last time I checked a foam 3-d target didn't care alot about excessive movement... I do use a 4-pin sight for hunting because I'm not bothered by a "clouded" sight picture and I am just as likely to have a deer step out at 10 yards as I am 40 yards in some places I hunt, and I don't want to have another thing to think about by trying to figure out how far over the deer's back to hold the pin�I just want to focus on putting that pin on target and firing off a clean shot. I would get a sight that had a light, because in low-light or sometimes bright-light situations they can help.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask�someone here will either be able to help you out, or convince you that we helped you out!

Again, welcome to the site!

 

[pookie]

TNDeerGuy. Thanks, that helps. I'm going to a shop today so I'll report back and let you know how it goes.

 

[stik]

with a dropaway rest, fletching contact is not a concern.