The trend of lighter and lighter ....

[Mr.Magoo]

Anyone else notice a current trend of people on the various boards seeming to be obsessed with bare minimum draw weights and the lightest possible arrows for hunting big game?

My very limited experience suggests to me that lighter and lighter is asking for trouble.

I'm not saying we all need to shoot 80# bows.  But I do notice (here, at least) that most of the posters who shoot "lighter" bows pair them with heavy arrows.

[bjk]

Your last statement contradicts the first (at least here) so I'm not sure what the actual question is.

In general, I don't notice stickbow guys trying to shoot the lightest arrrows from the lightest bows.  I may see some trends in people shooting lighter weight bows, but not at the limits that would make hunting unreasonable.

Of course, one persons "hunting weight limit" is not the same as anothers.

Also, "hunting weight arrows" has a fairly wide spectrum....type of game is one of the many things to think of when setting up an arrow.

[Ray Johnson]

I recently switched to a 40# bow and 400gr arrows for hunting.Why?Because I can shoot it much better with better overall form.I started out with 55# about 5 years ago and I was a snapshooter.I was inconsistent in accuracy and I gradually dropped weight over the last couple of years.I'm not a snapshooter now and with the lower weight,my target panic is just about gone.I can physically pull heavier weight but I can't shoot accurately with the way I now shoot.I suspect that alot of the people who shoot heavier weights are snapshooters(not in a bad sense necessarily)and their quick release enables then to shoot heavier weights.You won't see olympic shooters shooting 60#plus bows.Most of them shoot bows in the low to mid 40's and they have to with their deliberate shooting style.I think alot of it has to do with shooting style and I also think some people are just overbowed.I'm shooting better,enjoying shooting more,and shooting with more confidence than I ever have and I owe alot of that just to dropping down in bow weight,which in turn helped me to have better overall form.I have no doubt that my 40# Black Widow and 400gr arrows are more than adequate for whitetail deer.
                                    RayJ

[southpawshooter]

In actuality, the 'lighter' weights some are interested in now were the average bow weights 30 or 40 years ago.  Normal draw weights were considered to be in the 40's.  50#'s and above was considered heavy.  I think we're headed full circle, that's all.  Heavier weights became the norm when traditional archery got a boost in the 90's from compound converts accustomed to shooting more poundage.

[Snakeeater]

Many of us, especially the more "experienced" (read that to mean older) among us are moving to lighter draw weights because they are easier on our bodies. We have trouble accurately and consistently shooting 60# bows so we are dropping down. This is due to age and shoulder and joint problems.

Overall, shooting a bow in the 40# - 50# range isn't a problem, but we should all use arrows that absorb/transfer the most amount of energy from the bow as possible and that means shooting heavier arrows. You need the extra mass to absorb the energy from the bow. It also reduces hand/arm shock and noise since more of the energy goes into the arrow and less remains for vibration/noise.

[Ia Hawkeye]

45 years ago I started with a Herters 45# bow. Through the years I worked my way up to a 65# Wing. Now, because of age, physical problems that resulted in 3 surguries, I'm down to around 42#. I've killed deer 65# and 42#. It's not really the poundage, it's shot placement and knowing your limits !

[Lost Arra]

Older hunters
Sore shoulders
"Lighter" bows

[juneaulongbow]

There are several articles in Traditional Bowhunter of women (and others) taking big game with light bows.  Kudu with about a 47# was one of them.

[Mr.Magoo]

I don't have a problem with bows in the 40#-50#'s.  In fact, I have a bow on order that will probably end-up just under 50# so I can use it in my dotage, but it'll also be lobbing heavy arrows.

Just seems to me that light arrows and light bows don't mix.  In fact, light arrows don't seem to mix well with heavy compounds either judging from the penetration I see hunters get on TV.

[traditional beagle]

At our club the best scores come from light bows. And the guys shooting them know that. They are serious about scores. The guys that are more interested in hunting are still shooting bows in the 50 to 55 lb. range. Some people need light poundage to shoot accurately and it is good that they realize that. Shoot what you want and don't worry what anyone else thinks. There are still a lot of good shooters shooting higher poundage bows. Myself, I'm not good with either one.  :^)

[fingers]

I got into building bows andmade them at what poundage felt good to me,50 to 55#. I then made this little bow that, even though I could get it to 28"draw on the tiller tree, was way more than I could draw. So I shaved it down and kept working at drawing it until I finally almost got it to my anchor point. The only arrows I could get to fly out of it were some 2315 aluminums. So I bought a scale (finally)and it still was over 85# at my draw of 27". I took it down to 65# and that's where I shoot it. It has spoiled me for the weaker bows. I don't snap shoot and my best shot occurs if I hold anchor for about 3 seconds.

[Van/TX]

If I could pull only 35#'s I'd still shoot a minimum of 500 grains for hunting.  I think Mr. Magoo is correct on how most folks think here.  Other places it's a totally different ball game. Not wrong necessarily just a different way of thinking.        ...van

[Bjorn]

Accuracy and shooting what you can control are good ideals. I have moved to a lighter weight bow too; the latest one is 49#. Combined with a 600 grain arrow it seems like a perfect set up for me. It even works great for 3D; but I don't shoot much past 20 yards, certainly not on game. But this talk about 350 grain arrows (and less!) that I'm seeing on other boards seems irresponsible. Why try for the lowest possible whatever, especially where animals lives are at stake-all we will be feeding is photo ops for PETA. JMHO

[Pete W]

Lighter weight bows are coming of age again, but I also notice a strong following to lighter weight bows with high performance.
 It seems that many are not giving up  anything but the draw weight. Hats off to sensible weights that you can shoot well , and to the bowyers building the great performers that are so readily available to us.

 I don't want any bows over 50@ @ 28" now, and I am leaning to the 45# weight a lot lately.
 For me no matter the weight of the bow I want heavy arrows.

 I got into trad bows to put the hunt into hunting again, and with that I won't even consider a long shot of 35 yards today on game.

[Thorvald]

In Denmark hunting with bow and arrow is not allowed and crossbows are illegal weapons in the same way as rifles e.g. you need weapon licence to own a crossbow. It as allowed to own a bow and arrow. It is possible to get a hunting licence for bowhunting in this way: First you need to have a normal hunting licence. Then you need to take a special bowhunting test, both a written test and a shooting test. In the shooting test you have to hit 5 arrows out of 6 at unknown distance between 5 and 25 meters. The hunting bow is not allowed under 50# for small game but I think this rule might have been changed today to say: arrow weight minimum 309 grains and energy minimum 40 joule. With these rules you need a 350 grains arrow if your arrow speed is 200 fps. Plus there are other rules. I think such rules are good in order to prevent everyone to go out and shoot animals with bow and arrow. I had hunting and bow hunting license many years ago, but I didn't keep it because the possibilities / areas for hunting in Denmark are not much. Then I had a compound bow at 52# for the hunting. This was ok for hunting but not for target archery. With recurve bow my bow should be around 30-32# at 28" draw for target archery. I draw about 25,75" and at that point the draw weight is about 26# - for target archery! I have ordered a Check Mate bow through Chad - I look forward to this bow!

[Jerry Jeffer]

I have two bows as of now. One is 56# @ my draw length, the other is 51# @ my draw length. I shoot well with both. I shoot arrows that are 556gr. They shoot nice. They kill deer and every thing else I have shot with them. What's the problem?

[James on laptop]

Since most states set limits on what people can and can't use when it comes to hunting light weights as long as still legal will kill the things people hunt with them.They don't pull those min numbers out of a hat.They are there because they have been proven to work over time. jmo

A lot of the lighter weight people are going to are out performing the bows in the hands of many that complain about the light weight bows as well.  It is a lot more that what is written on the limb of the bow or weight of an arrow that makes things work.Ultimatly no matter what you use it comes back down to the guy pulling the string.I like to think the trend as you see it is because more people are getting smarter about what it really takes and doing things to do it better.Hitting where you need to.  

[Littlefeather]

My Brushbow draws 44# at my draw length. Shooting 550grn arrows I'm shooting completely through everything I shoot. I'm blowing through even the big hogs. When I start hunting something really big I'll go up in draw weight. Till then my worn and tired shoulders and tennis elbow are real comfy with 44#.  :D   CK

[Ray Johnson]

As I posted earlier,I'm only pulling 40# with a 400gr arrow.I've never hunted with this setup so I don't know what it will do from my own experience.I'm only going by what I've read and heard from others,which is that there have been plenty of deer killed with the same setup as I'm shooting.I'm shooitng 10grpp.My bow is quiey and reasonably fast.I don't want the added trajectory of a heavier arrow.Even at 20 yards,adding 100gr would be quite a bit of speed loss.I feel very confident that my setup will kill any deer if I hit it in the vitals.Does anyone really think that a 400gr arrow traveling at 170fps will not penetrate the ribcage of a whitetail deer?

[CJ Pearson]

I shot Littlefeathers bow last year while I was hunting one of his places. The smoothness and the increase of accuracy convinced me along with the fact that my elbow did not feel pain. Needless to say I was very impressed and as  Curtis said to me "the main thing is shot placement" which we all know is true. I came back home and dropped bow weight 10 lbs. on both recurve and longbow. I still shoot the heavy arrows and plan on doing so.