Bow poundage dilemma

[NotDylan]

So Dan Toelke is building me a new Whip.  I've picked out some really nice veneers from the Wood Vault and Dan says he has some really crazy cocobolo burl.  The bow is going to look good.

It will spend 90% of it's life bein' a stump and foam killin' bow.  For that kind of work, I like a light bow ~35lbs.  Now the dilemma is I'm going to like this bow a lot, I love Dan's bows.  I will want to hunt with it, though I don't do much.  Just spring and fall turkey.  I like a 45-50lb bow for turkey.  Not a big difference but I can feel it after enough shots.

What are you thoughts?  Do you have lighter bows for all day stump and target shooting?  Should I go light at 35 or stick with a more versatile weight of 45?  40lb would handle a turkey I bet...

[JRY309]

For me I would go with a 45#,that is right in the sweet spot if you should ever want to sell it.It is a good around weight for hunting,shooting targets,stump shooting and anything you would want to do.JMO

[McDave]

Even before I read to the end of what you wrote, I was thinking 40.  Shoots flatter than 35 for targets, easier to match with arrows, and probably plenty strong enough for turkey.

[sheepdogreno]

45 more than adequate for everything and also if you decide to take up large game!

[dbd870]

I like a bow with a bit of draw weight, helps with the release so I'd go with 45#. 35# just feels "sloppy" to me.

[nineworlds9]

It sounds like you've about answered your own question, so I would say since Dan can build them to pull within a pound of what you want or better why not just split the difference between 40 and 45 and tell him to make it 42?  LOL.  Even 40 should be plenty for what you want to do.

[Friend]

A Toelke from 40#+ would be sufficient.

The lower draw wt one selects, the more import the over-all arrow design. With that in mind, you should be golden.

[NotDylan]

Thanks for the replies.  I originally ordered the bow at 40# but I may ask Dan to bump it up a few.  

Those of you who do a lot of stump/target shooting, do you do it with a hunting weight bow?

[swampthing]

what is your draw length??

All I have is a hunting bow. I hunt, practice, shoot 3D, all of it with my hunting bow.

Bisch

[McDave]

I would stump shoot any day with 45#, but I mix in stump shooting with target shooting and end up shooting 75 or so arrows in a session.  I can shoot 75 arrows and keep them in control with a 40# bow, but only about half that number with a 45# bow.  Clearly, people vary in strength, and some people would feel comfortable shooting 75 arrows with a 50# or higher bow, while others would need a much lighter weight bow to do that.

[monkeyball]

If  your main focus on targets is going to be stumps and foam you should probably not go much over 40# if at all. You probably shoot a 40# bow better than a higher weight and you don't have to get worn out doing it.  

  Stumps don't take a lot of penetration to stop them in there tracks. My wife does it all the time with her 28# recurve, likewise on the 3-D course.

 This stump was shot with a 40# Leon Stewart if I remember correctly and that same bow shot thru a doe at 13 yds just a few months before.

 Get your bow at a weight that you can shoot all day with. When the opportunity presents itself out in the "Turkey Woods" you will have no problem connecting the dots.




                                      Good Shooting,
                                                       Craig

[NotDylan]

Originally posted by swampthing:
what is your draw length??

28"

[Wandering Archer]

I used to only have one bow and it was 40#. I just recently picked up another bow that is 47#. I plan to hunt with this bow, but in the mean time I use it for everything, including foam. I'm of the mind that you should test like you fly.(practice with the same equipment that you will use when it matters).
If you shoot a heavier bow more often, you will gain the strength to shoot it for longer periods. Think of it as weight lifting. It might be hard for me to curl 30lbs 5 times right now, but if I do it every day, I'll be able to curl it 20 times in a few months.

[Michael Arnette]

I would never own a bow I didn't want to hunt with

[Matty]

Originally posted by JRY309:
For me I would go with a 45#,that is right in the sweet spot if you should ever want to sell it.It is a good around weight for hunting,shooting targets,stump shooting and anything you would want to do.JMO

Ditto that. As I'm the same as you. I have an array of bows from 40-54. 45 seems to be just right.

[monkeyball]

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
I would never own a bow I didn't want to hunt with

I probably thought like that when I was in my twenties also. As you age you realize that there is more to "Archery" than hunting.

                                              Good Shooting,
                                                           Craig

[Bladepeek]

I'm afraid I would have to buy the light weight bow and fall totally in love with it. Then I would typically say "a few pounds heavier and this would be better for hunting and then I would acquire a second bow. Then a 3rd; then.....

[swampthing]

28" draw... I'd opt for 40# @28"  My state allows 30# for turkey, I'll stick with my 45#'er

[Diamond Paul]

I have light bows and hunting weight bows.  I am moving strictly to ILF platforms simply because they allow me to pick the right limbs for the job.  If this were my bow, though, being a bolt down I would get a compromise weight; 40 is plenty for deer, turkey, and similar things and is still light enough to use for a target bow.  In fact, I don't think I'm going to hunt with anything heavier than about 42lbs anymore.