Archers - who likes their light bows?

[AZRedhawk44]

I got a bow about 5 years ago, a Samick Journey.  Samick makes an entry level bow called the Sage that for a couple years, was the innernetz echo chamber beginner bow.  The Journey is a similar bow and uses the same limbs as the Sage, the riser is just 2" longer and is meant for taller shooters.   I initially got it with 30# limbs, but quickly promoted myself to 45# limbs and then to 55# limbs.

About 3 years ago, I wanted something a bit nicer.  The Samick had some fit and finish issues in the limb pockets that irked me, and I learned about the ILF limb system, so I got a TradTech Trident riser and some BlackMax CF limbs at 50#.  I went deer hunting with this setup for 2 years.  The area I liked to hunt had lots of deer, but the forest floor was clean and visibility was pretty high.  Closest I could get regularly get to deer in that area was about 50 yards, and the longest shot I was willing to take with that bow was about 35 yards on a deer or 25 on a turkey.  I had called in turkey to 25 yards, but by the time I put the call down and got the bow re-situated they kept running off to 35 yards and I had to switch to the call again. 

I bit the bullet and went compound (Hoyt Powermax) about a year and a half back, for the extra velocity and flatter trajectories, and more precise sight systems.  I blew a shot on a buck with the compound at about 35 yards.  I had bought it and tested broadheads at 20 yards (and got it sighted to 60 with field points), but didn't test past 20 since I never had drama with the recurves to indicate that broadhead flight might get erratic past 20 yards if it was fine at 20.  Arrow nosedived under the buck's belly and got lost in the forest floor, buck took off, no blood anywhere.  I then spent the next year learning far more about compound tuning than I ever wanted to.  Found out I had a yoke issue on my Hoyt, tuned it, but it's still finicky as all heck about broadhead choice.

The compound has just not enamoured itself to me.  I really enjoy shooting the recurves, but the compound is nothing but a technical liability waiting to happen.  It goes out of tune frequently.  If it isn't cam timing or yoke tension then it starts to develop a cross-shot condition with impacts to the right at close range and to the left at longer range.  I shoot it about 1" groups per 10 yards, so I don't shoot it badly... it just isn't mechanically stable and seems to always introduce a maintenance variable about every 2-3 months.

So I've been going back to fundamentals, hard, with the recurves.  I've got the 30# limbs back on the Samick and really working on technique for the last few weeks.  Support elbow tension, precise anchor point, muscle memory of back tension.  I shoot barebow and hold point-on-target, and stringwalk for elevation adjustment out to a 3-under max range of about 35 yards.  After that I shift my anchor point on my face lower to get additional distance to 55 yards, and then change to a split-finger hold.  Most of my practice is in my backyard and restricted to 40 yards, but I have a foam turkey target (as well as several other targets in my backstop system) that I'm raining arrows into with spooky consistency with a barebow.  Frequently rubbing shafts together at 20 yards, 4" groups at 30 yards.  Flight time is ridiculous with the 30# limbs, I'm overdrawing so I'm hitting closer to 35# with it but I use my same 400 spine arrows that I have for 45 to 55 pound limbs.  They're slightly stiff for the light limbs and the projectile is a bit heavy for the setup, but I make do.

I'm really enjoying going back to the super-light limbs.  The Samick definitely feels cheep and sproingy, like the deflex limbs are over-recoiling and slapping the string on the belly of the limb.  It's a comical feeling, but it doesn't shoot too bad.  I kind of want to get some nicer ILF 30# limbs for my TradTech riser, and some properly spined arrows, just to see how a well tuned and higher end low poundage setup would feel.  I think I raced too fast to get to higher poundage the first time through and didn't learn everything I could from the light limbs.  The only reason I have gone back to the Samick right now is I'm waiting on a backstock shipment for a refurb of my TradTech setup... string, arrow shafts, fletchings, inserts, points.  I broke a few arrows while stumping/hiking and the string's serving was failing to hold nocks securely due to wear.

I think over the next few months I'm really going to make a solid effort to be comfortable shooting the recurve in a hunting context out to 50 yards.  Arrow speed and bucks jumping the shot may prove to make that distance unrealistic, but I want to at least develop the accuracy necessary for it.  It'll be very interesting to see if my observations and form refinements while shooting the 30# Samick translate to accuracy gains once I get the 50# TradTech back into rotation.

[charby]

I was getting ready to switch from a 65# compound to a 35-45# recurve/long bow, then I tore my rotator cuff.  Now I hunt with a crossbow, I hate it for many reasons. My shoulder has never healed properly after surgery and I can't practice with a bow anymore without a lot of pain for days that follow.

The area I liked to hunt had lots of deer, but the forest floor was clean and visibility was pretty high.  Closest I could get regularly get to deer in that area was about 50 yards, and the longest shot I was willing to take with that bow was about 35 yards on a deer or 25 on a turkey.

Damn, I can almost touch deer at times in an open grass field just hanging out in a clump of grass or up against a cedar bush. I think the last couple of turkey I have shot with no blind was under 15 yards, using a popup blind last one I shot was at five yards. Of course I'm set up hours before the deer move and I wait as still as possible and play the wind. Turkey scent doesn't matter, but deer have a pretty good sense of smell.

This year during bow season, I put on a ghillie suit and sat in a chair on the edge of bush a few yards off pretty well used trail. I played the wind the best I could, but I had a tiny buck and 2 does just about into stabbing distance, they could smell me, but they couldn't see me. Wish I had a go pro with me. I bone hunt during archery, so nothing was worth shooting to me.

I'd have no problem using a 35# recurve bow with heavy broadheads at 25 yards.

[French G.]

My dad has an antique Fred Bear, 55 I think, I want to see if he will part with it. I had a compound years ago, it shoots arrows, but not fun like a recurve with no sights.

[RoadKingLarry]

I wonder how many folks have either given up on archery or actually managed to injure themselves after being pushed into too a too high draw weight bow by the "pro" at their local shop?
A 45# bow will push a sharp broadhead through the vitals of just about anything walking the lower 48 that you'd want be close enough to shoot with a bow.

[brimic]

For Compounds, I bought my kids a some of the newer compounds (one was made by Matthews, the other Diamond) that have draw weights adjustable from around 15-60lb. They both Ages 12,16 enjoy shooting them. I have an older compound which is set to 72lb, but I haven't hunted in about 15 years with it. Higher draw weight + Lighter carbon arrows was a really nice set up for 3D league when I used to shoot it a lot.

My dad has an antique Fred Bear, 55 I think, I want to see if he will part with it. I had a compound years ago, it shoots arrows, but not fun like a recurve with no sights.

I have one of those, my Dad used to bowhunt with it, its a lot of fun to shoot.

[Ben]

I wonder how many folks have either given up on archery or actually managed to injure themselves after being pushed into too a too high draw weight bow by the "pro" at their local shop?
A 45# bow will push a sharp broadhead through the vitals of just about anything walking the lower 48 that you'd want be close enough to shoot with a bow.

I think that's me. I let the guy at the Cabela's archery range help me out and ended up with a nice 70lb compound. I thought he did me good, and was very impressed with myself on how well I shot it at their range.

It wasn't until I took it home and practiced that I put together there is a difference between a half dozen shots testing it at the store and 30-40 shots practicing behind the house. Even with compound let-off, the pull to let-off can get tiring when done repetitively. About a year or two later I started seeing the bows that had a range of like, 30lb-70lb (they may have already been out when I bought mine, but I didn't know). That would have made a lot more sense to be able to get a lot of practice with good form in at the lighter pull.

I haven't shot the thing in maybe three years now. I'd like to get back into it, especially since deer hunting at the new place is shotgun or archery only, plus turkeys could be fun with a bow. Don't know if it's better to buy a second lighter bow just for fun target practice or sell this one and get one with the weight range option. Then of course there is the draw (ha ha) and simplicity of the recurve.

[Kingcreek]

There is a lot to be said for a mild recurve or even longbow. I shot junior legue archery as a youth with a savage brand 35 pound recurve bow. I shot it so much I often made shots on running rabbits and took many squirrel with flu flu fletched arrows.
Currently, my lightest bow is a 55# longbow that I made myself. But I admit I'm not proficient with it. I kill all my whitetails with an 18 year old Mathews 70# solocam with 65% let off. Never had any timing issues and even though the newer ones are lighter and faster, the added weight and length helps me shoot it well and as long as my arrows blow through them I don't need 20fps more.
I also do a lot of plinking with a slingshot. Keeps the muscle memory up and I don't have to walk back and forth pulling arrows.

[Scout26]

My Browning is set for 65#.  Illinois keeps lowering that minimum draw weight.  It's now at 40#.  I don't think that many people are getting out of archery, at least here.  There are more and more archery deer tags pulled each year here.

[Kingcreek]

My Browning is set for 65#.  Illinois keeps lowering that minimum draw weight.  It's now at 40#.  I don't think that many people are getting out of archery, at least here.  There are more and more archery deer tags pulled each year here.

Because Illinois opened everything to crossbow and a lot of people that never hunted with a bow and some that never hunted all went out and bought crossbows to take advantage of a 3.5 month long season and cheap otc tags. Lots of wounded and lost deer as a result of same. Bad idea but the Illinois machine is only about revenues and fees and spending. Collect more, spend more.

[Scout26]

Perhaps, but the major reason is the continuely expanding deer herd.   They've added the late winter season the last weekend in December in counties that didn't take enough in the first two seasons, along with turning handgun season in mid-Jan to another firearm season for CWD counties and counties that are still overpopulated with deer.  I remember when you couldn't pull more then two tags.  I also remember when it was actually hard to even see a deer much less get one.

Illinois is way overpopulated, and we need more hunters to help bring down and control the population.