The Difference Between Hunting Bows And Target Bows

Archery is a hobby that has had lots of attention over the years. It requires considerable skill, precision, and excellent hand-to-eye coordination. It also requires a good understanding of what your equipment's strengths are and what you need to look out for in terms of hindrances that your bow has. Knowing the different kinds of bows available on the market and the purpose of each is important because it will help you find the best bow for your intended use. Mainly, there are two categories that bows fall into; hunting bows and targeting bows. Although, as a beginner, you might not feel like such a distinction is a big deal, you will find many differences between them.

Before going into the details, here is some general background information about each type of bow. Hunting bows, as the name states, are used for hunting down animals. The goal when using a hunting bow is to take down an animal with optimally one shot. If you are wondering how such a thing is possible to achieve, you are bound to find a URL that will walk you through the skills necessary. There are different shapes and sizes for hunting bows, but they all have the same end goal. On the other hand, a targeting bow is used to practice archery as a sport, and the goal is to get as close to the target center as possible.

Power

There is a large difference in power between hunting bows and targeting bows. Because a hunter needs their bow, to take down an animal as quickly as possible, hunter bows carry lots of power to be able to handle the weight of the arrows used. Arrows used for hunting are heavier in weight and size to ensure that the prey stays down after it is shot. Targeting arrows are not as powerful as hunting arrows because sometimes too much power can screw with the arc of the shot, which will make the arrow stray from the target the archer is aiming for.

Accuracy

Hunting depends on precision and accuracy, however, if a shot goes through the animals' lungs instead of a heart, it's not that big of an issue. You still managed to take your prey down even if the shot isn't accurate. With targeting bows, on the other hand, you need to be extremely accurate since the whole point of using a targeting bow is accurate shooting.

Weight

When hunting, you may be required to carry around your bow for a long amount of time. It can get tiring after a while, so a hunting bow needs to be as light in weight as possible. Targeting arrows don't need to follow that rule since usually you do not have to lug it around for a long amount of time.

Length

A recurve bow, built for targeting, is very long, it should not be used in hunting since the length can be very hindering to the archer. Hunting bows are short in length so that they are easier to maneuver around in the forest where there are trees and plants that are going to be in the way of your bow if you use one that is too long.

Ease of Maintenance

Usually, hunting bows are easier to maintain. This is because most of them do not have wheels and pulleys that require constant care. On the other hand, targeting bows need to be receiving constant maintenance to ensure that their performance is up to par.

Color

Hunting bows are usually different shades of brown or cameo to help hunters blend in with their surroundings. This is important because a hunter needs to stay hidden or else no prey will come within striking distance. This is unlike target bows which are usually quite colorful and very obvious from a distance. In fact, sometimes, archery target competitions require target bows to be a certain color that stands out.

Margin of Error

As mentioned above, accuracy is a big deal when it comes to target arrows. This means that the margin of error for a target bow is way less than that of a hunting bow. The margin of error means the percentage of expected error for a bow, including how accurate, they are when shooting as well based on factors such as power and tension.

Now that you have an idea about the many differences between hunting bows and target bows, you can decide for yourself what kind you want to use. To ensure that you make the best decision, you can use the factors above to compare bows based on whether you want to use the bow for hunting or for target shooting.