I swear, I'm turning into a wimp - even a 45# bow seems like a chore to shoot some days. I think it's time for me to admit that I'm not the 25 yr.old mercenary stud that I used to be. :(
If my next now is less than 40 lbs., am I required to turn in my manhood card?
I believe Killdeer has killed quite a few deer with a 37# recurve.
Night Wing shoots upper 30s. Think he fares pretty well, too.
Pretty sure you know the answer to this question already.
QuoteOriginally posted by JamesKerr:
I believe Killdeer has killed quite a few deer with a 37# recurve.
Yeah, but she doesn't have to worry about turning in her man-card. :D
I'll be pulling 30# by the end of Sept I hope revovering from torn tricep tendon surgery. I'm not hunting deer with that weight though. That will have to wait.
Do what you can with what you have has always been my philosophy...but...my inner child always gets in the way! Even though I know better I do not "warm up" as I should with my lighter bows. But, I must admit that I do enjoy shooting the lighter bows more! :archer2:
I never felt the need to apply for a man card. Having the hunting skill to get close enough to kill deer with light bows trumps struggling to draw too much weight and is the manly approach or the two.
I'll be starting the season with any number of old Bears from 35-40lbs and I'll shoot thru and kill deer just as fast, with even better shot placement, then when I shot 55lbs.
The heavy vs light debate reminds me of the old joke about the young bulls and the old bull running or walking down the hill to get to know the cows in a better way.
So, what's the joke about the bulls, Mojostick.
Tom , Keep the man card. LOL Forget the bulls.
God bless you , Steve
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom Anderson:
So, what's the joke about the bulls, Mojostick.
The young bull wants to run down the hill and do his thing with one cow. The old bull suggests walking down the hill and doing his thing with all the cows.
TX has got it. LOL
I've been shooting my 40# recurve all year and am completely confident that I will have no problem harvesting a deer with a well placed shot. I can shoot this bow for longer periods of time and feel like I'm more accurate with it. Get a lighter bow and have fun with it......no problem :D
Not since I was eight.
Man card :biglaugh: Anyway, keep the man card, just make sure the bow has the legal weight written on it.
One of the best hunters i ever knew,used a 40#@28" bow to take many deer,through his years..Thing is,his draw was no more than 26".I doubt any on here woulda told him he wasnt a man and he woulda told them,where to stick their "Man card".LOL
I for one have never understood why confidence is in poundage, I do understand that you need a certain amount of Kenetic Energy to break bone, but when it comes to deer you can do that with a 25 pound bow. Provided, you a proficient with the bow you are using and you know your limitations. Now those that shoot higher poundage is no problem, more power to them.
I started out with 58# (1974), I also found that it was too much for me. At the present time I'm shooting a 34# Griffen. I was not shooting for a long time because my shoulder, it took a long time to diagnose what I had. And now that I know that I can be proficient with 34 pounds, why do anything different. It's easier on my body, I know my limitations, and I found it's like riding a bicycle. Alot also depends on how well you tune an arrow to the bow. That's one thing about Trad gangs members they are excellent bunch of people with a wealth of experience and helpful spirit.
I stop shooting for about a year, I did not shoot any bows simply because my shoulder. But getting back into it feels good. If you've got a proficient well made precision traditional bow, low poundage is no problem. Except for your state limitations. You have to be sure your legal. And mentally prepare yourself that you not going to shooting anything bigger than a Whitetail deer. Although I heard of people shooting elk with a 40# &45# bow, I would not want to try that myself, it's just not justice to the animal.
Carl
QuoteOriginally posted by Mongo:
Not since I was eight.
That hurts, Mongo.... :(
Not yet .. But I'm working my way down as the years click by
Mongo meant to say he's trying to make up for other inadequacies that we shouldn't mention. ;)
I'm in the same boat. Used to shoot 65# at my draw. I was young then and I hung drywall for a living. Throwing around 100# sheets for eight to twelve hours a day kept me in pretty good shape. The pounding that my shoulders took from delivering the drywall eventually took it's toll though. 20 years went by and over the last few years I had rotator cuff tears to both shoulders. When the surgeon talked to me after each surgery he said that along with the tears he cleaned up alot of cob webs which probably came about from the years of pounding on my shoulders. Anyway, since then I went down to 52# then 47#. After the last surgery I went down to 35# for shooting 3D's and I will be hunting with about 43# for deer this year. I'm enjoying shooting pain free and have no intention of going any higher in weight. At the 3D shoots, there is really not much noticable difference in arrow speed between my recurve and most other guys bows. I won't be turning in my man card any time soon though. Do what's best for YOU and forget about anybody else.
I shoot 45#. Here in N.J. 35#@28" is legal.
The humorous thing in all this is that I'll most likely HAVE to get a custom bow made, as most commercial off-the-shelf bows usually only go down to about 40#'s......
The Bear Montana comes in low poundage - maybe I'll try one of those.
Tom,
Hope you can make the Sissipahaw shoot 8/18. It'd be nice to meet more trad shooters from the Tarheel State.
Bud
Just for the record for you kids, when I started this bowhunting game in the early '60's 40-45 lb was the average deer bow. 50 lb was getting into the heavyweights. Just sayin'...
JW
When I started shooting it was with a Bear super mag 45@28 shot at our local indor range with my brother,we were told then to drop down in weight,45-50lbs was the ideal hunting weight back then.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mojostick:
Mongo meant to say he's trying to make up for other inadequacies that we shouldn't mention. ;)
NO, Mongo said exactly what he wanted to. I don't have a problem with light bows for thins skinned animals. BUT, since I primarily hunt hogs, light bows do not cut it.
I shoot in the 30's. Target bow is 33# and Howard Hill is 38. Going into my 60's with my body it seems what don't hurt don't work.
Indian clubs, and kettle bells.
Aw, dude...if only I had known. Sold a 40# Pacific Yew takedown a few months back that would've been perfect. Hope to see you in a few weeks.
I had an old Bear recurve when I was a teen and it was only 30@28. I took several deer with it and never had penetration problems. I do have a 30" draw and that helps alot.
No and im 10 years old.Waiting on my new bow 50@26 cant wait.
QuoteOriginally posted by paradocs:
Aw, dude...if only I had known. Sold a 40# Pacific Yew takedown a few months back that would've been perfect. Hope to see you in a few weeks.
Yep - it seems that I'm always a day late...and now, about 10#'s too short.
I didn't know either. I haven't shot a bow in over a year, and just got a nice 45# Martin Savannah which reminded me why the last bows I was looking at were in the 38-40# range. I'm going to have to step WAY down I believe and go with about 35# in order to shoot pleasurably.
And since it looks like I'll be among similarly-challenged friends here, excepting Mongo and a 10-yr old kid, I'll keep hold of my man-card and just do it!
Just a thought, Tom...keep an eye out on Great Northern's in-stock bow page. Jerry has 4 field bows listed under 41#. Three are lefties, though; the one RH is only 25#, but he adds bows periodically. Supposed to be good performers, easy early in the draw like you're looking for, and reasonably priced. Just gotta wait til your draw weight comes up, as he doesn't custom build that particular model.
Depending on your draw length Howard Hill Archery do some economical lower weight bows.
Eagleeye is a very strong boy and he doesn't snap shoot. We work him out with heavy bows and in a short time he is in another lb class.Bad thing is he needs short bows being he is 5'2" .I here people say they shoot better with lighter bows we dont, eagleeye is the same with a light bow he searches for a anchor point and if you give him a heavy bow he doesn't.
Actually,
The Op never said anything about what he would be hunting,if anything,with the bow.I dont believe there was any solicitation of oppinions of his choice of said bow either,except for the "Man card" thing,which i believe was in Jest anyway,so lets not turn this into another,Light vrs heavy bow or ethics questioning thread.
QuoteOriginally posted by Traxx:
Actually,
The Op never said anything about what he would be hunting,if anything,with the bow.I dont believe there was any solicitation of oppinions of his choice of said bow either,except for the "Man card" thing,which i believe was in Jest anyway,so lets not turn this into another,Light vrs heavy bow or ethics questioning thread.
You nailed it, Traxx!
I was certainly just joking about the "man card" thing, and I believe those here that have met me in person (and I've been around a while - member #97) well know that I have no problems with my masculinity nor do I need to tote a man-card. ;)
I was, however, interested in drumming up some discussion about lighter-weight bows, who was using what, what may be available, and other folks' general experience with under 40# bows. So, let's continue...
Hi,This is Debbie at Legends Bows.I have shot alot of big game trophies with #35-#37 pounds.Its not always about the poundage,i believe its good arrow set up and picking your shots.I think its made me a better hunter.Im shooting a #37 Cyclone longbow now with a 460 grn, arrow,broadhead is a two blade Zwickey.I have shocked some people at how well this set up works for me.
I see nothing wrong with dropping your poundage to something you can handle better and shoot more acurate.
I personaly am stuck in a wheel chair for all my practicing and have to hunt from an atv. The bow that I shoot the best is 43#. This is my go to bow and alltho I have only had 2 kills my arrows did the job on whitetail's.
Go with what you are sure of!! :archer2:
Took my first whitetail with a 38@23" bow.
Debbie,at Legend bows,
You wouldnt know me from Adam,But i was shootin next to Ya,at Petaluma,at the practice range.I have no doubt about your bow setup at all.
My go-to bow has been my 50# recurve, but as little as I've been able to shoot lately, I will probably be shooting my 44# Lost Creek. I picked up a 1956 Bear Kodiak 38@28 dual shelf and have been shooting it more and more. With a 30.5" CE90 and a total of 250gr up front, there is no doubt in my mind that a proper shot on a whitetail would give complete pass through. That little arrow smacks the target like it's really serious. Be kind of fun taking a deer with a bow from my teenage years.
Old age and bad shoulders for me, I am in the low 30s now but I am shooting better than ever. Actually winning a few 3Ds now.
I'm pretty young and shoot kinda heavy bows so I don't have a dog in the fight. I am always amazed at just how powerful two "sticks and a string" really are!
It gives me peace of mind to know when my body is on it's down slide I'll still eat wild game taken in the manor I choose.... "two sticks and a string"
:campfire:
i bought my wife a longbow for her wedding gift...a big jim buffalo, 30#@26". She's deadly with it. no deer yet, but a couple small pigs.
do what's good for you- and take care of your arms and shoulders. A light bow has got to be better than staples in your shoulder.
OK, folks - I've got a deal in the works on a 35# Bear Montana, which should be much easier on my shoulders.
Traxx,Yep we were there next time introduce yourself.It was a good weekend.
my main shooting set up right now is probably about 38-40# and I love it. Cant shoot for a long time and not have my shoulder hurt ( injured shoulder before summer started). I shoot arrows under 350gr with it though and its just a 3d/ small game set up. But if I dump up arrow weight im sure it would get the job done if I kept shots around 15yds
I have a Old Neck injury{old Rodeo wreck}That has been givin me fits for a while now.Ive been dropping down in weight for the last few years,due to it.I work hard for a liveing{Farrier}everyday,so when i go out for fun,i dont want to hurt.Havent put in for big game tags,for a few years now and have concentrated,on bein a small game specialist.Havein fun doin it too,so,im leanin toward the lighter side these days.
Debbie,
Not shure,if you were at the Foster a couple years ago,but i know Mike was.We visited about Shoein and startin young horses,for quite a while there.We may have allready met.LOL
Debbie, you know you would do alot better at those tournaments if you quit letting Mike keep score for ya. :) :) :)
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom Anderson:
OK, folks - I've got a deal in the works on a 35# Bear Montana, which should be much easier on my shoulders.
Sounds like it's gonna be a good shooter!!
Post up some pics when you can.