Ready for more weight...but wait...

I am still pretty new to bowhunting, as 2021 season was my first year doing so. I have been shooting a Mathews Prima this year and pretty quickly maxed out my draw weight at 50#. I would like to increase my draw weight for next year, and have the overall goal of bowunting elk and I know some states require a minumum draw weight for bowhunting elk.

My question is, would it make more sense for me to upgrade the mods/limbs on my Prima to work towards that goal, or should I go ahead and upgrade to a new bow that can more easily increase in draw weight with me? I have already had to go through the whole set up and tuning process of 3 bows now so if I could have a bow that lasts me a few years with just regular tuning each season that would be great.

Any and all help is welcome! Thanks!

 

50 lbs. will likely meet most State's minimum draw weight requirements for elk. It does for Idaho where I live. Rest assured you can kill an elk with a 50 lbs. bow setup, it would just be important to build an arrow for penetration. Higher total arrow weight (I would say between 450-500 grains) and a quality fixed broad head to help with penetration and 50 lbs. will do the job fine. But I understand if you are drawing 50 lbs easily and want to increase the poundage for the speed and energy gains.

Mathews Prima. 30" axle to axle, weighs 4 lbs, 5.5" brace height, draw lengths between 21" - 27". Many bows can hit the same weight and axle to axle. The 5.5" brace height is considered pretty "critical", most bows fall between 6"-7" brace height. But, it will depend on what draw length you need, that may limit what other bow model options are available for you. If you really like your Prima and shoot it well, then it makes a lot of sense to just get 60 lbs limbs for it.
If you need a draw length shorter than 26" or so, then the Bowtech Solution SD comes to mind. The SD stands for "short draw", it has an easily adjusted draw length module for 23.5" to 28.5" of draw length. Weights about 4.5 lbs, 30" axle to axle, 7" brace height. Has a "Performance" and "Comfort" setting to adjust the draw cycle. Also has Deadlock cams, which makes tuning at home yourself a snap if you don't have a bow press.

It really just comes down to your budget, your draw length, and how much you like your current bow. When considering a new bow it is always best to go to a few Pro Shops and shoot several bows that have the specs you want/need. One of them will stand out to you.

 

Thanks so much for the input. My draw length is 26.5" so I will keep that in mind. I have had issues in past "trying out" bows in shops because they have them all set for longer draw lengths for men and don't want to mess with them just for me to see how it feels...were those just lazy employees or has anyone else with shorter draw lengths experienced this?

 

Find a new shop if that's their mentality. Literally their job to help you find a bow that you're comfortable with.

 

Ridgerunner3 is spot on. I've never had a bow shop that wouldn't set the bow to my draw length so I could test it. If they "don't have the time" to set the bow for me, then I don't have the time to consider buying one from them. I am only a 27.5" draw length and I've never had trouble getting a shop to set a bow up for me to test.