Well fellers, I'm not sure what to do so I'm coming to you, my bowhunting brothers, for advice. As some of you may know, about two years ago, I lost more than 100lbs. Well that's been great but along with the weight I also lost alot of strength. Last season I turned my bow down to 55# and got by. I shot today and even that is becoming a struggle. Not to mention I've been having alot of pain and stiffness in my shoulder and neck. I still do alot of cardio but it seems everytime I start strength training I start getting more pain in my neck, which I'm sure is the reason for my shoulder pain. It seems when it comes to strength training I take one step forward and two steps back. I'm not real sure how much muscle I could add at 62yrs old anyway and I don't think I should decrease my poundage any more than I have. So what say you all? I'm seriously thinking of, dare I say it, A CROSSBOW! Blessings........Pastorjim
First and foremost, you must take care of yourself. I would find no shame in hunting with a crossbow. Good luck with whatever you decide. God Bless!
I think that it comes down to your personal preference. If going cross bow means you can still sit in the woods doing what you love? then go for it. If you are one of those "traditional/long bow/compound or die" people then thats your choice too and maybe tale a camera instead. Nature is suppose to be a place of calm, relaxation, mental clarity & 30 seconds of adrenaline, not physical pain and discomfort. Perhaps ypu need to do a little more soul searching to find your own clarity? Good luck in whatever you decide, others opinions in your choice dont matter in this situation. Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk
Do it!!! And don't look back. Nothing changes about your experience other than small amount of time you are actually shooting. The rest of the time can be the same as it always was.
Sounds like you'd be the perfect person to justify using a crossbow. No reason to aggravate any lingering injuries that may lead to other injuries, plus you still get to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. I am not a fan of able-bodied people using crossbows, but I do support the need for them for people that find themselves in your situation. No reason to throw in the towel just yet.
As I have stated before _ After 2 major back surgeries and shoulder surgery I have no choice but to use a crossbow--or heaven forbid I have to sit home and watch Ellen and Oprah !!! For many weeks after my surgeries I had to stay home and watch daytime tv while not sleeping have you ever watched daytime t v It should be torture for the Taliban or ISIS they would commit suicide for sure ! Wait a minute Judge Judy came on at 4pm now that's worthwhile !
Have you had any specific medical diagnosis with this pain? While I will not tell that I can guarantee that I can help, I would be willing to bet that if you know the true cause of your shoulder pain, I can probably tell you what you need to do to keep the shoulders healthy enough to continue shooting a bow.
Do whatever you have to do to stay in the woods. Don't worry about others opinions either. I got a crossbow as a gift last year and got to do a little hunting with it at the end of the season. It's not a "gimme" like some think. Ethical shots are about the same as with a vertical bow. If you want to stay with the vertical bow and it's legal drop your poundage down to 35-40. When my son started hunting that's what his bow was set at and at 15-20 yards he got complete pass throughs with 75 grain muzzy broadheads. Get outside, inhale the fresh air, be close to God and hopefully put some meat on the table. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
It would all depend on the actual medical condition and what you into the sport for. Some people enjoy the archery aspect more than sitting and hunting. Others enjoy just being in the woods or scouting and tending the land. Following trail cameras. The only person that can make the decision for you, is you. Something like a Cortisone shot might make the difference. My brother thought he was done with softball because of shoulder problems. doctor said to try cortisone before deciding to have surgery and he has been fine every since. Sometimes taking the pain away long enough for inflammation to go away does the trick.
There is nothing wrong with hanging it up and quitting the sport and like you said, you can take up crossbowing since it sounds like bowhunting does not work for you any more. There is nothing wrong with that. You may find you enjoy the sport of crossbowing. Its good that there is crossbowing to fall back on when bowhunting is no longer an option. You wont know until you try. Ive known those that left the sport of bowhuting and tried crossbowing and ended up taking up bowhunting again by cranking the bow down to the lowest allowable weight for the state they lived in as they just found no joy or challenge in the sport of crossbowing after having spent years as a bowhunter.
I'm a perfectly able-bodied, red-blooded American man and I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with a crossbow. They're a blast to shoot and deadly accurate. I say go for it! On a side note I find it relatively humorous that modern hunters spend piles of money and time on making their hunts easier by planting food plots, creating better habitat for their animals, buying expensive hunting clothing, ozone machines, box blinds, scent control suits, and the list goes on. All of this for the sole purpose of helping them be more successful and to make their hunting easier. Make no mistake about it. We spend money on bigger broadheads that kill deer more quickly if we make a bad shot, or clothing that keeps us warm so we can hunt in more inclement weather. You talk about sitting in a heated box blind over a food plot, surfing the web on your phone while waiting for a buck to cruise by and nobody says a word. But talk about bringing out the crossbow and all of a sudden the torches are lit and the mob is at your door. People are funny.
Do what it takes to stay out there if it makes you happy. On a side note, when ever my back goes out or I have neck or leg pain it's usually due to something being out of place. Have you tried a Chiropractor?
I probably should have been a little clearer in my original post. I guess with all the pain I've been having, I'm feeling just a little sorry for myself today. I really wouldn't quit hunting altogether as I still have a strong desire for it. I do think there is a strong possibility that a crossbow may be in my future though. I guess I just wanted to see if there were other options that I hadn't thought of. I do have alot of pain and I don't want to compromise to the point that I'm not able to make a quick clean kill with my compound. But I gotta say, it is getting much harder to shoot the way I did before. Thanks for all the responses so far. Blessings.........Pastorjim
Jim you can probably get a smooth drawing youth bow, depending on your draw length, that would make things easier on you. Mission makes a nice one. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
There will come a day I will grab a crossbow to keep going. That said 50lbs will get the job done for sure :D My Pops is already slowly transitioning over to a crossbow more and more each year! Do what you gotta do to keep doing what you love to do!
I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a cut on contact head from a bow with a high let off and set to 45lbs to 50lbs without a doubt.
I was having extreme pain in my left arm, (I'm right handed) to the point that I was in your same place. I found an athletic trainer/chiropractor that I've been working with for the past couple of months and I am shooting my bow with it turned back up to 60 pounds. He discovered the issue, a severe case of tennis elbow, (even though I'm right handed and don't play tennis) that has been apparently caused by my climbing ladders as a house painter and the way that I "excessively" ride a bicycle. It's amazing being able to shoot my bow as well as being able to sleep at night. I would look for a good Physical Therapist or athletic trainer and see what they can come up with. A "bad day" hunting, (whatever that is????) is better than any day working!!!!!
My little cousin is 12 and is using a 35 pound compound and she killing the hell out the local deer herd. Can you pull 40??? Today's bows are so efficient that you will have no problem killing deer with a light draw weight. I'm seeing it happen over and over. In fact it increases the challenge. That way you don't have to quit bowhunting and take up another sport in its place.
