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Did you lower your draw weight

Weldabeast said:
Iwas at 70 but turned it down to 58-60 because of the saddle....didn't want to have to fight drawing while in awkward positions.
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Since this post I dropped down another 10 pounds. I don't have a scale but according to the book and the number of turns I took off the bolts it should be 48-50 range. So nice to be able to draw from pretty much any position, pretty much effortlessly. Low poundage + single cam... so smooth. With the 80% let off of my bow I can sit there all day....and much less movement if I do have to let down. Life's a compromise....haha...arrows are very slow but that doesn't bother me
 
parkersdad said:
I was practicing with my saddle the other day and got to thinking. There is a chance I could get in an awkward position hunting out of a tree saddle. I thought about lowering the poundage on my bow to help if a situation like that arises. Have you guys lowered your weight or found that you did not need to?


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I've never lowered for saddle hunting, but I've always kept lower poundage than I can comfortably pull. I always buy 60 lbs max bows and crank them down all the way, but can easily pull 70 lbs or more.

A 60 lbs bow is more than enough for whitetails and is more fun to shoot, especially for longer periods.

It's sorta like my deer rifles. I kill deer with 223, 22-250, 243, and 25-06 and have no interest in a 7mm mag, etc.

As long as you have normal shoulder health, shooting a bow should feel like a pleasure and not a weight lifting competition.
 
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I think that recent bow manufacturing trends are reflective of the above discussion: longer ATA, more forgiving brace height...more emphasis on shootability and comfort / consistency vs speed. I recently dropped from 72 to 66 for all of the reasons touted by previous posters. Just makes practice so much more enjoyable as well. Sixty-six is still high for white tails, but I’m pushing a 518 grain total arrow weight with 250 up front, so I need a little bit of oomph to get it there in a timely manner. Will crank it back up to max for a Wyoming elk hunt in a few years where I’ll want to be more proficient out to 65 yards or so, but for now I’m diggin the lighter pull.
 
I have been shooting 55 pounds for years with a 35 inch ATA bow. It's a very comfortable setup.
 
Nope, going to 75lbs this year. With the adrenaline I definitely don't have issues pulling back my bow, even sitting flat on the ground for hours in a snow storm. Is it necessary, heck no, but smoke 'em if you got 'em!

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I lowered to 60 lbs, would go to 50lbs if my main bow allowed. Sometimes I feel like going to my backup bow which is a 'grow with the archer' bow that goes 15-70 lbs range. With a hunting compound bow and proper sight setup, you really dont need more then 50lbs to kill an animal under 35 yards. If I ever get to bucket list an Elk trip, maybe I'll dial it back to 70lbs or just take my crossbow.
 
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