I've got a "back pay" check, from a union contract coming in June. I've got the normal bills to catch up & things to do... BUT, I've been tossing around the idea of FINALY after 40 some years, getting the Bear Kodiak T/D that I have always wanted...
My question is this... How old were you, or when did you "think" about dropping bow weight????? I've always shot about 50# and PLAN on shooting it untill I'm dead!!! HOWEVER... I realisticly know, that may not be the case. I know I can "always get lower weight limbs" but #1 I don't want to...(I've had plenty of extra shotgun barrels,that never got used) #2 THEY COST MONEY!!! (this is supossed to be my LAST new bow purchase)
So, you "Old Fellers"... Did you??? Didn't you??? If so, how much weight did you drop... 5# ? 10# ? I'm going to be 55yrs old this summer and I'm FAR from "over the hill" BUT, I'm finding it harder every year, to get to the Top of the Mountain...
I'm am older than you by 10 years and dropped weight from around 55# to 48# over the last couple of years. Shooting the bow weight 48ish isn't the problem, with my knees I don't even look at hills.
Went from 55-60 to 50-55# to 45-50# and now I'm real happy around 43-46#........that transition took about 15 years give or take. I'll be 63 in mid June while I'm on my Bear hunt in Quebec! You do the math Chuck......lol.......you gotta be tough to get old :readit:
I just turned 66 yesterday. Up until 2 years ago I was shooting bows in the 50-55# range. Now it's mid to upper 40's for me.
I'm only 54 but shoot 47#s because
1) it's all I need, and
2) I can shoot 100s of arrows a day with no problem, and
3) it's all I need, oops I already said that
I am 67, and shoot 52-53#s.
I have a set of 46# limbs on order. The reasoning is that the 46# limbs are good for working on my release. The lighter the draw weight the harder it is to get a good crisp release IMO.
I know that I am not going to be going up in weight from here on, so I may need them lighter before long.
If you feel good, there is no reason that I can see to drop weight at your age. You have a long time before you worry about it.
I went down about 5-6 pounds of draw weight the past year or so... Like longer bows too... I'll be 59 years old soon and feel a draw weight I can shoot all day stumping or at 3D is a good idea...
... mike ... :archer2: ...
My "ODO" will roll over to 69 this summer.
Up to about age 55 I shot 65 to 70. I dropped weight and was way more comfortable at 50 to 55.
I had a frozen shoulder incident about five years ago and could not shoot at all for about a year. About four years ago I shot 38# for the hunting season and it was painful! At this point I'm shooting 43 to 48 with no problem. Probably never go back to 55, but that's ok the 43 to 48 is adequate.
I can still hunt high and long but I don't move as fast anymore! A broken femur three years ago still is a major problem and always will be. Just means the route has to be carefully planned. I hunted elk last january and when the snow got over about 18" deep it was about as much as I could handle.
It is heck getting old, but I still enjoy the time in the field as much as ever. In some ways even more! I have two stout grandsons that I brought along for years on my hunts and they will do just about anything for their grand dad. Got a couple more coming up too.
I am 54 and shoot 54 pounds. Listen to your body and try to stay strong and healthy.
I'm looking at an A-handle with #1 limbs, making a 56" bow
A pair of #1-50# limbs on the A-handle will make a 52# bow
A pair of #1-45# limbs on the A-handle will give me a 47# bow
Decissions..... Decissions..... :banghead:
I will be 70 this comin Aug. I just parted with my 64# LB. Still shooting my 60# limbs on my ILF bow and my Bear TD. That said my next set of limbs will be 45-50#. I hope to continue shooting my 55# bows for awhile yet, maybe 5-10 years.
63 this year. I bought a 49# bow anticipating the future need, but so far it is still going to be the 53# recurve.
Chuck......your a deer and turkey hunter and a stumper, 47# is plenty........at that weight you can do it all day!!
I don't think you can go wrong either way Chuck.
I'm 51 years old and I shot a 60# bow for years. My rotator cuffs got so bad four or five years years ago, that it tore me up to shoot more than a few arrows, and my accuracy went south.
I dropped down 10# and it made a big difference. If I'm careful not to shoot very many arrows at at time, I can shoot a little every day, and stay in shape to hunt.
Bob
I am 66 and have been shooting between 40 and 45# for many years. Because of a combination of strength or lack there of and accuracy.
I need another bow like I need a hole in my head BUT would love a Bear takedown. Just haven't found one.
I am 65 years old, and dropped from 78# to 65# over 10 years ago. 6 years ago, I had an injury and dropped down to 55# where I currently am. I can shoot the 65# bow fairly well now, but my shoulder does bother me after a couple of dozen arrows, so I consider the 55 pounder now as my go to weight.
I'm 63. In the 80's and early 90's I shot 65#. Mid 90's to about 2002 or so I shot 55#. Almost all my shooting now is done with bows in the 47-52# range. I'm in good shape but, I just shoot better with the lighter weights. And, it's easier on the shoulder.
I am 56 have always shot right at 50# I have a annoying pain in my shoulder blade. My next bow will be 45# I am also looking at the Kodiak TD. Big Jim has them on sale now with free shipping.
I do worry that dropping to #45 will make shooting my 50# bows less enjoyable as muscles will most likely weaken
What's an old fellow to do?
I'm 56 and shoot the bows listed below. Hope to for many years. Few push ups and some rubber band exercise helps. Shoot heavy bows better when the string gets yanked out of my fingers.
:campfire:
I'm turning 65 in a couple months. I retired at 55 and when I retired I moved up in weight. Went from #50 to #54-64 depending on the bow I'm shooting. My everyday is usually #56-57. The main thing for me is to shoot almost every day and stay in good shape.
I'm 71 yrs old and have dropped about 15# over the last 15 yrs. By the time I'm 80 it'll probably be about 30-35#. I believe that it would be fun to beat young sassy archers shooting 60# bows with a 30# bow. Lol. :archer2:
Seriously, I believe that there is to much macho with some shooters. There are so many who would shoot a lot better if they weren't overbowed.
Woodchucker, I recommend the lighter limbs if you go with the 56-inch configuration. Won't feel the finger pinch as much, and 47# is still a nice hunting weight.
I'm 69 now. Until four-five years ago I shot in the low 60s. Now I mostly shoot the low 50s, but also have a few bows in the 47-48# range. I'm finding I like the lighter bows more and more.
I am 76 yrs. young and I hunt with 50 lbs although I noticed that my draw is shrinking and I shoot a lot fewer arrows.I am trying my best to maintain this for my elk hunting.
I am 66 and started dropping weight about 5 years ago ... I hunted 55-60#'s until my draw started to shrink and I went to 50#'s, if I shoot a fair amount I can handle the 50 but if I shoot occasionally I feel better at 45#. I have a 64" Caribow Taiga that is 46 at my draw and right now it is feeling pretty good :archer2:
I'm only 68 and been shooting since 1962, but all my bows which I have now and have had and are gone were about the same, with a weight range between 40 to 49 lb. I did own a 32 lb Tamerlane I bought as a teenager in Jaunary of '63 with Christmas money to shoot field archery tournaments, but all the others have been in the range above. Like to shoot my 43# '61 Kodiak best. It just seems to fit my shooting style well. The bow I shot the most in the past was a MagnaFlight (from a bower near Chicago) magnesium risered take down target bow. It was a super-duper fast shooting bow and my former coach from the sixties got me to get one after he saw several people shooting them at the NFAA Nationals in the newly formed Bowhunter Division in 1970. It was 49 lb but with my short 26-inch draw, it was easy to shoot.
Leonard, you got me inspired!
Turned 70 this last year. I have been shooting 50#@28" for about 20 years now. I have a 28" draw length. I still shoot the 50# with ease and hope to continue as I just ordered a new bow and it will be 50#-49#. I exercise three times a week and specifically do back exercises so I can continue shooting 50# comfortably. I may have to drop in weight someday but I don't intend to do so in the near future.
I can still shoot hundreds of arrows in day with bows that are 60 pounds and heavier. I do hurt a little after those all day shooting binges, neck shoulder blade muscles, lower back and fingers. I shoot bows in the mid 50s mostly, but a young cute gal told me that I was the sexiest man in town, so I've got nothing to prove by shooting until I ache unless walking around with my shoulders cocked funny, limping, my neck way stiff and having stuff slip out of my stiff fingers, makes me look sexy.
I am 60 now, as hard as that is for me to believe. I've always been in the 52-57# tame with my bows and since I still plan to hunt moose and elk I intend to stay with that as long as I can.
But I did pick up a set of used Rose Oak 44# limbs for my Bear takedown and I've got to admit they are sweet! That combo has become my Turkey set up the past couple of years. And I've used it on a bear and a deer as well. I am really liking the lower weight, although I'll start shooting the heavier bows again now getting ready for September chasing elk.
I'll be 60 in Dec.Shoulder has been giving me fits so I dropped down to 42#.After a lot of therapy I now think I could get back into the 50s again but I get by just fine with the light weights and it's plenty for the limited deer hunting I do so I think I'll stay right where I am.
I can still draw 80, but I don't like it,lol. I used to shoot mid 60s most of the time, but at 54 now I prefer 50-55.
Pushing 60 years in age. Re-entered bow shooting about 15 years ago after a 20 year absence. I was shooting mostly low to mid 60#s until about 10 years ago. Dropped to the low 40s after I tore up my shoulder playing softball. Worked back to the low 50s and have settled in at that weight.
In my case it seems to have more to do with how often I get to shoot instead of my age. When I was shooting heavier bows I had a nice backyard range and shot daily. In recent years I do well to get out once a week.
At 79 years I've dropped to bows in the mid 40# range. There was a time when I didn't own a bow under 80#. Low 80's was my target bows and I hunted with 85 to 90. Bows over 100# were my workout bows. Time and wear and tear on the joints has changed all that. :(
Can anyone relate to this?
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=144455
I will be 65 in November. I shoot 55-60#. I can still pull and hold 70#.
You guys are an inspiration!!!
Ron, Your Mountainmen Poem is near and dear to me.
I'm 63 and have been shooting in the 55-60 range for quite a few years. I can shoot heavier, but, 55-60 is good for me. Between cutting, splitting and stacking firewood and fencing/unfencing pastures for the boss lady, I stay in pretty good shape.
I'm 62 and just like you when I get old I will drop weight as my body tells me to but right now I'm still shooting the old 72# Bear T.D. with no problem. I guess your "down" weight all depends upon where you "up" weight starts.
I dropped from 60# and settled on around 50# about ten years ago at 60 years of age. Now at 70 I'm thinking of dropping a few pounds more.
I meant to add that after I have my rotator cuffs fixed, and get healed up, I have no intention of trying to work back up to sixty pound bows again.
I know heavier weight bows do have some advantages over the lighter ones in some situations. I shot them for years, and I was a little worried about dropping down ten pounds, but I've really come to like the lighter draw weight, and I don't see where it's been any kind of handicap at all.
Bob
Last summer at the Colo Jamboree I bought a new bow a Pronghorn. I miss read the numbers on the bow and it turns out to be 50# at my draw. I have always shot 55#. Well guess what. Turns out that it is easy to draw, accurate, does not hurt my wrist and shot through the three deer I harvested last season. All around a good deal.
Joe 64 years old
I'll be 65 in July and still shoot 55# to 60#.
only 52 here... I used to shoot 70# and better but now I stick around 55#s. Its not always a macho thing either - I just shoot heavier bows better. I still shoot my 70 pound bows back occasionally and know I could work back into them as my hunting bow if I wanted to but 55 is working well for me. I tried lighter for a few weeks - it just wasn't for me at all.
I'm 60 and my 1st trad bow has a 35 lbs draw weight and for sentimental reasons I still own that bow. Furthermore, knowing that sooner or later I will have to decrease my draw weight, I have decided to keep it.
47# with the 56" bow will surprise you with the performance. So this is your "last" new bow?? :rolleyes: OK we'll play along with that fantasy. The good news is that with a Bear Take-Down, new limbs are not counted as a new bow. ;)
Like our well known Ron, I am 79 and will turn 80 in Oct. Unlike him, I've always had a slight frame, including arms, so 45 to 50 has been my bow weight ever since I got into bows in my 40's My current lead bow is my 50# at 28" Anneewakee Addiction Recurve, "Blackie", which I only draw to about 26" (maybe 27 on a real good day) when I first switched to trad )in my 50-60s) I could only draw 25" but soon built back up to 27". As my age has increased my draw length has decreased, along with (of course) my draw weight - LOL. That's my 2 cents worth and I hope I can hang in there for a few more years, at least. I shoot daily as weather permits - both for strength maintenance and flexibility. I also do 30 vertical push ups (off a wall, car, tree) each morning as well as 30 reps on a sort of "bike exerciser" that you push with your arms as well as your legs (unless I'm sick or in pain - and sometimes even then). I felt my draw length decreasing markedly so about a month ago I started pushing back with my shoulders at the end of each rep on the bike's 30, and that has restored most of my former (lack of) strength - for what it is worth
:archer:
I just turned 68 Sunday and shoot a PLX 64" and a PSR 60" both 48@28 and went to them last year, they in very comfortable.
Thanks for all the responses, Gentlemen!!!!!!!!!! :readit:
Many Thanks Again, My Friends!!!!!!!!!!
I'm really old. 14, man, that's a long time to be around!
I hunt elk and here on Oregon we have a min draw wt. of 50 lb to hunt elk. I'm 57 and still manage around 65 lbs, even after four episodes of impingement syndrome in the shoulders.
Like Ron, shot and hunted with heavy 65 t0 85 pound pull bows for a lot of years. As I aged battled tendonitis for quite a few years. A lot of pain in my left elbow from drawing a heavy bow. At age 70 switched to shooting left handed and has worked out well for me. Have taken a bunch of deer and turkeys since the switch Now shooting 43 to 45# bows and seem to get as much penetration on game as I did with my heavy bows. A pass through into the ground on my this spring turkey. A new problem came up last year, have to use supplemental oxygen, learn to shoot with a tube in my nose and carry a back pack with my oxygen. Really looking forward to deer hunting this fall. I turned 78 in March. Denny Sturgis Sr
I'm 57 and here's how it went for me:
In my 30's-70+ pounds
In my 40's-60+ pounds
In my 50's 46-50 pounds.
woodchucker, at your current draw weight, look on the bright side, you may never have to change!
Denny
Doc Holliday: Not me. I'm in my prime.
:bigsmyl:
F-Manny
I will hit 62 in a few months, and have always shot around 60 lbs. which still feels fine, and i shoot it as well if not better than lighter bows. But this year i did order a new 55 lb longbow thinking i would be dropping weight due to injuries over the past years and age, and considering retirement, im not sure how much bow buying i will be able to do in the future. but i will probably continue shooting the 60lb recurve until i feel the need to drop weight
I'm 71. Ordered my first custom last year from Ben at Hummingbird. Was thinking around 50#s but he gave me good advice in that I'm not going to get any younger so keep in mind what weight I could handle in the next few years. Went with 44#s and couldn't be happier. Can shoot it all day with no shoulder problems. Took my biggest buck to date with it last September.
Be 75 this year. In past ten years went from 55-60 to 50 -55. Now shooting 42 to 47.
I turned 60 last spring and after having shoulder problems most of the year I dropped from 60# to 45-50# and have felt great since.
You know you are getting old when you cannot justify getting a new bow because all of the bows you have will outlive you.
I'm 59 and bows from 55-70 feels good to me.
Don't worry about the poundage shoot what feels good.
QuoteOriginally posted by Thumper Dunker:
Don't worry about the poundage shoot what feels good.
x2
I'm 71 (and, Whip, you think it's hard to believe you're 60! :D ) I have usually stayed with bows in the 50-55# range. I still have several of those around to keep my muscle tone for hunting, but I have recently purchased a couple of 40# bows for a lot of my shooting. Since 99.999% of my shots are not at game I don't need to push it with ageing shoulders. However, I do regularly shoot some with my 52-53# bows to keep in touch with that weight. I have found that if I only shoot the lighter weights my muscles will adjust down to the point that the lighter bows feel like they require all I have to shoot them. Don't want that to develop!
The big feral hog I shot back in January with my new 45# Bear TD wasn't aware that I had dropped to 45#! The arrow zipped through without slowing down that I could see.