How to Choose the Best Beginner Compound Bow - Field & Stream
by Bear ArcheryIf you’re new to bowhunting and you wander into an archery shop, you’ll probably suffer from a severe case of sticker shock. The top-end models from most compound bow brands will start at around $1,000 and go up from there. And that’s for a bare bow, with no accessories.
Relax. Breathe. And keep looking. What you want is the best beginner compound bow, and the same companies invariably offer entry-level and intermediate models that are perfectly capable of flinging accurate arrows and killing all the big game you care to hunt, for a fraction of the price. Even better, some of these bows come fully equipped and ready to shoot, eliminating the headache and expense of choosing and buying accessories.
Best Beginner Compound Bows: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Bear Cruzer G2
Specs
- Weight: 3-4 lbs
- Draw Length: 12-30″
- Draw Weight: 5-70 lbs
- Speed: 315 fps
Pros
- Grip design eliminates hand torque
- Grow-with-your-bow design
- Package includes everything you need
- Great value for the price
Cons
- Limb bolts function best at 65 lbs or less
It’s impossible to build a hunting bow that will satisfy every shooter, but Bear comes close to it with the Cruzer G2. Virtually every kid I’ve coached could pull 5 pounds on a 12-inch draw, and those are the bottom-end specs on this bow. The Cruzer G2’s cam system offers draw-length adjustments from 12 to 30 inches and a draw-weight range from 5 to 70 pounds, and that means a young shooter can start with this bow and stick with it all the way into adulthood. Or a beginner adult can start low and crank it up as he or she builds strength.
When we tested the Cruzer G2, we found it offers plenty of performance for effective big-game hunting at top-end 315 fps IBO speed, and it comes with six quality Trophy Ridge accessories (sight, rest, bow stabilizer and sling, peep sight, quiver, and D-loop). In short, there’s plenty of serious stuff included in this beginner compound bow, and it will take a new shooter from his first group of arrows straight through multiple hunting seasons.
