Not sure how many of you keep up with TBM but they have a tip of the week

one written by Fred Eichler,

Says he thinks most guys would shoot better if they drop down in bow weight.

The interesting part to me was due to an injury with his shoulder he dropped down in weight and he killed two elk, one with a 35lb bow and another with a 40lb bow.

I don’t think he was advocating that low of poundage for elk rather just making a point.

Lot of guys questions there low poundage bows but maybe they shouldn’t.

It has always been conventional wisdom that for hunting, one should shoot the highest poundage they can comfortably and accurately handle, nothing more. That may be 35 lbs.

Dnewer it's time to admit your Eichler man crush you crap on every thread grow up

I do think the crossbow has become a crutch for many.

WOW Mnewer do you think crossbow is worse then the trail cam are cell phone trailcams, with the bow you still half to hunt with the other not so much..?

opps dang keyboard.

just wait tell he gets the new excalibur O/U double arrow .

Most folks really don't have any idea what the heaviest draw weight they can handle actually is, because they make excuses or allowances to cover up issues within their shot sequence shooting firm.

But the weight typically isn't as heavy as they think.

Shoot what you want. Go low enough, at some point you will be sorry. Shoot high enough, at some point you will be happy. Just because Fred Eichler said something, doesn't make it any more valid than someone else saying it.

Meant to so unhappy.

You know I think Mr. Newer is jealous of Fred's success.

Bob

Nah. Just very against crossbows during archery season, and pissed at anyone promoting them.

I'm admitting up front that im about to use a PP analogy, but here goes. 8>)

There are many rifle calibers that can shoot a 30 caliber 180 grain bullet but they don't all shoot them the same.

Bows are the same. High performance (fast) recurves of 35# compared to an ASL at 35# are in separate worlds of effectiveness given identical arrows and shot placement.

Easy tiger. Just a bow poundage thread.

I will say I was shooting a 60# bow. but one day I decided to take my sons gold medalist 32# to a shoot, I did bad seems like my fourm was bad then when getting back home and shooting my bow, I noticed how much I need my back to help stay at full draw, somthing I wasn't using with the light bow. dropping wieght could be good but to much may be bad.

The key to light weight bows Is a heavy arrow and a close shot in the pump Station.

Shot completely through a mature bull elk at 22 yards with a 51 pound morrison cougar and a 30 year old 2018 with a hair shaving original woodsman, just to prove you don't need. That being said all of my bows that I currently hunt with are in the 60-65 pound range. Also opinions are like you know what, everybody has one including eichler. He's just a pay for play poster boy.

ive got a hunch that DNEWER caught mr. eichler hunting on his fence line.

The lowest I have gone is 42#. A straight on shot into the brisket with the tip just in the heart. That was with a steel point.I have been trying to make a minimum of 55# with stone points. I shot a deer with lower poundage and the stone point never made good penetration. It fell out after the deer ran about 20 yards. John

Longcruise make the only useful point in the thread.

“Light” bows have been covered/discussed on here hundreds of times it feels like. I think it is pretty simple - shoot them through the lungs with a 40 lb bow and they are dead, be it a deer, Elk, or Moose. Shoot them in the shoulder with an 80 lb bow and chances are you don’t recover the animal. And Vice Versa!

So the thread about the new Bear riser how to crossbows and onto to lightweight bows.....

My bad the thread is about lightweight bows..wrong thread carry on. :0

I recently dropped down in bow weight (about 8 lb). I do not shoot any better than before. However, I can shoot a lot more arrows before fatigue sets in.....

Well I will say Ive never hunted elk,moose or grizzly. I will say From all I have read, 50lb with a sharp broadhead will kill anything in North America.

Trailsend x 2

Generally speaking, we can all use help on form. One of the reasons guys shoot more accurately with higher lb bows is that the weight tends to rip the string from their fingers so to speak. When switching to a lighter bow, we have a tendency to hold longer and that seldom ever works well for those who don't shoot that way.

I don't consider what I'm shooting as heavy... yet. I will continue to shoot it until it is heavy to me. I also have plans on hunting water buffalo and won't be doing that with a 50lb bow.

When I can no longer be accurate with my bow due to weight, I will drop down.

Once I thought, "I'm going to shoot a 55lb bow so I can work on my release" I shot that bow exclusively all summer. I shot it poorly for some time. About hunting season, I started to shoot it quite well. When I went back to my hunting bow (67lbs) I struggled to shoot it at all. Essentially my "light" weight bow became my max and all the things I did poorly with my heavier bow transferred in to my light weight.

Essentially, your body will atrophy to the most amount of work you do. BIgJim

Really what Fred is saying in the article is that new technology in bows, strings, arrow materials and diameters, are all contributing to higher efficacy in bows of lower poundage.

Modern bow designs and materials are more efficient in transferring energy into the arrow. Modern arrows in smaller diameters permit better penetration than larger diameter arrows. Higher quality steels in broadheads will stay sharp through the entire body of the animal it is passing through.

Combine all of the factors together, and you don't need to pull as much weight as you did in the past.

A couple of things to keep in mind.

One, not all of us start with the same 'base'. I've met Big Jim several times. I'm not going to say he's a knuckle dragger, but he's huge. I'm guessing his draw length is at least 31", and likely 32". Maybe more. When he shoots '50#', it's not like a mere mortal with a 27-28" draw shooting 50#. His long draw length, will give his arrows an extra 14% or so additional area under the force draw curve which means more stored energy for him to use. The point I'm trying to make is discussing peak weight alone, ignores many other factors, just like ctaggart mentions, that impact terminal performance.

Two, as Big Jim alludes, sometimes we don't have a choice on peak weight. Age, injuries and poor choices in our youth (like shooting the heaviest possible bow weight) can all create situations that physically limit what we can do. Sometimes we do have a choice on peak weight. Like under what circumstances will you be shooting. Shooting in my back yard in shirt sleeve warmth might see me shooting 50# very comfortably at 3d targets. But out in 20 degree weather with heavy hunting clothes will likely see me with a 40-45# bow taking shots at real animals.

So maybe we ought to put the weight discussion into some kind of context.

Not new news.Think it was just another opportunity to promote the new risers. Both green and camo risers in the pic with the article followed by an ad. Nothing wrong with that..it's his job.

IMO You should have a bow ~10 lb heavier than you normal shoot or want to shoot. Several times a week shoot 5 or so shots from it being sure to maintain good form(even just blank bailing is fine).

It will make it easier dominate your regular bow. If you cant handle 5 shot with a bow at least 7 or 8 lb heavier than you normally shoot - then your over bowed at the moment.

There might be value in occasionally shooting a lighter bow to help with release - but I dont know.

Dartwick, I do and it does exactly as you stated. I also think it will help to keep from digressing further in strength. In the off season, I intend to shoot it more often in an attempt to regain strength I’ve lost.

Dartwick is on the money. You need to be able to dominate the bow you shoot in order to shoot your best. If you shoot only 1 bow you will never get to that point because you body will adjust to that weight. If you drop from 70 to 60 after a couple months the 60 will feel just like your 70 did. I shoot 4 or 5 lbs heavier a couple times a week so I can dominate my hunting weight. Yes bows are more eccifiant than older bows to an exrent. But low weight guys still have to pick and choose their shots at some animals. Oh, and If you have trouble pulling your bow in winter your overbowed year round. You get jyst as overbowed with 40 as you do 60 or 70 as your body adjusts to what your shooting.

I agree with the above commemts.

WWFD?

You must be able to control your bow. If you can do that, the more poundage the better.

In my area there is also a legal minimum. 40# for deer and turkey and 50# for moose , bear and elk. I practice almost daily with 98# and hunt mostly with 55# and sometimes with 70#. When I practice , I switch bows every a handful of arrows , as to practice form and control regardless of poundage. I find ,it is important to pace myself and not hurry up to shoot many arrows, as , if I do , my form suffers . Form and control are the key for me. You seldom have a second chance on game.

Amen! Big Jim

George Vernon, on point!

BigJim nailed it for me. My heavier bow does tend to "rip" out of my hand and when I switched to a lighter bow (about 20lbs lighter) my release inconsistency was magnified. I am NOT saying use a heavy bow to cover up deficiencies in form. Heavy bows will highlight some errors. Lighter bows highlight other errors! I try to use the feedback from both.

If it makes some of you feel better, I read in one of the bow hunting magazines years ago. Ted Nugent also recommends shooting lighter weight bows. He was referencing a compound, but said something like "You won't be any less of a man if you turn down the draw weight of your bow."

How much does a 50 lb bow @ 28 inches weigh when drawn to 28 inches vs what a 50 lb bow @ 31 inches weighs when drawn to 31 inches?

Yes most definitely BIG JIM!!!!

Its just a tip to get one thinking. For me failing to take this tip seroiusly cost me part of my bow season. I had been shooting A 50# recurve and shooting well; my stubborness drew me purchasing a 56@ lb, I liked how it shot and I was able to maintain good form. However, I ignored pain in my lower abs, resulting in a hernia.I renamed the bow, Hernia. Sadly, this one went bye, bye and replaced with a 46#long bow. My point "pay attention to what your body is telling you". Back in the 1970, my first bow was a 45#; most of the bows were in the 40-50# bracket. My recently acquired 47# lb has far more energy than my 45 and 49# 70's build Browning bows. One must consider the facts: using low stretch strings, better glass and design; better matched arrows play into better performance.

There are a lot more things to consider. Do you suppose the ladies just don't know they could be shooting 60 pound bows and drawing them 30" The only reason they can't is because they don't practice with them, or don't try. There are folks barely over feet to around 6' 4" on this site. There are men in their 80's Most folks just do the best they can & have fun. >>>>-----> Ken

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