Yep. Sure is, Aus! Lost quite a few in the grass and even some burried into the side of a hillock.
I do have one tip for you, JS: 45lb draw weight is likely to be enough. Bigger isn’t necessarily better, especially when you are learning.
Ok, that’s exactly what I wanted to know, details like that.
With a compound and recurves that are riser+limb design, you can tune the limbs up and down in weight. You want something light to start to work on technique. Even 45lb is quite heavy to start. I’d be looking at 30-35 to make long practice sessions less taxing. I coukd be wrong but a set of 45lb limbs can be wound out to mid 30s. As you get used to it, crank up the draw weight. 45lb is heaps, even for mediun light game hunting.
I had a 70lb recurve that, while it had heaps of punch, was a bitch to draw but back then i was mega fit so it was no issue. I’d probably struggle these days. It is still floating around in the shed with no string and damaged limbs.
Then you have to decide if you are going to fit it out with all the techy stabilizers and sights and such or if you are just going to go bare bow instinctive.
Hi JS, you still looking for info on this or lost interest?
Even if JS has lost interest any info you could share with us all would be greatly appreciated. I think most shooters dabble with archery at some stage.
Also welcome to the site mate, why not pop over to the Say hello and introduce yourself :)
thread and tell us a bit about yourself. 
Righto. First decision is trad (recurve or long bow, both of which have multiple options) or compound. Compound is easier to gain proficiency relatively quickly. Trad is a LONG journey but very rewarding.
There are a number of dedicated forums for bow hunting including the Australian bowhunting forum http://www.bowhunting-forum.com/search.php?searchid=4096483&pp=&page=2 which is a great resource.
There are heaps of clubs around and most offer beginner courses and ongoing coaching. It’s well worth going even if just a few times to get yourself started on the right foot.
The following is related to compound bows…
Stay away from cheap gear as you will only regret it. There is a high turnover of gear and absolute bargains on well set up quality gear can be had if you buy a second hand bow that is a couple of years old. The turn over is driven by a combination of people losing interest and manufacturers bringing out new models every year: some people just like to have the latest. The general consensus is that really big advances only occur every few years, so a bow that is 5 years old is far from out dated technology. My main hunting bow is a 2012 model… My target bow is 2014.
The biggest risk with second hand bows is if it has been dry fired which is being drawn and shot without an arrow. The energy from the limbs that should be pushing an arrow has nothing to push and that energy is extremely harsh on the limbs and cams. Some bows are designed to withstand this abuse, but it’s definitely not something that’s good for bows, and often destroys limbs and cams. Buy from someone you trust or get the bow checked over by someone who knows what they are looking at.
There are left hand and right hand models. Most people shoot right handed, but the choice shouldn’t be made based on general handedness, but on eye dominance. Google this. If your left eye dominant, you “should” shoot a left handed bow, but rest assured, there’s plenty of left eye dominant archers that shoot right handed for a variety of reasons.
If you want a compound bow, your draw length is absolutely critical. It that’s not right, your wasting your time and will never ever shoot well. All compound bows have some level of adjustment for draw length but the amount of adjustment varies from 1/4" on super high performance target bows, to several inches on some hunting bows. On some bows changing drawlength requires nothing more than a couple of Allen keys. Other makes need a bow press for small changes, changing the cam modules for moderate changes, and changing changing cams and/or cams and strings plus cables for large changes. As a highly generalised statement, adjustability always comes at a performance cost.
Re poundage, some bows have wide poundage ranges, 10 pound is typical on Hoyt bows. A 50-60# bow with 75% let off is a good place for most people to start, but 40-50# is better for lightly built people. 60+ is too much for most people when starting out, and won’t help with learning good form. Some guys use 70-80# bows but that’s not a good place to start.
Different cam shapes alter the amount of let off (the difference between the full draw weight of the bow and what you hold at full draw) and speed. High let off is easier to hold which can be great when hunting, but can lead to form error. Target archers typically prefer lower let off (high holding weight). Fast bows are generally less forgiving of errors in the archers form and a slow hit is better than a fast miss
If you want to hunt, you will need to learn how to tune your bow. Without tuning a bow, it is extremely unlikely that a broadhead will hit at the same spot as field points. Mechanical rather than fixed broad heads are one way to buy your way out of needing to tune your bow, but your bow won’t be performing at its best so I can’t see the point. Either way, broadheads need to be razor (shaving) sharp. Near enough isn’t good enough.
Hope this gives you a starting point.
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@Bent_arrow. Got any tips of where to look for decent 2nd hand gear at good prices? I’d be keen if i could get something at a reasonable price.
Have a look at the Australian bowhunting forum. There is always second hand gear being turned over. If your on Facebook (?) there are a few buy swap sell pages that are worth tracking as well.
Thanks, mate. I’ll keep an eye out. Hopefully I’ll find something i can afford sooner or later.
So. How do you determine draw length and get the right arrows?
What is the process of tuning the bow for broad heads?
As i posted above, i use to shoot bows a lot but it was all very basic and i would just practice with broad heads but that is obviously as pretty bad idea all around.
The most commonly used method to measure draw length, is to stand with your back against a wall with your arms out and palms facing forward with the back of your hands on the wall. Get someone else to measure from the tip of one middle finger to the other in inches and then divide that number by 2.5. That will put you close to your draw length. Most people need a little fine tuning but that method will put you in the ball park. Any decent shop will be able to then put you on a bow that is a little long for you and get you to draw back and hold a good anchor point and refine that measurement and help you set up your bow.
The Easton tuning guide
https://eastonarchery.com/download/catalogs/Tuning_Guide.pdf
is a good start for bow tuning, but there is more information around that makes it easier to understand. There are a couple of really good articles in arrowhead magazine (an Australian bowhunting magazine), and plenty on line.
This sticky is well and truly worth a look.
http://www.bowhunting-forum.com/showthread.php?9587-Super-Tune-Your-Hunting-Rig
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A bow that is not tuned for your broadheads wont hit in the same spot as field points, and your group sizes won’t be good. A poorly tuned bow might shoot field points fine but the planing surface at the front of the arrow created by a broadhead will steer the arrow from the front rather than the fletches steering from the back, changing the impact location and causing larger groups. Poor quality or damaged broadheads can create some very erratic arrow flight. Every type of broad head will shoot a bit differently so “mix and match” isn’t a good idea.
Relying on big fletches to steer your arrow rather than tuning the bow really robs aerodynamic performance and increases wind drag and drift. A well tuned bow arrow combination shooting field points shouldn’t need fletches but the fletches will help correct for any errors on your behalf, hence why they are used in target archery. Whatever you do, don’t try shooting an arrow with a broadhead without fletches.
Hey!!!
Thanks for that. Will read tomorrow on the train. I haven’t lost interest, but it is delayed until I finish some of my projects. Decided to pull the plug on everything and just finish everything I have on the go. But I feel like I should come back to this soon, was a bit of a cool experience I’d like to explore a little more.
Btw,I’ve still got arrows from 20 years ago in use…woods too…
Recently got a compound bow and my proficiency is nearing a point to where i can start getting a few rabbits.
What’s the most suitable arrow head for them ? I see the blunt tips but do they work for body shots or do they have to be head shots?
Ahh sweet!
So every hunting tip will pass through a rabbit with ease even out of a 30lb bow. What happens afterwards is why you might choose a blunt head with or without grabbers (those little wings that look like springs). If the terrain has long grass the shocker/grabber is a great way to not lose your arrows which are more expensive than 50bmgs and they can even turn an arrow into the target mass if you just hit the edge of the skin. These grabbers can often be swapped out with blunt tips or trocar types that transmit the energy into a smaller area. The bigger blunts are great for head shots. The trocar style will transmit enough energy for body shots on the bunnies and will penetrate as far as the grabbers allow, but not pass through. Grabbers will also hold onto long grass and stops ground penetration so you can easily find your arrow if you miss. The wont protect against hitting rocks or trees which will break your carbon shafts.
If the grass is short and free of rocks, a regular blunt of your choice is a better more accurate option, or if you have a cheap fixed/expanding head you can use them too but they will do the expected damage and your arrow will go straight through and land in whatever is behind the bunny.
Whatever you do, practice with the head you are going to use and adjust your sights for it. You might have to do some paper tuning to get the right arrow weight/broadhead combo.
Whats your draw weight and length? Im text book 70lb and 30 inches so everything works easily for me 
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If you still like a bow, get the PSE Drive. Easily the best first bow for anyone.
These guys have been looking after me with support for a decade. Wonderful crew.
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Cheers for the advice. I was looking at the solid winged blunts (ha, blunts) like these Titan Thrasher Small Game Head 3pk (AE3394) at Archery Essentials - Perth, WA archery shop for Bows, Arrows, Bowhunting gear - Archery Supplies Australia
The guy set me up with a 31" draw length and left it at 70 pound weight. Actually pretty happy with the shop, he spent near on an hour with me going through the basics and teaching the proper techniques and live firing out the back. I was kinda expecting just to be given a bow and then head to the internet for advice.
It’s a diamond infinite edge pro. You can tell how much of a newb i was when i took the picture, i had the quiver upside-down 
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Cool Bow man.
31" draw length you tall fella! The weather is nice up here yes? Lets look down at all the manlets down there and laugh HA HA HA!
Let us know how those tips go compared to your target points, interested.