a heavy bow article worth reading

[Kituwa]

Another thing i have noticed about old articles from bowhunters in the past is, they thought it was perfectly ok to shoot at deer 50 yards or more away and most of us now wont shoot at one over 20to 30 yards.

[jcp161]

While I don't think I will ever try to shoot a heavy bow in the 70# plus range, I do find it an interesting subject. In the book "Bowhunting's Whitetail Masters", John Kolometz talks about hunting with an 84# longbow and it seems like all the trad guys in that book shoot a bow 65# and up. I never even considered it but it's interesting to see how many heavy bow shooters there are here just in reading some of the responses.

I may have to pull out my "heavy"   (58#) longbow and work my way up to it before deer season.
 
Thanks for posting the article. It has inspired some thought and interesting discussion.


John

[DennyK]

If you can properly handle the draw weight and enjoy it, by all means do so. I used to be of heavy bow more poundage mind set, with my current setups I put much more stock into bow tuning and arrow weight vs bow poundage.

[Kris]

The animal you shoot (kill), does not know what numbers are on the side of your bow or what they mean.  There is a lot more in the details to an efficient bow setup than then draw weight alone.  The arrow does the killing and more specifically the BH passing through vital organs causing hemorrhage is the objective.  Improving the efficiency of the arrow and placing it accurately is the game.  

Not all bows perform equally and not all archers shoot bows equally well.  There are too many variables and factors to consider.  It is difficult to arrive at apples to apples comparisons.

I disagree that we all have the ability to shoot an 80# bow, that's like saying with practice, we can all bench press 300 lbs.   Too much to write Re: this subj.  I admire people that can draw heavy bows and think it amazing but comparisons between everyone are anecdotal.

I am of the opinion that every N. American game animal can be killed cleanly, ethically and efficiently with a modern longbow or recurve drawing 55#@28" with attention paid to all the details that contribute to efficient performance, perfect arrow flight, precise shot placement and a carefully constructed arrow, tipped with a lethally sharp COC BH.

For the record, I can draw 80# but would not choose to hunt with this weight for a myriad of reasons.

Strive to learn as much as you can about all facets of this passion and use a "balanced approach".

Have fun and enjoy the flight of your arrow!

Kris

[ironmike]

yeah,but i am most comfortable with the most that i shoot well,what ever that is at the time,right now that's 75-78 pounds,i don't know yet if 90 #will be my preferred when i build up to it because i won't know till i have actually built up to it.again ,in the mountains,solo,no side arm,i want the ability to put an arrow through the breastplate of a bear,i cannot control a bear coming down on me with a 320 grain arrow.nope,not me,i want 800 or 1000 grains.