Practice light - Hunt Heavy???

[pseman]

Looking for opinions here not arguments.

I am relatively new to trad shooting but have been wondering lately. I am shooting a 52# recurve now and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Horne Brushbow 44# this week. While I don't plan on doing this right away, I would also like to purchase a recurve in the 60# range(heavy to me) for hunting. I like the idea of a heavier bow and arrow setup for hunting, especially for larger game but I also like to shoot(alot) and worry that the heavier draw weight may cause bad form or injury if I shoot too much. But for hunting(one shot) the heavier bow is appealing.

My question is this, is it a good idea to practice with a light weight bow and hunt with a heavy weight bow? Do any of you do this?

[SteveMcD]

Nothing wrong with practicing with a lighter bow in the off season. However, this goes along the same line as G Fred Asbell wrote about changes and tinkering in TBM last year. I stay with my "go to" hunting bow from 2 months before the season opens.. and change or tinker with nothing, until after the hunting season is over. If I possibly can.
 
As stated hear many times before. Good Quality practice is much better than Quantity practice.

[Black Gold]

I have what I call my "workout bow"....it is 12 pounds heavier than my hunting bow.  I shoot it once a week to strengthen my muscles.  Think of it as a weight workout.  My shooting with my hunting bow has improved since doing this.

[carphunter100]

I shoot the same bow all the time, but I have a buddy that shoots light all spring and summer. About a month and a half he puts his heavery limbs on and shoots them. I myself would not do this but like Steve McD said I would shoot my hunting bow 2 months. good luck

[dan ferguson]

I would not recommend this, Your body and mind need to be trained for the heavy bow, flight of the arrow, etc., also when your hunting a person might be cold or not shoot as much which would compound problems. You would stand to get hurt easier if your body isn,t ready for it.

[hockeyref]

There is nothing wrong with what you have right now..... I don't think you'll see moose, elk, or grizly in Alabama. Why go up to 60#?

A better question is why do you think you NEED the extra 8# of weight. Are you planning a trip out west or to the great white north where you may need 60#+ on yer fingers?

[ChuckC]

You might be doing yourself a disservice by switching to a heavier (or lighter) bow just in time for season.  You need to practice with whatever you are gonna use that year for some time before it gets "normal" for you.  For deer, anything in the 40 / 50 / 60 pound range is normally considered plenty, depending on "things".  
ChuckC

[pseman]

I don't think that I NEED the extra weight, especially for whitetails. I will be hunting with both of the bows mentioned this upcoming season. I just like the idea of a "magnum" setup I guess. Kinda like having a .243, a 30-06, and a .300 mag LOL.

I just wondered if daily practice with the lighter weight bows would be practical from a form perspective to allow me to hunt with a heavier bow. In other words, if my form is very good with a 44# bow that I can shoot all day, would this help my form on a heavy bow that I will only shoot while hunting or during short practice sessions.

[C2@TheLibrary]

I feel it is vitally important to shoot the same weight or at least within 5 pounds of the same weight for practice AND hunting. I also fell it is important to shoot many different weight bows and shoot the weight that is most comfortable for you to shoot. You should, IMLTHO,shoot the heaviest bow you can shoot comfortably. If that is 44#, so be it.A 44# bow, with a good design, a properly weighted arrow, a sharp broadhead and a properly placed shot with kill everything in North America.The only reason to shoot heavier than the upper 50s/lower 60s is to shoot REALLY heavy arrows.
It could be argued that since you're only going to be making one shot when hunting, in most cases, that you can shoot heavier than you practice with because the tax on the muscles will be less than repeated shooting requires. However I believe that part of what kenisthesiologists call muscle memory involves work level. If your muscles are very familiar with the work level of 44# and you only shoot 10# or more shortly before the season begins you are opening yourself up to a possibilty of a bad outcome from poor form and infamiliarity between body and bow. Hey but what do I know? I've only been shooting a bow for 43 years and I'm only 46 and no one pays me for my opinion. You did however ask for my(all our) opinion(s) so you got it.  

[pseman]

One reason I ask this is that I often hear people tell new guys not to "overbow" themselves. I totally agree with that. Others will also say as C2 did that you should hunt with the heaviest bow you can shoot comfortably. I also think that is good advice. I just wonder if you can have the "best of both worlds" that is practice and instill great form with a lighter bow, and apply that form to a heavier hunting bow.

I don't know if this is realistic or not, but that is why I ask you guys.

[eagle24]

Mark,
I'll probably get blasted, but here is what I have found.  I dropped my #'s this year and have shot a 41# & 45# longbow most of the summer.  I did a lot of playing around with the setup and arrows for each.  I'm currently shooting (since we shot at Tannehill) my 45#CX, 45#Turkey Creek, & a 52# Harrelson longbow.  I have them all shooting arrows that are very close in trajectory.  Every afternoon when I get off work I shoot all three bows.  I've been taking a 1st shot at between 15&20 yards and a second shot between 20&25 yards.  I concentrate as if I were taking a shot at a buck of a lifetime (which I've been trying to do on every shot).  I feel confident in any/all three of the bows and shoot them about the same.  The key for me has been setting them up to shoot very close to the same.  I have them so close that there is literally no adjustment that I have to do.  Some folks will discount going to that extreme, but I know that it is important to my being able to pick any of the bows up and make the first shot a good one.

As for the lighter #'s.  Again, there will be differing opinions, but it has helped my shooting tremendously.  The lighter weight bows have made me a better shooter with all my bows.  I think around 45# is the weight I shoot the best.  I have longbows up to 60# at my draw length, but I just don't shoot as well with them.  You have probably seen posts implying folks are trying to get by with the least (gear wise) that will do the job, but IMO if higher #'s is at the expense of accuracy, then shooting lower #'s (to a point) is not getting by with the least effective gear.  All bows are not created equal either.  That Horne bow will equal many bows of more #'s.  Don't rule out hunting with it if you shoot it well and are comfortable with it.

[JEFF B]

well said eagle24 i only shoot a 45# longbow and i love it why go hurting yourself for the sake of  a few pounds i see no sence in it at all. shoot what you can handle as you will be a better shot for it. just my two cents worth but dont forget the most important thing have fun doing it.        . wolfman

[AllenR]

My opinion is to practice with the same bow that you hunt with. At least during the season. That bow should almost be a part of you so that you don't have to think when the time comes to make a shot on an animal.  

Others may be able to maintain accuracy while shooting different bows, but I know that I can't.  So it's one bow at a time for me.

[vermonster13]

Practice and hunt with the bow weight that you can control the shot with. If whitetails are what you are hunting it doesn't take a whole lot of weight to kill one. As you develop your archery muscles and form you can move up in weight if you have the desire to.

[Ray Hammond]

same weight..all year long...cause I hunt all the time.

[BigRonHuntAlot]

[mike g]

I try and use the same weight bow and arra for everything....
    3D, Stumping,Practice Hunting etc....

[Apex Predator]

Ditto what Ray Hammond says!  I have my bows setup so that there is little difference in trajectory.  That works great for short range hunting, but when the chips are down I want my bow to be an extension of my body.  In other words, I want to be very intimately familiar with my hunting bow.  I want it to be purely point and hit what I am looking at.  I find it hard to do this with bows that differ very much.  I plan to shoot my hunting bow year round.  The only problem with that is the fact that I am always trading bows looking for that "perfect" fit.  Luckily, I think I have now found it!!!

[Frank V]

I shoot my hunting bow year round no getting used to a different system come hunting season. If I do use a different bow it is still in my hunting weight. Frank

[pseman]

Greg,
Don't worry, I'm gonna take the Horne hunting this year. I have no doubt it will be more than adequate for whitetails. In fact, shooting your CX convinced me to go with a draw weight in the low 40's. I would like to set it up with something in the 400-450gr arrow weight range.

I really think the lower draw weight will help with my TP.