How much draw weight can you pull? Just curious. Im 15 and I pulled 68 at BPS a couple days ago.. Is that good? If I can pull 68 should I hunt at 68 or should I go down to like 60 so I can pull back smoothly and quietly..?
What do you think would be better.......... going through all kinds of gyrations and excess movements in your stand or to be smooth and stealth like?
It is always better to have a smooth drawback with has little movement as possible. Also, remember that there will be times that you will need to hold at full draw for an extended period of time. I would say if you can pull 68 that 60# would be a very comfortable weight to hunt with. I know everyone has there own opinion, but 60# is more than enough weight to kill a deer.
A good rule of thumb is to only shoot as much draw weight as you can pull back and hold at full draw for 60 seconds. There will most likely come a day when you may need to do that while in the field. I really have no idea how much I could pull back on a one-time max. I know I was able to get back raceway's 80 lb Katera without too much difficulty. However, I hunt with my bow set around 63-65 lbs on average. For whitetails you certainly don't need any more than that.
I wouldn't set my bow to my max, that's for sure. Make sure you can smoothly pull 60lbs without a bunch of extra movement, keep it back for a good amount of time, make sure you can handle it. No need to be macho about the weight your bow is set at, just shoot what you can handle without struggle. Also remember, that pulling a bow at BPS is ideal conditions, standing on the ground, no wind, no rain or snow, and it's a comfortable temperature. Would you have been able to do the same thing if it was 10 degrees outside, and snowing after you have been sitting in a tree stand for 3 hours? That's s different situation all together.
I can pull a heck of a lot of weight. I have my bow set at 65. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Remove ego from hunting (and life), it will save you a lot of pain.
I don't know exactly, but I am 37 years old, fit, and lift weights consistently. I have pulled 80#s in the past with not much effort, but my Mathews was just tested at 58#s.... It was set higher than that when my string was new 3 years ago. I had a complete pass through on my doe kill this year, and caught the edge of the "elbow". Its time to replace the string, and I will make sure the bow is at 63-65#s after that. Lee
I have mine set at 67# it is a 70lb bow and I am not sure what it maxes out at. I can draw it sitting down and hold it for about 2 min. It is only 65% let off. My new bow will be set up around 60-62#.
My rule for DW is, if I can let down as slow or slower than I can draw, then the draw weight is good. It doesn't matter to me what I can pull, what matters is how easily I can let down. I have had to let down a number of times this season and if I were getting jerked around and the arrow was flopping then the deer I eventually shot would have likely seen me. Shoot what you can handle in extreme conditions and that is rarely the maximum of what you can pull.
A good test is to sit with your legs flat on the ground with your feet together in front of you. Without lifting your bow above your head, how much can you pull? I'll bet it is much less than before. When you are cold, nervous and in an awkward tree stand, you'll be glad you turned the weight down. I tried three times once on a cold morning to get my bow back before I finally did so and nearly blew an opportunity at a nice ten point.
This is one of those times where less is more than likely better. My main two bows are a 70lb and a 60lb. I have pulled the 70lb over 250 times in one day hanging out shooting cricket or something with the boss. But that 70lbs can feel like a 100 when you are cold and stiff in a tree somewhere. 55-60 would probably be the way to go IMHO.
I could likely pull back a 100# bow but leave mine set around 60#. Quiet, easy to draw, easy to hold, and stout enough for any animal I plan to hunt with this bow.
im more concerned about if i can hit the same spot every time rather than draw weight. show me the guy/gal with a full freezer and ask what they pull, thats who im trying to be like. to answer the question mine is sent at 70# and my freezer is empty =-(
I've pulled 72 with relative ease but wouldn't want to do it all the time. Right now I think my bow is around 58 or so. It' will probably never be any higher than that unless I decide to go hunting something a lot bigger than deer. I know kids that hunt and get good penetration and get pass throughs at out to 25 yds with 35lbs so weight is definitely not a huge factor for deer. Just put it where it goes and let the broad head do the work.
This is a great point. I shot a doe this year after the fourth time I drew on her. Sadly I intended on taking my bow set at 73# that day due to a recent tendon issue with my elbow and a lagging shoulder problem but grabbed the 84# bow instead. Being at full drawl several times and letting down with a blown shoulder hurt like hell Another thing to consider is that shooting a high DW bow at targets gets old fast, that is why my last bow was a 70# rig
