PSE Coyote Review

Image	Length	Bow Weight	Draw Weight	Takedown?
PSE Coyote Recurve Bow See on Amazon.com	60"	3 lbs. How to: choose arrows, draw weight, and tune your recurve	40, 45, 50, 55 lbs.	Yes

Pros - Good value for the price - Shoots very accurately - Very comfortable to hold; stable during all phases of the draw cycle - PSE fixed prior issues with limbs, which are now very durable	Cons - Brace height might be problematic (read below) - Not suitable for beginners with more than 28″ draw length (too much stacking)
Also recommended: Best PSE Bows

Compare with Other Recurve Bows

PSE Coyote Package Contents

Welcome to my PSE Coyote review. Package contents are minimal, and you’ll be getting the following:

• Limbs
• Riser
• String
• PSE printed manual and warranty card

No rest or sight are included, which is rather normal as far as recurve bows go.

Assembling The PSE Coyote

The Coyote is a take-down bow, so you will need to attach the limbs to the riser using the provided hex bolts (a proper key was included with the package). You will then need to string the bow, which is very easy if you have a stringer. All in all a beginner should be done with assembly in 10 to 15 minutes at most.

How Powerful And Accurate Is The PSE Coyote?

This bow has a pretty short brace height (6.25″) compared to most other recurve bows. This increases the distance the string travels when drawn and hence delivers more power and kinetic energy to the arrow when it is shot. The exact power output will depend greatly on your bow setup:

• The longer your draw length, the more powerful it will be
• The higher the poundage, the more powerful the bow is
• The heavier the arrows you shoot, the more powerful it is

Overall though it’s a pretty powerful bow, and you can comfortably use it to target practice from 30, 40, 50 yards, and more if you’ve got the aim for it.

As far as accuracy goes, it’s on par with other bows in this price range such as the Martin Saber or PSE Blackhawk. There is no grip torque that I could notice, and the limbs did not sway to the sides when releasing the string. How accurately you can shoot will pretty much depend entirely on your skill level – the bow will definitely not get in the way of you making a dead-on shot. I easily got 2″ arrow groups from 35-40 yards away, for what it’s worth.

Is The Coyote Suitable For Hunting?

The Coyote is relatively heavy for a recurve bow, though if compound bow shooters can easily carry a 4.5 lbs. weapon, you’ll be able to handle the ~3.1 lbs. Coyote just fine as well. Just remember that if you’ve shot lighter recurves in the past, you might need a few days to get used to carrying around this PSE with you in the field. I also find the 60″ length on this bow to be perfect for my tastes. It’s long enough to make for a stable platform, but short enough to be easily maneuverable in a tree stand and other tight locations.

I’d say this bow is definitely well-suited for hunting, especially if you get the 45# or heavier model. Assuming you use heavy enough arrows (more than 400 grain), it will easily deliver enough kinetic energy to achieve a full pass through on a deer and even elk from 30 to 40 yards, assuming you can make an ethical shot from this distance.

Is The PSE Coyote Suitable For Beginners?

I’d say it depends. The low brace height is less forgiving of form mistakes. Beginner archers are likely to experience a lot of “string slap,” which basically means that unless your arm is rotated under a perfect angle and your grip is dead-on perfect, the string will likely slap your forearm once in a while, which isn’t dangerous but definitely isn’t pleasant either. I’d say definitely get an arm guard to help alleviate the problem. Additionally, there is some problem with stacking (the bow being somewhat hard to draw once it approaches its intended 28″ draw length and goes beyond it).

The fact that the Coyote is a take-down bow makes it a good choice for beginners though, as it’s easy to remove the limbs and switch them for heavier ones when your form and strength improve – no need to buy a whole new bow to increase the poundage. The size of the bow is also suitable for beginners, though its weight (over 3 lbs.) could be a little troubling at first for smaller-framed archers, especially during prolonged training sessions; this is something you should get used to quite quickly though.

Overall, I recommend checking out our recommendations in the best beginner bows section. If none of the bows there meet your needs, you can definitely go for the Coyote.

Does This Recurve Bow Accept Accessories?

Yes it does. It comes drilled and threaded, fully ready to accept any accessories. You can install a stabilizer to reduce vibrations, a bow sight, or an arrow quiver. Personally I prefer shooting instinctively and without any extras installed, but this is of course a matter of personal preference. Just remember the Coyote package does not include any of the accessories – you’ll need to buy those separately.

Arrows For The PSE Coyote

As is the case with any bow, you’ll need to choose the arrows based on your draw length as well as intended use. For instance, if you plan to hunt, you’ll want slightly heavier arrows as they will deliver more kinetic energy and hence more flesh penetration. On the other hand, for target shooting purposes a lighter arrow will be better as it will fly straighter, resulting in better accuracy on longer (30+ yards) distances. Please check out our guide on choosing arrows for a recurve bow, where you will learn everything you need to know about the subject.

Personally, I find that the Coyote “prefers” heavier-than-average shafts. With lighter shafts, vibration can be somewhat more noticeable. 450+ grain arrows would be my personal recommendation.

Is This Bow Comfortable To Hold?

Personally I found it very comfortable to hold. My hand is medium-sized, and the grip fits just perfectly. Did not get any blisters even after prolonged shooting sessions, and there was no noticeable torque in the grip either. Was very easy to hold when aiming and did not feel like the grip was “digging” into a specific region of my palm. Definitely one of the stronger sides of the Coyote. This is in fact very important: you can’t shoot a bow well no matter how good it is, if it doesn’t feel right and comfortable in the hand.

What If You Have More Than 28″ Of Draw Length?

Most recurve bows can be pulled well past their “advertised” draw length of 28″. With the PSE Coyote however, there are some serious stacking issues that occur when you pass the 28″ mark. Drawing the bow from the 28″ to the 30″ range for example feels almost like pulling 100 pounds. If you’re a person with a higher than average (28″) draw length, I’d have to say avoid the Coyote at all costs.

Materials And Durability (Riser, Limbs)

The machined aluminum riser is as strong as they come as far as archery bows go. The pockets are well-designed and I had no difficulties inserting the limbs into them – the attachment is tight and secure. However, I do need to say a few words about the limbs.

Back when the PSE Coyote was released, it came with really weak and low-quality limbs, which tended to crack and explode during shooting sessions for no apparent reason and without being abused. This of course created a lot of negativity around the product. In a later release of the Coyote, however, PSE included a new brand of limbs made from completely different materials. As a result, any new package that you buy after 2011 will come with these new limbs that are well designed, look great, and most importantly – are very durable and do not crack.

What String Fits The PSE Coyote? Does It Accept FastFlight Strings?

The string that comes with the Coyote seems decent, though I don’t know how long it can last with average use as I immediately replaced it with a FF string. And yes – the limb tips are reinforced with phenolic plastic at the tips, which means this bow is fully capable of handling FastFlight strings.

Is The Coyote a Heavy Bow?

It’s not particularly heavy, though not light either. Many recurve bows weigh 2.5 lbs. and sometimes less than that. At 3 lbs. I’d say the Coyote is of average weight, leaning slightly towards the “heavier” range. I’m used to shooting compound bows (which are much heavier than recurves) so the Coyote feels light to me, but if you’re a beginner with a small frame be prepared for a few days to pass before you get used to the weight.

How Loud Is This Bow?

It’s decently loud without a stabilizer or string silencers installed. Personally, I don’t mind my bows being loud, so it’s not a real issue for me. If you do prefer a quieter shooting experience however, I’d say you will at least need to install some whisker silencers (which you’ll need to buy separately of course).

Buying a Used PSE Coyote For Sale

I don’t advise beginner archers to purchase used bows, as they can’t really tell what condition the product is in. What may look like a perfectly fine bow might not be so at all. If you do insist on buying a used one from eBay or Craigslist, make sure that the bow was purchased after 2011; otherwise you will be getting a model with the older, highly unreliable limbs.

PSE Coyote Recurve Bow Review – Summary

Thanks for reading this review. Overall this is a solid bow and for the price, a good buy. It does come with a few caveats though, so it’s definitely not the right choice for everyone – particularly people with more than 28″ draw length. Check out Today's Amazon.com price on the Coyote.