Brand · Archery & Bowhunting
PSE bows on this site come in two families: compound bows sold as ready-to-hunt packages, and traditional bows (takedown recurves, one-piece recurves and longbows), plus PSE quivers, sights, nocks and crossbow bolts. The short version: on a compound, read the draw-length range and the draw weight first; on a recurve or longbow, read the draw weight, the length and which hand it's for. (Uncle Walt calls any bow with cams the new kind. He has called them that since 1987.)
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On this site, PSE covers more ground than most bow brands. The grid above holds compound bows, recurve bows and longbows, plus the small parts around them: bow quivers, an arrow rest, a peep sight, nocks and carbon arrow shafts. There's a short run of crossbow gear too: 20-inch bolts and a crossbow scope.
The maker's own site leans harder toward compounds. Its current hunting-bow list shows the Odin Carbon models, Sicario Carbon, Decree FDS, Force DS, Butcher and Stinger ATK, and its target bows include the Dominator Duo X and Supra X Trust models. It also sells Kilshok stabilizers, modular grips, quivers, and caps and shirts. This site doesn't list apparel.
The grid changes every week as listings come and go, so I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about how many are listed today. Most PSE values in the grid come from Amazon listings and are marked that way. The numbers in this text come from the maker's pages unless I say otherwise.
The PSE compound bow listings here are mostly ATK packages, sold ready to hunt. Ready to hunt (RTH) means the bow comes with a sight, rest, quiver and the other basics already on it, so you're not shopping for six parts on day one.
The maker's Stinger ATK page gives the numbers:
The Brute ATK packages in the grid list a binary cam, 80% let-off, and 60 or 70 lb draw weights, all from the listings. Both come in left and right hand.
On paper vs in practice: an IBO rating is a speed measured on a standard test setup, so it's fair for comparing one bow with another. Your own speed depends on your draw length, your draw weight and your arrow, and a heavier hunting arrow flies slower. It's the bow's number, not yours.
The D3 Bowfishing Kit is a compound sold with arrows, per its listing. The KingFisher packages are bowfishing recurves: 56 inches long, 35 or 45 lb, arrows included, per their listings. This site doesn't have a separate bowfishing section, so those live in the grid with the rest of the bows.
"PSE Evo", "PSE Drive" and "PSE compound bow Nova" are earlier model names. None of them is on the maker's current hunting-bow list, and none is in the listings here. The maker's product support page keeps draw weight and length charts back to its 2021 and 2022 bows, which is where to start if you own an older PSE and need a string or a setting.
The traditional bows in the grid come from PSE's Amazon listings; the maker's own store doesn't show them right now. Here's how they split.
A takedown recurve comes apart into a riser and two limbs. That makes it easier to carry and to store in a short case. The listings give:
Those are practice and learning weights. Check your state's minimum draw weight before you hunt with a light bow. More on the type is on the recurve bow page.
These don't come apart. The listings give:
A longbow has nearly straight limbs, without the recurve's curled tips. Note the lengths: 68 inches is a lot of bow to swing inside a blind, so measure your blind's height before you pick the long one. Hunting-weight recurves across brands are on the hunting recurve page.
Each listing names a hand: right or left. A right-hand bow is held in the left hand and drawn with the right. Several PSE traditional listings in the grid are left-hand only, and a left-hand bow won't work for a right-hand shooter. It's the single easiest mistake to make, and the arrow shelf won't let you forget it. (I watched Walt hold a left-hand longbow at a sporting goods counter in 1998, decide it was "a defective shelf", and hand it back. He's still not sure.)
The quivers are the accessory the maker writes the most about. Its quiver page describes 5-arrow models in one-piece and two-piece versions: 8.4 oz with the one-piece bow mount, 6.7 oz with the two-piece mount. They come with arrow grippers in two sizes, one for standard .246 hunting shafts and one for micro-diameter .166 and .204 shafts. The grid holds the Infinity Camo X and BM Carbon XD 5-arrow quivers. More options are on the bow quiver page.
The rest are small parts, with values from their listings:
Bare shafts need cutting, inserts, nocks and vanes. If you don't own a cut-off saw, start with fletched arrows. General arrow background is on the hunting arrows page.
No PSE crossbow is in the current listings here. The crossbow gear is:
Use the bolt length, weight and nock your crossbow's maker names. Wisconsin DNR's safety advice says to use only the bolts the manufacturer recommends. For bolts across brands, see the crossbow bolts page, and for scopes, the crossbow scope page.
If you came here for a "PSE crossbow cocking device", there isn't one in the listings. Use the cocking device your crossbow's manual names. PSE's support page lists string and cable lengths for its crossbows, if you own one.
My one opinion on this page: on a compound for a shooter who's still growing, or still learning their form, the draw-length range matters more than the top draw weight. The Stinger ATK's maker page lists 21-1/2 to 30 inches on one cam, plus 10 limb bolt turns. That's a bow that can be set short and light at first and moved up later, without buying a new bow. A bow set to the wrong draw length shoots badly at any weight.
The ATK packages list 50, 60 or 70 lb. The traditional bows run from 20 to 55 lb per their listings. A compound's let-off (80% on the ATK) means you hold a fraction of the peak weight at full draw. A recurve has no let-off, so you hold the full weight the whole time. (Holding 45 lb at full draw for ten seconds is a shoulder workout, not a moment. Practice the hold, not just the shot.)
A ready-to-hunt package saves a lot of small decisions. A bare bow lets you pick each part. The grid's package column tells you which you're getting. Beginners can compare across brands in best compound bow for beginners.
These come from Archery 360 and Wisconsin DNR. No jokes here.
The maker publishes bow tune charts and draw weight and length charts on its product support page. A pro shop is the right place for a first setup on a compound.
Bowhunting seasons and minimum draw weights vary by state. Check your state wildlife agency.
Both brands make compound bows for hunting and target archery. The difference on paper is range. Bowtech's own site shows compound bows only, in hunting and target lines, with names like the Alliance, Ascend, Proven 34, Solution LS and Reckoning Gen2. It lists an address in Eugene, Oregon.
PSE's current listings here add takedown recurves, longbows, bowfishing kits, quivers and crossbow bolts to the compounds. Its site lists Tucson, Arizona. When you compare two specific bows, use the same four numbers: axle-to-axle length, brace height, let-off and draw length range. Bowtech doesn't have a page on this site.
Bowhunter reported in February 2023 that Heritage Outdoor Group, a newly formed holding company, had bought PSE Archery. The same report says Pete Shepley founded PSE in 1970 in Mahomet, Illinois, and that Tucson, Arizona, has been home to the company for most of its history. The maker's site lists Precision Shooting Equipment, LLC, at a Tucson address and describes its products as American made.
This page doesn't cover warranty terms. Register your bow through the maker's site and keep the receipt.
Draw length, draw weight, hand. Get those three right and everything else on the bow is just accessories.
What the maker states is checkable. Its Stinger ATK page lists a 32-inch axle-to-axle length, a 6-5/8-inch brace height, a 312 fps IBO rating, 80% let-off, 4 lb of mass weight and a draw length range of 21-1/2 to 30 inches. Whether a PSE bow suits you depends on your draw length, draw weight and hand. Compare those values in the grid.
Bowhunter reported in February 2023 that Heritage Outdoor Group, a newly formed holding company, bought PSE Archery, which Pete Shepley founded in 1970 in Mahomet, Illinois. The maker's site lists Precision Shooting Equipment, LLC, at an address in Tucson, Arizona, which Bowhunter calls the company's home for most of its history.
Those names aren't on the maker's current hunting-bow list, which shows the Odin Carbon models, Sicario Carbon, Decree FDS, Force DS, Butcher and Stinger ATK. None of the three is in the listings on this page either. If you own one, the maker's product support page keeps draw weight and length charts for earlier model years.
No PSE crossbow or cocking device is in the current listings here. The PSE crossbow items are 20-inch half-moon bolts and an illuminated 1.5-5x32 crossbow scope. For a cocking device, use the one your crossbow's maker names in its manual; the maker's support page lists string and cable lengths for PSE crossbows.
The maker's site describes its products as American made and lists Precision Shooting Equipment, LLC, in Tucson, Arizona. Bowhunter's 2023 report calls PSE an Arizona-based company. For a specific traditional bow in the grid, check the listing and the label on the bow itself.
