Wyoming Guys, question on 50# minimum for elk

[neargeezer]

From what I can find in the Wyoming archery regulations the minimum draw weight for elk is 50#’s. Being a longbow shooter with a 30” draw length I question how the 50#’s is measured.

If the bow is marked 50# at 30” is that a legal elk bow?

Is the bow legal if it pulls 50# at the shooters draw length, but is marked something like 46# at 28”?

I guess what I’m asking does Wyoming go by what weight the shooter actually pulls or how the weight and draw length that is marked on the bow?

The reason I ask this question is that being an older archer I can easily pull the 50 pounds at my draw length, but if I get much over 52 pounds, my joints and tendons seem to become inflamed.

Thanks for any help trying to clear this up for me.
Terry K.

[slivrslingr]

Oregon is the same, 50# minimum.  I believe your bow has to say 50# on it to be legal, regardless of draw length.  Best to call the proper authorities in Wyoming and ask them to be sure.

[KSdan]

No dog in the fight. . .  however, it seems odd to me that they would base it on what the bow reads.  You could easily write anything on the bow you like!  And indeed- if this is the actual regulation, I would change the writing to match my actual hunting wt. and draw length if I needed to.

[M60gunner]

I doubt the Game and Fish people carry a bow scale. I would bet it has to be written on bow. Better call and talk to a game warden and see what he says. Also ask what do his fellow officers use to measure with.

[TOEJAMMER]

.......and get it in writing.

[centaur]

I don't know the answer, but I will try and contact our local warden this morning and see if he can give a clarification. He is a bowhunter, so maybe he can give a good answer. The law is vague at best.

[neargeezer]

Thanks so much for the help. I wasn't sure if I should call Cheyenne or a game warden in the area.

[ChuckC]

I would make a guess that this is printed as a guideline and that there would be very little enforcement of that rule unless it is really out of whack or is used ancillary to some other crime.  

There is no way for them to know what that bow pulls while in the field and no way to know if your draw is over 28" or if you routinely reach your 30+" draw when a critter is standing in front of you.  If when talking to you, they determine that you know a bit about which you speak, that your draw length and bow weight makes for a 50# + bow at your draw, they should accept it and leave it alone.

Everywhere in our country there are little signs on the roads saying "speed limit" and almost nobody ever follows them exactly, but that is OK I guess.  
ChuckC

[centaur]

After numerous phone calls, I finally talked to a warden in Cody. He said that 'he could have a problem if the bow is labeled 46@28'.  He said that the situation could vary from warden to warden as to how they understood traditional bows, but that most 'would be understanding'. Clear as mud, huh?
This tells me that there is no clear answer to the question, probably due to the fact that the law is written poorly and doesn't take into account variables that are inherent in trad bows. If they are going to go strictly by what the bow is marked, then a guy who draws 30" with a 46#@28 bow could have a problem, but someone who draws 26" and has a bow marked 50@28 would be OK.
That is extremely frustrating to hear, and I plan on talking to our local warden in person when I see him, and ask if there is some sort of education that would clue wardens in to how trad bows work.
Sorry that I don't have a logical, reasonable answer, and I am embarrassed to see that our G and F folks don't have a clue about trad archery equipment.

[Paul_R]

Sounds like it's nothing a paint pen can't fix regardless.

[snag]

They should have a scale to check the bow if they are going to issue a ticket for a bow labeled 46#@28". But they don't. The difference between on warden to another is their knowledge of a trad. bow and how the loner draw length equates to more draw weight and how much more. I would think you could explain this to the warden in a calm manner and he would let you go on your way.  If I were to receive a violation I'd appear in court with a scale and show the judge what the bow draws at my draw length.

[bowhuntingrn]

Onestringer makes small 1.5" square "limbstickers". I bet if you talked to them, they could make something professional looking that you could stick on (like you see on compound limbs), rather than having to permanently alter your bow. Chances are if they don't know enough about trad equipment to understand how it works, they would never know the difference. You could mark it 51# @ 30", it wouldn't be a lie, just a different interpretation of the truth. Just a thought.

[bowhuntingrn]

Sorry messed that up.

[monterey]

If there is room for latitude in the officers judgment, there is room for selective enforcement!  I have one bow marked by the manufacturer as 55# @28".  It scales at 48#!!

if it were me, I'd be sure was marked 50# AMO and would scale at that weight.

[centaur]

I called the Cheyenne office, and again, the right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing. "Maybe he could carry something from the bow's manufacturer to say what the weight would be" was the best guess I got from anyone. In other words, they are clueless. I plan on having a one on one with my local warden when I can catch him. I don't know why an email to all wardens that explains how trad bows work and how to handle this in field situations wouldn't be a good way to go, but we are dealing with a state bureaucracy here, so who knows? Probably would take multiple committee meetings, power point presentations, and high level conferences to come to a resolution.    

[RLA]

What about a selfbow or any bow with no # markings for that matter? Maybe they should invest in some hand held scales or just use some common since.

[centaur]

Originally posted by RLA:
What about a selfbow or any bow with no # markings for that matter? Maybe they should invest in some hand held scales or just use some common since.

Logic and common sense are commodities in short supply nowadays.

[neargeezer]

Thanks Pat for all your leg work. I really didn't expect anyone to spend so much of their own time looking for the "answer". You are a true Wyoming ambassador.

I think it sounds safest to be sure I have a bow marked a legal weight for my draw length and to be sure it does pull at least that weight.

Thanks again,
Terry K.

[TOEJAMMER]

As i stated before, " Get it in writing.".

[Blackhawk]

This is an interesting thread and just a simple example of confusing and problematic rules and regs we encounter every day with the "government".  I think MOST of these enforcers are professional and understand this...while some may not be.  

I know my state's regs cite that an archer must use "sharp" broadheads while hunting, and I always wondered how do they enforce this rule.

BTW, I ordered a custom bow a couple years ago and wanted it at 50#.  It came in at 49#, so I requested the bowyer simply write 50# on it.