I’m sure this has been asked before but I am looking for some insight from those of you who have been doing this a while.  I recently took a beginning archery class and had a lot of fun.  I would like to explore the sport further and hone my skills.  Eventually I would like to try my hand at bow hunting but for now I am simply wanting to enjoy the challenge and sport or archery.  I am having conflicting thoughts of what to buy first.  When I do start bow hunting I plan to use a compound bow, but I do not know when i will go down this path.  From reading other opinions on this compound bows are easier to learn on but the whole aspect of shooting a compound bow is rather mechanical and lacks the feel of shooting a traditional bow.  There seems to be a school of thought that starting on a low poundage recurve to learn the basics may help in the long run? This is less about money(I’m not mr big bucks but buying one and then the other isn’t the end of the world) but more about enjoyement and time and what makes sense to become a more proficient archer.  Appreciate any help.

Compound hunter here, former competitive recurve shooter.

If hunting is your ultimate goal, I'd start off with a compound. Find a local shop and they will get you measured and setup. Your muscles are going to build up pretty fast, but don't be too concerned with bumping up in weight too fast.

If you are thinking about just playing around in the yard, a recurve/longbow would be an adequate option.

Recurve. You can get a good package set up for a lot cheaper than a compound bow. The fundamentals are the same in case you want to move to a compound bow.

I started with this package and moved on to a Mathews Halon compound bow.

https://www.3riversarchery.com/samick-sage-recurve-adult-bow-kit.html

I’m also in favor of starting with a low poundage (maybe 25-35 lb) recurve if hunting isn’t an immediate goal. Regardless of the type of bow you pick find a coach or at least an experienced archer to help you with the basics so you don’t develop bad habits you’ll need to break in the future. Books and videos are worthwhile but they can’t replace the eye and advice of a live coach or experienced shooting partner.

I'd say it's personal preference. Compound a bit easier to shoot and has a faster learning curve. Traditional requires you shoot more regularly and it will cut down your shot range for hunting a bit. If you want the best chance at getting a shot when out hunting go with the compound.

Thanks everyone, regardless of what I go with I plan to take lessons at one of the local pro shops here. They have varying levels of skill lessons and most of them run for several weeks at a time working on various aspects of shooting at each class.