Done hunting forever . . .

[AJ the TP Guru]

. . . with my trad gear. Finally figured it out yesterday afternoon when a friend came over with his new recurve, only 45#, and I couldn't hold steady at full draw with it.

That's what shooting too many arrows out of a sometimes too heavy bow for too many years will do to you. Well, that and arthroscopic shoulder surgery two years ago from which I'm still healing. I used to take pride in shooting well with a 77# recurve, or even an 85# compound back when they only let off 40%.

But my Mathews Drenalin with its 80% let-off is still a go! A little hard in the tree stand getting through the break-over, but holding it at full draw (12#), that's doable!

So the piggies aren't home free quite yet.

Can you tell which one is AJ?

[Rat]

. . . with my trad gear. Finally figured it out yesterday afternoon when a friend came over with his new recurve, only 45#, and I couldn't hold steady at full draw with it.

That's what shooting too many arrows out of a sometimes too heavy bow for too many years will do to you. Well, that and arthroscopic shoulder surgery two years ago from which I'm still healing. I used to take pride in shooting well with a 77# recurve, or even an 85# compound back when they only let off 40%.

But my Mathews Drenalin with its 80% let-off is still a go! A little hard in the tree stand getting through the break-over, but holding it at full draw (12#), that's doable!

So the piggies aren't home free quite yet.

Can you tell which one is AJ?

Sad to hear it AJ, but at least you aren't to the point where you need a crossbow either. Maybe once those shoulders heal you can give trad another go.

[Dillakilla]

Get after em with the compound!
Your far from done sir!

[Draco]

You're not supposed to hold a stick bow back like you are target shooting. You aim on the draw and release almost as soon as you hit anchor. Holding it at draw is the new norm and is why so many people shoot such light weights. The stick bow is actually easier on the body than a compound. As you stated about getting past the break over, you get to maximum weight away from your body where you don't have the body leverage unlike the stick bow where maximum is when your body is stretched into it. It's the holding it that you are doing wrong.

[Fishndude]

Awesome. Get after ‘em

[PlanoDano]

Glad to hear you recovered to the point of using a compound bow. I am 3 months into recovery from shoulder surgery + bicep tendon move. Recovery for me is very slow but glad to see there is light ant the end of the tunnel.

[Snowflake Killa]

Don't stop

[deerwatcher51]

Keep on slinging.

[glen]

Draco. Is disagree. I release as soon as I hit anchor and the bows I shoot you still call light. I do agree that trad gear is easier on the shoulder than holding a compound at anchor. I have never even thought of holding my longbow at draw and trying to aim

[Ruttin&Struttin]

Glad you can still shoot a vertical bow of some kind.

[60 Deluxe]

Old age and trad bows are not a good mix. I am quickly getting there. It is not the ability to draw the bow but rather poor eyesight and arthritis that will cause me to hang it up.

Hang in there as long as you can.

[AntlerCollector]

Now you're just hunting like the majority of us on here. Keep shootin

[AJ the TP Guru]

Thanks for the encouragement, fellas. Hey, I've only been doing this archery thing for about 60 years now, so obviously there's still lots to learn.

Actually, I started out shooting a recurve (the word, "trad," was still a long way from being invented). But these days, I primarily shoot a recurve target bow, and hunt with my compound. I'd thought about hunting with my 50# recurve, but hadn't picked it up since the surgery. Now I know I can't do that.

But hey, I'll still be out there in my hog tree, and still shooting the target recurve just for fun.