I was discussing this with a couple of shooting buddies yesterday, as we were out shooting in weather in the teens…

Initially, it seemed like I was shooting high most of the time. As if my bow had picked up a few pounds. Then, as it got a bit later and I began to feel kind of tired… I started shooting more on the low side. Probably not quite hitting fully full draw….

So, let’s assume, just for the sake of argument… Let’s say that your bow picks up 5 pounds in the cold. Do you need to adjust spine? Or does the cold stiffen up the arrows as much as your bow?

Thinking maybe for that kind o’ weather I can afford to drop #5 or so with not net loss in Punch…..

I think your thinking to much.

I think Hawkeye is correct

Nope, no difference in draw weight, it’s mostly your perception of weight when your muscles get cold. Everything seems heavier. The shooting high is your doing, not the bow.

I agree with Hawkeye

I agree with Hawkeye and Mechanic.

You got got to be kidding me right you guys come up with the craziest ideas

Yep.....iver thinking. But it's irrelevant any way since we are consistently reminded on here that if you use fletching you really don't know if you are tuned any way, so there's that.

From what I have read cold weather reduces bow weight .Not sure this is right but the thinking is the string contracts in a minute way which could cause a slightly lower brace height equals less poundage .Now in hotter weather really hot black limbs will absorb more heat causing less weight because the limb is more limber or softer .what all this means in pounds is not hardly measurable.

The same thing happens in hot weather. LOL

Nope if the string contracts the brace will get higher. I just wish I shot well enough to be concerned with temperature, earth rotation, & such. If I try to allow for such things I always overcompensate & miss in the opposite direction. :<) >>>----> Ken

I just spit coffee all over my screen supernaut for the win.

I think we should get into moon phase versus bow weight change. Or is that moon phase versus broadhead sharpness?

Heavier clothes will put up more resistance to your draw movement.

Come on Chlorox. You are overthinking it. You are short drawing

Shoot an arrow. Retrieve it. Repeat that for a half hour without stopping. See what a nice walk does for your shooting.

I shoot in winter and when I hit my anchor I don't notice Any differance Summer or winter

Now I have to think about summer vs winter spine, moon phases, and humidity. It's all just too much for this old brain.

“ I chrono'd my bow a couple days ago outside. It was 5fps faster in the AM when temp was in the high 30's than after the temp rose in the later morning.”

That’s more what I was hoping for, though strictly speaking, you’d need to use a shooting machine.

I think maybe the primary factor in my shooting higher early on was just that I was being extra mindful of really pulling through my anchor to make sure that the cold- weather clothing wasn’t keeping me from getting to it.

But at least I was outside, shooting. Better to indulge in my ruminations by the fire, afterward….

And not-for nothing, but it’s a fact - there’s more gravity affecting your arrow when the moon is passing directly underfoot and less when it’s high overhead. Any force that can command the tides probably shouldn’t be ignored! I’ll let you know when I think I’m good enough to worry about it….

Squirrel!

That Chinese weather balloon may have been what caused the problem .Now that is destroyed you will shoot better .

Being the proud card carrying overthinker that I am...I find the premise that cold weather effects wood (and therefore bows) interesting.

So much so, in the past I got to overthinking how extreme temp differences might have an effect on a wood arrow. On an incredible hot Mississippi August day, I took my best shooting woodie and scaled it on the spine tester. I then but it in a freezer and left it there for a week.

I took it out (covered in frost) and re-scaled it...no difference. I then quickly shot it a couple of times and it shot just like it did in the August heat earlier. In my swamp dweller testing I concluded that temp extremes have little to no impact on wood.

Well case closed there you have it

"Squirrel!"

Where!?!

:)

I think it depends upon whether or not you think about it when you release the string

Cold does affect all wooden bows. Jawge

Just shoot your bow, have fun.

If you put your bow, and arrow on a shooting machine that did everything perfect, every time, it would hit the same hole.

Repeat after me, “ when i hit differently, its my imperfections as a human being. Nothing more, nothing less, its ME .”

Maybe the bow was just getting tired instead of warming up. >>>-----> Ken

I thot it was an interesting question. Never thot of cold or heat affecting a Bow. Tough crowd tho.

Lower temperature increases stiffness and strength. It's science.

I hunted one morning at -38f. The bow was a Martin Lynx TD. No problems shooting a couple arrows at sand piles. No opportunities on game.

The only time I had weather, hot or cold affect a bow was the sinew back Osage bow I had. Ed Scott made it for me and said in temps in the low 30's and below it could pick as much as 6 lbs. and loose as much in very hot weather with a high humidity. I never did scale it during those conditions but the change was noticable.

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