Hill, Hunting the Hard Way. (Very Heavy bows?)

[NYArrow]

I just finished up Hill's book, Hunting the Hard Way. Loved it. Yet I noticed many of the bows he built ranged from 70 to 100#. Mostly of boo backings according to his descriptions. My question is what was the great advantage for this? From a bowyers perspective does a bow that heavy really outperform a standard 50/55# bow? Much of what I have read on the site(s) says a bow that heavy has no appreciable advantage. Yet Hill certainly did not think so. Please, post your thoughts Gents!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Those style bows of the old days weren't very fast and they didn't have the modern materials for making arrows that we have nowadays. So they shot a heavier bow to get a bit more zing out of those slow bows.
I think they are making them a bit faster now with more and better materials to chose from like bamboo, IPE, ect. that are faster materials. So a guy could get the same performance from a lighter bow versus a heavy bow.

Byron Ferguson routinely shoots a 70lb. bow even during his exhibitions where he may shoot 300 shots in one session.

[NYArrow]

Semo,

  Thats what I didn't quite understand because Hill was using bamboo, ipe, osage and etc. I have to believe the woods of the early days were just as good if not better. Obviously, glass is one thing he never mentioned use of. You bring a valid point concerning arrows though. The new alum. and carbon materials have much tighter tolerances than the woodies used in the ole' days.

[okie64]

You get a cleaner release with a heavier bow because the wight of the bow rips the string from your fingers faster. That and I'm pretty sure Howard Hill hunted some  big dangerous game where that kind of weight might be an advantage. Most of Saxton Pope and Art Youngs bows were in the 70-80# range too.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

That's true. African Safaris were high on everyone's to do list and a 70# bow may have been considered to be on the light side just a bit.

Back in my He Man days I shot an 80lb. bow which was overkill for the whitetails I chase around. Those days are long gone now, because my shoulders won't permit it any more. Bows in the 50-55# range are my comfort zone.

Howard was quite the ladies man also, so maybe he wanted to impress the gals with his He Man 70 pounders?