Man Jeff, that is scary, I remember shooting chepo bows long ago that I have long scince departed with and can no longer of coarse measure the poundage at different lengths, but I will bet that was exactly the case!
I shoot alot of Bob Lee's now and with my Bow scale, they ring very true to about 3 pounds per inch anywhere from the marked 28" to my draw length which is about 32".
I will shoot at game to around 25 yards, but practice to around 45 to 50 yards and those longer distances are what I wonder about mostly as far as arrow drop goes.
The long distance part of my practice sessions really helps me on those closer shots. DK.