I just had a new bow string put on, and have everything setup fine and am hunting. My old string was about 3 years old, and now I have read on this site that I should probably replace it at least every other year. The guy at the bow shop said it probably had some fiber damage because it had stretched and the bow was out of tune. I had been shooting it, and it was still accurate, but I am guessing that the arrows were not flying as fast or hitting as hard. The doe I shot last year at 20 yards, the broad head made it out the other side but the arrow didn't exit the animal. So my question is, how much power does a bow lose when it has a bad string? I shoot a Mathews Dren.
Its not so much about 'power' that you loose when a string goes bad - it turns into a safety issue... In a worst case, you could seriously hurt yourself or anyone near you if the string breaks while shooting, not to mention the damage it will do to your bow.. Often times, strands on the inside of your string that aren't easily visible are broken and people don't even notice it - that's why IMO, it's a good practice to replace them periodically (most hunters could probably go 2-3 years but if you shoot a lot, strings and cables may need to be replaced even more often).
I agree - it could be dangerous. I have learned my lesson. I think I will replace it every other year. I also did some reading on how to check to see if it has stretched or if the bow is out of tune. Thanks!
