Since booking a buffalo hunt I have been looking for a takedown bow around 75# at 28". They don't seem to exist. I have only found one and a little out of my price range. Seems in the 80s and 90s everyone shot too heavy of bows. Someone must have a closet full??? :archer2:
I've seen a few topics where lots of guys are getting the weights reduced. I'm worried I'm not going to be able to find a decently heavy draw weight for any of these models anymore if that keeps happening lol
Most of us are too old to pull them anymore.
All of the guys who shot those heavy bows are busy rehabbing their surgically repaired shoulders!
Quote from: JohnV on January 27, 2021, 03:01:09 PM
All of the guys who shot those heavy bows are busy rehabbing their surgically repaired shoulders!
Not :campfire:
Quote from: Sam McMichael on January 27, 2021, 02:46:26 PM
Most of us are too old to pull them anymore.
This is the truth.
Quote from: JohnV on January 27, 2021, 03:01:09 PM
All of the guys who shot those heavy bows are busy rehabbing their surgically repaired shoulders!
Sad, but true. I used to shoot 65-70# longbows, but no way can my shoulder handle it any longer. After 45 years of shooting, my shoulders just won't allow it. I just ordered my new bow 40#@28" at least I know I'll be able to shoot it for my remaining years, and it's just our legal draw weight.
I've had too many surgeries on my shoulders and back to shoot any kind of " heavy weight" bows now a days. I'm lucky to be shooting low 40s now. Heck it still hurts.
In the 1980s I shot a 67 lb. recurve but a 75 lb. bow is definitely not in the cards since I'm 75 now. I did shoot some Toelke Super Ds from 50-55 lbs. until recently. I strongly suggest you NEVER tear a rotator cuff and those bows are gone now. I am about 8 months and a fair bit of P.T. past that now and am expecting to have a new Toelke 66" Classic Whip 36 lbs. @29" in my hands shortly. Did I suggest never tearing a Rotator Cuff?
Barring injury I'll be shooting 65#+ bows for a bit longer!!! Trick is to warm up and continue to shoot as much weight as you accurately can. Like Terry said "Not!!!"
:coffee: :campfire: :archer2:
Hmmm. I shot what I consider heavy bows (60#-70#) during my 30s, 40s 50s and into my 60s. Nearly 75 now, and I'm shooting 45#-50#, not because of any shoulder problems. Just not as strong as I once was. Never had and still don't have shoulder problems.
Heavy bows don't cause shoulder problems IMO, unless perhaps one shoots them improperly. A lot of folks injure their shoulders during a lifetime of living, and blame it on shooting heavy bows. Might be that the heavy bows just alert them to the fact that they already have bad shoulders.
Turkeyfoot: Did you place a bows wanted ad? Most folks don't list heavy bows for sale because there's very little market for them nowadays. Bet a lot of folks have a bow or two they would sell.
I'm 44 and just had my 3 rd shoulder surgery. It is from living my life to the extreme not from bows.
Have you looked at Ilf limbs. Some of them can be had cheap and in heavier draw weights.
I noticed the same thing, not to many years ago they would popup on classifieds—- not anymore.
i shoot 68-72# longbows,above that i found diminishing returns,,but if you want a heavy long bow,wapiti archery has a big horn long bow of mine he has been holing for me,i think its 90#...call him..ill sell it to you.
At the last ETAR I seen several sets of 65# Bear T/D limbs for fifty dollars and they didn't sell. And I have a few sets, and yes they are in the closet:(
They went away when I got older.I was shooting 60-70 pound bows easily in my 30s.I could pull and shoot up to 90 pounds.I shot Big Jims 90 pounder at Comptons descently.
I am 58 now and shoot 40-45 mostly.As much as I need realistically for what I do.If I was gonna shoot really big game I would need to work up as much as possible.Probably wont be hunting Cape Buffalo etc anyway.
Oh to be young again!:)
I just turned 72 and still shoot the same 70# bow I have shot for 25 years. Probably come a day I will have to drop down some.
Quote from: TURKEYFOOTGIRL on January 27, 2021, 02:00:11 PM
Since booking a buffalo hunt I have been looking for a takedown bow around 75# at 28". They don't seem to exist. I have only found one and a little out of my price range. Seems in the 80s and 90s everyone shot too heavy of bows. Someone must have a closet full??? :archer2:
What better reason to order a new one :jumper: just kidding probably get it after the hunt!
I never injured a shoulder shooting a bow. But mid back injuries and shoulder injuries and surgeries from work and sports have left me making different decisions than the 83lbs I used to shoot as well.
I'm shooting through 200lb class wild boars with my 50lbs right now so I can't complain but ifn I were going for Cape Buffalo I'm sure I'd want a little more weight.
63 and still shooting in the 60# to 66# range with no problems. It was Jeff Massie who talked me into dropping weight as the new designs in the bows where able to produce greater performances at lower weights.I dropped 10#'s and have not seen a big difference. Mind you I still have a couple heavy Hills to play with.
A diminishing return is still a return. :campfire:
From 16 to age 66 none of my recurves drew more than 50 pounds at my draw length. Draw weight of the stuff I've hunted has never been an issue. However, mule, antelope, black bear, and whitetail deer are the biggest I've been able to afford to pursue.
All four of my Robertsons are in the #60-#65 range, but that is typical of late 80's - early '90's models. I don't have any issues with their draw weights, but I'm not shooting as much as I should which may or maynot be helping my shoulder life...
Yes Orion I have posted 2 ads on the classifieds here as well as several FB ads. I'm sure the right thing will pop up I just thought everyone would have one of two to sell. Heck I had a great 75 pound Hoyt takedown I bought for 35 bucks at a yard sale. Unfortunately I sold it
You might try calling some of the shops who sell a lot of bows. Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear, The Footed Shaft, Big Jim. Sometimes they don't get them all listed on the web page.
My lightest is 83#s, I think if you are wanting strictly 75#s you may struggle as most of the bows I see traded/sold by the heavy crew are 90#s plus. If your parameters go higher I think you could find one cheapish.
All my heavyweight bows have turned into saw dust as I'm still have fun reducing their weights. Turned 75 this week and 40# is as high as I go.
Men have always gone down in weight as they got older. That's naturally normal, common sense, and understandable nor does it need to be justified... that's not the reason you can't find heavy bows.. :campfire:
I still have several of my heavy weights, from 70-94# in my upstairs. My shoulders quit on me about 20 years ago. Found out I didn't need the extra weight and shot better and practices more with lighter weight bows. In my experience, few people who shoot heavy bows actually reach a solid anchor and sometimes have several inches of arrow sticking out when they release.
I'm pushing 70 & shoot 65# not heavy but no pains either
You could always shoot a buff with a 40# bow and stampede it ff a cliff, like the Indians did. :bigsmyl:
I'm from the "walk in off the street generation and buy a recurve bow at your local department store". In fact my brother, of eternal memory (1955-2012), and I did that. Those bows were aimed for the bulk of shooters and came in at around 45-50#.
Not many shooters wanted the heavy bows so manufacturers concentrated on the mid range bows.
So where did they go? Not many existed back in the day unless you got some sort of special order custom. We could not afford that.
But that's ok. We had a blast hunting and shooting our 45-50# recurves. Memories from long ago (1976). Gone but not forgotten from a time we will not likely see again.
Thanks for letting me reminisce. His heavenly birthday is coming up on 2/5.
Jawge
I'm sure you have Chuck, but the guys I hunt with that shoot heavy bows handle them easily and consistently kill stuff.
If turkeyfoot is going to hunt buff, he's going to need a heavy bow. Not sure why all the hacking on people that shoot heavy bows is even an issue on this thread. :dunno:
Just making a truthful observation based on almost 60 years behind the bow. I'm sure you and your friends handle heavy bows well. I shot 94#@27" for years. I could hold at full draw for 10 seconds without creeping forward. (won a couple bets for that). However; you and your friends are the exception. Only a small percentage of archers can really handle the heavy bows, and hit what they are aiming at. More power to those that can! I regret, every day, that I ever shot a bow that pulled over 60#. My shoulders let me know about it constantly. Maybe I was doing it wrong?😩
Ironmike;
63-67# is good for most of my hunting with the D/R bows I shot and 800-900 grain arrows I'm pushing. Plenty of juice and penetration potential. Do have a D-shape Kota at 72#, but heavier than that I have to work too hard at staying in trim to shoot consistently.
:coffee: :campfire: :archer2:
68# @ 31 still going strong for me, and it's my favorite to shoot. The key for me is to draw and hold my bow (both right and left handed) for exercise all throughout the year, but especially during my "shooting seasons".
I hear ya Chuck... I've seen people you speak of, believe me, and thanks for not including everyone. I've been shooting since i was 8, 56 now, and shot heavy all my life. Never an issue. Just saying one size don't fit all, and not sure why some have such an issue accepting that. Well, actually, I have a pretty good reason as to why.
My husband always hunted with heavy bows, he practiced a lot. One year he tore a muscle in his arm while weight lifting, really ugly lump, he killed a huge doe with my 37 pounds at 26 inches Hill that year. Then one day his super heavy bow pulled a finger out of place, that ended it for him. At 69 now, the guy that he gave his lighter 89 pound Big 5 too stopped by, he got out his fiberglass arrows with wood inside of them. They hit the target really hard, when he shot his old bow. He said, "Gosh I forgot how much fun that was." I said, "Don't you dare." He now shoots 50 to 55 pounds, sometimes all day. The heaviest draw that I ever got to was 48 pounds at my 26 inch pull. I cannot do that any more.
Keep looking Chris. I could loan you something if you were a lefty. Jerry is going to be borrowing my ILF recurve limbs for the hunt. Nothing is cheap, but Black Widow could get a set of limbs knocked out for you quickly, and it doesn't seem to bad weighed against the cost of a buff hunt.
Quote from: Orion on January 27, 2021, 04:21:43 PM
Hmmm. I shot what I consider heavy bows (60#-70#) during my 30s, 40s 50s and into my 60s. Nearly 75 now, and I'm shooting 45#-50#, not because of any shoulder problems. Just not as strong as I once was. Never had and still don't have shoulder problems.
Heavy bows don't cause shoulder problems IMO, unless perhaps one shoots them improperly. A lot of folks injure their shoulders during a lifetime of living, and blame it on shooting heavy bows. Might be that the heavy bows just alert them to the fact that they already have bad shoulders.
Turkeyfoot: Did you place a bows wanted ad? Most folks don't list heavy bows for sale because there's very little market for them nowadays. Bet a lot of folks have a bow or two they would sell.
I agree. My shoulders are also wrecked. My surgically repaired one is now my "good" one. But that was caused by my being stupid enough to think it was somehow necessary to bench press a dump truck after age 40. I don't think shooting had anything to do with it. Then again I never owned a 70# bow.
Tippit, why did you grind them down? Anger management problem? :biglaugh:
Quote from: Mike Malvaini on January 30, 2021, 07:19:57 AM
Tippit, why did you grind them down? Anger management problem? :biglaugh:
Did a paper on this in college. When men get older they get jealous of those still with youth. When older men can't do the things they use to do they make fun of those that can. Like the 'saw dust' comment. That comment is text book of youth envy.
Best if luck on your quest Turkeyfoot. :campfire:
Mike Malvaini,
Anger management...quite the contrary, I reduced their weight up to 20+ pounds and I'm still shooting them. Look up some of my posts on Drastically Reducing bow weight...tippit
Ok that's cool tippit, but the message you conveyed was a flippant sounding remark like you ground them up. Glad you are still using the bows. How heavy were they when you started and what weigh are they now? I understand you can't take much more than 7 to 10 pounds off
I've taken up to 30 pounds off a bow... most are usually 15 to 20 pounds. I re-tiller and pull them all to 34 inches on my tillering board as I only pull 27 inches so if they break I want it on my tiller board. I've probably done 50 old bows and never had one break. Disclaimer...I'm the only one allowed to shoot any of these, I won't do it for anyone else, and I won't sell them...tippit
PS: I usually post bows for sale before I take them to my knife grinder...but I have way too many bows so it is fun to see if I can get them to 40# or slightly less.
During the early 80's, I bought a 60" American Archery Cheetah, 75# at 28". At my draw length, I was holding 83#. I gave it back to the guy I bought it from after I bought a Groves Spitfire Mag II. He wanted it for his son. Never heard back from him, so I don't know if his son could pull it back!
Stalker stickbows made me a 80 lb.At my draw its 90lbs.Big Jim makes heavy also.I think white wolf does also.If you get to so cal you can try mine.Not many places you can try heavy bows before ordering.
Im still looking for one the right weight and style. Ive been shhoting my 65 at 26 Centaur carbon bow. Its about 147 fps with a 1000 grain arrow. It could get the job done on a big buffalo if necessary but i would prefer about 10 fps faster. Also dont want to buy a new custom just for this hunt. Not many things i will use this setup for in the future.
Yeah they aren't real versatile. I had mine made for a cape hunt ,then life happened.Am using it in a 20 yd league just to keep arm use to it.You might be able to get a old bear cheap. I thought I read they made a heavy one for a couple years
They are very versatile of you can pull them. They will work on anything. And work really well. They are more versatile than a 45# bow as they will work on animals a 45# bow wont work on. So, they are more versatile as a fact.
Buff have ribs situated to where you are just about guaranteed to hit one, and they are big. You will have to glance through them most likely. So you are going to need all you can muster.
75#s would be minimum from what I understand... contact Denny Sturgis Jr... he can tell you more.
Turkeyfoot, i have a 70# Morrison Cougar I would let you use. I killed my 2000# American Bison with it, but thats not the same as a buff. Let me know if you want to use it.
I also know where there is an 80# MOAB. Don't know if he's interested in selling it, but I could ask for ya.
Yes they are versatile if you have game around.I live in San Diego ca now.If I was still in reedsport ore I know I would be chasing elk with it.But alas all I hunt here is foam
They are more versatile whether you have game around or not. The bow knows no difference. He's traveling, like many if us do, and we need a more versatile bow for what we are chasing.
TURKEYFOOTGIRL,
You might look up Dave Stinson "Hunt it" on tradgang. He used to shoot some heavy bows for Moose and Water Buffalo. He lives in Toronto. I might have his phone number although it's been years since I've hunted with him or seen him. Like me, he is older now...tippit
Quote from: Terry Green on January 31, 2021, 08:10:46 PM
They are more versatile whether you have game around or not. The bow knows no difference. He's traveling, like many if us do, and we need a more versatile bow for what we are chasing.
"From bunnies to bison" I recall. Yep, that's versatile.
I found a couple of heavy sets if Hawk recurve limbs at RMSG now I need to find a used riser if possible.
Great.. wish you the best... and that I was going with you.
That would be great! There are s few tradgangers going so hopefully will have some great stories!
Looking forward to it!!!!!!
I'll add.... I used to list a bow from time to time, Morrison, Mariah , shrew, lost creek, acs, bw, all over 60#s. They would sell same day or within 3 days like clockwork.... now, you can't give them away. Sign of the times.
I understand that the older generation tends to drop weight naturally and understandably. But why so many advocate against heavy bows these days even younger guys? To me a heavy bow shoots flatter, and has more power, and when hunting you've normally only got one shot anyways. I normally shoot about 60# or so, so not the ultra heavyweights like you guys are talking but even 60# is considered heavy in most circles nowadays. Just curious as to why the huge trend to lower poundage.
Sign of the times buckeye. Nothing at all against getting older and dropping, that is a normal cycle ... NOT the reason for non heavy younger guys. Not enough youngsters have thrown hay all day. More interested in scrolling and 'likes' than personal achievement. Thats about as nice as I can be.
Terry I get it. Well said. I like your mention of throwing hay all day, I grew up on an Angus farm lol then worked a lumber yard until I could pay for college to become a teacher. When I mention working on farm as a summer gig for these kids they look at me funny.
I'm there with you. I'm heading back to Africa next year for some big game that South African law states that I must use a minimum of an 80lb bow. I had Scott from Timberhawk bows make me a heavy duty ilf riser and had some 80lb limbs made for it. This way I can also use the riser with other limbs if I choose. Good luck!
:campfire:
I have a 115# war bow if you are interested..
I hunted for 6 years with a 115# Hill Tembo. Dropped down in weight because building arrows for it was getting too expensive. Killed a number of critters with it, including several turkey. It was nice knowing that I had a bow that was as versatile as I needed it to be and that I could hunt anything I was after, even foam. I still feel the same way with my current set-up, but I have yet to have the same success I did with that Tembo so the confidence isn't there yet. :biglaugh: However, I do not miss the 40ish (carbon with weight tube stuffed inside an aluminum with a heavy head) dollars per arrow.
:goldtooth:
Love it!!!!
Great thread!
I think there may be some validity when Terry suggests that part of the reason for fewer young shooters shooting heavy bows is that they "haven't thrown enough hay". That implies that many (certainly not all) young guys just don't work out enough to develop strength to pull big bows. I wasn't particularly strong, yet I shot a 78# bow for years. It was hard to work up the conditioning to handle this bow. Frankly, I think a lot of people today are just not willing to do the work to shoot these bows. That's not really an issue, since lighter bows can be very effective even on big game. But I do think that young people today put less emphasis overall on strength training, whether we are talking archery or anything else. To me, that's just the way it is.
Quote from: Terry Green on February 02, 2021, 07:05:02 AM
I'll add.... I used to list a bow from time to time, Morrison, Mariah , shrew, lost creek, acs, bw, all over 60#s. They would sell same day or within 3 days like clockwork.... now, you can't give them away. Sign of the times.
Agreed unfortunately and yet I find myself with another #60+ new addition to my stable of sticks.
I'm seeing several bows in the classifieds at 65# or over.
I was born and raised in a farm. At 14 years old I was shooting a 55# Shakespeare bow. I can't tell you how many thousand hay bales I threw back then. Cut firewood. I've worked construction all my life and while I'm not a big guy
(5'9" 190# now) I always shot a moderately heavy bow (63-70#) back then. I've moved down to 49# last year at 65 years old. My injuries to my shoulder have come from work not shooting a heavy bow. In fact for years shooting made them feel better.
Quote from: Terry Green on February 02, 2021, 07:05:02 AM
I'll add.... I used to list a bow from time to time, Morrison, Mariah , shrew, lost creek, acs, bw, all over 60#s. They would sell same day or within 3 days like clockwork.... now, you can't give them away. Sign of the times.
Terry you could "give" them to me. Wouldn't hurt my feelings.
:biglaugh:
The morning of August 28,2019 i came in from shooting my 65# Martin Hunter , hung it up , and promptly had a stroke . Haven't been able to draw that bow since . But ! ... Its a muscle loss issue , not a mobility deficit one. Rebuilding that . Even hunted this year, albeit at less weight . 50-55 is super comfortable .
I do hope to be back at 65-70 again. I love that bow .
I know there are great fans of heavy bows (anything heavier than 60 pounds to me). I'm glad their experience is great, but I say good riddance. I don't hunt anything larger than elk though.
More people have been messed up by being over-bowed than almost any other reason.
I think alot of folk are intimidated by anything #55 and beyond. There's some great tools that are relatively cheap to help aid in increasing in draw weight.
The sports therapy tension bands are a great item to use even in the off season to help. Different color bands represent different tensile strengths. Lengthen or shorten the band to increase or decrease draw weight accordingly and you can basically practice drawing and anchoring without a worry of dry firing a bow. I think the most expensive ones I've seen been around $30 Cdn, so.. roughly $20 US?
Amazon is your friend here gang if your interested in these.
Quote from: ShrtRnd on February 11, 2021, 06:52:30 PM
I think alot of folk are intimidated by anything #55 and beyond.
not being argumentative in any whay... why?. Please explain why, where, and who proposed that.... in respect :campfire:
I've never hurt my shoulders shooting heavy bows (70-90#),but doing bull work everyday for a living sure did. I had a hard time mentally dropping down to a 45# longbow recently. But better then not shooting one or going some other route.
i agree. Work is the devil. 25 years of bending pipe and pulling wire when i should save my shoulders for shooting
Quote from: Russell Southerland on February 11, 2021, 07:04:49 PM
Quote from: ShrtRnd on February 11, 2021, 06:52:30 PM
I think alot of folk are intimidated by anything #55 and beyond.
not being argumentative in any whay... why?. Please explain why, where, and who proposed that.... in respect :campfire:
You just have to look at some of the previous commentary on this thread or others here in regards to heavy poundage bows.
Also if you regularily watch the classifieds here you can see that these bows don't move quickly here or listed elsewhere on the web. Add in the social media aspects of various people using and/or promoting the #45-#50 range of draw weights it's not hard to come to that conclusion based on those perceptions.
I get both sides of the argument for or against #55 and beyond.
A lot of those comments have merit both ways for sure. My comments were just some things I had noticed each time this topic comes up
I finally found a good one! Hope its got some luck built in it!
That will be perfect for Buff, Chris.
Sweet find! That will be a good set-up. What are you planning on using arrow wise?
Nice bow.
Beautiful bow. I probably have more than enough heavy bows, but that one gives me the itch again.
I wish you the best of luck on the Buffalo hunt!
Silk n String with my 65 # I use a axis 400 with a 6" sleeve of 2020 over the top. 200 grain stainless insert with 200 grains of weight right behind that, 250 grain tip for a little over 1000 total grains. Will have to see what works with this new setup.
That sound like a winning combination. Best of luck on the hunt, please take us along with you through stories here when it happens!
As much as I know I can't pull it, and as much as I know I have no real need to be able to pull it, I sure miss my 78# longbow.
Being a proponent of using as heavy a bow as one can handle well, I've been following this post since it started, just not chimed in till now.
TurkeyFoot, glad you found one, and that is a really nice looking bow for sure.
I've been using my 75# Blackwidow T/D longbow for quite some years now, on everything from Bunnies to Buffalo (our Water Buffalo), and based on my limited Buffalo experience, with 1000+ grains, perfect arrow flight and a properly sharp 2 blade broadhead in the right place from that poundage bow, I reckon you should be golden.
Please do share your journey on getting it tuned, and definately share your hunt.
Looking forward to the next chapter of this.
Best
Lex
Quote from: TURKEYFOOTGIRL on February 12, 2021, 12:33:18 PM
Silk n String with my 65 # I use a axis 400 with a 6" sleeve of 2020 over the top. 200 grain stainless insert with 200 grains of weight right behind that, 250 grain tip for a little over 1000 total grains. Will have to see what works with this new setup.
WOW, awesome setup. what made you use a 400?? :bigsmyl: :laughing: :thumbsup: :tongue:
Quote from: ShrtRnd on February 11, 2021, 06:52:30 PM
The sports therapy tension bands are a great item to use even in the off season to help. Different color bands represent different tensile strengths. Lengthen or shorten the band to increase or decrease draw weight accordingly and you can basically practice drawing and anchoring without a worry of dry firing a bow. I think the most expensive ones I've seen been around $30 Cdn, so.. roughly $20 US?
Amazon is your friend here gang if your interested in these.
Do you have any recommendations for workouts? I know you could just pull the bands to simulate pulling a bow, but understand you'll fair much better if you're balancing out all of the related muscle groups with a number of different movements.
I grew up doing a fair amount of farm work, but now 90% of my time is sitting in front of a computer all day. I'd love to move up in draw weight, but I'm a ways from that, strength-wise.
Turkey foot, that bow is a looker! Only way you'll improve on that is to have it propped on a buff! :archer:
I do physical work all day and just slowly work up in bow weight and make sure I warm up and shoot daily. Ha yes Clint I take no credit for that arrow combination! I was struggling with high spines til I messaged you.
Didn't Eichler kill the NA Slam with about a 54# setup? I'm part of that younger generation that "hasn't thrown enough hay" and it isn't because we "can't" shoot more bow weight, it's that we were fortunate to have years of information from those who came before us that a well-tuned arrow and sharp broadhead are more important than the number scribbled on your limb.
you got a 30" draw like Eichler? quite a difference between 54#@26" and 54#@30". not all 54# are created equal
I heard Tom Clum say one inch of draw is equal to 6 or 8 pounds of bow weight in performance!
I do. But my point is just that we've gathered a lot of knowledge over the years in the archery community. We now know for most - not all - situations, that high-end bow weights just aren't necessary.
All things being equal, a well tuned arrow and a sharp broad head shot out of a heavier bow will be more effective even past the point of diminishing returns. I guess I wonder why, if you are physically able to shoot a heavier set-up, would you not want as much bow as you can shoot well?
Quote from: ozy clint on February 13, 2021, 08:45:42 PM
you got a 30" draw like Eichler? quite a difference between 54#@26" and 54#@30". not all 54# are created equal
Well said
Quote from: FoCoBlackWidow on February 13, 2021, 09:11:21 PM
I do. But my point is just that we've gathered a lot of knowledge over the years in the archery community. We now know for most - not all - situations, that high-end bow weights just aren't necessary.
Well, since he is planning on hunting Water Buffalo, I am not sure why you are referencing North American game that Eichler has shot. Not really an apples to apples situation.
Here is a link to a Water Buffalo hunt that was done using heavier equipment than you describe. Unfortunately the photos were lost which showed alot, but pay attention to the description of the kill and the testing afterwards. Things frequently don't work out like the Ashby studies when you are dealing with live mature buff bulls. Asiatic or Cape.
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=59717.120
And some food for thought. There are no studies that prove that shooting heavy bows is linked to shoulder problems, and it is entirely possible that shooting marathon sessions with lighter bows would be more likely to cause repetitive stress injury. Additionally, most people lose muscle mass as they age and have to drop bow weight. Shooting very light bows that can barely get the job done at an early age could cause some problems later on in life. It goes without saying that you need to be able to handle whatever weight that you are shooting well under the conditions in which the bow will be used. Being overbowed is a problem, whether it is at 40 pounds or 80 pounds.
Thanks for posting that link! i hadnt seen that one in alot of years!