How do you all determine your comfortable draw weight.
I feel its what you can hold at anchor without straining or the bow arm going all over the place. You dont need to have a 75# draw weight to kill deer, the well placed arrow is the key to any kill. Try a few bows and see, shoot a few rounds at different weights and see what feels comfortable.50# is what I would say is a normal weight for a lot of animals.
QuoteOriginally posted by lpcjon2:
I feel its what you can hold at anchor without straining or the bow arm going all over the place. You dont need to have a 75# draw weight to kill deer, the well placed arrow is the key to any kill. Try a few bows and see, shoot a few rounds at different weights and see what feels comfortable.50# is what I would say is a normal weight for a lot of animals.
I guess I am in trouble and need to build a 20# bow for myself!!!
I usually keep about 15 bows around ranging from 45 to 65 pounds...if I shoot a bow and it feels too heavy I keep going down in weight until one feels okay...it varies day to day, bow to bow
DDave
My bow fishing setup is 58-60#. I don't have any trouble with it in the summer shooting at carp. What I do how ever notice is on some days my deer hunting setup 53# can sometimes seem like a it gains some weight. It might be sitting still or cold having more to do with it. Maybe dropping 3-5# would help with it.
Comfortable drawweight depence also in how much you can train. If you weren't able to shoot the bow for some months, you have to build it all up again. Then 45 lbs can feel already heavy to pull. After training for a month of two, the same 45 lbs starts to feel easy to draw. Right now, my comfort zone is around the 45 to 50 lbs.
It also depends on the grip. Some types of grips feel stronger.
I like a bow heavy enough that I can feel good back tension. Never owned a bow over 68#.
Like Bear Heart I want the bow to be comfortable enough that I can get to a solid full-draw anchor that allows me to keep the back involved throughout the shot.
For most bows (recurves) this is 44-49 pounds for me at my 26" draw length. Some bows feel a bit lighter than others and I put them on a digital scale to prove it. For example, my Schafer ilvertip feels lighter than the draw weight says it should. But the chrony and the digital scale both read otherwise.
It is a rare day that I don't shoot a few arrows on my basement range, all year. Shot the TT and the Schafer yesterday. Also shot "another" bow quite a lot yesterday.
I settle in to my shot and hold at anchor for a few seconds and wait for the shot to go off. For me, anything that makes me rush that wait or anything that I start to collapse before the release is too much. For me, 55# is my limit and I had to work backwards from 85# until I found that. I'm happeist around 50#, maybe a couple pounds heavier. It's lead to a lot more game on the ground, that's for sure.
So for me, any bow that I can't hold at full draw as long as I need or want to without collapsing is too heavy. A video camera is a great way to verify this for me!
I think what helped me find out, was going to a light weight bow.Something in the mid 30lbs range.You can hold your draw ,and shoot all day. If you like working on form this is the easiest way. I found good form and now I can shoot any weight bow I want. It didn't mean I like it though.I find that high 40s low 50s is right for me. But having a low poundage bow and shooting it a lot was the key to me finding this out.
Thanks for the responses everyone.
Old rule of thumb was draw your bow level to the ground(not up in the air)while sitting & with your feet off the ground . if you can then your ok, if you struggle then it's to much. Others say you have to hold at full draw for a count...........>>>---> if you can't you're over bowed.
I think the lighter the bow the better I shoot, although there is obviously a lower limit for a hunting bow. I find 45#-50# is easy to shoot and heavy enough for the deer size game I go after.
You've received some sage words.
I've known guys who can shoot effectively with 80 and 90# bows . . . but you seldom see them out stumping and bunny-hunting with them. Some will state this and then you notice their stated "full 28" draw length" appears to leave five unused inches beyond the bow with their 29" BOP shafts. If a bow squishes you it's probably too much. If you have to raise it over your head and lower it while tugging and grunting - it's probably too much.
If you can hold it at full draw for 30 seconds you should be able to hunt with it - but I don't know if there is a tried and true test. Some hunters never hold more than a heartbeat and so that test would be unnecessary.
Comfort is a very subjective quality. Some guys are comfortable riding those little hard leather racing bicycle seats while others need soft, foamy padded seats. If you're the kind of shooter that releases the instant you anchor you can likely be more comfortable at a heavier level than the guys who hold for five or six seconds. And a 66" recurve is more comfortable to your draw fingers than a 52" bow. It all adds up.
Intended use and your shooting style make a BIG difference. It was common for archers back when NFAA was more popular to have a field bow and a 10 or 15# heavier hunting bow.
Does "comfortable" have to be a dozen arrows in a session and one a day while hunting? Or two 20 station 3-D courses and another 40 or 60 at a novelty shoot in one day?
I find I can shoot a 50-55# bow all day - but even then after 50 or so arrows I start to collapse in on myself and my form suffers. If I take my 62# bow I really start to fall apart after 20 or so. So the trick is to shoot the 62#er for 10 shots a day at a near bale just for form for two weeks prior to the event so the 52# bow feels like silk. ;-)
I wouldn't overthink it. It is pretty subjective so shoot the weight you are comfortable with.
Also, make sure machismo doesn't enter into it. Video yourself shooting and see how much arrow is hanging off the front of your bow (assuming your arrows are cut to your draw length). It's funny how many times you'll see 3-4" hanging off of 70# bows :)
When I was young, I turned a spring chest pull into a bowdrawing unit by replacing the springs with short rubber straps. It pulled about 125 pounds at my draw. One day i was hunting with my 96 pounder shooting dowel stuffed Microflite 12s. I shot a smallish buck, 18 yards out and about 9 feet up. The arrow did not even look like it slowed down when it went through the deer. It skipped and jumped across the frozen ground, way out into a posted field in full view of the land owner. The deer was on my side of the property line, just by a foot or two. When I was walking out to get my arrow, I thought to myself, that I was working alot harder than I needed to. Even though I could handle those heavy bows, I wish I would have had enough sense to cap that desire for poundage off about 30 pounds less than what I ended up at. Strength is one thing, but the amount of practice it takes to handle heavy bows can take its toll. Start with what you can handle and work up at your own pace and remember that repetitive high strain motions can have consequences down the road. Even at lighter weights one should do stretching and corrective excersizes to keep the shoulders in tune and to offset muscular imbalances.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bldtrailer:
Old rule of thumb was draw your bow level to the ground(not up in the air)while sitting & with your feet off the ground . if you can then your ok, if you struggle then it's to much. Others say you have to hold at full draw for a count...........>>>---> if you can't you're over bowed.
Will have to try the drawing and sitting.
What got me to thinking is the bow I am hunting deer with is about 54# at my draw. I practice with it all summer standing, sitting, and from a tree stand. Then a few time during season before leave my stand I try to shoot a leaf and struggled to get to anchor. Maybe it was just from the cold don't know. I did end up getting a deer with the same bow and never noticed the draw weight. I posted to kind of get a feel for how everyone else determines there limit. If I am to change anything I figure it's a good time of year to start.
Personally anything that takes my attention away from the target would be too much. I've shot other people's bows up to about 80# and the heavier draw weight was always a mental issue when I shot them. Just knowing I was drawing that weight effected my form and shot. If I had to wonder if I could draw the bow in a hunting or shooting situation it would detract from the experience.
QuoteOriginally posted by Stumpkiller:
You've received some sage words.
I've known guys who can shoot effectively with 80 and 90# bows . . . but you seldom see them out stumping and bunny-hunting with them. Some will state this and then you notice their stated "full 28" draw length" appears to leave five unused inches beyond the bow with their 29" BOP shafts. If a bow squishes you it's probably too much. If you have to raise it over your head and lower it while tugging and grunting - it's probably too much
If you can hold it at full draw for 30 seconds you should be able to hunt with it - but I don't know if there is a tried and true test. Some hunters never hold more than a heartbeat and so that test would be unnecessary.
Comfort is a very subjective quality. Some guys are comfortable riding those little hard leather racing bicycle seats while others need soft, foamy padded seats. If you're the kind of shooter that releases the instant you anchor you can likely be more comfortable at a heavier level than the guys who hold for five or six seconds. And a 66" recurve is more comfortable to your draw fingers than a 52" bow. It all adds up.
Intended use and your shooting style make a BIG difference. It was common for archers back when NFAA was more popular to have a field bow and a 10 or 15# heavier hunting bow.
Does "comfortable" have to be a dozen arrows in a session and one a day while hunting? Or two 20 station 3-D courses and another 40 or 60 at a novelty shoot in one day?
I find I can shoot a 50-55# bow all day - but even then after 50 or so arrows I start to collapse in on myself and my form suffers. If I take my 62# bow I really start to fall apart after 20 or so. So the trick is to shoot the 62#er for 10 shots a day at a near bale just for form for two weeks prior to the event so the 52# bow feels like silk. ;-)
VERY WELL SAID!
Did you shoot a compound previously? If so what was the poundage? I shot 85#/75# Compounds years ago. I started with a 55# @ 28 recurve. DO NOT OVERBOW yourself. Accuracy will suffer.
You determine a comfortable draw weight in the same way you determine a comfortable pair of boots. Would you try to force yourself into an expensive pair of boots hoping you'll stretch into them?
Just as you want to try boots or shoes on late in the afternoon when your feet have swelled, consider hunting conditions where it may be cold, you may have on layers, you may be shooting at a more odd angle or from your knee's, etc.
Don't determine a peak weight in the Summer when you're standing flat footed in a tee shirt on a nice 80 degree day. Think about sitting, in 30 degree temps, you haven't moved hardly a muscle in 3 hours and now your cranked up because a spooky deer showed up 15 yards in front of you and the winds just died, leaving the woods dead quiet. Do you want a really easy draw or a draw that's 5 pounds too much for you?
As with boots, can you walk in them all day and still enjoy the day? Now, with bow weight, can you shoot or stump for extended times and enjoy it?
Consider real world hunting situations, not practice on the range. If need be, can you hold calmly at full draw for 10 seconds if you had to do so or would you be shaking? If you can hold comfortably at "anchor" for 10 seconds, and I understand that anchor isn't a necessarily a stopping place but hunting situations often cause quick adjustments, then you should be in good shape.
For my style of natural ground blind hunting, I have tons of brush in front and behind me, with just a small "window" for the shot and I draw and hold just as the deer is entering the "window" and then shoot when the deer has walked into my "window", while I'm at anchor. I shoot very short range and light weights and it's proven very successful since I completely stopped hunting from treestands. The only year I haven't shot at least one deer doing this, since going exclusive on the ground with trad bows, is the year I had shoulder surgery.
I understand that this approach my not be typical, but for consistently putting lots of deer in the freezer, I've found it more effective than a typical "snap" shot. With lower weights, this is easy to do for me, with my shoulder issues.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mojostick:
You determine a comfortable draw weight in the same way you determine a comfortable pair of boots.
Just as you want to try boots or shoes on late in the afternoon when your feet have swelled, consider hunting conditions where it may be cold, you may have on layers, you may be shooting at a more odd angle or from your knee's, etc.
Don't determine a peak weight in the Summer when you're standing flat footed in a tee shirt on a nice 80 degree day. Think about sitting, in 30 degree temps, you haven't moved hardly a muscle in 3 hours and now your cranked up because a spooky deer showed up 15 yards in front of you and the winds just died, leaving the woods dead quiet. Do you want a really easy draw or a draw that's 5 pounds too much for you?
As with boots, can you walk in them all day and still enjoy the day? Now, with bow weight, can you shoot or stump for extended times and enjoy it?
Consider real world hunting situations, not practice on the range. If need be, can you hold calmly at full draw for 10 seconds if you had to do so or would you be shaking? If you can hold comfortably at "anchor" for 10 seconds, and I understand that anchor isn't a necessarily a stopping place but hunting situations often cause quick adjustments, then you should be in good shape.
For my style of natural ground blind hunting, I have tons of brush in front and behind me, with just a small "window" for the shot and I draw and hold just as the deer is entering the "window" and then shoot when the deer has walked into my "window", while I'm at anchor. I shoot very short range and light weights and it's proven very successful since I completely stopped hunting from treestands. The only year I haven't shot at least one deer doing this, since going exclusive on the ground with trad bows, is the year I had shoulder surgery.
I understand that this approach my not be typical, but for consistently putting lots of deer in the freezer, I've found it more effective than a typical "snap" shot. With lower weights, this is easy to do for me, with my shoulder issues.
I never really looked at it that way. You might have hit the nail on the head
QuoteOriginally posted by bentpole:
Did you shoot a compound previously? If so what was the poundage? I shot 85#/75# Compounds years ago. I started with a 55# @ 28 recurve. DO NOT OVERBOW yourself. Accuracy will suffer.
Have shoot a compound since I was about 10years old.
I have two draw weights,,,, one is my preferred hunting weight which is 56# and the other is my all day shooting weight which is 48# which is for shooting all day or all weekend and doesn't leave me too sore or develop bad habits (which can be hard to fix) .
I too have a lighter weight for target (50#) and a heavier weight for hunting (60#).
For awhile, I was going heavier in draw weight because I shot those bows more accurately. My release was cleaner with the heavier draw weights. Then I realized that I needed to clean up my technique and that I shouldn't rely on a heavier draw weight to accomplish that.
Brushwolf makes a good point. As the weather gets cold and after sitting still on stand for awhile, my comfortable draw weight comes down. I will use a lighter draw weight bow later in the season.
"I practice with it all summer standing, sitting, and from a tree stand. Then a few time during season before leave my stand I try to shoot a leaf and struggled to get to anchor. Maybe it was just from the cold don't know."
No, it's from too much bow. Drop from 54 to 45 and you'll be in super shape.
The added bonus of dropping weight is that the performance likely won't suffer and may even increase.
If you're short drawing your 54lbs, you may be drawing more like 50lbs and you're not opening up the limbs. If you went to 45lbs, you may find you can achieve your real draw for the first time and you may pick up and inch plus, so you may be drawing more like 48-49lbs and now you've opened up the limbs, thus possibly getting better speed/performance from your 45lbs than you ever got from your 54. And more accuracy, since it's comfortable and you're not struggling.
I have early 70's 45 & a 50 lb Grizzlys (more like 48 & 53# with my draw). The 45# is all I'm shooting at the moment. I'll play with the 50# this summer as well and see how they each do, if I'm shooting the 50 as well as the 45 by hunting season it will go, if not the 45 will go. If you don't have a 3 piece where you can replace limbs I like the idea of having the same model bow in 2 or 3 different draw weights.
When I used to shoot a lot of 3D shoots, they where around 84 shots, 2 arrows X 42 Targets, So I practiced until I could shoot around 160 arrows with out getting tired...
A lot of shooters would get tired and blow the last few targets and I would just be warming up....
And I always used the same bow for shoots and Hunting....
A 40 pound bow with a well placed shot can kill anything in North America....
My Howard Hill Big Five is 50#....
I agree 1000% with Mojostick, my draw length has increased almost 3" since going to the lighter bows, and I'm getting almost the same speed with a higher gpp because of it. Really quiets a bow down, and soaks up a lot of handshock.
A person's comfortable weight is only limited and/or dictated by how much they practice with a variety of different weight bows and what raw material they are gifted with from birth or by age/infirmity. There is no magic or 'recommended' number. You can either build up your strength and nervous system to handle higher weight if that is what is fun and effective to you AKA 'comfortable', and shoot on a regular year round basis, or you can say '45' or '50' and only practice right before hunting season. It's all what you want to get out of it and put in to it. As a big healthy 32 year old who tries to shoot nearly every day if I can help it, I don't find bows under 48-50#@28 very enjoyable to shoot with the goal of hunting in mind. Yes, I know if you keep gpp the same 'theoretically' trajectories should stay about the same, but I just find I like the cast and leeway a bit better when things go above 50#. I draw a hair over 29" so that range for me could also be called 50-52@29 minimum. It's nice to have to work for something. It's part of manhood to me. My current accepted challenge is to become proficient shooting a 94# Hill bow at hunting distances. I would like to be 'comfortable' shooting that bow. It is fun, makes shooting my 50-58# bows much easier, and forces one to develop the proper muscles used for drawing a bow.
Edit- I know this thread was primarily interested in discussing what's 'comfortable' but I couldn't help but touch on the importance of going outside the comfort zone or at the least redefining what 'comfortable' is. Comfortable doesn't necessarily have to mean 'easy'.
Nine,
Twenty years ago, I used to be able to do 30 one handed pushup's with my right arm and 30 one handed pushup's with my left arm. Then there was a time where a licensed therapist had to take a 1 pound weight from my hand because I couldn't lift it 30".
If you ever have to wear one of these things for a few months, you may discover the true meaning of comfort... ;) :D
(http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s415/pinefarm/photo-42.jpg)
(http://www.coachkeats.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/HansFranz.jpg)
#60 for me....for everything...
Hi
well , my experience is ...i shoot comfortably 60 pound on my draw length . Then i decide to use another bow (t/d) and my friend make me one 70 pounder . I try that bow and i was shooting accurately with him , but after couple days i feel pain in my shoulders .So ,now i must wait and heal .And go back on 60 pound if i have luck .
Most of the world class shooters I know that shoot the World and National championships, including the group of friends I shoot with all shoot in the 40-45 lb. draw weights... for a reason. Those same folks hunt with those draw weights... and kill effectively. Better accuracy and confidence. Not all, but many, many folks over-bow themselves.
Heavy bows can take a toll on the shoulders and arms over the years. Just sayin'
Just shoot what is comfortable to shoot A LOT. If you hunt, take into consideration shooting with a lot of clothes on after sitting in the cold for a few hours.
Mojo-
That sucks man!! I always train safe and take it slow. I warm up before I pull back my bows. Even in the woods I take a draw here and there to keep things limber. And I take rest days, eat my protein, and hit the gym to cross train my muscles. So far so good. I have a lot of fun pulling the heavier stuff. My form bow is 42@28, my go-to hunting bows are marked 48@28, 55@29, and 56@28. Currently I shoot the 56@28 bow most often. I have a 65@29, 75@28, and 94@29 for my current heavier bows.
Take that 94, cut it in half and you have my desired weight!
Nine,
No biggie, it is what it is. I'm about as healed up as I'm going to get. I'm just happy I can still shoot bows, albeit what most consider very light hunting weights. Although I'll never throw a baseball with authority again.
As long as I can get passthru's on deer with 35-40lbs, I'm at peace with the situation. If anything, it's made me a better hunter because now I like to get 10-12 yards away from the deer for the shot. That means zero mistakes can be made, to consistently put meat in the freezer.
Plus, I can still shoot in the basement every night and enjoy some "flight time".
My point was, the theme of this thread was "comfortable draw weight", not maximum draw weight. As with rifle ammo or black powder, you can crank up the load to max, but you'll probably find the rifle likes a much lighter approach.
Heavy bows were a lot of fun, but after a while having to work so hard to maintain for them took some of the fun away from it for me. I picked up a bow to hunt, and I was spending so much time practicing the handle the weight that I wasn't becoming a more lethal hunter. My interest drifted back to why I started shooting, which was to hunt. Since dropping down to where I'm comfortable, not just capable, my accuracy has been improving slowly, but surely, without any signs of plateuing. My hats off to ANYONE who dedicates themselves to shooting powerful bows well, but for me, I want to spend as much time becoming proficient with a normal weight bow as I can. My goal is that any critter that comes within range, no matter how small or fast, is as good as lunch, and a lighter bow is getting me there :)