With all the talk about what everyone would do differently for next season, my mind also started look at some my current techniques and procedures I use. One thing I have been thinking about doing is lowering my draw weight. I currently pull 70 lbs and do so with ease, but I realistically can only hold it steady for about 30 seconds. I want to be able to hold it for minutes if I have to. In other words if the buck I shot this year wasn't offering a good shot right away I sometimes question what would have happenned if I had to hold it for a few minutes? The outcome could have been much different and I would have been devastated to lose a buck like that. I shoot a 2010 Mathews Z7 with a 28 inch draw. I was thinking about going down to either 65lbs or 62.5lbs. The arrows I use are Carbon Express Maxima 350's, tipped with NAP Spitfire Maxx's. My max range in good conditions is 40 yards. My question now is with my broadheads and penetration. How much penetration will I loose shooting a broadhead with a big cut diameter? Should I try switching to a fixed? I really like the spitfires and the main reason for this is because they fly extremely well out of my bow. I would prefer to have two holes when I shoot a deer. With my setup this year I have had 3 complete pass throughs, with my longest shot coming at 22 yards. Sorry for the long read guys but I just tried to lay everything out for you so I can get some good opinions and see what you guys have to say about this. Thanks for the help and happy hunting!
Funny thing about that is that I wrestled in college and I dont think strength is the issue. I graduated 1 year ago and still work out on a regular basis. I also shoot my bow alot. If I had to guess, probably over 2,000 times a year. I find it hard to believe that anyone can hold there bow completely still for over a minute at 70lbs with an animal in front of them.
You can do it because you are focused on the animal and holding your bow back. My buddy said the same thing and I watched hold his bow back for at least 2 minutes holding on an elk.He said I was right right, he was so focused on that elk he could have held it back longer if needed.
I can hold a 70 pound bow with a 75% let-off for minutes. And if you just completed wrestling in college I just bet you could do it for much longer than me.
That's the part that got me in the statement. I can hold my bow back for several minutes, but completely still? I don't care how low I went with the poundage I think my pin float would always be there.
To get back to the original question I agree that most deer hunters are way over bowed for what it takes to kill a deer. Dropping your poundage will gain you a lot and you'll still have plenty of power. The thing you'll need to watch most is how it effects the spine of your arrows. I'd drop it until I saw the shafts starting to kick out from center shot and let the tune of the bow determine how low you take the poundage. Anything over 60 lbs with those Maxima 350's is going to drive a well placed arrow clean through a deer with those Spitfire broadheads, no worries there. If I only hunted deer I'd be shooting a 55-60 lb bow with those same heads and I can draw and shoot 80+ lbs. quite comfortably. It's not about how much you can do, it's about what works best and I agree with you that it's a huge benefit to be able to stay at full draw comfortably to wait for a shot.
60# is plenty. I've shot 60# since right around 2000. I have blown through everything I have shot in recent memory, including a 450# Bear. Yeah I know Bears are fairly easy to penetrate. I would be confident going after anything in NA with my bow. It's not about just being able to pull and hold it for a couple of mintues. Try setting at 15 below zero for 10 plus hours then having to make a quick shot on a 140+ Mule Deer or being twisted like a pretzel in a treestand and coming to full draw slowly. I've done those things and I've also hunted with 70#, 80#, & even 90# bows. It is just so much easier to do to with 60# in adverse conditions and the results for me has always been the same. Honestly 60# bows today are producing as much KE as 70# was a short 10 to 15 years ago. Dan
Thanks for the replys. I guess when adrenaline kicks in it changes things. The main idea behind the original post was to be more comfortable in all conditions and still have good penetration, assuming you stay in the heart and lung area.
I shot at 70# for years, then finally went to 60# as I was only hunting whitetails - been at 60# for over 10 years...my passthrough rate has to be over 90%...and at 60# I can sure draw in weird positions, draw easier in single digit temps, and hold back forever. With that said - I'll be looking to add a 70# bow this year Gearing up for Elk last year got me back on that track (and the additional range required many times out West).
