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Im thinking about getting into Bow hunting for deer this fall and i posted this in the archery forum but little help there, so i figured i would go to the home crowd. i guess what im looking for is anyone up here that bow hunts and could steer me in the right direction of a decent outfitter that could set me up with my draw length and stuff like that... or anyone on here that would be ideal as well.

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I have only been up here for a few years, so I'm sure there's some smaller bow shops that I don't know about. I got my new bow set-up at Fargo Scheels. I was dealing with the department head(for the life of me I can't remember his name). He did a good job. He actually remeasured my draw length and took an inch off of what I was shooting. I am a lot more comfortable now. I think it really depends on who you are dealing with there. When I lived down in morris, I had some work done at Archery Country in St. Cloud. They do really good work, but its a long way to drive just to get a bow set-up. I'm sure there's some die-hards on here that can steer you to a good shop, but if you come up empty I have no trouble getting things done at scheels.

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Skeels is a good place, another good overlooked place is Gene's in Perham, they are well known and can get you in the right direction. I usually just go to skeels. They will be able to help you a lot, dont worry about a bow right now, go in there and shoot them all, you'll know when you find the right one.

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I like the Outdoorsman for these kind of things. They helped set my brother up with his bow and he was pleased. They are sometimes a little higher than the bigger places but I feel it is worth it for the service you get.

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I have had bows set up by both scheels and Sportsmans Warehouse. I will no longer shop at scheels however. I don't hunt the way they do, I don't spend the money they do, so according to them, I don't warrant their intelligence when it comes to helping a guy out. At SW, all the guys are more than willing to share tips and tricks with anyone even if they did not purchase their stuff there. That was the case with my latest bow. Like Shae said, Genes is also another good place to go. Very helpfull. Shoot a bunch of bows. You will know the one when you shoot it. I always thought you had to spend the big bucks to shoot well. Well I spent the big bucks and my dad didn't and he outshoots me everytime.

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I bought my new bow last fall from scheels in fargo. I thought they were awesome to deal with. I had two guys working with me. measureing my draw length, shooting a bunch of bows, watching my shooting form... I told them what I wanted to spend and they never pushed anything higher then I wanted. I did buy a bow from them and would again in a heartbeat.

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One thing to watch with a big pro place is to make sure they do everything. Make sure they paper Tune your bow if you dont want to mess with doing it yourself, it can be kind of a pain. If you get the right person then it wont be a problem.

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I would suggest two places and one person at each place. In my opinion, the best person in town to work with is Tom Wilson at the Outdoorsman. It's a small shop, but Tom knows more than anyone else around. He's a good guy, but more importantly, he is a wizard with setting up a bow. He's been great to work with and most people at our archery club consider him to be the best of the best in Fargo. Also, Al Mezner at Scheels is really good. He knows his stuff and does a good job.

Personally, I insist on working with the two individuals mentioned above. I call, find out when they're going to be working, then speak directly with them. There are some other competent archery guys at both places, but none are as good as Tom or Al and you never know when you're going to get a guy who was in charge of selling shoes the week earlier (and knows little about archery).

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i just bought my bow from the Fargo Scheels. Gene's is a good group of guys but I found a clearance bow for a heck of a price. The guy that did mine I don't think knew for sure what he was doing because i've had to take it back in now twice and once was when I was down by St. Cloud. Because I did buy it at a scheels they serviced my bow down there for free. So I figured that is one advantage of buying from them. One thing I did find out is if your dragging your feet wether to buy new or used this might change your thoughts. Most bow's have that nice warranty...if you buy an used bow even if it is from a pro shop the warranty is VOID. I was looking at a loaded Switchback used and the Drenaline new...100 bucks and I got the warranty. Just something to keep in mind.

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I ran onto the same thing at Scheels as KYwest. I brought my 10 year old bow in to have the string replaces and the guy that was there told me it wasn't even worth it and that I should look at getting a new bow. He said there was nothing physically wrong with it, just that it was "obsolete". I got one of the other guys there to put a new string on it and the buck I shot can attest that it works just fine.

Go to the Outdoorsman. Like Scoot said, Tom knows bows.

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I had mine setup at the Outdoorsman and they were fantastic to work with.

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I got into the sport a few years back and ended up going thru Al at Scheels All Sport. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience. I have taken it back a couple of times to have a different string, sight and rest put on...and the service was fast, polite and things were done right. Why so many changes? I like to tinker....it was never because they pushed me to buy.

Like others have already said, The Outdoorsman is also a top notch place to check out. I have two friends that have gone thru "Tom" and have nothing but the best to say about this service and knowledge.

I also spent some considerable time at Sportsman Warehouse in Fargo...a younger kid helped me and I thought he knew his stuff. Super polite and spent the afternoon setting up different bows for me to shoot...so I have nothing but good things to say about them. I ended up going with Scheels as they carried the brand/model of bow that I wanted.

Good luck with your search

Cliffy

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Well i dont have the money to shop at scheels so i will probably get something off of craigslist or something similar. i went to SW and got SOME help, but not exactly what i was looking for. i was looking for that tom wilson, but to no avail, i think i will call and see if he is around some time this week, i did spend some time shooting a bow (for the first time in my life if i may add) and it was really different, awkward, but neat at the same time. when i think about hunting i normally think of **BOOM** and down goes the animal. well this was soo quiet, that it was just different thats all i can say. but im excited to get my own bow and try it out, oh ya those litte round dots your trying to hit at the end of the alley at 10 yrds... that deer better be standing at about 6 yrds broadside and with its frot leg streatched behind it head, otherwise i dont think i will get a kill.

Most importantly is some info about ranges?? are there any around Fargo preferably mooread, barnsville even wouldnt be so bad, or the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton area would be awesome or even like west fargo or horace?? any help on those would be appreciated. I also got a thread going in the archery forum about any tips/secrets helping a young cat starting out on this new adventure, and anything more you can think of would be fantastic. thanks for all the replys already.

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I'd like to find a range also because right now I'm shooting my bow in the house.

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Your two local options are Sandhills and Lake Aggasiz. Do a search with the names above and archery and you'll find what you need.

As has been said before- don't just stumble into a local shop and hope you find someone who knows what they're talking about (like you did). Find Al or Tom and get some knowledgeable help. If you can't afford the high end bows at Scheels, tell them that and see what options they have that are in your price range.

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 Originally Posted By: JigginIsLife
Most importantly is some info about ranges?? are there any around Fargo preferably mooread, barnsville even wouldnt be so bad, or the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton area would be awesome or even like west fargo or horace?? any help on those would be appreciated.

There is an outdoor Range just off of hwy ten between Dilworth and Glyndon. There is also an outdoor range in Moorhead...run by the Moorhead Parks Department. That is the one that I use most often. It has two very large blocks of styrofoam to put up targets ( or bring your own) and a 10-15 foot shooting platform to simulate shooting from a tree stand. Not to many people know about it...so you end up having the range all to yourself most of the time. Its just off of 15th ave North and Hwy 75.

Take care

Cliffy

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There are also a few clubs located in Fargo and West Fargo that would be an option. Also there you can learn some very good form tips and equipment tips. I would do that if i was closer. I'm moving to Hillsboro here at the end of the month and looking for a place to shoot also.

The one club off hand is SandHills Archery Club.

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I wouldn't worry how much you spend on a bow, the only thing is practice, it's fun when you first start out. Practice shooting from a close distance and slowly work your way back from the target as your comfort level grows. Don't be pressured into buying some high price bow that will do the same job as the one I got in my basement, but shoots a little faster and quieter. My first bow was a piece, it was an old wooden browing compund, but I practiced with it all summer and when fall came I got my first deer. At one time I had different compounds, the most expensive one I owned shot a little quicker but if something was off, it sure showed up on your shot.

last fall I switched to a recurve and have been practicing with it, hopefully this fall I can gt myself a deer with it. Try a recurve, it's fun, and a good way to introduce your way to the sport.

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anyone know a decent place to look for used bows?? is this allowed on the forum i dont know, but i was thinking like online sources such as the forsale forum here, cragslist... anything else you can think of. i bet skeels has some i could go check out but they tend to be a bit pricy??

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Be careful buying used bows. Look them over very well for wear marks and cracks in the limb. I prefer to look at them in person which is why i would at least go look at skeels and other places.

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besides skeels does anyone else sell used bows?? i stoped in at SW and they have a nice clearance rack but deffinatly not used or withing my price range.

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Gander? Reeds?

those would be the places i guess i would check for now and keep looking bc a lot of people will probably be upgrading shortly.

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Shae aren't you working today?

Should be a good amount of used bows coming to the market cause the 2008 bows are just coming out and as the shops get more they will be wanting to trade in theirs.

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Nope leaving for Texas tonight for NACTA.

Also with the refund checks coming people will be upgrading!

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doesn't matter what shop or where you go all you have to do is go in and have a price range in mind and just have them let you shoot a bunch of bows untill you find the one that fits. Personally don't go to any specific shop just know what i want and find where i can get it for a decent price. hard to do bow hunting has gotten rediculas for prices will help you out if you want just let me know

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Well any help would be greatly appreciated. Gander doesent sell used bows, and neither does SW i am giong to check out outdoorsman, i dont know if they take trades. Hopefully this free for sale thing will stay for awhile and i can get a decent bow at a decent bow. IF you got any good leads for me to chase down pan man you can either reply on here or email me (in my profile) thanks a bunch

another question i had is what do you think the minimumm draw weight would be to successfully taking down a deer at saw 25-30 yrds is 50 enough?? or should i be looking for a bow from 60-70??

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well im thinking around like 100-200 bucks or so, i mean if its a little high but it includes, a peep sight, sight, rest, silencer, a little more depending on what its all including. my draw length is around 27.5 so anytihng in the range of 27-28 i think will work, i am checking out a pse tommorow that is my cousins and will be shooting that (just to test it out). Im also checking out cabelas (owatonna, im home this weekend) tomorrow, so i wll see what they have to offer.

you guys are the best out there, i thank you a bunch for all your help

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