How heavy did you start?

[ScottinPA]

On my trip back to trad, I came from shooting 80+ lb compound.  My first recurve coming back was 47lb at my draw.  I eventually moved up a few pounds at a time and shot 62# for a while.  My current bows are all 71-76lbs.  It took about 4 years and 1000's of shots to work up to that correctly.

[Sam McMichael]

I think it was 20#, when I was about 10. My first hunting weight bow was a 45# Ben Pearson Gamester when I was a teenager. Since then I have hunted with bows from 45# up to 78# but now mostly shoot 50 - 55#.

[CRS]

Originally posted by damascusdave:
One way that I verify that I am coming to full draw and shooting consistently is to shoot Technohunt....you get a printed velocity for every arrow at the end of your shooting time...if I am still getting the same velocity at the end of a 40 or 45 arrow session in a half hour I know that I am maintaining good form and not over bowed

DDave

Interesting,  I  may have to set up the chrono and do that in the backyard.

[stabow]

Started with 60+ now keep everything 50 or less

[yeager]

My very first bow back in 1970 when I was a junior in high school was a 1965 Herters Perfection....52"/55# @ 28".  I still have that bow along with eleven of the Microflite #7 arrows.  Apparently I wasn't a very good hunter then as I lost only one arrow.

[Mryan2176]

I started at 40 @ 28. I'm hunting my first year with 45 @ 28. I can handle 55 tops at this point, but 45 i can shoot all day. Next year i'm going to hunt with my 50 pound don dow stikbow. Who knows might hunt this year with that too. 40 seemed like a ton after hunting with compounds for 10 years. What a difference shooting every day since january made.

[Kris]

Too heavy! 70#@28" Bighorn TD

Kris

[jsparky93]

My very first bow was a 15 or 20# fiberglass recurve. Then I shot compounds & came back to trad with a 61# recurve which was way too heavy even after shooting 70# compounds. Now most of my bows range between 50 & 55#.

[Sean B]

50#, then moved to 65# a few years later

[Fanto]

18lb recurve age 11

[bruinman]

Started with a 47 pound recurve. Have shot recurves and longbows up to 80 pounds. My bows today run from 50-62 pounds.

[twitchstick]

Hoyt hunt master recurve 65@28. I was a lot tougher then.

[TKO]

I started with a 70 pound compound in 1988. My last compound was a 90 pounder. Based on that bow, the local archery shop recommended 65 pounds for my first traditional bow, a Super Kodiak. They didn't deal in traditional equipment and I'm guessing they didn't know any more about the subject than I did/do. Turns out 65 pounds is too much bow. I am capable of shooting it well, if only for a few shots but, I don't really like to shoot it. I'm going to try to sell it and buy something in the 48 to 52 pound range.

[cahaba]

Started at 65# Jerry Hill longbow. I can remember shooting tournaments and I would start out smoking the targets but half way thru the course I was shaking and it took everything I had to just get it back somewhere close to anchor. Now I shoot around 50# and really like that weight.

[Safari Scott]

Little over 60# at my draw. It never really bothered me though I just practiced a lot and it felt natural. It's been a year now and I still shoot that weight. I've got a 45er on order though so I'll probably soon get too lazy for the heavier one though.   :D

[TraditionalGuy]

15# for the first bow I ever used on animals (squirrels). I think I was 5 or 6. My first deer hunting bow was an old bear compound started at 25# at 7 years old and moved up to 40# by the time I was 12 and could legally hunt. My first recurve was around 55# and my first long bow, which is still my hunting bow, is 65# at 27 inches.

[ronp]

43# @ 28" draw.

[longbowman]

Started with a 45# Bear Bearcat in 1966.  Now that I'm old and feeble I shoot a Bear T.D. @ 72#.

[LookMomNoSights]

25# all fiberglass Bear recurve.....I was 7.
By 10 or 11,  I dissappeared into the abyss of compound archery......when I stopped that,  I was shooting at 72#......then I picked up a brand new Super Kodiak at 60# (graduated from wheels and cams all together at that point) ....because I figured if I was shooting for years at 70ish with the wheel bow,  60 with the recurve should be fine......
WRONG!   I couldnt shoot that bow at first!  Could not concentrate and learn form....it was too heavy.  
 Ive been at 50 to 53# for a long time now with my recurves and longbows. Its the perfect weight for me.

[Bill Turner]

62",45@28" Wing "Thunderbird" recurve in 1970 was my first. Prefer 45 to 55 at 28" today.