Hunting Bows by Type

The $1,000+ dealer-only class — Mathews, Hoyt, and friends. Real refinement in draw cycle and quiet, priced like it; last year's model used is the smart buy.

Under $500, hugely adjustable, usually sold as ready-to-hunt packages. Draw cycles are harsher and accessories basic, but they kill deer just as dead.

$500-$900 bows with 90% of flagship performance. The honest sweet spot for most hunters — nobody's arrow knows what the bow cost.

Limbs unbolt for travel and weight upgrades as you progress — the way almost everyone starts trad. The Samick Sage built this category.

The oldest tool in the catalog, forgiving of form and dead quiet. Modern hybrids tame most of the hand shock the old-timers complained about.

The classic hunting recurve, one solid piece of walnut and maple. Bear has made some of these continuously since the 1950s.