90 lb bows

[Lytro]

I have a half dozen NFL buddies that bowhunt- exactly none shoot 90#….all in the 65-70# range. Tell My buddy an 8 year all pro linebacker he is a wuss for shooting 65#, he blows through everything with his biw.

And I bet none of them have short draws.

Higher poundage definitely aids anyone with a <28" draw. You do understand how a bow works and how arrow speed/energy is generated, right?

 

[Fowl Play]

I have several friends that shoot very heavy bows.... none of them really should. If you can hold a 90lb bow level and very calmly draw it straight back in a controlled motion.... great! If not.... you'll be like my friend who at the moment of truth, could not actually draw his fricken bow back with a beautiful bull standing broadside at 20 yards. After hunting with him for 5 days as his caller, I about rage quit the friendship

 

[Yoder]

Look, if you want to shoot a 90# bow, great, go for it.

There is No good reason to shoot that heavy unless you are going Water Buff hunting, and many reasons not to: more static hysteresis, more noise, diminishing returns, shoulder problems, etc

In fact, a guy shooting a 90# bow is virtue signalling. Big and strong- beentheredonethat and played college sports- so what?


I have a half dozen NFL buddies that bowhunt- exactly none shoot 90#….all in the 65-70# range. Tell My buddy an 8 year all pro linebacker he is a wuss for shooting 65#, he blows through everything with his biw.

When 40# trad guys are getting complete pass thrus….it tells us we have 3x the energy with a 70# bow.

Maybe spend less time posing…and more time shooting…..

Maybe he just wants to shoot a 90lb bow and didn't want to read 4 pages of opinions about why it's not necessary. Why shouldn't a bigger man shoot a heavier bow? I'm 5'8, never played any sports and shoot a 65lb bow. Why wouldn't a man with twice my strength not shoot a heavier bow? Seems like it would be easy for them.

 

[MattB]

I'm 100% with you on that, and I think that's smart. I would do the same if I had a shorter draw. I think a lot of the people who are adamant that higher poundage is unnecessary either don't understand how a bow operates, or they're insecure about their own strength.

Or perhaps it is a cautionary tale from people who have watched friends suffer injuries from pulling excessive draw weight for many years - some of whom who had to quit bowhunting as a result.

You can kill any animal that walks in NA with a 50# bow.

 

[Lytro]

Or perhaps it is a cautionary tale from people who have watched friends suffer injuries from pulling excessive draw weight for many years - some of whom who had to quit bowhunting as a result.

You can kill any animal that walks in NA with a 50# bow.

I guess I don’t put limitations on strangers. IMO, a 90# draw cycle is a non-factor for injury concern for someone who actually strength trains regularly. If you don’t work out at all, 70# will catch up with you eventually.

Do you only pull 50# then if it’s sufficient for all NA game?

 

[Beendare]

. You do understand how a bow works and how arrow speed/energy is generated, right?

Sure I do, decades of seeing critters shot with arrows and bows, including a pile of pass thrus with a trad bow.

It’s the guy that thinks he needs to shoot 90 pounds to kill a little Whitetail that doesn’t get it…..thinking its all about massive arrow energy

 

[MattB]

I guess I don’t put limitations on strangers. IMO, a 90# draw cycle is a non-factor for injury concern for someone who actually strength trains regularly. If you don’t work out at all, 70# will catch up with you eventually.

Do you only pull 50# then if it’s sufficient for all NA game?

It would be wonderful if the bolded were true, but the typical overuse injuries that result from archery are more complicated than that.

Over my 30 year bowhunting career I’ve shot as much as 84# but am shooting closer to 60# now to maintain good shoulder health. I could still draw 84#, but have learned that it is overkill in the vast majority of situations.

Curious, how many big game animals have you bow killed to get such an enlightened perspective on how a bow works?

 

[Lytro]

Curious, how many big game animals have you bow killed to get such an enlightened perspective on how a bow works?

Curious how you think anecdotal evidence really explains how a bow actually works? It’s physics, not your own personal beliefs. I know a handful of people that kill a ton of stuff over the past 40 years and don’t have a clue what tuning is, let alone know how draw length, weight, arrow specs/components, etc. effect speed.

To answer your question though, I’m sure it’s less than you since I’m guessing that was a strange attempt at a flex. I’ve averaged about 3 big game animals a year over the 21 years I’ve been bow hunting. All of which have been killed by a 70# bow. I don’t find it personally necessary to pull any more weight, but refuting that extra poundage in some setups isn’t beneficial at all is either stupidity or ignorance.

 

[Point Man]

Man,you guys sure like to argue.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

My first response would be go elsewhere for your advise.
Second would be piss off.

 

[Point Man]

See what I mean.

 

[Beendare]

I don’t mean to be argumentative….I’m just sharing decades of experience.

There are many that will disregard advice from experienced guys…but factor in there are a lot of lurkers….and I have had many thankful PM’s over the years from those guys.

Its interesting, in the decades I’ve been Bowhunting there was overdraws, fast and light arrows, big mech heads, short chisel point heads, much more efficient Bows including trad bows, etc.

Now we understand a lot more about whats effective; its all about the wound channel.

Its the same with rifle bullets….guys used to talk about, “ knock down power” and “bigger is better”

My experience jibes with MattB, Every archer I know ( many) that has been shooting heavy bows has some sort of shoulder issues in their 50’s and 60’s.

I see it a lot with young guys; they claim, I will be different. Yeah, right.

A similar example to this 90# is Tats I saw the guys that got Tats in WWll that turned into purple blobs in their older years. The young folks now say, its different….ugh no.

 

[Gone4Days]

#opwasright

 

[fngTony]

#opwasright

yes but with the wrong attitude

 

[Wilderlife]

The problem with threads like this is that there is always the underlying assumption that someone is giving up something by shooting higher poundage.
If you can't draw your bow back properly without convulsing, you can't shoot consistently over the course of a few dozen arrows, you can't shoot accurately, and you can't shoot without injuring yourself, you are definitely overbowed. That can be said for any bow - compound or trad - and any poundage. I've seen plenty of people overbowed at 60# with a compound, or 50# with a trad bow.
On the flip size, if you can draw your bow easily and with consistency, you can shoot enough arrows that you can get a decent session without being tired, you can shoot accurately, and you can do all of that without injury, the poundage doesn't matter.

It is impossible to argue that more poundage is never better, if the above is considered. We all know that more poundage (or a bigger cartridge or whatever) won't make up for poor form or poor shooting. Yes, a fallow deer hit up the guts with my .300WM will be worse off than one hit in the lungs with my .222. We all know that and we shouldn't have to bring up facts like that every time someone wants to ask about heavier bows.

The latest Rogan podcast with Cam Hanes touched on this briefly. I would put money down on the fact that Joe Rogan and Cam Hanes can pull their 90# bows back easier than many people pulling 70#.

Yes, they are outliers. Yes, some people could accuse them of having big egos. Yes, we all know that it's not necessary. But, for me, if you can quite easily, why not?

What most people in the world do with a Ferrari can be done with a Toyota Corolla. Should we tell people who own fancy cars they don't need to do that because their initial cost, maintenance, and servicing are a complete waste of time when you can get the job done with something different?

FWIW I'm shooting 77# at the moment and I can do it fine. I take good care of myself physically, practice regularly and with correct technique, etc. People in my local archery club branch all think shooting 70# is stupid and say things like "well you can shoot it now but you'll end up with broken shoulders and you won't be able to shoot bows ever again."
Firstly, they don't see the merit in shooting 70# for target, but my mates and I all maintain that we want to shoot our hunting bows because our main goal is to be good hunters. Makes sense, right?
Secondly, most of the people telling me I'll hurt myself are clearly overweight, weak, unfit people. I mean no disrespect here, but it's the truth. The way I see some people drawing back 50# compounds, with all bicep, and their elbows far outside the string, means they're destroying their already destroyed shoulders, and no amount of them telling me 70# is stupid is going to change the fact that they don't know what they're talking about.
Also, sorry for the rant. I didn't mean for this post to be that long, and I'm not necessarily advocating for really heavy bows. I'm just making the point that there are always stacks of assumptions made about individuals when this stuff comes up and it's not necessarily warranted.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

The 90 lb question is really irrelevant.Its the guys commit right off the bat.
I’ll be happy to talk archery all day but if cam and rogan walked up and said hey,I don’t give a f what you think or your opinion is but I want a answer to this question,I would also tell them to get f.

 

[Wilderlife]

But the whole thread is ridiculous in the sense that whether the OP posted in his abrupt manner or not, he would have still been met with the same comments about 90#.

 

[Jethro]

But the whole thread is ridiculous in the sense that whether the OP posted in his abrupt manner or not, he would have still been met with the same comments about 90#.

Yes, but had he started less abruptly, he’d still be here to defend his position.

Post 1 call out the members. Post 2 call out a moderator. Post 3 say good bye.

 

[Wilderlife]

Yeh, I'm not defending his behaviour. I'm just discussing motivation and philosophy behind heavier bows.
On one hand, there are always going to be people who won't address the question or core of the OP and just tell them they don't need a heavy bow, but on the other hand, you don't need to be as provocative when making the OP as it'll get people more off side in the first place.

 

[ThorM465]

The 90 lb question is really irrelevant.Its the guys commit right off the bat.
I’ll be happy to talk archery all day but if cam and rogan walked up and said hey,I don’t give a f what you think or your opinion is but I want a answer to this question,I would also tell them to get f.

That's not what he said at all. He said he doesn't give an f what your opinion is IF you're coming here to tell him why he should stay away from what he is asking for information on. It seems like a fair position to me especially when the counter argument has already been made to exhaustion.