The Arguement FOR Heavy Bows

[Rossco7002]

This is certainly an enjoyable thread, I'm glad it's gone on so long. Really great advice has been contributed along the way and my 68@27 Schulz Granpa is due to arrive any day so I can put it into practice....

[atatarpm]

I have had a great and wonderful time reading this thread also. Many tanks to the Mods!   Ric Mitchell

[Terry Green]

You are welcome for the clean up....there was cleaning from both sides.....some where just chest beating from the heavy bow side.

Bows are tools....just like arrows and broadheads....and one size does not fit all individuals or all game.

I see folks argue that you don't need a heavy bow, but they turn right around and argue elsewhere that someone needs a heavier arrow. Sometimes you need both depending on what you are hunting.

Some also say its all subjective from one man to another, I disagree TOTALLY......you CAN shoot heavier IF you want to....you HAVE to have the DESIRE and COMMIT...what you DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE is a big frame, be stout, or 6'8's to do so.

And thanks to Longbowman for backing me up and proving that you don't have to be a brute to draw heavy bows with the video of his son.....

   CLICK HERE FOR 93# Actually drawn to FULL DRAW by a 135# young man.

[Rossco7002]

My 68@27 Schulz Granpa arrived today marking my first foray into the world of heavy bows. Seems like a great one to start with due to the string follow making it so easy on the draw. I did notice the cleaner release immediately but I'm gonna spend some time over the weekend getting to know this bow and see the differences....

The input provided here has really helped me get into my back and drawing is now much easier as a result. Thanks guys for the inspiration to give this new challenge a try!

[stik&string]

Enjoy that sweet bow... Heavier bows seem to be contagious to me and you can usually find "heavy" beautiful bows for cheap.

[duncan idaho]

I couldn't agree more. I never thought Traditional Archery should be easy. Its a martial skill and always will be. You can shoot a heavy bow, IF YOU HAVE THE MOTIVATION!.


As I expressed on the "advise from archery elders thread", a vast majority of people seem to always be searching for the lightest bow possible, to kill something with.

It doesnt take a super bodybuilding routine to shoot traditional, it just takes steady work. Yes, as many of the experts on this forum has repeatedly expressed, you can kill everything in North American with a 45 pound bow, but, I dont see you facing a grizzly with one. we need to respect the game we hunt, and strive to use the most bow we can handle, that means putting in the work, not always looking for ways to make it easier. IMHO.

[VTer]

I didnt read but the first page comments and I have one comment myself.......Mark Baker for President!

[wollelybugger]

After 50 plus years of shooting I can say there is a time when conditioning and shooting every day will not let you shoot heavy weight bows. I am a small man and the heaviest bow I could shoot well was a Hill longbow that pulled 63 pounds. I killed my first deer with it many years ago.

 As in life every thing starts to wear out, shoulders start to get arthirtis from repition no matter what weight you shoot. I shoot a self bow now and couldn't tell you what weight it is but I have to ice and heat my shoulder after a 3D round.

I think that shooting heavy is good for those who can handle it, when it starts to hurt than start lowering the poundage.

[Rossco7002]

I've really been enjoying shooting the Schulz so far. I don't notice the weight too much barring the fact that I don't hold at anchor as long. VERY enjoyable bow to shoot and I really l,e that I can shoot heavy hunting arrows on such a flat trajectory.

One thing I have notice is that I can't bareshaft tune as easily. This may be due to the bow being cut 1/4 before centre but I was wondering if it might be due to more significant body movement after the shot (as a result of the more significant holding weight).....

[oldgrouch]

I shot ~75# at one time, and shot it well.
Get sick. loose over 150 lbs. in 3 months and your world changes, a lot.

When I tried to get back to the bows it was all I could do to draw 50#.

Now I warm up with 30#, a few shots at 45" and then 10 shots at 63".

I do this at least 4 days per week.

I have to contend with permanent nerve damage so my goal is to be able to hunt this season at ~40#.

That said, I was always at my best around 65#@ 30".

I agree with most here, shoot the heaviest you can shoot accurately. The release will be cleaner and the cast will make up for some ranging errors.

When I had to drop in bow weights, the first thing I did was to jerk the bow back almost as fast as the arrow shot it forward. When I got that problem under control I noticed lots of little things that I did not think about before while I was shooting, not a good thing. While now I am shooting fairly well with all of the weights, bows from 59 to the mid 60s seem to be the automatic weights, where I don't waste a lot of brain power on shooting. This article almost seems like Howard Hill was interviewed to get the facts, it is for athletes in general, but it applies to heavy bow shooters very well.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-simple-routine-athletes-pressure.html

[bornagainbowhunter]

I just traded for a 72# and usually shoot a 67#.  I have also shot my wife's 43# quite a bit to help her get it set up.  Anyone can tell that there is a more than signifiant decrease in effective power.  The folks that say there is not need to shoot the two setups back to back.  No question at all.

On a side note, I really get a kick out of the guys, mostly wheel bow shooters, who grab my bow, try to pull it, then tell me that the draw length is too short.  I just smile and nod.    

God Bless,
Nathan

[bornagainbowhunter]

That article is pretty interisting, I am gonna try it.

God Bless,
Nathan

[Sam McMichael]

I'm still holding at 55#. Just about the time this thread was taking off, I pulled out my 78# bow and shot it about 10 times. No problem, so the next day, I did the same thing. Messed up my shoulder and it is not back to full strength yet. Mostly, I hunt with a 65# bow, but it is not yet fully comfortable, hence the 55#.

I thought I was going slow but obviously not. This is one of those "do as I say, not as I did" items. Build up slowly - probably more slowly than you think is necessary! Now when things get completely back to normal, I will begin again, but you can sure believe it will be a very slow work up this time around.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I'm still holding at 55#. Just about the time this thread was taking off, I pulled out my 78# bow and shot it about 10 times. No problem, so the next day, I did the same thing. Messed up my shoulder and it is not back to full strength yet. Mostly, I hunt with a 65# bow, but it is not yet fully comfortable, hence the 55#.

I thought I was going slow but obviously not. This is one of those "do as I say, not as I did" items. Build up slowly - probably more slowly than you think is necessary! Now when things get completely back to normal, I will begin again, but you can sure believe it will be a very slow work up this time around.

THANK YOU for posting this!!!.....this is EXACTLY why I REMOVED the post making fun of 'complicated routines and claiming just get a heavier bow and shoot it'.  Just getting a heavier bow and shooting it can cause this very thing to happen.  There is a method to the madness.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I'm still holding at 55#. Just about the time this thread was taking off, I pulled out my 78# bow and shot it about 10 times. No problem, so the next day, I did the same thing. Messed up my shoulder and it is not back to full strength yet. Mostly, I hunt with a 65# bow, but it is not yet fully comfortable, hence the 55#.

I thought I was going slow but obviously not. This is one of those "do as I say, not as I did" items. Build up slowly - probably more slowly than you think is necessary! Now when things get completely back to normal, I will begin again, but you can sure believe it will be a very slow work up this time around.

informative post and right on the money, sir!        

[Roy from Pa]

Good advice, Terry. I'm 64 years old, 165 pounds soak and wet. I've settled on 45 pounds for my bows. I make BBO bows and a guy wanted a 60 pounder, it came in at 58 and he was fine with that. But I have to shoot these bows in before final sanding and sealing the wood. Usually a good 100 shots is sufficient for shooting in a new bow. Well I shot that 58 pounder and after about 40 shots I couldn't pull it much more. But I forced it and messed up my shoulder really bad on the next shot. That was the end of my bow shooting for about two months. Be careful with heavy bows.

[gringol]

The problem with heavy bows is not actually a problem with the bows, it's the shooter.  Seems to me a lot of people just shoot heavy bows so they can beat their chest about it, and don't give the bow the respect it deserves.  All other things being equal, and heavy bow is definitely better than a light bow when hunting, but I feel like most people don't devote the proper time to build up their strength and form to be able to shoot heavy bows correctly.  If you are straining AT ALL, or getting tired after a few minutes of shooting, you are probably overbowed.  I know this because the first custom bow I bought was a 70# one I bought when I was young and dumb.  I didn't do anything to work into it, just picked it up and started flinging arrows.  I was young enough that I didn't hurt myself, but my shooting sucked and didn't improve until I dropped weight.

People say it all the time, but it seems like a lot of shooters still don't get it; the best draw weight is the ACCURATE one.  If that is 30# for you, don't worry about it, shoot that and work up very slowly if you feel you must.  You'll shoot better, and your joints will thank you.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I have seen guys just jerk the heavy bows back like they are trying to rip its head off. I have shot heavy bows most of my life and think it would kill my shoulder to do that. I draw my bow slow and easy when practicing, just like I would in a hunting situation. Like was just posted, take care of your joints and don't be silly about shooting any bow, heavy or not.

God bless,
Nathan

For those that are younger and have the testosterone kicking in and telling them to get a heavier bow, all of the stuff about building up a bit at a time is us older shooters giving kindly  advice. Take it, it is important.  When I shot 90 pound bows, I could shoot hundreds of arrows in a day, but I warmed up to them on a daily basis. I always took a few shots with a lighter bow.  When out hunting, I would do some simple shoulder stretches and take my wife's 50 pound Hill and draw it a few times to get warmed up. I have found that there is an advantage of having bows with similar grips for the lighter build up bows. It is possible to have bow arm complications as well as drawing arm problems. In other words, if your goal is to go considerably heavier, pick a handle style and stick with it. Shooting a deep recurve grip in a light bow and then jumping to a Hill straight grip that 30 pounds heavier, you find that there are different muscles involved. I had a collection of Bear takedown limbs, but when I went to a heavy longbow, I could feel the damage pretty quick on my bow arm side. It is easier on the body if the step up bows would all be straight grip bows, if a heavy Hill style bow is in your plans. Buying used bows can save some money and there is nothing unmanly about admitting that perhaps that 80 pounder will have to take a back seat to the 65 pounder for hunting for the time being.