Yeah, I bought, sold and traded a whole bunch of 50-60lb bows that frankly I was over-bowed with. Now, due to a shoulder issue, I'm in the lower weights, but shooting better than ever and I'm getting complete pass-thru's on deer with 41-42lbs.
I'm to the point now where I have virtually no doubt that I can not only kill deer with light weights at my close 10-14 yard shots I set up for, but that I could do so with 30-35lb bows, if I were to choose to do so.
At 12 yards, shooting a broadside deer from a natural ground blind/stool, with a perfect arrow setup and razor sharp 2 blade, I'm confident that with a 35lb bow that I can hit both lungs exactly where I want and watch the arrow skip in the dirt after it passes thru. I'm not sure what else I could ask for?
As the title of the thread suggests, I regret trying to force more draw weight, thinking I could "grow into it" and thinking in terms of how far and fast I could shoot. Now I think in terms of how close can I get/how low in weight can I go and still make ethical kills. That mindset is a much better place for me. Oddly enough, it took bone spurs inflaming my rotator cuff to come to that conclusion.