How much does a good compound bow cost? This is a question many people looking to get into bowhunting ask. And rightly so. Before buying your first bow you want to be sure you are getting the best bang for your buck. Pay too little, and you set yourself up for failure due to an unreliable bow. Pay too much and you will end up with a bow that is much more finicky and complicated, it is recommended not to get a top-of-the-line bow till you have had some experience. So how can you know how much you should spend on your compound bow? Here is the answer…
$350-$600 is how much a reliable compound bow will cost. This price range is how much you should pay to get a bow that will do its job effectively. By purchasing a bow above 350 dollars you protect yourself from a faulty, unreliable bow. By spending under $600 you ensure you are not getting in over your head with costs as well as the difficulty that high-end bows induce when learning to bow hunt for the first time. A high-end bow may sound attractive but they are less forgiving, it is best to have been bow hunting for a while before purchasing an expensive bow. Read on for more in-depth information…
How Much You Should Pay for Your First Bow
When purchasing your first bow it is important not to spend too much but also not to spend too little. There is a sweet spot between 350 and 600 dollars. This price range will get you a bow that is reliable without all the unnecessary frills of an expensive bow. Yes, an expensive bow can be a valuable tool to an experienced hunter but until you have had some experience it is best you hold off on the big purchase.
An expensive bow will not magically make you a better hunter by any means, especially if you have not had any experience. High-end bows shoot faster, which sounds like a good thing, but this will be problematic for a beginner as the higher speeds will make the margin for error much higher.
Also keep in mind the higher speeds of a top-of-the-line bow won’t be as helpful for a beginner as having a slower shooting bow that is easier to shoot straight.
It is wise to completely ignore bows that cost less than $300. Bows this low are almost the quality of a toy. This is definitely not what you want considering you want a reliable weapon to take down wild game effectively.
How to Choose a Bow
When choosing a compound bow it is important to do your research and make sure the bow you are interested in is actually reliable. No matter how much you pay for a bow there will always be bad models at every price point so just make sure the bow you are looking into has good reviews. If multiple reviews speak of the same issues on a bow it is safe to say that it won’t be a wise purchase.
Some bows come with a ready to hunt (RTH) package that will supply you with all the accessories you will need to start hunting such as the whisker biscuit, stabilizer, peep sight, arrow rest, and sound dampeners pre-installed. These will probably not be the best accessories on the market but they will do the job and they will help you start shooting faster rather than having to search for and buy all the accessories yourself. And when you are ready to upgrade just swap out the accessories as needed.
Keep in mind, just because a bow is RTH it does not mean that it is ready to shoot out of the box. Like all bows, you will need to take it to a bow technician to have it tuned and adjusted for your draw length and strength. If you want to learn more about draw length and draw weight read this post I wrote here.
Bear archery includes great RTH packages for their bows. I have personally purchased the Bear Archery Approach with the RTH package. This is the best bow you can possibly get for the price and the fact that it comes ready to hunt is unbelievable. This bow has impressed me with its high-end stats and build quality at such a low price. There is a reason it was called the best bow for the money in Outdoor Life Magazine. I’ll leave a link below for both the RTH and non-RTH models for you to check out.
- 2018 Bear Archery Approach Compound Bow 70# Right Hand Realtree Edge Camo
- Best Bow You Can Get For The Price
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
- Includes every accessory you need at a incredible price.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Conclusion
So when purchasing your first bow just remember that you do not need the most expensive bow on the market. Adversely you need to stay away from bows under $300 at all costs as these will almost always be a piece of junk, costing you time and money.
A safe bet is to purchase a bow between $350 & $600. As long as the bow has good reviews and is in this price range, you can be sure you are getting a bow that will serve you well for years to come. Thank you for reading!
