[TommyJefferson]

I've decided to take up deer hunting with a compound bow. In a SHTF situation, firearm ammunition could eventually be unobtainable. I need you guys' opinions on this model I'm thinking of purchasing.

It's the Cheetah model made by Diamond Bows. The draw length is 30 inches. This is supposed to give 70 foot/pounds of pressure, and an arrow speed of up to 270 feet per second. I think this would meet my needs for bringing down deer and hogs, even though it's not the highest performing bow one can purchase.



In the photo below you can see the quiver that comes standard with this bow. Also, a trigger is included. Note that the trigger is heavy and seems to be made of quality materials. I would probably need the trigger until I built enough arm strength to use the bow bare.



This setup costs a lot of money, but I don't want to buy junk. I didn't want to spend this much without getting advice from some of you guys who know a lot more about bow hunting than I do.

Thanks!

[davep]

I'm not sure I could get used to those cumbersome chest guards.

[jboogy]

By "trigger " do you mean the release ? The release appears to be artificial , the fake release's don't feel right to me and I'm not crazy about the way they look either , in either case you'll want to use a release always, regardless of arm strength. 70 ft. lbs. is in the serious catagory for bows and plenty for deer . When you check bows make sure that at full pull your fist is at the back of your cheek a little forward of the ear . The draw on this bow is a little long for her , and there's no way she's pulling 70 ft. lbs. , I'd guess this bow is 45 max , even with adjusters backed out it wouldn't drop enough for her to pull it.

[da23]

Personaly, I'd steer clear of compound bows, to many cogs and fancy bits that could break and be hard to replace when TSHTF.

A nice recurve bow on the other hand with a few spare bowstrings and you're good to go

[strider3700]

a few things

if ammo availability is the concern the money spent on a good bow setup should buy enough hunting ammo to last multiple life times.

70 lbs will handle a deer if you get close enough but I'm not to sure about hogs since they aren't around here.

I don't know the life expectancy of components in a compound bow but they are very unlikely to be easily sourced in a SHTF type world.

Having said all that it's still a fun hobby and during hunting season it lets you get out a few days before the masses have there season open up. I'm thinking of getting a good crossbow rather then a compound bow though

[RonMN]

Strider Wrote:
if ammo availability is the concern the money spent on a good bow setup should buy enough hunting ammo to last multiple life times.

I found this out first hand...Get a 2 - .22 rifles & many many thousands of rounds (they sell .22 shells in boxes of 500 rounds).

You will save money...have more accuracy & power (especially with hollow points)...

You could spend several hundred $ on this bow & have the string snap right when TSHTF.

I own a .22 and a 12 guage...and I've been thinking about buying another one of each. I'll use the bow for fishing.

[strider3700]

yeah I also have a 12 guage and a .22 10,000 rounds for the .22 would cost me $300. 100 round value packs for the 12 guage are $20 or so depending on shot size.
$500 buys you a lot of ammo

It's even cheaper in the states....

[Blacksmith]

Did someone say someting about a bolt (on) action?

[seldom_seen]

I don't think that's legal. Check the game regulations for rack size. You'll need condoms.

[jboogy]

A gun will do everything a bow can do , and do it a lot better . Unless you need to be quiet . Post peak doomsday scenario then quiet may be an advantage .

[RonMN]

I've considered the "Silent" factor...and while a bow is silent, I also decided on a high powered pellet gun (non-Co2 cartridge) and about 6,000 pellets...should be good for rabbits & squirls. Maybe even a duck if my aim is good enough.

Very inexpensive!

[BlisteredWhippet]

I think I need to see more pictures of this model before I can make a judgment....

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BlisteredWhippet', 'I') think I need to see more pictures of this model before I can make a judgment....

[TheDude]

Who says that isn't Tommy in the pictures? (S)He could be the George Sands or James Tiptree Jr. of Doom.

I bought a cheap used compound (Martin?) but can't fire it at all. It's 60 lbs pull I think. A friend of mine has a chapter in the The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 1 on making Native American bows; he considers compounds little more than cold killing machines, much too prone to malfunctioning and dependency on spare parts, and also in the end pretty useless, traditional bows will do the same work once you get used to them.

Speaking for myself compound tech makes my eyes glaze over, all this tedious velocity FPS gibberish. They're the computer programmers of silent death. I'd go with a good hunting rifle, and a good laminate recurve bow with a light pull (what my friend recommends, BTW). Stock up on arrows and strings. If you're really serious about the S never ceasing to hit TF you'd do well to look into fletching (arrow making) or even making strings. Course if that's the case you also might want to learn about handloading - or black powder guns.