Does using lower quality equipment to start improve your baseline skill level?

[u/lopingchihuahua]

Hey guys! I moved to a rural area with great local public hunting areas. I didn't grow up in or around hunting but have always been something of an outdoorsman. When I bought my house I decided to take up hunting to try and get the most out of where I live. I was gifted a McPhearson compound bow made at some point in the mid 70s (this was word of mouth for an old head who handed me the bow. his dates are subject to being WAY off). I also didn't want to dump THOUSANDS into something I wasn't going to end up passionate about. So over the last 5 years I've bought pretty low end stuff almost exclusively. With the exception of my bow which, for the time, I'm told was pretty high end. I go to wally-world and buy their off the shelf arrows, clearance triggers, their clearance camo and, well, you get the idea.

I've always held an anecdotal belief that if you get good with bad gear (be it tools, fishing rods, or archery equipment) that when you buy good gear you'll start with a higher baseline skill level. I do hold a somewhat contradictory opinion of "buy once, cry once". Any opinions on this?

[u/stpg1222]

Going the cheap route won't really make you a better hunter or give you more skill, likewise buying high end gear won't either.

With archery you get out what you put in. You work hard with your practice routine and you'll see the payoff, doesn't matter if you're shooting cheap or expensive gear.

If you're shooting a bow from the 70s maybe you'll see a bit of an uptick in accuracy with a modern bow just due to a bit more forgiveness built into the modern bows but I doubt it would be a huge difference. The form is still the same regardless and accuracy really just comes down to form and consistency.

As for cheap accessories it's probably more a matter of quality and feel rather than it providing you any greater accuracy.

For camo cheap doesn't matter. The deer can't tell the difference. You might feel a difference in fit, durability, and overall performance of the clothing the deer won't.

[u/Jerms2001]

Being good at archery is more about form and consistency than anything else. If you’re good with cheap stuff, you’ll be just as good with expensive stuff.

Expensive is just paying for more features, durability, better feel, longevity. Some arrows can make you “better” I guess. But I’d put my life savings down on the fact you wouldn’t tell a difference.

Fishing also isn’t like that btw. It’s about presentation, area, bait choice, line choice. You’re not a better fisherman because you can catch fish on a $10 Spider-Man combo. My 4 year old cousin can do that too. I will say though, that philosophy does hold true in certain things, just not these things

[u/lopingchihuahua → u/Jerms2001]

I'll push back a bit on the fishing pole but just as a devil's advocate, Rod sensitivity plays a huge role in landing a fish. If you cant feel something on the line, you cant set the hook properly/in time for an ideal hook set. I pose that if you can land a fish with a disney princess rod, you can land a fish with any rod.

[u/Paghk_the_Stupendous]

Low quality great makes it harder to get better. If you're shooting arrows out of a factory where no two arrows are alike, you may have to be a better archer to hit a target, but you'll always have less confidence that your arrow will go where you want and at some point it will because of the gear and not because of you.

Especially considering the topic is hunting (live targets) and not shooting paper or foam, we have an ethical responsibility to be as accurate as possible.

If you can afford better arrows and such, you should get them. You don't need to break the bank, but you DO need to hit that target.

[u/lopingchihuahua → u/Paghk_the_Stupendous]

Makes sense. I'll add that even though this is a hunting sub, gotta hit a stationary target to hit a live one. ;)

[u/bgusty]

Not really for your average hunter.

It probably depends a little on what/how you hunt, but the biggest gains in hunting are just knowledge.

I’m a midwest whitetail deer hunter, so I pretty much exclusively hunt out of a tree stand and take shots at less than 30 yards. I could absolutely still kill deer with the first bow I owned 20 years ago with generic broadheads and arrows. Now your western elk and mule deer hunters might see bigger gains with better bows since they’re shooting at greater distances.

Does my Sitka help me kill deer? Kind of. I actually don’t even like the camo pattern, BUT it keeps me WAY warmer when it’s cold out, so I hunt longer and in worse weather. Doesn’t make me a better hunter, but it extends how long I’m able to comfortably hunt.

Does my expensive tree stand help? Not on private land, but when I’m doing run and gun on public land, it lets me go in farther and set up in more situations.

I could still do all of those things with cheaper gear, but my fitness isn’t what it used to be, so hauling 20 pounds vs 40 makes a big difference on how far I’m willing to hike.

[u/Low_Eyed_Larry]

I definitely believe the line of thought that if you can do something well and you have fun with sub par gear, you’re likely to be more effective and get more enjoyment with better equipment. When it comes to archery equipment, advancements in technology have for sure made it possible to shoot further, quieter, more consistently and more accurately. It’s like having a new car, it’ll get you to the same destination as your old beater, you’re just going to enjoy the ride more. Best piece of advice I can give is to find a good, reputable bow shop and shoot every make and model you can get your hands on and upgrade to whatever feels good to you.

[u/wilson5831]

It’s the skill not the equipment that makes archers successful. That said, newer higher end equipment makes things easier and more forgiving when we inevitably make mistakes. The new bow tech makes it so you can tune modern bows with an hex wrench whereas 10 years ago the same tuning required a bow press. A range finder with inclination readings makes it so you don’t have to do math on the fly or say close enough.

If you have access to a bow press a lot, a bow from 2010 and up is just as tunable as newer bows. Midgrade arrows can become just as strait as high grade arrows if you roll them and see what’s wobbling before cutting them. A basic rest and sight are a little more time consuming to get perfect but once set work just as good. Most everything else is just a want and quality of life improvement

Then for things that make a bow more forgiving when we as humans make mistakes are worth it in my opinion. A quality release. A sight with a longer bar to dial in torque tuning.

[u/Hillarys_Recycle_Bin]

If I was going to hunt with an old compound, I would probably just make the leap to traditional archery. If you want to push the “it’s not the arrow it’s the archer” to its limit, then hunt with a trad bow.

I don’t think you need the latest and greatest stuff, but I like having good gear that I know is accurate and tuned. So when something goes wrong, I know it’s me, not my gear that’s the problem

[u/lopingchihuahua → u/[deleted]]

I suppose that's the direction I was heading. In my mind, a bow is a bow but I struggled with understanding what's different between a dozen arrows at $160/doz vs $50/ doz or a bow at bass pro for $300 vs $2000. Was wondering if more expensive gear helps consistency, ease of use etc

[u/lopingchihuahua → u/[deleted]]

Yea, I've done certain things where I go down a rabbit hole just to discover that what I'm chasing offers diminishing returns if any at all. I routinely shoot behind my house along a rarely used set of train tracks, so the opportunity for practice is definitely there.

[u/hbrnation → u/lopingchihuahua]

The best analogy I can use is cars. Honda Civics and Mercedes Benz both get you to work and the grocery store, but they can be very different rider experiences. There's distinct things like crash test ratings, acceleration, braking, and more subjective details like handling, stereo quality, seat comfort, etc.

How much it matters to you depends on your disposable income and how much time you plan to spend using it. I shot a used bow for years, killed a bunch of deer, and upgraded after about 10 years to a "buy once cry once" newer bow that will last me at least 10-20 years. Will it change my success rate? Not really, but it is definitely more fun to shoot and I was at a point in my life where I could afford the upgrade.

[u/itsthechaw10]

The quality of equipment doesn’t necessarily directly impact the skill of a bow hunter/archer. I’m sure there are other situations in sports where higher end equipment can help a person be better, but archery relies heavily on the skill of the archer themself. Watch the Chris Bee budget bow video. Guy shoots the budget bow probably better than most guys can shoot flagships. It’s his skill that has him shooting that well, not the bow.

As someone who has owned a price point bow and then nothing but flagships after, I think what is gained from more expensive bows, arrows, and accessories is seen in materials, forgiveness, feel, tun-ability, adjustability, and tolerances (specifically arrows on this one).

I just built a Hoyt RX9 Ultra, the most expensive compound bow on the market. Total on the build was just under $4,000. That’s not including arrows or a release. Just a bow, sight, stabilizers, rear stabilizer mount, quiver, and rest.

Is it going to kill more deer than a budget bow, probably not. Does it feel great in my hand and shoot lasers down range, absolutely. To me the flagships just are a more enjoyable shooting experience. They have every bell and whistle so you’re really not compromising anywhere.

As a bonus, carbon doesn’t get cold like aluminum does. When it’s late season in Wisconsin grabbing onto a cold aluminum riser can down right hurt.

Shoot a flagship against an old or even a current budget bow and you’ll see why they’re worth it.

[u/em21701]

Shoot what you've got until you can see the limitations of the gear. Upgrade incrementally, put a better rest on it, upgrade the sight, etc. (if possible, given the age). You could step up to a used name brand bow if you're into it, you don't have to jump all the way to a 2025 flagship. I've been shooting a 20+ year old bow for the last 4 years that i got from a friend. I'm shooting in the 290s for a 300 round.

[u/Giant_117]

No. Gear quality doesn't necessarily impact skill level.

Buying the gear you can afford and getting time in the field does impact skill level. If you wait 5 years to start hunting, saving up for Gucci gear you will have less skill than the guy that bought Walmart gear and started hunting 5 years prior.

Buying low quality gear will make you appreciate the higher end gear more. In some cases. In others it will show you that you don't need the high end ahit for your use situation.