https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bear-archery-species-ev-rth-compound-bow-package

Looking at this one.

I wouldn't consider a single cam bow.  That's outdated technology, but the boy scouts still buy single cams for their camps. Was PSE back when my son was in.

If you want Bear archery, look at their Legend VR or their Legit RTH, would be my suggestion.  But, the best recommendation I can give you is avoid the low cost ready to hunt packages at the big box retailers like Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops.  The rests, sights, etc., tend to be cheap and you'll want to replace those down the road, nullifying the savings.

Got it.

I don't know what Cabela's is like in TX, but here in California, the archery pro shops are head and shoulders above the big box retailers.  Not to knock Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops here as they employ knowledgeable guys in the archery department.  It's not like Home Depot, but not like the pro shops here, and the prices are the same.

Seems like single cam bows are coming back.  Some impressive numbers from the new ones.  That said, I'm not sure how long that will last.  Bear makes some nice bows these days, I'd like one myself.  I always shot PSE bows so I have no experience with the Bear.  Today's sub $500 bows are way better than yesterday's $1k bows so it's hard to go wrong with any of the new name brand offerings.  One of these days when I can afford it, I'm going to get a new 50# bow.  I can't draw my current bow anymore.

I'd recommend going in to the store/shop and getting properly fitted. If it's got an archery range, even better. Shoot several of them to see what feels right to you. Get a good feel for the let-off, for example. See how they balance, how quiet they shoot, etc.

I love my Hoyt Pro Defiant.

We have a local place they have Hoyt mission and Matthews. I just don’t want to buy to much of a bow that I’m a beginner with.

getting fitted is key. you can youtube it and get pretty decent numbers, then buy a used bow online. bow guys like to buy the latest and greatest every year or two. the down side is the manufactures discontinue their cams and bits after 2-3 years which makes the used market stupid cheap ( at least pre-covid I havent checked in several years) you could buy a used $800 bow for 300 pretty often if you watch the for sale section at forums like archery talk. thats pretty much what myself and all my friends did when we got into it. the thing you need to know is your hand obviously, your draw weight and your draw length. the weight usually has a small amount of adjustment down. IE if you buy a 70# which is the standard hunting bow weight it can go down to 60. the big thing is draw length which as I said the cams are discontinued so what you get is what you get.

what are you wanting to do with it? we used to shoot 3d matches locally which is a blast.  


ETA I also have a hoyt and like it. but its a older target style bow.

Ultimately I’d like to hunt with it.

I picked up a really nice Hoyt Alphamax 32 on Craigslist for about $250. As it's been mentioned, people always want the latest in bow tech so there's usually a pretty good used market. As long as you know your draw length and what to look for in general you should be able to score something pretty decent.

Both of my Hoyts have torn up some hogs.

If you've never shot a compound bow you are in for a treat. its stupid easy to have good accuracy.

Going this weekend decided on a mission MXR.

I'm a single cam fan.  Bear makes light, quality,  fast bows. That species will be very forgiving to shoot also.   Since it's a first bow, you won't have to worry about tuning the cams either.

Pulled the trigger on the MXR. I’ll pick it up Friday after work.

Thanks all for the advice. I’ll be scouring the forums for tips.

Happy shooting!

Thanks I’m pretty excited.

Yes it CAN be, compared to a trad bow.  I recently found out that proper form is still very important nonetheless.  My current practice is centered around being more consistent with face pressure and anchor.