Thoughts on 80lb bows.

[Joe Holden]

I see your point and yes I could also shoot the minimal weight and develop a well made system. Heck we see it with the ashby set ups and shooting trad. But comparing high impacts sports at a professional level vs a sport that is not high impact is two completely different things in my opinion. It's like trying to compare and apple to a potato.

I honestly am curious if there are studies that show the difference between say a 65lb bow compared to an 80lb bow will hinder your shooting career. Especially at what the average bow hunter shoots.

I shot a 2013 Hoyt Spyder Turbo at 80lbs / 29.5" draw from March of 2018 - September of 2020 (anyone that's curious, towering 5'8 and 185...yes, monkey arms). In that duration of time, 23 animals fell to that bow at various ranges. Specs for 2018 was 450 grn / 313 fps. Specs for 2019 & 2020 was 550 at 285-290 (can't remember). Also used it to shoot 3D tournament throughout the summer and shoot a fair bit more than average. This September, the limbs started splintering a bit worse than I felt comfortable. So I found a deal on 2 Prime Centergys @ 65# and bought them. From September to end of season, I was able to kill 5 deer with a 420 grain arrow (unsure of speed) and 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 mechanical heads. On all but 1 of the deer, my arrow went clean through and was picked up on the offside. The one that didn't, was quartering too, and left 5" of a 29"ish long arrow exposed.

Reasoning for switching draw weight was, A. I found a deal and that's what their draw weight was; B. Easier to piece together the arrow I wanted too; C. less stress on limbs may lead to not wearing out strings / material as quickly

Ease on myself wasn't factored in since I could handle that Hoyt very well and was more confident in that setup than anything else I've put my hands on (time will tell). While I could handle it, that's not saying it wasn't a bear in cold weather when I started becoming less physically active. Also, ground hunting whitetails has forced me to draw in very odd positions. It's been a little easier with lower draw weight so far.

May not be the study you're looking for, but is some real life experience.

 

[180ls1]

I shot a 2013 Hoyt Spyder Turbo at 80lbs / 29.5" draw from March of 2018 - September of 2020 (anyone that's curious, towering 5'8 and 185...yes, monkey arms). In that duration of time, 23 animals fell to that bow at various ranges. Specs for 2018 was 450 grn / 313 fps. Specs for 2019 & 2020 was 550 at 285-290 (can't remember). Also used it to shoot 3D tournament throughout the summer and shoot a fair bit more than average. This September, the limbs started splintering a bit worse than I felt comfortable. So I found a deal on 2 Prime Centergys @ 65# and bought them. From September to end of season, I was able to kill 5 deer with a 420 grain arrow (unsure of speed) and 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 mechanical heads. On all but 1 of the deer, my arrow went clean through and was picked up on the offside. The one that didn't, was quartering too, and left 5" of a 29"ish long arrow exposed.

Reasoning for switching draw weight was, A. I found a deal and that's what their draw weight was; B. Easier to piece together the arrow I wanted too; C. less stress on limbs may lead to not wearing out strings / material as quickly

Ease on myself wasn't factored in since I could handle that Hoyt very well and was more confident in that setup than anything else I've put my hands on (time will tell). While I could handle it, that's not saying it wasn't a bear in cold weather when I started becoming less physically active. Also, ground hunting whitetails has forced me to draw in very odd positions. It's been a little easier with lower draw weight so far.

May not be the study you're looking for, but is some real life experience.

Great input and much of this is so personal. I feel like most of the difference will come at the fringes and is situationally specific. For example, if are hunting deer a 60-70lb bow may have real advantages. Now, if you call in elk and have frequent quarter-too shots having that extra margin is substantial. You are also likely to be standing and hiking so pulling 80 may very well be easier in that scenario than pulling 70 after sitting in a deer stand for hours.