Listen to your body, as it knows best

[moleman]

After 35 yrs. of this game and shooting the heavies for close to 25 years of it, combined with hard manual labor, my body is telling me its time to step down in poundage a bit.
Im no where near done shooting and hunting with my heavies, but in the future they are gonna see  less use, for in the interest of conserving my body for the next 25 yrs. or more ( I hope) im gonna start to lighten up, as Ive got a lot of huntin yet to do.     listen to your body, as it knows best.
As of now my body is in great shape, and by stepping down I plan on keeping it that way in order to enjoy many more yrs. of this trad. journey.  

[ron w]

Amen........

[maxwell]

yup and amen also-

[pitbull]

[awbowman]

Agree moleman.  MANY animals have fallen with 40-45# bows.  Conserve that body and the race will be longer

[PowDuck]

Yep. I need some of these young whippersnappers to step up. I've got a couple heavy bows I need to try and sell sometime soon.
       

[moleman]

Ive had a great run with the heavies, and still plan on shooting and hunting with them, just not nearly as much.
Just a word of wisdom for our young pups.
Never underestimate what you can accomplish, I weigh in at a whopping 150 lbs wet and have been shooting 65 to 80 lb bows for yrs. and if that is your goal, GO FOR IT! but take care getting there and let your body dictate to you when its time to back off before any damage is done!
Its a fun ride, but know when to get off.  

[SS Snuffer]

Been There

[ranger 3]

I think a lot of guys shoot the heavy bows and will pay for it later in life.

[britt]

Every time I buy a new bow I go down in poundage. Next one is 45# at 30in. Its about getting rid of ego and gaining humility.

[woodsman 365]

Well said. I started cutting back on weight knowing my number of bow hunting years depends on taking care of myself.

[RC]

I`ve never killed an animal with a bow over 59 pounds.

[stalkin4elk]

Lots of jobs as well as sedentary lifestyles that are harder on the body than heavy bows IMHO.
It takes humility and loss of ego to get in shape and stay in shape regardless of your archery preferences.  

[Pat B.]

I hunted an 83# Damon Howatt Hunter for years..
Used 2219's and Zwickey Deltas.. Man, that combo was a smoker !!!  

Slowy, over the years I've come down in weight. For several years I shot bows in the mid to upper 40's but I'm back around 60 for most of my bows.
If I could still shoot 80 ACCURATELY and comfortably I would..  But a 55# bow will kill all the game most of us will ever encounter, I think..
                       Good hunting !

[moleman]

woodsman, you summed up my whole post and thought in one sentence.    
I wanna be stretching a string as long as I can.  

[pcg]

There's a common thread here that I think is in grave error. The error is the assumption that you're getting older, & therefore cannot be as strong as you once were... Or due to age you have to conserve strength so you can keep shooting in the future. Not true. With conditioning your body at 65 can be as strong as at 35, or at 75 as strong as at 50. You have to eat properly, be the weight you were when you were 30, exercise regularly. But if you take care of yourself, strength does not necessarily decline.

[coaster500]

Over a life that abused my body I still have the muscle mass and strength to pull a heavy bow. The one thing that people don't take into consideration is cartilage and bone....  They only have so many miles in them and when the cartilage is gone and the arthritis moves in you are bone on bone no amount of conditioning will bring it back. I only say all this because the topic of this thread was "Listen to your body, as it knows best" and I didn't. I know this thread comes up from time to time but the subject is worth repeating. I have been in good shape my entire life and been very physical. I work out but the damage is still there and total shoulder replacement is the only solution on both shoulders.


So as the thread states "Listen to your body"..............

[bowslinger]

I tried listening to my body the other night and it said "don't move", but my glass was empty.  I hear that "don't mov"e a lot in the morning when I wake up too!

I just purchased a new recurve at 55# which is in the range of what I normally shoot.  However, I bought a takedown, knowing I will be shooting lighter limbs in the future.  All of my bow purchases now involve selecting a draw weight I feel I will be able to still draw in 10 years.

[Bowjunkie]

I'm working my way back UP in draw weight. I was shooting 70 lbs daily, and 85 lbs accurately on occasion until I got Lyme in the fall of '11. I couldn't even STRING a bow for over a year, heck I couldn't lift a half gallon of milk with one hand, could barely dress myself, and had to sit out bow season for the first time in 30 years.

For me it's not about ego, it's about a return to health and vigor from a place of unrelenting pain and debilitation. Clearing the 70 lb hurdle will be a major physical and psychological benchmark in my recovery.

For now I'm on a slow rebound, started shooting an arrow or two a couple months ago, occasional strength training as the pain permits, and now I'm back up to 60 lbs and still climbing. As things improve, I can work harder and shoot more often and more weight. I was really messed up and pathetically weak from being layed up for over a year, almost bed-ridden for a while. But honestly, considering my circumstances, as easy and quick as it was for me to get back up to 60 lbs, it's hard to imagine a healthy grown man unable to shoot over 50 pounds well if he elected to. I've got a relatively physical job though compared to some folks I suppose. I don't know... I guess it doesn't matter. I'd rather my hunting companions shoot what they can accurately so our bloodtrails are short and productive. A 40 lb bow will kill any deer dead. Heck, I remember a neighbor kid killed a deer with a 25 lb solid fiberglass bow back in the day.

Me, I like the challenge of shooting moderately heavy bows well and I intend to soon be shooting in excess of 70 pounds and am building myself a 70-75 lb yew English longbow for the occasion  

Shoot whatcha brung!

[BSBD]

I've been shooting at least mid 60's for over 30 years and some in the high 70's. I like the performance of mid 60's best and don't plan on changing anytime soon.

I've been in the construction business for all of my life and I think it has helped in overall strength. Still have a good back, shoulders and knees.

A few years ago I spent a year shooting 35lb and 45lb bows for target and 3D. It didn't help my scores much but it made it harder to go back to my regular weights. I hope to have at least 20 more years shooting what I like best.