Human nature to either love or hate the top dog. Everything from sports to trucks; you'll have folks who like something only because they are the underdog and likewise you'll have people like something because they are on top. I bought a new mathews Z7 the year they were introduced. I shot the best from bowtech, hoyt and pse. I would have been happy with any of them. Like you said Dave, there isn't much difference.

I couldnt agree more. THe thing for me is Made in America, the great news is that a good many are. Then its up to the persons preferences for every manner of thing. I liked the hoyt, mathews and bowtech offerings but ended up buying a bear encounter due to living on a budget. Are those three makers better than mine? Probably. But, I shoot mine well and its accurate. Shoot what you like and "love thy neighbor as thyself", respect thier choice of bow brand.

Okay here is the deal. I DON'T LIKE BOW HUNTERS!!! PERIOD!! Why...they wound too many animals, that crawl off and die in the brush...never to be found until you spot a flight of buzzards circling overhead. I know buzzards got to eat, too. I have found too many deer carcasses in the wild...the brush with arrows in them. When I ranched in South Texas, I never let bow hunters on my ranch. Let me propose this to all you bow hunters, and rifle hunters alike, if there was a way to track your lost animals due to wounded and never found. If your arrow is found in a deer over 48 hours dead, would you be willing to pay a fine or give up a whole year of hunting as a penalty for not killing the animal in a humane manner?? Rifle hunters, would you be willing to do the same if a deer carcass was found on the land you hunted or leased that had been shot, but never found? FYI, have you ever seen videos of a deer hit with an arrow? They hump up, and then run for at least several hundred yards. I have seen lots of videos of deer shot correctly, and they go down as if they were hit over the head with a sledge hammer. My last comment is that I think bow hunting is a slap in the face and disrespectful to the game you are trying to bring down...and it sure is not a humane kill by a long shot. At least the animal has that chance when shot with a high powered rifle with a shooter that knows his games anatomy, and how to place the shot. You bow hunters, now matter where you place the shot, are going to cause that animal to suffer, before it dies...bleeds out is the terminology I think you guys use. That is why I do everything I can to stop bow hunting in Texas, including making a pilgrimage every year to testify at the Texas Parks and Wildlife hearings on wild game control and hunting limits and restrictions. If you are a bow hunter...the kind of bow you use doesn't make any difference...you guys are still going to hurt and maim a lot of wild game...and all in the name of "sport hunting". I don't even like being in the same state with you, let alone the same nation. And that is my opinion on the matter!!!

Joe Moon i hate to break it to you but to date i have shot 1 deer with my bow. This deer was 20 yards away and it dropped just as quickly as a deer i shoot at 100 yards does with my shotgun. The key here is anatomy. If you know where to place it a 2 inch broadhead is going to kill a deer just as quickly as a 20 guage slug or 30-06 bullet. I've seen just as many maiming shots with rifles as bows, and i hate to break it to you but a deer that is shot with poor placement with a rifle is going to suffer just as much as a deer that is shot with poor placement by a bow. Its simply the nature of the beast. Yes i believe you should practice until you can make that shot, but unfortunatly this doesnt always happen. But im betting that just as many people leave deer because they couldnt find them after shooting them with a rifle as people do after shooting them with a bow.

Could agree more Dace, real good article.

I have bought and sold a lot of bows the past year, my favorite is the Strother Wrath.

If you haven't shot a Strother bow I recommend you do!

Cant wait for the 2013s!!!

I completely agree. When I got my new bow, a few years ago, the first thing that I was asked by the sales staff was not what brand I wanted, but what I was willing to spend. Once I told them they let me try drawing and firing a few different bows that they had. Compared to the other bows in that price range I found that one that was the best for me. Everyone uses a slightly different grip, anchor point and there are a few different releases. Anyone of those things could result in one brand being better than another for any given person. So there is never really a brand that is better than the others for every single archer.

I've shot a couple of Mathews bows are they are very nice. Is it necessary to spend $900+ dollars on a hunting bow? Nope, but that's up to the individual spending their money.

You have to give Mathews credit. That company, along with TC (pushing their Encore single shot) and Nikon (pushing their optics) @ one time seemed to sponsor more hunting shows than all the other brands of comparable products combined.

I guess it must have worked for them as Gregg Ritz from TC made a fortune when he sold the company to S&W, Nikon scopes and rangefinders are in every store and very popular and Mathews doesn't seem to have a tough time getting their customers to puchase the latest, greatest, more expensive bow every year.

So my question is....is it really brand worship or brand brain washing @ work?

Joe Moon is the south end of a north bound baboon! Are you really that stupid? I've seen/heard more deer run off after being shot from some jack arse who thought he could shoot at 500 yrds with a rifle than some bow hunter shooting a deer at 30yrds. I would venture to say rifles "maim" more animals than do bows because people get a false sense of shooting ability. Bow hunters typically wait for the animal to get within their comfortable range before taking the shot. Regardless your a moron!

Hey Joe Moon - please learn the facts instead of shooting off the hip, obvioulsy you know nothing about bow hunting or hunting period. Hunting is a very humane way to control animal populations and no matter the weapon there is a risk of losing an animal, that can't be denied by anyone. I'm a diehard bowhunter and practice daily - I don't shoot unless I'm 100% certain I can kill that deer or animal, not just hit it. I have seen plenty of deer hit right in the heart/lungs run the same distance regardless of bullet or arrow, they don't always go down in their tracks. Arrows kill by hemorraging, bullets kill by massive shock and blood loss. If I was a deer I'd take the arrow over a bullet. I see the pic of you fishing, any idea how many fish you catch and release die a slow death? Most fisherman won't admit that, but it's a fact of the sport, just like with hunting. I could go on, but bottom line is you don't like bowhunting and bowhunters, and that is fine, you are entitled to that opinion. Lastly, it's a shame that half the posts today have to do with your uninformed comments. How about you wait and chime in when you have pertinent and knowledgable information on the correct topic?

Not being experienced in bowhunting I cannot attest to how quickly an arrow kills or how many deer are lost after being shot with an arrow, however I can recognize a troll, Joe Moon is obviously living under a bridge.

What was Hurteau talking about again? Oh yeah, bow flavors. For a second there, I though Joe Mooney whiner pants was an anti hunter, but he retracted. And I'm confused by that. Or thankful? ANYWAY, I have a bow that my wife yelled at me for buying six years ago. (Our wedding was a month away, and we were trying to save money). To this day, I hope like hell my bow doesn't lose its mojo. Once you find one that you truly love, keep it. At least until the limbs fall off, or you can no longer tweak it to perfection.

Hey Joe Moon, I don't like you. I don't like you one bit. As a matter of fact, I'm going to write a country song entitled "Hey Joe Moon". It's going to be about an over privileged rancher from Texas that gets schooled on the ways of hunting by a group of good old boys. Look for it on iTunes.

aferro! lmfao!!!

True that, it's not the bow that makes the shot it's the person. You can shoot a bow from the 80's and still make someone shooting a brand new bow look like a fool. I shoot a Pearson Diamondback VX from 2006 and I don't plan on giving that up anytime soon.Practice makes perfect.

joe moon your a turn coat S.O.B and your account should be deleted.