You are the archery enthusiast. Eager to finally go out and buy your very first compound bow.  But wait, have you asked yourself, which bow should I purchase? Or which compound bow best fits me?  Hopefully this article will be able to help you lay down a shortlist and help you to locate the right compound bow. After all, making the right decision is tantamount to either hitting the target or missing it entirely. These days, almost every product on the market comes in different shapes, brands, colors & sizes and from this list, the compound bow is no exception. Bows come in a variety of difficulty levels – perfect for every level of proficiency.

There are two main types of compound bows. One is the dual cam which features two elliptical cams on each end of the compound bow. The other type is the solo cam which has a single cam on top and a round wheel at the bottom. The first step in purchasing your bow is choosing which type among the two you would more prefer. Most archers prefer single cam compound bows because of its efficiency, supreme accuracy, better acceleration and is quite easy to maintain. Once the cam design is determined, the next question to ask is, the cost of or how much money you are willing to spend. Price variations are generally determined by the materials or by the simplicity of the bow itself. Next up for consideration is determining your draw length. Compound bows, unlike traditional recurve bows, can only be drawn back a particular distance. It is very important to remember that determining your draw length is essential in proper shooting. Compound bows are designed to shoot only at the full draw position. And to be able to shoot at full draw, you will need to know what your draw length is.

So how exactly do you measuring your draw length?  There are a couple of methods to determine a person’s draw length. To measure your draw length, stand with your back to a wall stretching your arms out against the wall.  Measure the distance from the end of your middle finger to the end of your other middle finger, basically the length of both arms, hands and chest.  This measurement, minus 15 then divided by 2, is your draw length.

Another way to find out is by making a fist with your bow hand, extend it in front of your body and touch your closed fist against a wall. This is similar to what you do when you shoot an arrow. Holding this position, ask someone to measure the distance from the wall to the corner of your mouth.

Lastly, it’s always best to start off with a lightweight compound bow when shooting. Choosing a weight that is easier to draw at first will help build your arm muscles after you’ve shot several hundred arrows.

When hunting for wild game, all hunters should strive to conceal themselves as effectively as possible to avoid being spotted visually by the particular animal they are seeking to harvest. A vital factor in choosing the pattern clothing that a hunter should wear is the ability to emulate the surrounding environment so as to deceive the animal/s that they stalk. That is the primary purpose of choosing camouflage clothing.

Most wild animals are easily spooked by the presence of humans that have entered their natural habitat. It has been proven that by choosing to wear camouflage clothing that mimics the surroundings, the hunter improves his probability of harvesting that animal.

Two points of concern when choosing your hunting attire is the “quality” and “comfort” of the garment. Cheap materials tend to fade faster, tear and fail to hold their stitching more often than a quality, well fabricated material. I tend to avoid materials such as “cotton” when choosing my layers of clothing. While cotton does provide for warmth, it fails to pull moisture away from, or wick sweat, away from your skin which leads to cold moist skin. Furthermore, this can increase the chance of rapid chilling, or worse yet, hypothermia. A better choice of fabric would be polypropylene or for warmth, polyester fleece, which allows moisture to escape the material and evaporate away from your skin. Comfort is a must when choosing hunting apparel. The material should not be irritating or itchy and must allow full freedom of movement. If the fabrics binds, pinches, or drags against your skin, avoid buying at all costs.

There are many options available to the Outdoor Sportsman such as hats, gloves, shirts, pants, under-layers, socks and more. Many of these items are available with scent-lock technology built into the fabric. Scent-lock technology is a process of the materials ability to retain our human scent between our skin and the fabric, eliminating human odor which animals in the woods are very receptive to. This technology is specifically designed to mask the odor of the hunter so that the prey is ill-afforded the hunters presence thereby remaining undetected.

In closing, please remember that the three P’s [prior, proper, planning] is as important as the actual hunt, for without proper preparation the hunt will be just another unsuccessful day in the field.