Just wondering....??
At what age did you older fellows, decide/realize that you needed to drop some bow weight??
I haven't bowhunted the last couple years, as I've been chasing squirrels with our Plott hound and a .22
This year now that I'm retired, my nephew wants me to go bowhunting with him. I strung up my 50# Kodiak T/D and started shooting last march. Long story short, I strained my left shoulder! I've been shooting 50# since I was 16, and have never had an issue. I ordered a set of Bear 50th anniversary in 40# and figured I'd baby my shoulder while I waited for them to come in. Hope for the best, so to speak?!
Well, they arrived a few weeks ago!! I strung up the bow with the new limbs and went out back to shoot.
I was shaking as I was getting ready to draw.... Start close, go slow, don't overdo it... I drew back slowly, waiting for the pain...... My fingers found their spot and I settled in. I focused on the spot, and let the string slip from my fingers....
That first arrow nailed "Bucky" the button buck!! Alright, it was a little far back, but hey I didn't miss!!
I walked up to pull my arrow and process things. A little soreness drawing back? But no pain! Try another one?
I ended up shooting 5 arrows that day. I've been shooting 5-6 arrows a day and happy to say, I'm "in there" at 10 yards, good at 15, and "pretty good" at 20. Still have a little soreness when drawing, but not real pain or lingering soreness after shooting!
Hopefully, I dodged a bullet!!!! :pray:
I started dropping down in weight around age 60. Up until that time shot about 55-65#. At 74, I'm now shooting 45-50# for hunting and 5# lighter for targets.
At 65 years 55lb works but I used the HOPE bow in September and really like her at 50lb's...better built bow than mine with carbon limbs made her shoot like my mid 50's bows ...SO...I'm thinking there may be a drop in weight in my future without a performance loss...long ways from the 83lbs of my youth !!!
Quote from: Orion on October 01, 2020, 04:31:24 PM
I started dropping down in weight around age 60. Up until that time shot about 55-65#. At 74, I'm now shooting 45-50# for hunting and 5# lighter for targets.
I'm practically identical in all respects, except I'm 76 (but who's counting?).
I've had a few minor shoulder flare-ups over the years, but nothing that required surgery, and my one and only case of tennis elbow about 10 years ago.
Two rebuilt shoulders at 21 and 26 yrs. Doctors said, "your archery days are over." I thought they were right...until I got a little resentful of them telling me..."no!" So...backvthen I STARTED at 60 and 70 lbs with compound and even shot at 80 a time or two. Tried 90 but it was a little much. Settled on 70 for years. Then...about 5 years ago....something popped....so I sold everything off. I actually used archery as therapy to keep my surgeries stable and build muscle. The VA rated me at 40% even before that....but they applauded my efforts.
When things started going South here earlier this year I decided to roll the dice one last time. I might hafta hunt for food...so I bought a Bear Wolverine takedown. At 40 lbs. It feels easy drawing and holding. Some days I shoot a dozen shots, others 50 or so. I hit out to 30 yds if I am anchoring and releasing properly. I am 63....but have been told that due to police work and Corrections(30 some years of daily bar fights kinda), my odometer is past the "best by" date. This all helps me to limit the eventual loss of ability I know I will face. Eventually the 40% will be 50 or more....but you know....I didn't just sit around and wait for it. I am making the best of it and living my life. I FIRMLY believe(and KNOW) that...I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And you guys on this site are fun to talk to!
At about age 50, I decided a 78# bow was too much. I went down to a 65# bow for several years and then to 55#. I eventually began to shoot a 53# bow and continue to draw that weight. Actually, that is not accurate since I pull less than 28 inches. So I am actually shooting in the upper 40's. However, if I need bows rated in the 40 range, I have that covered as well. I had one shoulder repaired and now need surgery on the other.
Let's say I working on it. I was able to shoot 60#-65# bows up to about 2 years ago. Now my 55# recurve bows aren't as much fun as they used to be. I have a set of 45# ILF limbs and a set of 45# limbs for my Bear TD that feel real good. It's my neck that gets sore more so than my shoulders when I shoot my 55# recurve limbs.
What's worse right this minute is a sore lower back, can't do much of anything until it stops hurting. So I will miss a 80 target 3D this weekend. I am not into those "little pills" so I just have to wait it out.
Forgot to mention, just turned 75 in August.
I dropped weight early as a cure to fight target panic, maybe late 40's or early 50's in age. It helped a lot !! Now 40-45 @ 29" and I'm still shooting everyday!! I'm now 68 years old
2 years ago, at age 71, I dropped to 44#.
I think I just got my draw weight dropped last month. Doc says I have a popeye arm. My 60 lb is too much to pull right now so I dug out my 45 lb hickory and I can shoot that but I need more practice. Maybe I will be able to hunt later in season.
61 here, dropped from 50 to 45 last year. Shoulder pain, held off shooting for a few months this spring, so far ( those particular ) pains haven't returned.
Worked up to shooting 65# DH Hunter at 23 and have been healthy so far. Still shooting 64-71# hope to continue for a bit.
:campfire:
Thanks for all the responses Brothers!!! :notworthy:
Like I said, Hopefully I dodged a bullet!
It seems the average weight drop is about 10# and seems to do the trick :archer2:
I'll be 68 on this coming Saturday. I shot 60# until about 10 years ago, and then 55#, just sold my last 55# a couple weeks ago. I think I could probably still shoot 55, but 50 is more fun.
I bought a really nice 43# elkheart, for the future, but so far it seems too light, as of now anyway.
About 4 years ago I dropped down to 51# from 58# because of my bow shoulder. Finally had an MRI 2 months ago and found out my shoulder is bone on bone. Borrowed a friends 45# Centaur and it feels great. Centered pouched a doe 10 days ago with complete penetration. I'm 72.
Will be 65 in a couple of weeks and am shooting a 45# longbow and a 46# recurve. Impinged rotator cuff on both shoulders and the bow arm shoulder is getting pretty close to bone on bone. One doc said quit shooting and another said drop to 40#, so I dropped from the low 50# range and compromised at 45#. I don't shoot as often as I did in my 50s, but I work on form and concentration and make the most of my practice sessions.
Dang! here I am just starting out and about to turn 64 and right now I'm shooting a 40 LB Bear Kodiak. I was hoping to eventually go up in draw weight. I'm going to move up in draw weight if I have train with Iron
Arthritis at base of neck and shoulders is chasing me down in bow weight. I'm at 55#'s now at age 63, shot 65# and 70#s for years. Have lower weight limbs on hand already:(
For most of us, we must adjust to stay in the game we love.
Had to have shoulder surgery do to an injury from back in the Air Force. I was 54 then. Had to drop about 10 pounds off the top end. That was 16 years ago. Still pulling 47 to 48 pounds. Going on 71 now.
I'll be 70 at the end of the year. I started Trad just 6-7 years ago with a 43# Longbow. I've had three rotator cuff surgeries and considerable arthritis in hands and lower back. I'm still shooting 43 and feel like I'll be there for a while to come. (Sure hope so, my PL II is due any day!)
Chuck, by no means am I telling you what to do. But I know you and think after the long hiatus, you picked up the bow again and just over did it. You're an all or nothing kind of guy when it comes to tasks at hand. Shoot what's comfortable. 40 is enough. Hope you dont have damage but dont be afraid to try 50 again after you had a chance to retrain muscles. Good luck this year.
Well Charlie, you know me brother LOL :readit:
I'm on Big Jim's list for a new Mag A-handle :thumbsup:
Might put the 50# limbs on that when it gets here :archer:
:archer: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I turned 66 back in April and started having problems in my left shoulder. It hurt to pull 50# bows so I dropped down to 45# and now I'm at 40#. The shoulder feels good at that weight so that's what I'm hunting with.
I dropped weight in my mid to late 20's, and for darn good reasons:
- I love to shoot and I shoot often. As with anything, this sets you up for repetitive use injuries later on like carpal tunnel for office workers, bad knees for runners, etc
- I started noticing a LOT of elderly archers dropping weight and more importantly complaining of shoulder injuries. We are talking big, strong, healthy guys here that just wore their joints out
- I started reading about things like the Ashby reports and what is actually needed to get good penetration on game animals and how arrow design may actually be more important than bow weight
- I looked hard at what I hunt and it's mostly medium sized game (deer, pigs, black bear) and small game (squirrel, rabbit) with the hopes of one day an elk and I soon realized that I just don't need the bow weight.
I'm now in my early 33. I'm strong and healthy and young. I can easily shoot bows in the mid 70 to mid 80 pound range accurately and hold at full draw for several seconds while still having a good aim and clean release. My two bows both come in at 53.5lbs at my 29" draw which is fairly light BUT they can ethically hunt everything I ask them to hunt and I can target shoot them all day long without strain and stress on my body so why bother going up in bow weight when literally nothing that I hunt is large or thick skinned enough to need it?
I'll be 65 in just several months. I've been shooting since I was 5. From my mid 20's til about my mid 50's I shot 60-68#. I've gradually moved down from there to 57# for a few years then to 53# the last 7-8 years. I've spent 44 years working home construction and that's where my shoulder pains come from. I pulled something in my left shoulder last winter and had to drop to 48#. Since I don't know if I'll ever get to elk hunt again I'm happy with that weight for deer.
I don't feel that shooting heavier weights ever hurt me. In fact shooting regularly helped my shoulders not ache from work.
Was on a steady decrease in weight from the mid to late 1990's when at 68# to 2009 at 42#. Now 42# is at my upper limit, mostly 35-40, +/- a couple, mostly minus. This started with TP issues, then progressed with back issues plus age where I've lost a lot of strength/muscle tone(never had either of these to begin with).
I am 73 yo and have gone down to the 40-45 lb range after shooting 50-55 lb's most of my archery life. The results... well they are great. I have heart failure and COPD. I feel good shooting and because of arrow and bow technology I dont really need all that poundage.
Last years kill was a complete pass through at 20 yards on a decent 8 pt. I can live with that and I dont hurt.
I am 66 and my issues have never been joints, it's my heart that has driven my decrease in bow weight. Like most I have dropped about 10 pounds. I shoot Widows, I had PSA recurve limbs made at 44 to replace the 55s, the PL longbow is 45. I have an old Quinn I shoot targets and practice with that is 41. Honestly I am confident in the poundage and used the reduction of weight to thin the herd to the three.
With the extra funds from bow sales a 40 pound PTFX is in my future. This will be my last one so I'm making sure I order the perfect combination of woods for my eye.
I'm 71 and a very slow learner. I started out shooting 65# bows @ 28" but drawing 30 back when I was in my teens. In my 30's I ended up shooting 60# @28" bows drawn 30 " because that was what I could get, and I have stuck with that set-up. My current bows are a Bear TD 60# @28" drawn to 30 " and a Fox High Sierra 64# @29.5" but I am drawing 30" on that one, too. I used to lay-off shooting from December through March but I have recently found that I takes too long to get "back in shooting shape" now so I shoot year-around.
Maybe, one day when I grow up, I will need to ease off on the bow weight. So far my arm and shoulder bones and joints have not given up on me. Thank you, Lord.
JMC
I believe that shooting consistently is key to maintaining bow weight. Things happen, but I believe that taking time off and then jumping right back into that heavy bow makes it harder on the body. So continue to stay at it and enjoy the ride.
:campfire:
Well, chasing the hound dog for 2 years, sure was fun!!!
Probly didn't help my bow shooting though... :dunno:
Started shooting when I was 41, with a 40" semi-recurve. Felt light pretty soon, and moved to a 45# recurve. 66.5 now, current bow is 43@28. Shot a couple 46/48 R/D's in the last few years; they felt like my upper end, and pushing it a bit.
I'm a skinny little guy with a collection of back/shoulder issues (always my right side, string arm), losing strength quite noticeably, but somehow the wight hasn't changed that much. Feel it more though.
I agree with wudstix in that shooting often and being smart about it is really the key to maintaining bow weight if a person wants to do that. I'm 66 and have always shot 55-65 lbs for 40 plus years. I've broken both bicep tendons in separate accidents, had multiple misc. surgeries and just had prostate removal and 38 days of radiation for prostate cancer. I kinda freaked out while going through the radiation thinking I wouldn't be able to shoot my favorite bow, and had my Bowyer buddy build me a longbow in a lighter weight thinking I would really need that. He is 70 and shoots 41 lbs and shoots through several deer a year so he recommended a bow around 45 at my draw, so I had him build it , a great RD design bow, but I have a hard time with it, Its very comfortable to draw and shoot but I cant get a consistent release with the 12 lb lighter bow and it just feels so different, I did kill a deer with it Saturday and the performance was great with a pass through , but my shot placement wasn't as good as I'm used to. I can easily still shoot my 57 lb recurve and will be hanging up the lighter bow till I actually need it , which I hope is several years away. So the lighter weight bow with proper arrows performs great but for me , I need to work on it during the summer if I find I need or want the lighter weight.
I killed my first deer in 1972 at age 19 with a 43@28 Bear takedowns. The next year I traded for a 60# set of limbs and shot 60 to 68# for years. In 1992 I built a 64@27" longbow that I shot for over 20 years.
A few years ago I wasn't happy with my ability to really control that bow, so I went back to a Bear takedown with 53# limbs. This year I'm shooting 48# limbs. I guess now at age 67, I've almost come full circle.
69 here and started shooting at 8 with a 25# fiberglass Bear-killed many frogs with it as my Pop (grandfather) liked frog legs. Killed my first deer with a 45# Bear Golden Bear solid glass bow in 1965. When I came back from service I used a 65# Widow and killed many critters with that bow. Jump to my mid 40's and went to 55# bows and now with shoulder issues and two new hips and eye lenses am back to mid 40# and still filling the freezer every year. This is probably the poundage I will end with as I still find it comfortable to shoot. I've shot with guys much younger who shoot higher #'s who say they just want to be shooting at my age. I just tell them to enjoy the journey regardless of what weight they shoot. Best to all this fall.
I'm 62 years old and haven't dropped my bow weight yet. I've been shooting 60# to 65# since 1969. But I do realize as I get older I'll have to drop my bow weight at some point. :archer2:
I'm shooting about 45# this fall and not doing well at it. Tore my some muscles in my upper arm and it doesn't work good right now.
So far, so good. Just turned 60.
Two years ago I shot a 55# Hex 7.5 Covert Hunter but I had to shoot 3 times a week. Last year I dropped back in weight and was shooting 46#. Currently shooting 48# ILF while waiting on new 52# Hex 9h limbs for the Covert Hunter. Covid outbreak and restriction has hit the UK, so my new liimbs are delayed, so I might be hunting with the 48# Morrison.
When I was 14 (52 years ago) my Pearson Cougar was 45 pounds.
I've never owned a recurve with a draw weight (at my 26" draw length) greater than 46 pounds. That's what I still shoot at age 66.
I dropped my weight from 55# to 45# when I hit 56. Shooting more than a couple dozen would do me in. Last straw was when I injured my shoulder and gave myself tennis elbow after a week of heavy practicing with 55#. I had to take 6 weeks off shooting and start up using a 35# glass bow to gradually get back in shooting shape. Since 'downsizing' I've had no issues, even after 'hundred-arrow' days.
Just an update....
The 10# weight drop, has seemed to do the trick!!!
I have the new 40# limbs on my Kodiak T/D. Tyler built me a new dozen 45-50# cedar arrows.
They look GREAT!!! 2 natural barred hens, and a "Grayling" green cock feather, to match the new Selway/Bear "Grayling" bow quiver. I tipped them all with old green Bear Razorheads. The whole setup just looks "old school" COOL!!! :archer:
Even through I have never practiced during Deer season in the past, I am this season!! (Just not right before going out to hunt! LOL) I've been shooting most every day, with no issues at all... I think I'm going to stick with this setup. Hell, I ain't gittin' any younger!!! Might as well get used to it! :readit:
Thanks Again!!! :archer: :campfire: :archer:
Glad that helped get you back at it. Nothing underpowered IMHO about a 40-45# bow for deer sized game with proper shot placement and sharp broadheads.