Mathew's vs Hoyt vs Bowtech

[Mr. PG]

I used to bow hunt a bit in the 90's and I am wanting to get back into it. One of the reason's I stopped bow hunting in the first place was because the equipment I had was not very reliable and I could not ethical keep on using it. Now I am in a better financial situation and I have bene looking at getting one of the higher end Mathew's, Hoyt or Bowtech bows.

I am thinking about the Mathew's because it was suggested by one of my local dealers but I just haven't heard a lot of things for or against them. I have always been partial to Hoyt and there is certainly alot of people that love them but I don't want to pay a whole lot of extra money just for a name. As for bowtech, this was suggested by yet another local dealer as well as a couple of friends but like Mathew's I haven't heard a lot of things for or against them.

I am 5'11" and 220lbs and I was thinking of getting a bow with about 65-75lb draw. I want a bow for hunting that is above all reliable and relatively fast. I am also kind of clumsy so something that is compact and user friendly would also be great. Can anyone help me out on what bow they think I should get?

[Sideofabarn]

PG, you'll find proponents for all three. What in the end you decide is obviously what works best for you. I am going out on a limb here and assuming you're actually in PG, and there is a guy on Buckhorn lake road, who has an operation out of his garage. A couple of people have recommended him, but I think you may need to make an appointment. Ask to try them all first if you can, from there make any further decisions. For myself, I shoot an APA (made in Saskatchewan) and love it, although if I was in the market for another bow (read funding shortage for toys) I think I'd go with the bowtech-just because.

[pupper]

well If you have not shot for a while go for a 60lb draw and crank it down to 50 to start. It is better to be able to shoot comfortably and accurately than uncomfortably and inaccurate with more juice behind the arrow. After a bunch of practise you can always cranker up to 60 if you want, plus that gives you ample killing power for any north american game. Your draw length will be a little longer than average so you will have a good power stroke.

You said you want something compact, a short axle to axle bow and short brace heigth will be less forgiving, so keep that in mind. A 33"+ axle to axle is probably what you are looking for. and a 7 1/2"+ brace height.
you can go bigger for more forgiveness but than you lose compactness.

My vote for bows lies with Bowtech, I have owned a tribute for 1.5 years and I love it. It is very compact, accurate, and reliable. I have had no problems. It is fast as well. It has an axle to axle of 31" so it is very compact. THey dont make the tribute anymore but "the general" is a short axle to axle bow. you might want to look at the "guardian" because of a longer axle to axle or the "82 airborne model"

I also shot the mathews switchback, and the Black Mamba along with the tribute before I decided on it. Make sure you test fire a couple simultanously before purchasing your fav. Look for smoothness,feel, andlack of vibration.

[Brambles]

Look at APA innovations, High quality Canadian made bows that are very fast and forgiving to shoot.

http://www.apaarchery.com/

[bruin]

[quote=Sideofabarn;198755]What in the end you decide is obviously what works best for you.



He is absolutely right. I would highly suggest going to a dealer and shooting all three bows (if they will let you) before you make a decision, look for vibration and comfort, pulling ease, letoff, grip comfort etc.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

yep go see Ted Stern out on Buckhorn lake road. you dont need an appointment ... he is there for the most part during normal business hours ... Might wanna phone first ...T&F Country sports in the phone book ....

Personally I am a Hoyt man .... something small yet speedy and surprisingly easy to shoot is the Hoyt Vulcan ..... Evidently Hoyts got new models again this year ... due to be released rather quickly ....

click here for this years Hoyts ...

I am liking the looks and specs of the Katera

http://www.hoyt.com/compound_bows/

[loki]

Well although I shoot Bowtech I'm not one to push brand names. Basically whatever fits you is the one you should get. Take a look at how the grip fits in your hand, how the bow feels while carrying it around the store, and if you're really lucky to get a store that allows you to test fire take some shots. Otherwise to get the feeling of the bow you may have to draw, and guide the string back, and in case you don't know NEVER DRY FIRE A BOW. The only problem with testing the draw in a store is you may get some employees that don't allow for someone to draw the bow without a fuss, which is understandable because dry firing a bow = you bought the bow. At any rate testing the draw cycle by drawing and guiding the string back without firing is the best you'll get to feeling the bow cycle in a lot of stores. PS: If you're going to do this, beware of let off and stay fully flexed when guiding the string back or it can kick.

Don't forget here, all bows do the same thing, and that's propel shafts at blazingly fast speeds. Everything else is apples vs oranges, even though I know that everyone on here is about to jump on that comment and support their brand. In my books bows must fit into a few categories: Comfort, quietness, and the pocketbook.

If you're not into archery enough to keep up with it past one season there's no point to buying top of the line. In fact a lot of mid to low level bows are equipped with accessories and technology that would have been top of the line 5 years ago. For example my wife shoots a 2007 Diamond Edge and outshoots our friends with more expensive bows. A lot of the time you are paying extra for brand name. Don't forget it's not only the bow, but the person using it as well.

yep go see Ted Stern out on Buckhorn lake road.

Yup, I agree. Just inform him that you're looking around, and not only at Hoyt. Otherwise he'll really push Hoyt and call everything else crap, and that gets old fast. Don't get me wrong, he's a really stand up guy, and a good person to learn from and help with your setup and pointers. Also he is one of the most affordable retailers in PG, and compaired to places like E&I, Northern Troutfitters, and Bobs sports he blows their prices out of the water.

I haven't heard a lot of things for or against them.

Well if it's a review you're looking for I like my Commander, and will be sticking with it for years to come. It's a good bow to fit me. The only upgrade I'm looking at is the 2008 Short stop string catcher, but I'm not sure yet if it'll fit my 2007 without much fuss.

[sealevel]

I and like hoyts they are good shooters and most of all reliable .If i was going to buy a new bow i would look at a APA or a HC iron mace or another hoyt. I think all bows are good shooters... o except those things at cambodian tire.

[Bow Walker]

Check out the '07 discounted deals.........many dealers are blowing out there inventory to make room for the '08 models.

Have a serious look at the '07 Hoyt Vectrix in camo. VERY quiet, easy to pull, and smokin' fast.

BTW - you might want to consider something in the 60 lb range. It'll max out around 63 or 64 lbs and you can pull it all day long - even in cold weather.

[The 'Hummer']

I have a friend that has an archery shop in AB. After numerous suggestions by him that I should take up the sport, I agreed and had him set me up with a decent package. The bow, in addition to related trimmings, was a Darton Maverick I believe.
My friend has been into the sport, for a number of years, as a competition target shooter and a hunter in addition to his business focus. I 'tried' archery, liked it and when I quit smoking, as a gift, I bought a target bow and settled for a Hoyt Ultratec. Then, for 3D and hunting, when I retired I got a Hoyt Cybertec, as a retirement gift.
As sideofabarn mentioned, you'll find proponents for most makes, not unlike opinions of vehicle and firearms brands. I'd suggest going to a good local archery shop and trying out a few different samples. Better yet, go to a local club if there's one close by, talk to the people and try a selection of whats available.