I started bowhunting in 76. It is amazing how different things are now. Almost nobody did it, it was considered a joke by many until I brought my first buck in to the firedept to check it in. There was a stir then. Now it is very common.
There are many great bow companies now. For hunting, most any bow is fast enough so don't get on that wagon. What I prefer is a axle to axle length that is forgiving, usually in the 32-34 inch ranch (many are 30 inches or therabouts), has a brace height of greater than 7, and the closer to 8 the better, 80% letoff, but really msot are 75-80% and you can hold them all day. My top priority is that the draw cycle is smooth and that there is little to no hand shock when released. New bow techology has quite a few bows in this category. I bought my bow used, and it was a year old at the time: It is great! I just put a new string on it and it shoots lights out to 45-50 yards. (I don't recommend people shoot quite that far, but I can hit a 4 inch dot 4/5 times if thre is no wind and I have time. A couple of friends I know can't do that with their muzzleloaders) Hunting often is less than ideal conditions. I shoot a Bowtech Liberty set at 62 lbs, but I may lower the poundage next year a bit. I have plenty of speed, but there are many much faster, few are more accurate.
Matthews, PSE, Archery Research, Hoyt, Bowtech/Diamond, Bear, and others are all good companies and if you can just get one of their mid range bows with the specs I mention above, they should be able to shoot very well if set up and tuned correctly. Don't worry about speed because all of the bows mentioned will shoot IBO over 300 fps, which mean with the average hunting arrow (heavier than IBO) will still shoot plenty flat.
So I agree with the guys on here that a bowshop, or really knowledgable bowhunters in your area can help you pick out something fairly economical that will last for many years. I"m about due a new bow, but with the way it's shooting, it's hard for me to rationalize 900 bucks for the bow I would get if I replaced it. Where are you located?
