I live in Colorado, North of Denver, am new to archery and found the forum here. I hope to learn a lot from all the people here. Recently bought a Bear Cruzer RTH package. It is set up for a 26 1/2 inch draw length and currently at 55 lb. I will be increasing the draw weight as I get more used to shooting.
Glad you found archery hunting. Be careful. It is very addicting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and lots of fun!) Join in the conversation. ENJOY!
If you can pull 55# comfortably you really don't need to worry about bumping up your draw weight. I shoot my bow at 61 all summer, but if I am going to be hunting in really cold weather (lower than 20 degrees F) I bump it down to about 55. The important thing is to know your own limits. I doubt that I would try to shoot an elk at 60 yards with a 55# bow. That being said, I doubt I would try any shot on any animal at 60 yards. I'm going to need a lot more practice before I try. Most of the deer I have killed were less than 20 yards away. Now that I live in Montana I suspect I will need to stretch out my range, but right now I am only comfortable out to 40 yards. I don't mind passing an iffy shot in order to avoid a long tracking job or not recovering an animal. As Elkguide said, it becomes an addiction if you let it. I would imagine that there are quite a few 3-d shoots in your area. Go check one out. If you don't want to keep score sign up as non-comp. It is a good way to meet other archers and generally a good time. Enjoy.
Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new bow! You certainly live in the right place to have a lot of fun archery hunting!