Just some tips for new players wanting to try out the bow. Collect Elemental weapons along with armor sets that increase that type of damage. Finding the correct weakness for what you fight is half the battle. Low level sets like Ludroth for Water, Baggi for Ice, Rathian/Rathalos for Fire and the Ingot Set is a great set for Lightning/Thunder which will help you massively when hunting Rathians/Rathalos and a good few others.
Also, the arrow rain is a great tool for getting those status attacks off, getting a good flinch in and for general purpose damage. Make sure you practice the distance you need to attack them and instead of aiming at them, you will be able to manually hit them without having to aim exactly on them. Really great if you run circles around the enemy while they struggle to focus on you and is faster than having to charge, aim and shoot. Also helps since you can keep an eye on what else is happening around you.
Since you will usually always have less armor than the Blademaster sets, don't forget to upgrade when you get the chance but the best advice is to stay as mobile as possible.
