I was asleep at the wheel...........This post has slipped past me LOL.

As usual Ann has given sound advice. A few more things to add. Most compounds are adjustable over a certain draw weight range. Usually 10 pounds with new bows. With let off...which is commonly 50,65 or 80% holding weights can go down quite a bit. Any bow in the 50-pound range should feel easy for an adult male. 60 and even 70 pounds would be manageable to easy with practice. A 50-60 pound bow will easily drop a bull elk with a well-placed double lung shot. Heck....with sharp broadheads even a 40-45 pound bow would work.

I would also avoid the "speed bow" craze. Fast bows are great if you can shoot them, but to a beginner it would just be frustrating. I'd look for a brace height (distance from where the arrow sits on the knock to the bow string on a bow that is at rest) of at least 7".....the higher it is the more forgiving the bow is to shoot. It will still be accurate even with less than perfect form. Shot placement is what archery is all about. Even with the fastest bows on the market I'd bet most shooters would be hard pressed to take any animal at distances over 30 yards. With an average "slow" bow shooting hunting arrows at 210 fps or so you could easily kill deer/elk to 30 yards.