Most package bows come with everything you need to shoot with, except arrows. This means your bow will have an arrow rest, a sight, a quiver, a string loop, and a peep sight. This doesn’t mean that these things will be set up properly for you and your shooting style. A good pro shop employee can help you adjust your peep sight accordingly, and teach you how to adjust your sight to get dialed in.
Pay attention during this initial instruction, because these steps are easy enough to remember once you know what to do. This is crucial if you buy a truly adjustable bow (and you should), so that you’ll be able to set it up for your kids, or anyone else who might be bitten by the archery bug.
The goal with setting up a bow correctly the first time is to encourage proper, relaxed shooting form that is repeatable, which results in better and more enjoyable practice. If, at any time during your initial setup, instruction, or shooting sessions, you feel your arms growing tired or your focus waning, stop. There is a tipping point in archery where you go from a positive shooting session to a negative one, and it’s always due to either physical or mental fatigue.
If that sounds like something you can handle, and you’ve got the springtime itch to head out and shoot some arrows, check out the following budget bow options. Odds are, one of them will fill your needs nicely without breaking the bank.
