I'm a deer hunter who will hopefully get a couple chances at larger game in the future. My go to bow is #51 and I just had another of the same make and model at #55 follow me home. (Thats what I told the wife). So does the #55 offer enough advantages over the #51 on larger game to justify keeping it in the stable?
I was fine until I saw the word "justify".
That word just doesn't have room on the rack. There are too many bows.
Killdeer :nono:
If you can shoot it comfortably i would keep it. (Get a bigger rack)... :)
:dunno:
If you can shoot it just as accurately as the #51 than I say use it. I shoot a range of bows from 50-65 pounds but find I am most consistant and accurate with a bow that is #55 so that is what I shoot.
I don't understand....do you want a back up bow?....if so keep it. Can I justify a bow rack with 6 pegs and 4 bows on each peg......yep! Does a golfer use one club!!
I can't shoot it comfortably yet, but I've also got no immediate plans for hunting big game. I can get about a dozen good shots before the weight gets to me. "Justify" might not have been the best word Kildeer. I love the #46 and #51 of the same make/model, just trying to figure out if #55 has advantages over #51.
Devote yourself to that bow for a month of regular shooting - it'll feel like your lighter one by the end. 4 lbs increase isn't too bad if you don't have any injuries or ailments getting in the way.
I'd say about the same advantage the #51 has over the #46...that didnt help did it.. :D
Eric
Sure it has advantages if you are not injuried. Do as Roscoe said. In no time you be walking in the park. God Bless
If you can get to where you can shoot it well than by all means use it. As Howard Hill said "shoot the heaviest bow you can control."
Maybe a better way to ask...Is there anything I can hunt with #55 that I couldn't just as easily kill with #51?
I'm pretty new but would ask ...how often do you shoot? I started on a 50# bow...had some shoulder pain that was due mostly to my form. Started shooting a 45# bow and once I figured out how to NOT put the pressure on my shoulder...went right back to shooting the 50# and like it better. After shooting every night for a month or more I realized how much stronger I had gotten and now really want to move up to around 60#. I had the opportunity to try out a couple 57# bows and was really surprised how manageable they were and I wasn't even really phased by the extra weight!!! I guess what I'm trying to say is...if you shoot all the time and still find the heavier bow to be a problem maybe sticking to the lighter bow would be best. BUT, if you don't shoot very often, maybe just getting out and shooting more will make that heavier bow much more manageable. Just my 2 cents from recent experience. That and $4.50 will get you a 20 oz. cup of coffee these days!! :)
I usually shoot about 6 days of week, probably 20-100 hours depending on how much time I have available. I can shoot the #55, it's just not as comfortable.
My short answer is no.
"Maybe a better way to ask...Is there anything I can hunt with #55 that I couldn't just as easily kill with #51?"
Well Brad, this is a very open question. I know hunters who have taken bison and moose with a 46# bow. I also know professional guides, who would not take a hunter after bison with less than a 75 pound bow.
If you shoot a big animal with a lighter bow and dont hit any bone or tendon, hair clumps, tightly flexed muscles, etc....an arrow can zip right through.
But that does not always happen. You might be the best shot in the world, but after your perfect release, the animal does a weird move and you just got a "less than perfect" shot.
This is why good hunters shoot as heavy as they can. Anything can happen at any time while hunting.
If you can build yourself up to shoot 55# accurately, you should. If you just cant, shoot that magic weight that gives you the best accuracy at the most weight. Be it 100 lbs or 40 pounds.( As long as its legal!)
NO NO....If it isn't comforable,pratice with 55# and hunt your 51#. Draw length will determine more than poundage your shooting...
I think that anyone should shoot the most draw weight that they can shoot accurately. If you can shoot the 51#'er with no issues than, by all means, keep it in the stable.
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
I usually shoot about 6 days of week, probably 20-100 hours depending on how much time I have available. I can shoot the #55, it's just not as comfortable.
THat's alot of shooting! When do you work??LOL! Anyway, I shoot 50# bows, and tried a few bows in the upper 50's (56 - 58#) without any issues. I'm having one made in that range now. I anticipate an increase in KE from around 36 (50# bow) to 42 (heavier bow). I know you can kill a deer with a light bow, but IMO if you can handle the heavier bow, a little extra KE goes along way if the shot is not pristine. I would like to build my way up to shoot in the 60's or heavier.
YES every pound of bow weight helps, especially when bone is hit things happen.
That should have been 20-100 arrows a day...auto correct got me!
I don't think 4# makes any difference at all at normal hunting distances.When you're cold and tired the last thing to worry about is struggling with your bow.Check the 45# bow thread. Guys are killing elk and moose with those. 51# is more than enough.
QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
Maybe a better way to ask...Is there anything I can hunt with #55 that I couldn't just as easily kill with #51?
Probably not.
If you are thinking of getting rid of a bow, keep the 46 and the 55.
Shoot the 51# bow for 15 minutes straight and then shoot the 55# bow for 15 minutes. Your shoulders will tell you which one is better for you.
As for game, the 55# bow is a very good poundage for elk, but how many times do go elk hunting versus deer hunting?
If it was me and bowhunting for deer is what I target in the Fall, the 51# bow would be my choice between the two bows.