50-60 lb bows

[sniper steve]

In '06 I was shooting a Golden Eagle set at 52 pounds. Shot a 187" 12 that weighed 292 dressed at 18 yards. Complete pass through, arrow stuck 6" into the ground on the other side.

I now shoot a Z7 set at 57#. Shot a 200 pound 8 pointer at 30 yards, blew through both shoulders and again sank deep into the ground on the other side. October 7, shot a 355 pound 203" 20 point with the same setup. He died as well.

I see absolutely no need to shoot any higher draw weight. Put that arrow where it needs to go, it will do it's job.

[Hunter99]

I have a Hoyt CRX with 50-60# limbs...no issues whatsoever. I agree with another poster that the 70# bows sell better. Trying to sell this rig to buy a new one and really haven't had any takers and I think it is priced to sell. Buying an Elite Energy 32 60#.

[Limbwalker]

I remember when 200 fps was the "holy grail" of compound archery. Now it's 300 fps. Or is it 350 fps? I can't keep up.

Glad the deer I kill every year with my 52# recurve, shooting a whopping 190 fps. with a 450 grain arrow, don't know any better!

Any time I hear a compound, or trad shooter, bragging about how many pounds they're pulling, or asking someone else how many pounds they're pulling, it makes me shake my head, because it's pretty obvious what's going on there.

I have a rule in my JOAD club that kids (and it's always the compound shooters) don't talk about how much weight they are pulling, or ask about it either, as it has nothing to do with why we're there.

Are there reasons for shooting 70#? Sure, I guess. But just like a tattoo, if you could never tell anyone, or show anyone, would you still get it?

[Aversin]

From someone just getting into bows, Thanks for the prospective!

[JW]

TXHUNTER3R, you look to be young and strong in your avatar. The older you get, you learn a lot of life's lessons. If sitting in 30 degree weather for 3 hours with all of the warm upper body clothes on that you own, and a deer walks out and you can grab your maxed out 70 pounder, pull it straight back with no effort at all, then by all means, that's exactly what you should be shooting.

So true!! I have a surgically revamped shoulder to attest to that fact! Yeah I could pull 80-90 pounds back then and hunt with it. Shoot tourneys whatever. Now I'm paying for it.

[MQ32Shooter]

Ragin', shoulder surgeries ain't fun are they! I've had 3 of them over the years. Thank God for bow technology. I'm shooting 35-40 fps. faster, pulling 7 lbs. less weight with the same 408 grain hunting arrow that I was shooting 10 years ago. In my case, "less is more"!

[JW]

Ragin', shoulder surgeries ain't fun are they! I've had 3 of them over the years. Thank God for bow technology. I'm shooting 35-40 fps. faster, pulling 7 lbs. less weight with the same 408 grain hunting arrow that I was shooting 10 years ago. In my case, "less is more"!

They suck!!! Except in the weeks after at the bar when you walk out of the bathroom needing help buttoning ur britches up. That's awful fun with cowgirls brother!

[tony185]

My creed is set at 60 and z7 at 55 and have 35 yrd kills no problem

[DRT]

My next bow is gonna be a 60

Mine too.

[Limbwalker]

To get the performance of a decent modern 60# compound, compound bows from the late 70's and early 80's would have to be in the 80-90# range. It's that big of a difference.

So yea, take advantage of the new technology and shoot a lighter bow.

[John316]

My go to bow is a 60# bowtech gaurdian. Super quiet, and amazingly accurate. IMO these two are the most important for a hunting bow.

[KarlGansen]

Back in the day I had an 86 pound Alpine Rebel. My 08 model 82nd Airborne shoots the same weight arrow 5fps faster at on 62 pounds.

that's crazy how far things have come

[Ttechhunter]

I dropped down to a 60 lb bow this year, it maxes at 62#. I love it, won't be shooting 70lb again anytime soon.

[Southernsam]

I will never own another 70# bow. Been shootin a 60# for several years now with no problems taking big critters

[Mibowhunter]

I shot 70lb bows for ever but recently had back surgery and dropped to 60, now my pse Evo is really easy to draw back, I can still easly kill a deer at 30-40 yards no worries for me, if I were to go to a single cam system I'd probably go back to 70lb though