Heavy Bows...a lifestyle choice?

[Andy Cooper]

I'm only 55 and mostly shoot 50#'s...but am wanting to hunt cape buffalo with trad gear. I'm planning on working up to ~70# for that, but will do so slowly. That isn't a heavy bow, but it's a heckuva lot more than 50#!  I gave an 80# Martin Hunter to a fellow about 3 years ago...and don't regret it one bit...don't miss it, either!  

[featherhorn]

I shoot a 80# longbow now and have another on order and Im wanting to go heavier my target weight is 90# I have no trouble shooting all day with my 80# now. Its somethong I have always enjoyed shooting a Heavy arrow (850-1000gn) and a heavy bow to here that BIG Thwack So i guess it is a life style  

[Pat B.]

I used to shoot in the mid 80# range...

Arthritis in my hands cured me of wanting to shoot heavy.. I take that back - if I could I would..  

Now I think moderation is key, avoid extremes..

[Birdbow]

I've shot 70# LBs for hunting most of my life and agree that when a 700 gr. arrow zips thru game it's impressive. Now at 58 years young, I'm having BigJim build me a 60# TC to hunt with. Will still shoot the heavier bows but don't think I'll be giving up much in the field with one of BigJims creations!

[Chucky]

I just ordered a 62# longbow. I should probably work up to that weight somehow-are there exercises I can do other than "Bowfit"-style products?

[hunt it]

I have always shot #70 to 75# longbows as I found out early that I shot the heavy bow better than light bows. From my gun hunting era I have always prescribed to you can never be overguned or overbowed as long as you can handle it well.

I am currently shooting 82# in preparation for Oz buff hunt next year. I feel no need to go up above the 82# - launching a 950 gr arrow at 160FPS should do it for most critters on earth as long as I do my part. If not there is a .458 Lott in the vault!

[Tim Finley]

I shot 80#s when I was young and Im paying for it now, bad elbow and neck, and Im not quite 60 yet, Wished I'd have shot 52 # then as I do now I want to be able to shoot when I get really old If that happens!!

[Pepper]

About the only thing I can do with a heavy (#65 and up) would be to carry it for someone who could shoot it.
I guess I'll have to stay with the "girlie" bows.
More power to you who can shoot them, enjoy.

[hvyhitter]

When I went back to trad bows in 92" it was an 80# Martin Mamba as it was the only recurve in the bow shop and the owner was more than willing to trade even with my compound and get rid of it. Shot it for three years but I got rid of it as it stacked badly. I then ordered a new bow and dropped down to 60#. Ive been shooting 60 to 70# bows for the last 20 yrs now and really enjoy the feeling of sending a nice heavy arrow downrange. Its also easy to get a clean release with my beat up fingers and I never worry about any penatration issues shooting at anything. My observations on shoulder, elbow, neck issues is that usually something else is involved. Weightlifting, softball, football, vehicle accedents, falls from ladders, roofs, trees, are the most common causes of injury and shooting bows when injured just makes it worse. I havent shot or owened many bows above 70# as I havent found any I really liked......yet.

[Rob DiStefano]

wish i could shoot 65# let alone 75#, but these dayze - at my age and physique - i can't do either as consistently accurately as i can 55#.  

that's just the way it is for my life of trad archery bowhunting, and for me, 55# is just fine 'n' dandy.   could be worse, LOTS worse.  :eek:

[Bowwild]

I have zero experience with heavy recurves (or longbows). It would seem reasonable to me that lifestyle is an accurate descriptor of those who love em. Surely, they have to (at least after certain ages)include working out more than just shooting their bows in their routine?

From age 13 or so to 57 I've never had a desire to shoot recurves heavier than 55# at my draw length.  I don't even think I've ever asked someone at a 3-D or club shoot what draw weight they pull -- unless they invite me to shoot their bow. It isn't something that matters to me in the least.

I am impressed with folks who hit their target. Everything I read above from those who shoot heavier bows than I do indicates they also rate accuracy very high. Truthfully, I'm sure I would be even more impressed with someone shooting 70#+ draw weights accurately.

I know my choice of draw weights and the arrows these bows shoot, limits the game I may hunt. I'm glad I have no interest in shooting elephants (nothing against it either) or rhinos because I know I'm unequipped to do it.

I have no doubt if I were willing to put extra effort into building up archery muscles, I could likely add 10 pounds to my draw weight. I'm satisfied to pull myself into my treestands for as long as I can.

[Justin Falon]

I've shot heavy bows for years!  They are fun to shoot butyagotta work up to them and then shoot often.  My favorite bow is my 94 lb Wesley special but recently have been making 100 lb plus sinew backed Osage bows.  Like Matt said it's a choice.

[Steelhead]

I shot 70 # bows drawn to 30 inches or for about 10 years.Not real heavy.But i shot about 250 arrows a day year round.Too much time on my hands and kinda obsessive/compulsive it seems.I hunted and shot 3-d with those bows.Didnt seem very heavy really,comfortable actually.

I like a heavy bow and if you shoot one well with no problems and good form and accurracy more power to you.I would shoot as heavy as I could as long as it was comfortable,smooth with no strain and accurate.

I can still get an 85-90 # bow back too full draw.I never trained specifically to shoot a heavy bow.

Injuries and shooting issues eventually got me down to lighter weights of around 48 to 55# at 30".I would have considered that girly stuff back in the day.The good news is these lighter high performance bows really do deliver a fast arrow.Combined with a really well made and straight flying arrow and clean release you can still kill most any animal in North America.

I do respect and appreciate a heavy pulling bow thats shot well by its owner though quite a bit.It takes discipline,practice,control and some natural God gifted ability.It also lets you have a chance to kill some seriously big game and thats cool beans.

[DG2]

Nowadays I mainly shoot my 80#/29" Fox longbows, and reason being my buffalo hunting plans.

It took a very long time to build the strength and accuracy to shoot 80# bows. So at least for me it is an archievent to accurately handle these bows. At point I realised that I was way overbowed and dropped maybe 15# to less than 60#, and from there I have rebuilt up to 80#, which now feels a really light. I guess I could pull a much heavier bow than 80# if I had one.

Also almost 20 years I have been doing workouts in gym, and it is one of those few things I would not give up easily.

[newell38]

i shoot the heaviest longbow that i can push pull string...if i cant push pull it then its too heavy for me.

[robtattoo]

I regularly shoot bows in the 75-85# range, simply because I can & it's fun to do. The added -& biggest- benefeit I can see, is that I hunt with bows in the 63-66# range.
On a cold December morning, after 5 or 6 hours in a stand, that 66# is still a breeze to draw back.
Unless I get the chance to go back to Africa or get down to Oz, I really can't see me hunting with the heavier stuff, but as long as I can honk it back to 31" without turning myself into a chubby pretzel I'll continue to train through summer with them.

I'm trying to train myself to go really heavy for next spring, just to see if I can. Gary Davis has a perfect Osage stave, 84" long that he's going to build into a 120-130# bow. He's told me that if I can shoot it, I can have it! Can't pass up a 'Double-Dog-Dare' like that!  

[Rik]

If I was a tree-stand hunter, I don't think I would hunt with the bows I hunt with now.

Sitting in a tree all day in cold weather would make it a bit hard to draw and shoot accurately with a 75 or 80 pound bow. I think I would drop down to 55 pounds and call it good.

My bows are great though, for the kind of hunting I do, in steep terrain. Even when the temperature is well below zero, I am usually sweating pretty good and my muscles are totally loose and warm when I shoot an animal, due to the hiking I have to do to get to them.

Different tools for different jobs. That's the secret to success.

[buckeye_hunter]

I was suprised that I could pull a 70# Hill so easily. I thought it would really give me trouble, but I was okay for 5 or so shots. Maybe beyond that I would be in trouble. I can hold my 53# bow for about 15 seconds before the shakes set in bad. Possibly I should think about shooting a heavier bow someday. I really like the amount of control I have with the 53 pounder though.

[oxnam]

Originally posted by Rik:
Sitting in a tree all day in cold weather would make it a bit hard to draw and shoot accurately with a 75 or 80 pound bow. I think I would drop down to 55 pounds and call it good.

That is a good point.  One day elk hunting we hunted into an area that had a guy in a tree stand.  We were working hard covering a lot of ground and were wearing our lightest weight camo.  The guy in the tree stand was bundled up and freezing.  He looked like he would have a hard time pulling anything back.  He was stiff and miserable.  So the type and style of hunting could affect what weight one should shoot.

[straitera]

More heavy draw shooters than usual with some new names. Good to see. If you got 'em smoke 'em. Can't rag anyone for hunting 50#. Don't like them raggin me either. Ain't a contest. I'm no better hunter/shooter than anyone but sure very lucky to be able to shoot my bows.