I give a lot of my bows to kids, and it is a universal truth that after six arrows the girls are whipping the boys like they are rented mules! Give a boy a bow and he immediately starts showing you how he shoots it and what his "style" is like. As if style has any effect other than to screw up your natural instincts. The girl, however, watches and asks questions when she cannot intuit it or figure it out.
And if I ain't careful, the boy will see he is getting his manhood smeared by a mere girl and he goes over to "teach her the right way". And that is when the girls stop shooting bows. Frankly, I do not know why girls just plain don't swear off the boys at an early age and do without 'em.
As for your first bow, I will also recommend you turn out an English Long Bow (a.k.a. ELB). They are long of limb and naturally graceful in use. As a bow for shooting, there is an inherent stability to them that lends itself to quicker success in shooting accurately. The longer limbs are also more forgiving when it comes to shaping out and tillering. Tillering refers to the process of removing wood where the limb bends least until such time as both limbs bend equally and spread the strain across the length of the working limb properly. Sounds confusing, but in practice is fairly simple.
Like others have said, try finding a local bowyer to give you pointers on the first one, if you can. Most of us on this website will offer you our shop space, tools, materials, and a cold drink on a hot day while you are working. Be careful, however, you may make lifetime friends doing this.
For example, I live in Rapid City SD and am available on most Tuesday and Thursday nights. Post your general area and someone here may be local and willing to let you hang out!
