I shoot the same bow for all activities, but due to an injury that has not completely healed, I dropped back from 65# to 55# last year.

Why not hunt with your lighter weight bow?  40-45 would easily kill anything most guys would hunt here in the US...and if it is more comfortable to shoot...I would shoot it all the time....would be a lot easier when sitting in woods in either cold or damp conditions and trying to draw after hours of not moving or shooting....just my opinion...

I have steadily gone down in weight....and now I shoot and practice with the same bow/poundage I will hunt with...familiarity fosters confidence....at least in my book.....

I usually practice and hunt with the same bow, a 56# Foley recurve.
However, most years I shoot my 62# bow for about a month before archery season begins.  When the season starts, I hunt with the Foley.  
We get stronger by taxing our muscles.  By shooting a heavier bow for a while, it makes my my hunting bow even easier to draw. I think most will agree that when a bow is easy to draw, accuracy improves.

I tried that.. Didn't work for me...  I shoot 53 pounds all day long no problem and it's fun..
Got one about five pounds heavier,, shoot great first ten shots then it's no fun,, begin to strain muscles..
Figured no problem,,
PROBLEM was first time I hunted within,, and three walked inn me and the adrenaline kicked in ,, heart beating faster.  It was all I could do to get is back,, I thought what the crap!!!!
Why can't I pull it back... Without effort!!!!
Missed BAD,,, good thing my acadian woods bow was quiet enough I got another shot.!!

Now I shoot the same pounds all the time,, if it's not comfortable to shoot all the time I won't hunt with it!!

QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Viv:
Why not hunt with your lighter weight bow?  40-45 would easily kill anything most guys would hunt here in the US...and if it is more comfortable to shoot...I would shoot it all the time....would be a lot easier when sitting in woods in either cold or damp conditions and trying to draw after hours of not moving or shooting....just my opinion...

I have steadily gone down in weight....and now I shoot and practice with the same bow/poundage I will hunt with...familiarity fosters confidence....at least in my book.....

I've been trending downward as my age trends upward! Kirk is building me an extra set of limbs for my Sasquatch (40#) in addition to the heavier ones. I don't really notice the extra weight too much until I get over 60#...then it becomes work.  

This time of year I may switch to a 40# bow to play with bunnies and stumps.  Much easier on wood arrows.  By the Spring I will drag out my heavy bows (60-65#) and work with those, then I pick the bow I will deer hunt with and for six months I only shoot that one bow for everything and every day.  That will be in the 50 to 60# range.

a 3d event can either be approached as a target competition or a tune up for actual hunting.  

to excel in either typically, but not always, requires different bows and arrows.  

i'm no longer interested in target archery, so i only shoot my "hunting weight" longbows, all over 50# @ 29".  this includes walking a 3d field course, or playing archery golf, or just plain ol' roving the woods.  that's a plus for me, and always keeps me in physical shape for bowhunting and sharpens my instinctive aiming process with the arrows i'll use for hunting.

I do the same as Rob. I shoot instinctively and I don't want to confuse my already taxed brain.

In my mind, I am a hunter (you should see how good a hunter I am..In my mind) so I practice with my hunting bows exclusively.  When I get tired or mind mind begins to wander I stop, I sure do not want to practice bad form.

I consider 3-D and stump shooting practice for hunting so use the same bows for each.  There's about a 6# range in draw weight in my bows. Toward the end of summer, I'm shooting my heaviest, usually in preparation for an elk hunt. By the time I start deer hunting in late October, I usually drop down 4-5#, particularly if it gets really cold.

I'd say I generally shoot the same bows all the time. I make all my bows, and I don't bother making anything below hunting weight (45#+).
I don't find that weight particularly strenuous, But when I start gettgin tired and the groups open up, I just slow down, walk to the target slower, focus on my form, talk more with my buddies, and not worry as much.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by D:
I shoot what I hunt with all the time.  Even on 3-d shoots..

X3!

Bisch [/b]

Yep!

Jason

I belive its best to pratice with what you hunt with.Its the best way to really get to know your bow.my 2 cents

I agree with those whom practice with what they hunt with. However. When my shooting form is suffering. I like shooting the lighter bows to help get back in check. I'm currently getting back in check. Haha