At what point new bow purchase

How do you know when you are ready to make a change on a new bow. I shoot a mathews mq1 and its a good shooting bow but i look at all the new mathews that come out and wonder what makes some people buy the latest mathews or just keep shooting a bow as old as mine

The gap between my current bow and one before that is 14 years. The newer is sure sweeter, but in reality, it wouldn't make a difference in increasing my success rate. The reason I got a new (in 2016), was purely just wanting something newer/better.

Well, like they say, "if it ain't broke, why fix it", or, "to each his own". I bought my first bow in 2007, the Mathews Denalin, and love it! And although already considered outdated, I will never buy another compound bow. It fits me perfectly, is quiet as a mouse, shoots plenty fast (260 fps @ 60#), and will eventually take more deer if I can ever have more opportunities!! (that's another topic)

I still to this day read and talk to people who shoot the Switchback XT who claim it's one of the BEST bows Mathews produced, and will always hunt with that bow. Look how old that model is. Came out after your model I believe. I don't know about you, but I can't afford a $1000 + bow every few years.

I did buy a recurve bow 2 years ago. Talk about fun.....and inexpensive!!

Bowteckdan did a good job answering your question. If you do decide on a new bow, keep your MQ1, because you would be sorry eventually if you got rid of it. Just my two cents. Good luck!!

I would love to get a new bow, but I just don't have the money to do that. I shoot a Bear I got 3 years ago. Is it super fancy? No way. Does it kill deer? Yup. For me, I've learned to shoot it well and really enjoy it, so I suspect I will be shooting this bow for a long time to come.

When you want it bad enough or got the money!

I’ve got two bows and it’s solely because I wanted a second and feel much more confident with it. I’ve got a buddy who has a new Hoyt but usually takes his old Martin because that’s what he is most confident with. If you go test shoot a new bow and feel confident and want to purchase it, by all means go ahead! But if you feel confident with yours now and like it, keep it. That’s my opinion. The newer bows are sweet no lie, but it’s all about you and what you feel good with.

I normally get a new bow every other year. Now my situation is different from most on here because I shoot tournament archery from February to October when hunting season comes in. I'll shoot 50 to 100 shots a day during the summer. That's a lot of strain on a bow over a three or four year period. Also with the advancement in technology of today's bows you need to upgrade to stay competitive. Unless you're just really damn good, which I'm not, you just ain't gonna take the old mq2 out there and beat the guys I shoot against. For years I hunted with the same bow that I shot tournaments with but last year I broke down and used my vacation check from work to buy myself a tournament bow. Now my Elite e35 just gets used during hunting season. If you're looking for a fun, addictive, time consuming and expensive hobby then you should try tournament archery.

I had my last bow for 10 years. I got a good deal on the PSE I’m shooting now. I’ll probably have it for a long time too. Bows are expensive now days.

Just go shoot one if curious. If ya like one, buy it. If you're not impressed, keep what ya got. Worse that could happen is you'll own 2 bows. Either way keep your current bow.

Jaybuckman I shot a old Mathews for 12 years and my son gave me a new Mathews Halon 32
My deer kill was the same this season as far as numbers but my accuracy and drawback time
Has significantly increased. I did not have a occasion this season that that mattered.
In my opinion it’s amazing how much better the new bows shoot, but that’s upgrading from
12 years ago not sure I could tell a difference from year to year

I bought a Hoyt Havoctec, new, in 2002. My wife finally convinced me to treat myself and get a new boy last year. Bought a 2016 Hoyt Defiant Turbo, pretty sure I'll be shooting it for at least 15 years too. Good thing about me getting a new bow is I was able to pass my old one to a friend who I had been wanting to get into bowhunting. Now he is hooked and enjoying my old Hoyt more than i was.

when the current one i'm using breaks

I’ve averaged about 6 years on the bows of shot. I’m going on 8 years on my Hoyt alphamax 32 and have no plans to buy a new one anytime soon. Heck if my old Hoyt hadn’t been stolen out of my truck I would still have it. They are too expensive to buy every couple of years IMO.

My hand was forced this year when I backed over my Bear Legion on youth weekend. ( kid killed his first buck- I got excited to go track- bad night actually).
The Bear was 8 years old and I shot it very well, but when I shot the Obsession Pheonix that I ended up purchasing I realized that I needed it. Im much more confident now.
Id go shoot a few each off season and FEEL when you need a new one. Before I destroyed the Legion I had shot some Hoyts, Missions, other Bears, and New Breeds considering a upgrade and never came across one that particularly Felt better to me than my old bow. The Obsession did.

There are tons of guys out there still Killin em just fine with the old Whitetail 2's but when you find one that you feel better shooting thats the time to buy it.... or else if you ever miss you'll have that doubt in the back of your head, " Idda got em with that newer/ faster/ quieter bow"

My old bow when I changed was about 10 years old and I liked it -- and still do -- but I switched to a newer model.

I don't shoot bows enough to see the difference, to be honest. I believe if I got a new string for my old bow and got it set up with a good sight and arrows, it would be fine. It is now at least 15 years old, maybe older, and as far as I can see still working fine.

We don't do this with old recurves that are still in good shape. Marketing does a great job with compound bows. They aren't going faster. The accuracy is in the shooter. But companies and outdoor media and hunters' perceptions are convincing that the latest greatest bow is better than last year's latest greatest bow and that one was better than the previous year's latest greatest bow. I'm starting to see this with crossbows, too, although I'd darn sure take one of today's models over those from 5 or more years ago.

I love technology and advancements but what have we seen in the last 5-10 years that truly everyone went, "Whoa!" with a compound bow?
Speeds are roughly the same. We're seeing some changes in riser designs and use of carbon, which reduces weight. But does the new Hoyt or PSE or Mathews or Bear kill deer or critters better than last year's? Or the one from 2014? Or the one from 2010? Or from 2005? I mean, if you have it set up right and are proficient with it and you shoot it accurately, do you need a new one?

Why does this happen with bowhunters and not rifle shooters? Do gun hunters buy a new rifle every time Remington or Mossberg or Weatherby comes out with a new model or caliber? No. But it seems like bowhunters will trade or sell last year's model for the newest one almost every year or every other year.

That's good for revenue but seems weird.

How many guns and bows does one man need? Just one more.

My main bow was made in 2003. All I've ever replaced on it has been the string. Now these Star Wars contraptions y'all are using may be different but, I would think it would just be whenever you decided you wanted to spend the money if it has been well cared for. I bought a new Widow last year. Nothing wrong with my old one, just had the excess money and had wanted a new one.

I took my late 80’s Pearson Renegade II to Nichols yesterday for a new string. I think it has a few more years in it.

Old school. What’s the let off? 5%?

Ha. I think the let-off is around 60% but it has been a while since I had it on a scale. I have shot a recurve the last few years so 60% is quite comfortable.

The Pearson just kills deer. Shooting a 2216 or 2117 and a 145 grain Bear Razorhead most fall within sight.

When i was shooting tournaments i purchased 2 a year But I haven't purchased a new one in quite a while, i'm still hunting with my Bowtech Destroyer 350...

Same here. Those Bear Razorheads are awesome. I've been alternating between douglas fir and cedar. I like the flight/speed of the cedar but you can't beat the weight of the douglas fir.

Do what makes you happy, but you can find some killer deals on used (barely used) bows if you keep your eyes open and stay patient and move quick.

And if anyone is interested in traditional, you can find some good deals on stickbow.com.