What Bear actually publishes
The Species XT is sold as a ready-to-hunt configuration: a compound bow with a sight, arrow rest, quiver and stabilizer already fitted, available in right and left-hand versions, with draw weight quoted up to 70 pounds. Three of those facts carry the whole review — the package contents, the 70-pound top end, and, importantly, what the draw length arrangement means for fit.
The package is the product
Take the accessory list seriously, because it is where the value sits. Bought individually, a serviceable multi-pin sight, a containment rest, a five-arrow quiver and a stabilizer represent a substantial fraction of what this bow costs complete. Buying them bundled means you spend one amount, once, and go shooting.
The caveat that applies to every RTH package: bundled accessories are entry-grade. The sight will not have the micro-adjustment of a standalone unit, and the rest is a workhorse rather than a precision instrument. That is the correct trade for a first bow. They function, they are set up already, and you can upgrade individual pieces later as you find out what you actually care about — which is a far better way to spend money than guessing up front.
Seventy pounds is a ceiling, not a target
“Up to 70 lb” is a marketing headline that new bowhunters consistently misread as a recommendation. It is not. Seventy pounds is more than deer hunting requires, and shooting more poundage than you can draw smoothly and hold steady is the most common cause of bad form, target panic and a season of frustration.
Most states set a legal minimum in the region of 35 to 40 pounds for deer, and any modern compound in the 50 to 60-pound range is comfortably lethal on whitetail with a properly matched arrow and a sharp head. Back the limb bolts out, shoot a weight you can draw without lifting the bow skyward, and add poundage as your strength builds. Our guide to what draw weight you actually need covers the legal side and the energy math.
The factory draw length is the real limitation
This is the single most important thing to understand before buying, and it is the honest weakness of the bow.
Draw length is not a preference; it is a measurement of you. A bow set an inch too long forces you to over-extend and lock your bow arm, which costs accuracy and invites string slap. Set too short, you lose power stroke and consistency. Getting it right is more important to your shooting than any accessory in the package.
On this bow the draw length is factory set, and adjusting it is not a hex key job the way it is on the fully adjustable bows we rank alongside it — it generally requires a press and a shop. If your draw length falls in the range the bow ships in, that is a non-issue and you have a bow that fits from day one. If it does not, or if you are buying for a teenager who is still growing, this is the wrong bow and you should buy adjustable instead. Measure your draw length before you order, not after.
Where it is genuinely beaten
Adjustability. Bows in this bracket that adjust across a wide draw-length and draw-weight range with a hex key are unquestionably the better buy for a growing shooter, a household sharing one bow, or anyone unsure of their measurements. That flexibility is worth real money and this bow does not have it.
Weight.It is heavier than a premium flagship. For stand and blind hunting that is close to irrelevant — you carry it a short distance and then hang it up. For a spot-and-stalk hunter covering miles of western public land, mass matters more, and this is not the bow for that hunt.
Absolute price. It is not the cheapest way to start shooting. A bare bow or a very low-cost complete package costs less up front. What you give up going that direction is either the accessory bill arriving later, or component quality low enough that you replace it within two seasons.
Three buyers who should choose differently
- Anyone whose draw length is outside the factory setting. Buy an adjustable bow. Fit beats brand.
- Youth and growing shooters. A bow that adjusts across a wide range grows with the shooter and lasts several seasons instead of one.
- Anyone who only wants to shoot targets.The hunting-specific parts of the package — the quiver, the hunting sight — are cost you will not use.
What it still costs after the box
Ready-to-hunt does not mean ready to hunt, and budgeting as though it does is how bowhunters end up unable to shoot in October. Plan for:
- Arrows, cut and fitted to your draw length.Half a dozen, matched to your poundage. This is not optional and it is not a place to buy the cheapest thing available — arrow spine needs to match the bow.
- A release aid, unless the package includes one.
- A target you can shoot into at home. The single highest-value accessory in archery, because practice frequency is what makes you lethal.
- Broadheads, and the practice heads to confirm where they hit. See fixed versus mechanical for which type suits your poundage.
- A shop setup session, if you are new. Having peep height, nock point and sight set correctly by someone who has done it a hundred times is cheap and saves a month of confusion.
The verdict
Buy it if your draw length matches the factory setting, you hunt deer from stands or blinds, and you want one purchase that puts you on a target this weekend rather than a bow plus a shopping list. The components are entry-grade and honestly so; the bow underneath them is a real hunting bow from a company with a warranty and a reputation to protect, and the price leaves you enough for arrows and range time — which is what actually kills deer.
Do not buy it if your draw length is uncertain, if the bow has to fit more than one person, or if you are buying for someone still growing. In those cases the adjustable bows in our full rankings are the better purchase, and it is not close.
