Scored a Bow @ Garage Sale... Now What?

[wpmason]

I grabbed a Bear Whitetail EL compound bow at a garage sale for $10. I don't know much about bows, this one seems either very old (good shape, but not as new fangled as the ones in stores) or very cheap, maybe even both. For $10 though, it's worth trying out this fall. There was no documentation or anything, so I can't get any more specific than that.

So I guess I should get it into a shop pretty soon, new string/cables, tuned and all that stuff. Anyone got any recommendations on where to take it in the central Indiana area? Preferably south or west Indy metro area. Also, what kind of money would we be talking about for such work?

I'd like to have it ready for bow season, including practice time, so give me some good advice here. Thanks.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

Depending on the age you may not be able to find anyone to work on it. There's a reason it was ten bucks.

 

[clfergus]

I bought a used bear years ago from a pawn shop just like this when I started out. First thing I did, I called Bear support (super nice people) and got an idea of the age etc.

Then I took it to the Outdoorsman Sport shop and had them look it over. Biggest thing to make sure of is if it is in safe condition to shoot. They said it was fine, being older the cable string was inexpensive to replace compared to the all string versions of todays bows.

For me though, the draw length was 2 inches too long once they let me draw my right length. All this was new to me. They said they couldn't change the length of my bow since it was so old no draw modules were available for it.

I practiced with it to see if I enjoyed it. Took it hunting for the first month of my first deer hunting year.

In the end I kept looking for a good deal on a new bow and when one popped up on closeout I bought it. It was like driving a bike and moving into a caddy.

My advice, see if its safe then see what it needs. If you have to add 50 bucks to get it working I would look for a closeout bow. The new bows are so much better you will really have much more fun shooting. With that said, I know guys who use 20 year old bows still.

 

[yotewacker]

A buddy and I use to use that bow back in the late 70's early 80's.
It was after Xmas and real cold out. My buddy pulled his bow back and the limb broke. Came back and hit is forehead. 36 stitches later we were on our way home. Bear said not to use his bows under 32 degrees.

I know the newer ones are better though.

 

[wpmason]

Just to be clear, I grabbed it just to see if I like it. I have no problem at all upgrading to a new one next year if I do in fact enjoy it.

The limbs seem to have quite a bit of spring to them, and the seller told me that it had been her son's but he seldom ever used it and it has been sitting in a closet for most of it's life. She also said that he got it for Christmas when he was a teenager, sometime between 1998 and 2002, so it's not THAT old, but still old given what I know about the lifespan of bows.

My basic line of thinking was to get it worked over, add a rest, sight, stabilizer, etc., then practice and give deer season a try with it. If it's enjoyable, I can replace the bow and transfer the add-ons over to the new one. Basically, spread the cost over time.

I had actually been keeping an eye on crossbows, to be able to spend more time hunting, but haven't got the knowledge or money to commit to one yet. So this just seemed like a good primer.

 

[Mrmonte]

First off, im far from a bow expert, but I do bow hunt. If I were you I would take your bow to someplace like the Outdoorsman in Greenwood. They can tell you if the draw length on that bow will fit you, and if the cost of outfitting will be worth it vs buying a new or used bow package. Personally, id probably rather put money on a newer bow than get one that outdated restrung.

My experience tells me....
I had new strings and cables put on my bow last year want to say I spend around $135(at the outdoorsman, and there were a little cheaper options). Your going to spend another $100 at least on a rest and sight. $60 or so for a half dozen arrows. 3 Broadheads run about $30 depending on what you choose. Are you going to shoot with a release? That's another $50 dollar bill on the lower end.

Your mileage may vary, im not really a bow guy. I do it so I can spend more time in the woods every fall.

 

[Willie]

It will kill deer, but the question is how much do you want to put into a $10 bow..add up the dollars before you buy and see if you can buy new close that same amount...

 

[Hookeye]

Sounds like somebody may have scored an excellent bowfishing candidate

 

[IndyDave1776]

Scored a Bow @ Garage Sale... Now What?

Keep going to garage sales and see if you can score a Kubelwagen next time!