Can I have your 2 cents.

[dnovo]

Something to think about. You say you are overbowed. If you drop down to 50 # , your form could improve and your draw length could increase. I've seen it happen quite a few times.

[David Mitchell]

Whatever you do, don't keep shooting if you are overbowed.  It leads to bad habits (guess how I know that!). Rather than trying to work into it, at this point you need a bow that is comfortable at the outset to get your form established.  I hunt with 45# bows now due to age and find I have lost nothing where hunting is concerned compared to heavier bows.  I am able to control the shot process better and the hogs, antelope, deer, and bears I have shot haven't complained--at least about the poundage of my bow!   :D

[Ken Sorg]

Sent ya a reply young man.

[KeganM]

I wouldn't presume to tell you what you will enjoy more. I can only offer my experience.

I worked down in draw weight from 85-90# to 70#, to 65#, to 62#, then to 55#, finally to a bunch of bows in the 40-50# range. As I dropped in weight my draw length expanded from 28" to 31". With a longer draw comes more power, so keep that in mind, but I killed three deer in the last two years with longbows pulling 45-50#. Even with big Simmons broadheads I've been getting pass throughs, with last year being a 2" wide Tree Shark blowing through a huge  bodied buck. I've been shooting the slimmer Tiger Sharks now which penetrate even better, so have been using 45# or so with full confidence.

Unless I get a chance at elk or something big like that, I don't see myself shooting more. A 45# bow just works for me, and is a joy to shoot even when I'm freezing my behind off. I can pick up after days off, even exhausted or sore, and hit the mark even out to twenty-five and thirty yards cold shot (farther than I'd shoot at an animal). It doesn't hit as hard as a heavier bow, of course, but at this point I'm still driving arrows into dirt on the other side of the animal.

The difference in draw length would be the same as 5# weight. So the performance I get from 45# you'd see from 50#. Lots of people really do well with 50#, and there's a reason it's kind of the baseline for hunting weights.

My arm spread is just barely 70" at full stretch, I draw 26.25".  My draw length does not change whether I am shooting uphill or downward.  Everyone has that one right draw length, longer is not always better.  I would suggest the OP keep his heavier bow as an exercise tool and get a 50 pound at his correct draw.  A Maddog Prairie Predator is a good bow.

[DanielB89]

I have nothing bad to say about any of the options mentioned.  Personally, i don't think you can find a better deal than a sammick sage.  I have one at the house and with a new string(a must), you'll have one of the best shooting bows you'll ever own.  I have owned several high end bows and the sammick isn't a slouch in anything except looks, but i've never met a deer that cared.  

With a new string, wraps and silencers, it'll be hard to beat that bow for $500.

[YosemiteSam]

Consider finding a comfortable weight bow that you can work with (say 40-45#) and then adjusting arrow weight depending on the game you're hunting.  A 600+ grain arrow is hard to stop at any speed.  Whether you shoot gap or instinctive, you can easily accommodate a slower arrow from 0-20 yards.  I shoot a 45# Samick Sage, drawn to 27" with a 605 gr arrow and my gaps are:

10 yards -- 12"
15 yards -- 15"
20 yards -- 9"
25 yards -- PO

So 0-20 is "minute of deer" with the same POA.  I'd be reluctant to chase a larger elk, moose or grizzly with this setup.  But I see no problem with our Tule elk, mule deer or wild pig.  That arrow is still probably travelling faster than most >50# self bows.  Put in the right spot, it will still probably out-penetrate my .308.

[DannyBows]

I'll have to say I agree completely with KeganM. Due to a shoulder injury I've dropped to the mid 40's and have never enjoyed shooting more. My draw length increased a good inch too.