Bear Species XT Compound Bow

The Bear Species XT is the current face of Bear's single-cam Species line, launched at $499.99 and built for the hunter who wants a quiet, easy-to-tune bow with one genuinely modern twist: an IMS rest and Picatinny sight rail that bring flagship-style accessory mounting down to a sub-$500 ready-to-hunt package. Its 320 fps IBO translates to a real-world mid-260s with a 400-grain hunting arrow - measured on its identical-chassis predecessor, the Species EV - which is enough for whitetails at sensible ranges rather than flagship velocity, and the numbers were never the point. What I keep coming back to is how approachable it is: a machined-aluminum riser, aluminum limb pockets, a comfortable 80% hold, and a shot that ran quieter than a same-tier rival, all on a bow a first-timer can tune at the kitchen table. The wide 23.5 to 30.5-inch draw and 15-lb weight spread make it one bow that fits a short-draw woman, a growing teenager, and an adult hunter alike, and the modern mounting makes it a smarter long-term base than most of its class. An excellent bow for the value-minded hunter who wants a quiet, compact single cam with room to grow its accessories, and particularly strong as a first serious hunting rig. Buyers who instead want the widest grow-with-you adjustment range should also look at the Diamond Edge 320... read full review