The process of getting started with your archery bow

If you’re thinking of getting into archery, but aren’t sure what you need, then you’re in luck. One thing I like about this sport is that there are only a few things you need to get going. Obviously, the first thing you would need to buy is one of the many archery bows on the market today. Next, you will need to get arrows to shoot. To make your life a little easier, there are also some accessories that I would recommend.

When you begin, you will need to make the decision as to which of the many archery bows you would like to shoot. There are compound bows, recurves, takedowns, longbows, etc. out there, so you better do some research on them before you commit to buying the bow of your choice. They all have their own unique set of attributes that are made to suit archers of all varieties. Once you figure out what kind of shots you want to do, you need to figure out how much you’re willing to spend. This will help you narrow your focus and hone in on a decision.

Now you need to get something to shoot. The most popular arrows you will find are wood, aluminum and carbon. Personally, I went from using wooden arrows in my childhood to aluminum in my teens, and now all I use is carbon. Everything matters when you’re shooting your archery bow, so you want to make sure your arrows are consistent. The carbon ones are extremely consistent, but they will be the most expensive. Aluminum is a good starting arrow because they are relatively inexpensive and are more consistent than wood. I would suggest staying away from wooden arrows until you have developed an eye for buying arrows because it is much harder to find a quality wooden version.

I also suggest you get an archery arm glove or archery bow release, depending on the type of bow you purchased. When I started shooting, I mainly liked using recurve bows. When you start to gain weight, your fingers hurt after 40 or 50 shots from pinching your fingers, unless you’re wearing a glove. Once I moved on to a compound bow, I knew there was no way I could draw a 55-70 pound compound bow with my fingers, so I opted to use an archery bow release.

If you’re like me, then you’ll probably also want to get an archery target so you don’t have to drive to your local archery range every time you want to shoot. I purchased a Bulldog archery target as they offer a lifetime guarantee. This means I can shoot a couple of dozen arrows when I feel like I need a little more practice. Again, archery target is not a necessity like arrows, and archery bows are, but having one never hurts so you can practice as much as possible.