Over-Bowed???

[GWSmith]

I just watched a Hunting TV Show with a person on there who made my jaw drop:eek:

A well known, popular, hunting show had an archer/bowhunter co-host who had to arch way back just to get drawn. It's not the first time I've seen it from this person either.

Tonight though it just made me wonder why it's continued on this way...so I thought I would get your views on the subject.

I'm not joking...I mean it looked like this person was shooting at the sun at first and used every ounce of strength to find anchor point.

Why???

With the wealth of information out there these days why is anyone struggling that hard?

With the correct arrow weight/spine/ draw weight combination a bow can be easy to draw and the arrow will still be fast.

Could it be that nobody has said anything to them because of who they are???

I'm just confused why it still happens...your comments please.

[VermontHunter]

I think it's the "HE MAN" "SPEED IS EVERYTHING" mentality .. :rolleyes:

When are people going to get the concept that Archery Equipment will NEVER reach the speed of sound barrier ,, an alert deer will jump the string of the fastest bow made .. It's just fact ...

Now take that a smart archer, with a 50 lb. draw weight, well tuned bow, waiting on his / her target to get comfortable, and making a well placed shot will win in most, if not all cases ..

So folks ,, you DON"T need those 70 -80 lb. shoulder rippers to harvest your game ..

So Gary ,, I take it your not naming names HUH ?? ..

[GWSmith]

No...I dont think thats appropriate

It's the honest truth though...I'll send you a PM

[VermontHunter]

No...I dont think thats appropriate

It's the honest truth though...I'll send you a PM

Very understandable Gary ..

[BowtechTurkeyHunter]

Some ppl learn to draw a certain way ... I didnt see the video your talking about but have seen lots of hunters struggle to pull there bow back ... quiet is a better attribute for a bow then speed any time I dont think anyone would argue that. (well maybe but I really dont care to hear it)

Seems like overkill but maybe it adds to the effect of the show guys do a lot of stupid stuff on video.

Watched a show the other day where the idiot was trying to shoot butterflies out of the air with a bow..... seriously butterflies flying with a bow... what is the point of that and when he would shoot I would see a house in the background absolutely no excuse for that kind of activity ever.

Steve

[Tominator]

I don't know who you're talking about Gary, but it could be that this person has bad form. I used to draw with my arrow pointing up, but one day my release gave way and I sent an arrow flinging into the next county--literally.

From that day on I now draw with my arrow pointed down slightly.

[VermontHunter]

I don't know who you're talking about Gary, but it could be that this person has bad form. I used to draw with my arrow pointing up, but one day my release gave way and I sent an arrow flinging into the next county--literally.

From that day on I now draw with my arrow pointed down slightly.

Scary isn't it Chris ?? ... I think most of have been there... ( I sure have ) But the thing of it is, we learned from it and worked on correcting it, but there's that few that think everything is OK and continue with the bad form or habits ..

I don't know if this is right or not, but when I was setup for my bow the guy at the pro shop was very adamant that I draw my bow with the bow held straight out in front of me ,, he then kept adjusting the draw weight just to the point I was struggling to draw then backed it of by 5 lbs .. he then let me rest for a good period of time and then had me draw the bow the very same way, but this time had me hold it back ,, he said that 15 secs. was a good time limit if I could do that then I was set to go .. Like I said I don't know if this method is correct or not, but I've never struggled with my setup or hurt myself by straining either ..

[GWSmith]

I used to draw with my arrow pointing up, but one day my release gave way and I sent an arrow flinging into the next county--literally.

From that day on I now draw with my arrow pointed down slightly.

When I first started shooting I did that one time shooting indoors and took out a flourescent light and the arrow stuck in the ceiling...in front of a bunch of people too:o

Trust me something like that will teach you real quick to aim at the target and draw...if you cant draw back comfortably your pulling too much weight.

I remember attempting to draw back my Dad's 65# Bear Recurve when I was 12....fingers slipped and slapped myself in the face(so I know about releases failing too)

[whttlbucksteve]

I don't shot a lot of draw wieght never have I would rather be able to draw easy then to strugle in the moment of truth.

[Rhino]

Not sure who you're talking about either Gary but to be honest sometimes I shake my head at those kind of guys and sometimes I just laugh at them. So do my seasoned hunting buddies.

My personal attitude is, if you can't draw your bow straight back (arrow pointed in the general direction of the deer) from a seated position you're pulling too much weight. Most of us prefer to draw on a deer from a standing position but that's just not always possible. There are times for me at least when the choice is shoot while seated or probably get busted trying to stand to shoot. Many times there are more than one set of eyes out there to bust you so keeping movement to a minimum is far more important than speed IMHO. That's my $0.02.

One thing is for sure...the guy you mentioned is going to get busted more often than those of us that can draw our bows straight back. They won't show that mistake too often on their hunting show though. Also, imagine how much trouble that guy is going to have drawing his bow in cold weather with all that extra clothing on. He might not get it drawn at all.

[wtnhunt]

Seen what you are talking about many times on shows Gary, and a few different hunters, some of who are great shots no doubt. One in particular and it may be the same hunter you are talking about surprises me, the wife and I have both noticed it. Don't know why some of those well known hunters do it, they have to know it does not look good for them, especially when they are grimacing(obviously struggling) as they are drawing back.

With nothing else worth a flip on last night we watched spirit of the wild while eating supper, uncle Ted iterated and re iterated that he was shooting a 53# bow and it was plenty to get the job done.

[SpcNape]

I believe I know who your talking about and I noticed that too. I had a wonderful person that got me involved in bowhunting and one of the best advice he gave me was to shoot a little less poundage than I actually can. I can draw a 70# bow, but I have my bow set at about 65#. When you've set in a stand all day long and your cold and your muscles aren't working well if you've set your poundage at the max you'll have to compensate a good clean draw by arcing your bow up... I'll just be one of the wimps and get a good clean draw with lower poundage.

[m gardner]

There is one guy on T.V. and video that has trouble at times drawing his bow and I think it's the result of a motorcycle accident not tremendous draw weight. I was badly injured and it took 9 years to be able to draw a bow again. I've killed 2 bucks the last two years since I've been back. I shoot between 50-60 pounds and draw my bow funny sometimes. I actually used my chin to help get my hand back to full draw for awhile. When the weather is damp or cold it's still a struggle at 50 pounds. Sometimes things may not be what they seem.

Mark

[GWSmith]

...Sometimes things may not be what they seem.

Mark

Mark, I completely agree...there are circumstances that we may not be aware of that influence what we see on TV.

I in no way meant that people with disabilities from injury or otherwise wont have trouble drawing a bow. I commend them for overcoming adversity and staying with thier passion.

The reason I decided to post this thread is meant for those people caught up in the "Heavier Draw Weight" mentality.

I've seen way too many people at archery ranges trying to pull weights just because thier buddies do it...at the sacrifice of consistent accuracy.

One things for sure...the TV Personalities dont tell us everything about thier lives or physical abilities.

Another thing for sure is they dont show us all the times they got busted from movement struggling to draw thier bows either;)

[Huntin4ever]

I am with you GW.... Due to my "T-Rex" arms, I can probably never even dream of shooting 300 fps.... I have a 26 inch draw.... However, when I first started bow hunting, a gentleman I knew told me " you're a stout, young guy... you should shoot a higher draw weight and get a little more speed out of your draw length...."

So at 18 yrs old I was hunting with my bow set @ 82#..... I pulled straight back ok, even in the cold, BUT you a darn right it came at the sacrifice of accuracy (big time)..... and with that old bow having 55% let-off I could only hold it back for 15-20 seconds.... the next season I backed the bow down as far as I could (about 71#)....

NOW.... I have finally purchased a new bow and I now shoot a bow set @ 63# & 75% let-off..... my older bow was probably a few fps faster, but man..... I can flat out shoot with this new set-up, and hold it back "all-day"......

So, long story short.... those types of guys you speak of (heavy draw guys)..... can do what they want, I've been there and will NEVER go back..... I'm actually thinking about buying a 50-60# bow now.....

[GWSmith]

Huntin4ever, Thats exactly why I posted this thread right there!

I had hoped someone like you and your experience with heavy weight bows would tell thier story! Thank You!!!

It is just so much more simple to bring the bow up slowly facing the target or animal, draw back, and wait until the correct shot position shows up.

;)Minimal Movement = More Success;)

[Illinois59]

My draw weight has been set at 62 lbs for the last 20 years. It works just fine for me. If someone wants to draw 90 lbs, well, have fun!

[HOYTnMUZZYboy]

I saw that show too Steve. I also saw the same guy shoot a snappin turtle and go armpit high in the muddy mossy water to get the turtle who was less then happy. Talk about crazy!!! Good thing there wasn't another snapper near by to latch on and give that guy a run for his money.

I would rather shoot my bow sitting down, I'm shooting 70lbs. I don't have a problem pulling my bow back in cold weather. Sitting down I feel more stable, all tho the majority of the deer I have harvested with my bow I have been standing. I think its an ego thing. It's pathetic standing around the bow shop hearing guys say yea well i'm pulling this amount of weight blah blah blah. First of all like others have said you don't need much weight to harvest something. Second of all if you cant pull it back when it gets cold or in those tricky situations what good is it anyway.

[elkoholic]

There are numerous archers (male and female) on the hunting shows/videos who give the appearance of pulling too much weight. Their poor form while drawing the bow is obvious but with the let-off of today's bows they can get away with it once the cams roll over. Maybe pulling more weight than they should is why there are so many poor or borderline hits on game in these shows/videos. As for myself, I have an old custom made compound that pulls 104 pounds that is retired from use but in it's day was as accurate as they come but slow by today's standards. I seem to be more accurate with a higher draw weight. I currently am shooting a Pearson Anaconda set at 70 pounds and am of the believe that one should shoot as much poundage as possible while maintaining good form and superior accuracy. If one can not pull the bow back from a sitting position, with the arrow pointed at the target, after one hour of sitting in cold weather and remain at full draw for at least one minute then a reduction in draw weight is in order. One thing is sure, those pros do not look very professional struggling to pull back their bows.