Everybody shooting lighter bows?

[arsurveyor]

I have a 60#@28 and a 50#@28.  My draw length to a comfortable anchor and correct form is right around 29”.  I can shoot the 60# bow as accurately as the 50# bow; however, with the 60# I feel I can never achieve a complete draw and follow through.  Too stiff at 29”.  I would like to try a 45# bow.

[tarponnut]

I started back in 1980 with a Super Magnum 48
at 65# with sights! I could hold it for up to 30 seconds at full draw.I missed about 20 deer with it,though.
I dropped down to a 42# Black Bear recurve and started killing stuff.
I shoot between 46 and 50# now, generally get two holes in just about everything I shoot(mostly hogs).
In my opinion, arrow speed and camo clothing are the two most over-rated things in traditional archery.
I do have a lot of friends that shoot 60#+ and do very well.

[tarponnut]

As a follow up, I rarely shoot over 15 yards at anything. I've killed the majority of my deer and hogs at under 15 yards, often under ten.

[Igor]

I'm shooting 47# to 65# and usually hunt with the mid 50's bows....I'm 59 yrs old and I like to shoot the heavier bows for practice but seldom hunt with them....


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Glenn

[Andy Cooper]

I shoot 50-70# bows. I get off the string cleanest with 60-62# and can shoot the longest without fatigue with the 50's. I usually hunt with a 50# or a 62#. I'll have Sixby build me a 40 pounder when when I get the coin.

[Terry Lightle]

I shot 63# for lots of years,now shoot 49# with very heavy arrows and love my setup.

[WidowEater]

Im shooting 55# and that is truthfully too much.  Im getting better with it over time though and I think by the end of the month it will be comfortable.  I have no plans of going any higher than that though.

[AWPForester]

Well, I say shoot what you like but yes, accuracy is where it is at, not bow poundage.  God Bless

[Gila Mike]

I bought my first real "hunting bow" in the mid-1960s and still have it ... a 49# Pearson (Locksley) Wildcat.

During all the years since, I've acquired a couple dozen other bows of various brands and types. Their draw weights range from 34# (a beautiful old Pearson Golden Sovereign) to 55# (a 1996 Howatt Mamba that draws 55#, or maybe a little more).

The bows I shoot regularly are mostly in the 45# to 50# range. I don't think I'm decreasing or increasing draw weight to accomodate my age. I'm pretty much right where I've always been.

Mike

[Sam McMichael]

I like the heavier bows and shot them for years. Age is catching up, though. The 78# stays in the rack, and after a sore shoulder that is not yet completely healed, my 65# Weley Special is getting less attention. Currently, I'm shooting my Hill Cheetah at 55# and am liking it a lot.

I can now pull the heavier bow again, but my accuracy has not returned so I won't hunt with it till it pulls comfortably and the accuracy is there. Fortunately, I have several lighter bows that work well for me.

[Gregg S]

The first deer I shot was with a Bear Kodiak that was 45#. That was a long time ago. I got a complete pass through and I don't think that I was drawing it to 28". Since then I thought that I needed more weight and over the years ended up at 65#. Then I started working my way back down, finding that my accuracy improved as I dropped bow weight. Now I shoot a 45# bow and have total confidence in it and my ability to put the arrow where it needs to go. It only took me 35 years to figure out what I should have known from my first bow kill.

[Yellow Dog]

I draw 30" and +or- a few pounds from 50 is perfect for me.

[Caleb Andes]

Im just a young gun at 23 and shoot a 52lb at 28" draw.

I can put it where I want with that poundage.

[m midd]

I started with a 60# recurve.. Most my bows now are 53-63#
My favorite is my 63# longbow. I can pick up that bow any given day and hit what im looking at.

[sawtoothscream]

lightest one I have with around 39-40# at my DL and my heaviest is around 55# at my DL.   For 3d I love my titan riser with long 45# limbs, so so easy to draw and hold and dead accurate.  hunting wise my hunterbow, titan with 50# dryads and omega are my picks, all of them are still easy to draw and shoot good.  I want to play with some 60# limbs someday, just dont want to buy them to find otu there to much weight for me.  so if anyone wants to lend me some 60# ILF limbs hit me up  

[Bud B.]

I've been shooting the 2013 Faith bow exclusively since it arrived Sept 4th, 61 @ 28. Last night I drew back one of my 45# bows. It felt like a kid's bow. After Faith leaves I think I'll shoot my heaviest bow, 64 @ 28, just so the lighter stuff continues to feel easier. I prefer 45ish to low 50ish bows and 15yd or under shots, preferably 10-12 if I can get'em in closer. I do have a 40# longbow that I hope to use on deer soon.

[Cherokee Scout]

Here is something younger guys may not realize. As a person gets older they do not "heal" as quickly if injured or strain a muscle. When I was younger I would recover form athletic injures very quickly. Now an injury that use to heal in a week takes 6 months. I am very active and use exercise equipment regularly, but strains happen much easier and seem to never heal. If you think that if you continue to "work out" as you get older your body will react the same, you might be surprised. It might boil down to a decision like this........keep shooting the heavier bow and take a chance of muscle strain (and have to stop shooting for 6 months), or reduce the weight and be careful so you can keep shooting. This may not be the case for everyone but our bodies seem to be like car tires, they wear out. If you keep them in alignment and balanced they last longer, but if you abuse them, they wear out faster and can not be fixed. I agree with "shoot what you like", but "shoot what is comfortable" might be better. Take care of your bodies because surgeries HURT.

[GreyGoose]

I felt like I was fighting my 50# and even my 45# bows for over a year.  Bought a 40# Toelke Super-D from a Tradganger earlier this Summer, and results have been amazing.

I solidified my form, anchor, and release, and now I can shoot the heavier bows better, too.  So I am going into the woods with the 50 #er for deer, to get the flattest trajectory and biggest impact.  Later in the season, when it's cold and I may not be as limber, I think I'll hunt the Super-D

[David Mitchell]

Originally posted by Cherokee Scout:
Here is something younger guys may not realize. As a person gets older they do not "heal" as quickly if injured or strain a muscle. When I was younger I would recover form athletic injures very quickly. Now an injury that use to heal in a week takes 6 months. I am very active and use exercise equipment regularly, but strains happen much easier and seem to never heal. If you think that if you continue to "work out" as you get older your body will react the same, you might be surprised. It might boil down to a decision like this........keep shooting the heavier bow and take a chance of muscle strain (and have to stop shooting for 6 months), or reduce the weight and be careful so you can keep shooting. This may not be the case for everyone but our bodies seem to be like car tires, they wear out. If you keep them in alignment and balanced they last longer, but if you abuse them, they wear out faster and can not be fixed. I agree with "shoot what you like", but "shoot what is comfortable" might be better. Take care of your bodies because surgeries HURT.

X2........  

[ripforce56]

My bows range from a low 40s Selfbow, to a Bama Expi 53@28, my favorite weight to shoot overall is my Bama Expi 47@28 62in R/D longbow its the best of both worlds draw weight to speed!