Buying Your First Hunting Compound Bow Q&A | Friday Kill Notes

Buying your first hunting compound bow should feel exciting, not confusing and expensive. We see tons of new archers get stuck comparing brands, speed ratings, and “flagship vs budget” arguments, then end up with a bow that never feels right because it was not fitted or tuned correctly. So we go straight at the real problem: how to choose a compound bow you can grow with, and how to make sure it actually shoots the way it should.

We dig into the sweet spot of the mid-price bow market, where bows like the Hoyt Enduro and other standout models now include features that used to be reserved for top-tier releases. We talk through what matters most when you’re shopping, including draw length, draw weight, grip feel, draw cycle, and the tuning systems that can make ownership easier. We also answer a classic dilemma: should you take a brand new mid-priced bow or an older flagship bow at the same price? The decision comes down to performance expectations, durability, warranty coverage, and whether the seller is truly reputable.

We also get practical about archery shop service. You should be able to test shoot bows without paying a fee, and you should feel welcomed even if you bought your bow somewhere else and just need professional setup and tuning. If a shop makes you feel rushed or dismissed, that’s your sign to keep looking. Subscribe, share this with a new archer, and leave a review, then drop your questions and tell us what bow you would choose and why.

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Transcript

Friday Q And A Format

Zakk Plocica 0:00

All right, we're getting a ton of questions. So we're going to start doing some QA's for you guys, answering questions that you guys have from some of the different episodes. And we're going to start off with questions based around buying your first bow. There was a lot of talk around there, a lot of questions on that. So we are going to clarify some things. So we're going to start doing these more often. I think Fridays is going to be our QA session. So Friday kill notes will be more around answering questions that you guys have for us. So, which is fantastic. So that's what we're doing today on the Archery Project, guys. Welcome back. Appreciate you guys following along. I am Zach. I have a company called Extreme Outfitters, one of the fastest growing archery shops and archery suppliers in the country. We provide archery equipment for archers and bow hunters across the country. So we interact with guys every day, and I think we're in a pretty good position to provide good quality information and feedback for you guys. So that's what we're doing.

unknown 0:50

All right.

Mid-Price Bow Options For Beginners

Fit And Setup Matter Most

Older Flagship Versus New Mid-Price

Buying Secondhand And Warranty Risks

Darton Hype And Real Testing

You Should Not Pay To Test

Serving Customers Who Bought Elsewhere

Recap And Listener Callouts

Zakk Plocica 0:51

So there's a lot of guys doing a lot of their own research, which is fantastic, right? The transition to the tuning capability that these bows have makes it so you can do a lot of the own the work yourself. It's awesome, right? Not everybody has access to a good shop, which is unfortunate, but it's the reality of the situation, right? Um, it seems like good shops are kind of few and far between in some states for people. So you got to kind of take it into your own hands, do your own tuning. Um, but there is still some confusion out there, and there's a lot of information to go through, right? Kind of overwhelming. Uh, so we are going to work through some specific questions that you guys have had for us on buying your new bows. And this is catered to a lot of your newer guys, right? Getting into it, obviously buying your first bow. So that's what we're going to cover and basically just how I would approach it, and um is if I was telling one of our customers or a buddy. So let's go ahead and get right into it. The first question is basically, I'm a beginner in archery and I've always wanted a hunting compound bow. I'm looking to choose a Hoyt enduro. I don't want to start with the beginner bow, but I don't want a flagship bow either. Do you think there is anything out there that I should consider? First off, um, I think this is a good approach, right? Starting in that mid-price point option really gives you a good quality bow that you're not going to outgrow. Um, the this year in particular, 2026 has some of the best mid-price point bow options ever from some leading manufacturers, right? So obviously the Hoytenduro, the Botec Ascend, the Prime Ronin, which is a little bit older, the new PSC Force DS, and then Bear has a host of good uh mid-price point bows, in particular, the Alaskan Pro. So if you're dead set on the Hoytenduro, nothing wrong with it, it's a fantastic mid-price point bow. Uh, but if you have the ability, I would definitely consider some of those other options that are in that upper tier mid-price point bow section that the Hoyt falls into. In particular, I shooting all of them, like the Botec Ascend, uh, the PSE Force DS uh have been absolutely fantastic. I think they're just performance-driven machines. And in this category, you just get the best as far as tuning and performance goes, right? A lot of these bows have introduced flagship features into these particular bows in particular. Like, for example, the Enduro, um, it's got all of your Hoy integration stuff. So it's got a killer cam system on it. Um, it's got your Picatini mount integration stuff on it, uh, shoots really, really well. It's got a really good draw cycle on it. Awesome. Um, and you can shim the cam, which is huge, right? Uh it makes tuning the bow, you know, that much better. It does require you to press it, bust out the axles, change out the shims, but not a big deal. Still a great feature. But you look at like the Bowtech Ascend, the PSE force, uh Botec Ascend in particular, it's got um your two different mod options on it. You can run it on performance or comfort, and then it's got the ability, it's got the deadlock light tuning capability. So you can tune this bow, adjust the cam without having to press it. So it's fantastic if you're somebody that wants to be the ability to do that. And then the PSC Force has the new FDS cam system, cam system, which is absolutely insane that they've introduced a flagship inline current cam onto a mid-price point bow. Unheard of, unreal. Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? I don't know. But if you're somebody looking at a mid-price point bow, it's one to consider because you get everything. Uh, and then it's got their easy 220 shim system on them, which is again another fantastic tuning system. So a lot of good options within that mid-price point category. So if you have the ability to go into a shop and test them, I absolutely would and compare them uh before you pull the trigger on one. All of them are fantastic. You can't go wrong with either of them, but if you have the ability to get the feel for different ones, I would encourage that. Um, but more so, what's more important than actually just deciding on one of those brands, because the make and model, at the end of the day, is not that big a deal. They're all performance-driven machines, in my opinion, but it's getting fitted properly. And if you are new to archery, you need to be fitted correctly. That's where it always comes back to supporting your local dealer, seeking out a good dealer, making the time, going and driving and picking out a good shop so that they can walk you through the process because you can buy the best bow within that category or that price point. And if it's not set up correctly, it's never gonna shoot good. And you're gonna not start off archery in a good manner, right? You're just gonna put a bad taste in your mouth, and you're just not gonna be able to be consistent and be accurate with the bow. So the fitting process is critical and then the tuning process that comes along with it. So no matter what bow you go with, go to a dealer and have them walk you through the process, let you try the different bows and um set it up correctly for you because that's again more important than anything. Uh, a good shop's gonna spend the time with you. They're going to measure your draw length, allow you to test the bows, because that's critical, right? How does it feel for you? Make sure the draw weight isn't too heavy, you're not overbowed. Um, and just let you go through and just get a feel for all these different bows. I think that's important uh and you know, more important than the actual bow that you go with. Any of those bows within that price point, like I said, are just absolutely fantastic. Um, so don't overthink the brand. Don't go in dead set on one particular brand. Go out and test the different bows, get fitted properly. Uh, then pick the bow that feels best to you within that budget. So, again, that mid-price point uh category is dude, it's stellar this year, man. There's so many good options. And it really does, I've said it before, blurs the line between flagship and mid-price point. That line is very, very fuzzy at this point. You really get probably the most value at that price point, in my opinion. Um, it's stellar, man. So yeah, Hoitenduro, fantastic. But if you have the ability to check out some of the other options that are out there uh and just make sure the biggest thing, it's fit and it's tuned specifically for you, and you're shooting the arrow that the bow was tuned with. Biggest things. Moving to the next question. Question two. I have a question for all of you guys. Uh, I can buy a brand new Alaskan Pro or a never used Hoyt Venom Pro 33 for exactly the same price. Which one would you choose? Uh, so interesting question and a fantastic question, right? Alaskan Pro, brand new, or an unused Hoyt Venom Pro 33. So my take, I've owned the Hoyt Venom Pro 33. It's a killer bow. That's what I would go with. As long as you're buying it through a reputable source. And um Hoyt's, I mean, top of the line. The bow is older. Yeah, who cares? It's so it doesn't have the latest XTS tuning system. It has a fantastic cam, and that bow pounds, and Hoyt is known for durability. So you're getting a high quality flagship, rich bow, flagship bow that's just a few years older. It's a no-brainer for me. That's what I would go with. Um the Alaskan Pro is great, but when you put them head to head, the the Hoyt Venom Pro 33 is going to outperform the Alaskan Pro all day. And if you can get it at the same price again, like like I said, it's the Hoyt Venom Pro 33 is what I would go with um every time. But I would be curious as to because the bow is older, why is it um unused, right? Why is it new? Is it just an old model that's been sitting on the uh the shop's uh shelf? If that's the case, cool. But you know, if you're buying it offline, I would definitely do a little bit of research and making sure that it actually is unused if that's what they're claiming. Um so you don't end up with you know getting scammed or you know, buying something from somebody off of one of these archery pages, and you know, you end up with a dud. Buying a used bow, man, I mean, and this is clearly not a used bow. It's um, but buying a bow secondhand, like from some of these uh different sources, offline, eBay, whatnot, that's not from a reputable dealer. Um, you've got to be cautious uh just because you don't know exactly what you're getting. And if there's there's not like bow facts on the bow, uh you can end up with a dud. Uh so I would definitely be cautious on it. Just do your research, man. If you if you know you're buying it through reputable source, no, no question whatsoever. Go with the Hoyt Venom Pro 33 all day. Um, but I'd be curious from you guys. I mean, what what would you choose? Hoyt Venom Pro 33 or a brand new Alaskan Pro? Drop some comments, let me know. I'm genuinely curious from you guys what you would opt for. If that newer mid-price point bow or that older flagship bow, let me know. The other thing um with buying a new bow, you get a warranty with it. That's the bad thing about buying a bow. I'm assuming if this bow is new from a uh dealer, you're you can still get the warranty. But if you're buying it secondhand from someone that's advertising it's never used, potentially you're not gonna get that warranty with it. And the warranty is nice, right? Because it covers essentially the bow for what they call lifetime. It's not truly lifetime. Um, but any manufacturer defects and whatnot, limb delamination, cam issues, bearings, whatnot, they cover that. You don't got to pay for that, just the service, essentially. Uh so buying new is a little safer bet, but I mean you can find good deals out there all the time, man. So just be cautious of it. Do your research, make sure you're buying from a reputable source. And if you are, dude, Hoyt Venom Pro 33 all day, in my opinion. What about Darton Consequence? That is getting pretty high marks. Um, great timing on this one, honestly, because we just got back from Total Archery Challenge, Indiana um a week or so ago. And um Dartons were everywhere, right? I was really impressed. It was one of the bows that really stuck that stuck out, stuck out, um, that I saw a lot of. I mean, I just felt like every time I looked somewhere, there was a somebody with a Darton bow. And I've heard a lot of great things about them online, right? I've never personally played with them, right? Uh, a lot of really great feedback from the guys on the courses, everyone that we've talked to, we had the ability, we had the opportunity to talk with a lot of different people and you know, kind of pick their brains. And, you know, I asked some of the guys what their thoughts are and, you know, was why do they go with it? And it was all positive. Everything I heard from Darton was positive. Now, the problem for me is we can't carry Darton bows in our shop. So I don't have uh any good hands-on experience that I can offer you guys. Um, just being straight up, man. Uh, there's a shop down the road that carries them. So Darton has not set us up as a dealer. I mean, we sell a lot of bows, but you know, they must have a really good relationship with the shop down the road, which I don't blame them. I think it's cool that these uh manufacturers protect the dealers within a certain radius. I think it's important. Um, and you know, it helps keep shops open. Um, so I can't blame Darton for that. Um, so again, I don't have a lot of hands-on experience to get you to give you guys. There's everyone's constantly in our comments saying, review the Darton. How about the Darton? Darton this, and that's the reason, man. I don't have the bows, and I am not going to go out and buy a Darton bow just to review. Um, you know, we have a ton of, we carry all the other manufacturers except for Elite, I believe. So we have plenty of bows to offer. Would I love to have it in our lineup? Absolutely, but it's it's a reality. It's just not happening right now until Darton decides that we are worth opening up an account with. Um, so that's my two cents on the Darton Consequence or any of the other Darton Bows. I just don't have enough um experience to offer you guys valuable insight on personally. So I can't speak on it, man. But if Darton wants to open us up as a dealer, I'm all about talking. Um, I'd love to have them in. And even if they wanted to just send us one for a review, I would review it then. Then we have a little bit more insight that we could give back to you guys. Um, but for now, if you've got a dealer near you that carries Darton bows, um, I would go check them out and shoot one, man. The hype's real. Um, you know, check it out for yourself, see what you think uh personally. Um, don't just buy based off all of the YouTube hype. There is a lot. Um, but you know, I think the the thing when it comes to buying a bow, the best way to really know is to hands on and test it. And it's like I said, any good shop's gonna let you do that. So find a shop that's near you that has a dart and bow and go shoot it and test it and find out for yourself if it's worth the hype. Um, clearly, there's been a lot of good things said about it. So, you know, it can't be too bad. I'm interested in myself with all the technology that they have. They just got a really great product from what I've seen. Um, so I would be more curious to get my hands on one and shoot it. You know, hopefully someday in the future we will have them and I will be able to provide more insight for you guys. Have you ever had to pay to test out new bows? So this is talking about um, you know, I always reference, I've referenced in this podcast already, going into a shop and testing bows. And um, in my personal opinion, no, you should never have to pay to test a bow. If you walk in a shop and you're interested in a bow, the shop should set it up for you and allow you to shoot it. That's what we we do. That's like a car dealership, right? And if you're interested in the car, they let you test drive it. That's what typically what shops do. That's how you get people into bows. That's how you, you know, people find out what bow they like. And that's how you build good relationships with your customers. Is you allow them to try things before they buy them. Uh, that's the great thing about in-store and archery shops versus buying online. You can test things prior to buying it, right? That's what we do. Any releases, any sites, stabilizers, quivers, bows, crossbows. You want to test it before you buy it. That's what we do. We set it up for you, your specs, so you can actually get an honest feel for the bow and make sure it's, you know, it's worth the investment to you. Because R tree can be expensive, man. It is an investment. And I'm a firm believer in investing in your hobby, but you need to know what you're investing into. And, you know, that the only way you can form a good opinion on anything is actually hands-on experience. I could tell you the bow is the best in the world, but who cares? What I say, you need to do it yourself. I can, you know, it's more important what feels good to you, what draws well, how it holds, the grip on the bow, the value of the bow, the back wall, all those things you've got to decide for yourself. Because at the end of the day, we're all different. There's not one right answer. Everyone likes a bow that's spill feels a specific way. There's not one way to approach this, and there's not one right answer, and there's not one best bro bow. So if your buddy tells you that this bow is the best, it's not the best. Maybe it's the best to him, but for you, it might be something else. So um, no, you shouldn't have to pay to test bows. And when it comes to choosing a bow, spend time behind different, different bows and um, you know, see what works best for you, what you think is, you know, just fits you uh and works well for you. Don't get caught up in the hype behind all the brands. There's so many good brands out there now. Every single brand is a good brand. Like choosing which one is right for you is very, very personal at this point. I get asked all the time, like, well, what are you shooting? Well, this is what I shoot. Doesn't mean that it you're gonna like it. There's a lot of guys that don't like the bows that I shoot, right? Who cares? They find what works for them. That's the same thing you need to do. You, and that's a great thing. That's a why this is a really good, great question is you should not have to pay to go into a shop and test bows. Testing a bow is just that getting in your hands, getting it set up for you, running through it, shooting it, and seeing how it feels. Um, you know, and that's not spending an entire day behind it because we've got to sell these bows, but you should be able to test drive that particular bow. And I would encourage you when you go into a shop to buy a new bow, be open-minded because every year there's little subtle things that change. There's been some pretty, pretty big changes in technology this past year with like tuning systems and whatnot. Um, but go in open-minded to a shop and ask to test whatever bow is within your budget that piques your interest. And even the ones that don't pique your interest are worth shooting just to see because they might surprise you. We see that a lot. Somebody comes in looking for a bow, you know, they have in mind, and other bows are not on their radar, the radar, and we're like, here, check this out, try it and see what you think. And that's the bow they end up going with. So I I wouldn't count any manufacturers out. I would definitely go to shop, Tesla, as many as you can, and then really find, you know, form an opinion that way and just see what meets your needs because all the bows have a slightly different feel and offer slightly different features and tuning capabilities and whatnot. So bajillion good options out there, man. Uh find what works for you, but absolutely go into a shop and test the bows. You should not have to pay. That's my opinion on it as a shop owner. We do not charge you to test anything. Um again, our job is to build a good relationship with you and set you up right and get you started right in the archery um community. That's that's what we're here for. Provide a service for you guys and, you know, hopefully build a lifelong customer. I mean, that's every business's goal, right? Lifelong customers. I don't want you to be a one and done. I want you to come back and hang out and, you know, think of us first uh whenever it comes to anything archery related, whether we can answer your questions, we can provide a service for you, we can provide a product for you. You know, we want to be that for you. And I think that's how all businesses should think, right? Customer first, provide the service, build a relationship. That's my opinion on, you know, the archery business and business in general. Uh, and this is gonna be the final question I got for you guys, because like I said, this is kind of a new thing. So I've only pulled a handful of questions. But this one is coming from a shop owner's perspective perspective, would you or any of your guys have any hard feelings toward a guy that bought a bow somewhere else, say a brand you didn't carry or secondhand and came in to get it set up, happy to pay for the service? And honest answer, no, not even a little bit, right? Doesn't bother me, right? At all. I think you walked in, you bought a whatever it is, a bow that that maybe we didn't carry, we didn't have in stock, you bought it somewhere else, and you need us to set up and you know, provide the service, tune it, get it ready. We're happy to do that. I mean, the fact that you considered us, I think is good. I mean, you have you work hard for your money, you spill your you spend your money where you feel is best, right? The brands you support. Uh and that's how you get a vote, right? You spend your money with the brands and the manufacturers that you like. Nothing wrong with that. You know, if I can't hate on you at all for that. I think it it's absolutely okay. And no one should be upset at that. As an archery shop, our job, again, going back to it, is to provide a good service for you. Right? That means if you've purchased a bow elsewhere or you know, you've shopped elsewhere and you've come to us, you know, we appreciate you just walking in the doors and giving us an opportunity. And from there, we're gonna provide the service that you deserve, right? Top of the line, do do our very best to make sure you are set up correctly and you know your bow is performing as it should. That's what we do. And hopefully from that, we establish a relationship with you and we become your trusted source. Right. Again, going back to it, I'm not looking for a one and done. I don't want to just sell you something expensive and you leave and you know, that's it. You know, our goal is to build a relationship with you and provide a service for you repeatedly, right? You we become your trusted source. We have the products you need, we're able to provide the services that you need, and you believe in our business and uh you want to support our business. And whatever that looks like for you, you know, whether it's just service, whether it's just coming and hanging out, or whether it's buying product from us, you know, we we appreciate any of the support we can get. It's a uh competitive market out there. There's a lot of really great places to go and a lot of great places to shop. And I think as a business, it's important to, you know, think customer first, right? Customer service. That's if you ask any of the guys in my shop, what is priority one for us? It's customer service. And it doesn't matter where you bought your stuff from, man. We'd be willing to help you out. We get guys that, you know, buy bows and just come in and ask questions. We get guys that message us that but shop elsewhere that just have questions. And we're happy to answer as many of those questions as we possibly can. Um you know, it's not it's not about just buying from us, it's building a community, being a part of that community, and again, just providing a good service to you guys. So would I rather you buy it from me? Of course. Absolutely. What shop wouldn't, but I don't blame you for not. If you, you know, maybe you found a better deal. You know, maybe you want to support that company too, and you want to support multiple companies. I get it, man. You vote with your money, you spend your money where you feel is best. Who supports you best? And Who is willing to take their time with you and what brand you believe in? I don't have any hard feelings whatsoever. Um, but what I would say to anybody out there is if you have the ability to support your local shop. I mean, I think most people would agree with that. The archery community the archery shops are the backbone of the community. We need them. And that give because that gives you guys a place to go to one test products and then have a service provided that you need that you can't do yourself. So I do think it's critical to support your local shop. But if you can't get it from your local shop, I mean, I'm not gonna be mad at you for supporting us. You need anything archery related, we're in Jacksonville, North Carolina. You can walk through our doors. We carry all the manufacturers, all the brands, and we'd be happy to outfit you. We have a website, extremeoutfitters.com, where we supply archery equipment across the nation for anybody, any archers and bow hunters out there. So my mission is to grow our brand and build more relationships with more archers out there. And, you know, I'm not shy about that. That's why we're in business. That's what we've done. But again, I think you should spend your money where you feel you you want to spend it. I mean, that's important, man. And get the, you know, and again, if you've bought something from somewhere else, there's no hard feelings walking, there shouldn't be any hard feelings with you walking into a shop and having that bow serviced and set up correctly for you. There's none on our end if you come into our shop and do it. We do it all the time. Like we have guys that buy bows from down the road and they bring them to us. Or, you know, people who have traveled from far away to come visit our shop that they have bought stuff elsewhere and they want us to set it up for them. No hard feelings on that. I think any good archery shop is not going to have any hard feelings whatsoever towards you either. Whenever you do that, they know what their job is and that's to provide a service for you. Get you into the archery game right, take care of you, make sure you stay in the archery game because we need more archers and bow hunters out there to support this thing, man. I love it. I know anyone else that's involved with it absolutely love it. And when you get, you know, bad service or walk into a shop and you just feel kind of written off, it doesn't look good for anybody. So no, any good shop's gonna take care of you, they're not gonna question it. Um, they're gonna do what they feel is right to get you up and running. So that's you know, that's I'll get off the soapbox now. Um, that's it. You are always welcome at our shop, and I think any other good shop you'll always be welcome for. So don't take it the wrong way. Um, make sure you feel welcomed in a shop. And if you don't feel welcome in a shop, go find another one. That's what I would say. It's worth making the drive to find a good archery shop that you can call on, that you can go into and you know you're gonna be taken care of. If anybody, you know, kind of turns their nose up to you and isn't willing to help you out, red flag, go find another shop, man. So is what it is, man. So that's gonna be a wrap on this one, guys. So give me some feedback, what you think on the QA stuff. Are you interested? Do you want it, you want more questions answered? And if you do have questions, drop them in the comments. I will be happy to pull them out, see where they fit, and start shooting episodes on these just to be more involved with you guys and be able to give you guys more feedback. Um, and you know, again, just answer any questions that you might have for me or us. So, bottom line, when it comes to buying your first bow, get fit, um, test the bows, make sure you're buying from a reputable source, and don't let anybody rush you into purchase, man. Do your research, look into it, find what works for you, test drive everything, make sure the bow's set up, fitted, and tuned for you. That's how you're gonna get the most out of the bow, and you will enjoy it and become a lifelong archer or bow hunter. That's how it works. But if you're near us, Jacksonville, North Carolina, come by, visit our shop, Extreme Outfitters. We're open six days a week, Monday through Saturday. We have all of your major brands. Like I said, and if you're not near us, head over to our website, extremeoutfitters.com. We got all of your archery bow hunting stuff you could ever want. And if you're interested and you need something, use the code ArcheryProject, Archery Project. It's gonna save you money on all of your purchases moving forward. So any gear that you need, you will get at a discount always. And you know, we always we've always got specials and sales running every week through our email campaign. So if you were interested in some even bigger savings, sign up for there and uh you'll get locked in for those exclusive deals that you only get when you sign up there. So drop some questions. Like I said, give me some more feedback. Let me know any other questions you guys got, any of the um episodes that you guys watch, drop cap uh questions in those. I will start pulling them. We'll start doing QA's to answer for you guys. So as always, I appreciate you guys. Thanks for following along. We'll see you guys in the next episode of the Archery Project.