As we did last year, we wanted to highlight the top 5 bows for this year. We did some research, looked at the specs, features, and overviews of about 30 different bows and compared them with the trends of recent years. This led to our top 5 bows for the 2012 hunting season. If you are thinking about getting a new bow or are just getting into the sport and want a top rated bow you should check out one of the bows in this post. Our top 5 consists of what we think are the best on the market this year in a number of different price ranges allowing you to find a bow to fit your budget.
Below are the bows in no certain order.
1. - Bow Tech Assassin
The Bow Tech Assassin has caught our eye as a mid-range priced bow that is short, fast, and carries the Bow Tech brand. This bow is 30 5/8" long, and at just 3.8lbs and 333 fps it is a compact speedy bow that offers you so much at a modest price point. This bow missed our top 5 last year because it had some good competition and we felt it was overrated. Well, this year it made our list after doing some more research and looking at one in person. Not much to say in the negative category, but we will note that the grip was slightly uncomfortable for the average size hand.
Here is the link to check it out! Bow Tech Assassin
2. - Matthews Helim
The newest addition to the Matthews bow family is the Helim. This bow fits everything that I like in a bow, fast at 332 fps, lightweight at just 3.5lbs and short at just 30" axle to axle. Even better everything I like in a bow backed by the Matthews long history of making smooth, reliable, and forgiving products. This bow would be high on my list as my next bow! Nothing we can say negative about this one.
3. - Martin Archery Onza 3 Compound Bow Bow Only
This year Martin Released the Onza 3 Pro which looks like a great bow in the middle length bows. At 33.25" it is longer than most shorter bows these days but still not a true 36" - 40" long compound bow. At just 4 lbs it is light weight for its size and keeps up in the speed category with all of its competitors at 330 – 340 fps. This is a sharp looking bow with lots of choices in terms of colors/camo patterns. With a price in the middle to high range for the Onza 3 Pro, you have to remember it is a Martin and they make a good reliable product that most users have very little to say that is negative about their products. Nothing to say negative about this bow, we would love to be able to shoot it versus it's competition just to see how well it does in its class.
4. - Bear Archery Legion RTH Compound Bow Packages
The Legion which is new this year fits very nicely into the affordable yet high quality category. Fred Bear products are very well known and are always high quality. The Legion fits very nicely in with the other compact bows on this list. At just 30.5" long, 4 lbs and a respectable 318 fps it fits right in with its competitors. At a very reasonable MSRP of $399.99 for the bow by itself how can you go wrong! All around it is a great product. The drawbacks that we see are limited choices in comparison to their competition and it is on the slower side compared with some of the high-end bows of the same size/weight. Still looking to get into the sport or not looking to break the bank? Then this bow would be on my list of suggestions.
5. - Parker Velocity Compound Bow Outfitter Package
New for this year from Parker Bows is the Velocity. This is their newest bow in the short bow category. At 30.125" it is as short or almost as short as its competition. It has a moderate weight at 4.15lbs and shoots at 315 fps. This is a great economy short bow which is why it made our top 5 list this year. At an average price that is almost half of the price of the other bows we would consider in the same class, the Velocity packs a lot into a cheaper package. The only concern that we have about this bow is that the weight is over 4lbs for a 30" bow and speed. Speed is all the rage in hunting these days and at 315 fps you are going to give up some speed for the price. Still, Parker makes a great product and both Amber and I shoot Parker Bows because for the price they are unbeatable in quality.
