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Too cold to pull bow back!!!

PastorKen

PastorKen

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2018
Messages
620
Location
Eagle River, AK
I need advice!!!
I was on public land yesterday from dark to dark. at 9:00 am, it was snowing and I wasn't dressed warmly enough (it was more than an hour's hike in and I was afraid of getting too sweaty. I did put on another layer at the tree, but it wasn't enough to keep me from shivering. It was windy too.) I was doing some blind calling and the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods came to 20 yards and passed by broadside. However, I was not able to pull my bow back. I tried 3 times and just could not get it all the way back!!!! After I warmed up some, I could pull it back, but he was long gone. I don't think he ever knew I was there. So, I may get another chance but I wouldn't count on it. He's big and smart.
SO - What can I do to prevent that in the future? I have a crossbow, but I really want to use my compound because it works better with my tree saddle. Should I lower my poundage and resight before going out again? I'm at about 68pounds now. I can go all the way down to 60 on this bow. What do you guys think?
In other news... Friday evening I had a 130ish buck come to 15 yards broadside of me. I was standing on the ground and could have taken him. But I knew there were big boys where I was hunting.
 
I'd try not to get so cold next time as a first, easy solution. Or drop the poundage. Really about your only options. I think everybody has had it happen at some point.

I hunted for several seasons with a 50lb bow, and killed deer and pigs with it. It was ridiculously easy to draw and shoot. My Synergy is 60lbs. I don't know if I'd back it off mid season, but I'd do that before I sat all season knowing I couldn't pull it.

You should never struggle even a tiny bit with your bow. Most hunters would benefit from lower poundage, smaller calibers, and less magnification on their scopes.
 
Nutterbuster said:
I'd try not to get so cold next time as a first, easy solution. Or drop the poundage. Really about your only options. I think everybody has had it happen at some point.

I hunted for several seasons with a 50lb bow, and killed deer and pigs with it. It was ridiculously easy to draw and shoot. My Synergy is 60lbs. I don't know if I'd back it off mid season, but I'd do that before I sat all season knowing I couldn't pull it.

You should never struggle even a tiny bit with your bow. Most hunters would benefit from lower poundage, smaller calibers, and less magnification on their scopes.
Click to expand...

Like, double like, triple like! When did we attach our egos to our poundage/caliber? Has this always been an issue? Do female hunters do it? I doubt it, they're smarter than us, and they're not trying to convince others of their penis size. LOL The most successful hunters I know (a friend and my Papa) both shot 45 pound draw weight their entire lives. They stacked 'em up like cord wood. I knew this, and still got a bow with a 75 pound draw as my first bow. I'm a little wiser now... just a little. I shoot 60 pounds and have zero strain. BONUS: While practicing, I can get WAY more reps in before fatiguing.
X2 on keeping warm. You'll be more accurate, comfortable, and prevent injury.
 
I did the same thing few years ago. I was sitting in a brush blind and sitting fairly low. I was also shivering and had 3 bucks come in front of me. I also tried pulling back 3 times unsuccessfully.

I have now made certain that I’m not going to get that cold again. If I have to carry heaps of clothes attached to my pack, that’s I’m going to do. I try to walk in wearing layers that will that will breath so that the wind can blow through them as I’m walking. Then when I get to the base of the tree I’ll put on my wind breaking or heavy insulating pants/bibs. Then once I finish setting up I’ll put on the over coat.

I’m really not sure that lowering your bow by only 8lbs will make a difference in that situation.


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Get yourself a heated vest my friend. It's one of the best things that I've ever purchased for hunting. Also, with technology like it is, there is no reason to shoot over 60# of draw weight in a compound bow....for deer.
 
kenn1320 said:
Pick up some of those instant heat packs and use them. They are cheap and work well. Wear something with wind stopper or wind proof after you cool down. Lastly draw your bow a few times every hour.
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I agree 100% on everything but the last tip. Drawing your bow back isn't necessary provided you stay warm and aren't over-bowed. That's a lot of movement going on. I've heard lots of guys talk about "staying limbered up," but it just shouldn't be necessary.

Lots of smart people have worked very hard for many years to make it so that we know pretty much exactly what the weather is going to be tomorrow, at least when it comes to temperature. Buy good clothes, watch the weather, and pay attention to what clothes you wear during what temps. I'm not saying I never get cold, but when I do, it's because I wasn't paying attention.
 
Nutterbuster said:
I agree 100% on everything but the last tip. Drawing your bow back isn't necessary provided you stay warm and aren't over-bowed. That's a lot of movement going on. I've heard lots of guys talk about "staying limbered up," but it just shouldn't be necessary.

Lots of smart people have worked very hard for many years to make it so that we know pretty much exactly what the weather is going to be tomorrow, at least when it comes to temperature. Buy good clothes, watch the weather, and pay attention to what clothes you wear during what temps. I'm not saying I never get cold, but when I do, it's because I wasn't paying attention.
Click to expand...


Even if you pay attention and know what the weather is "supposed to be", it takes some people a little longer than others to acclimate to the changing temperatures. Therefore, the first few times the mercury drops, it kind of sneaks up on you. I hunted on October 30 and it was 71 degrees, yesterday morning, it was 21 degrees.

That is one of the reasons that I love my heated vest. I start wearing it as a mid layer when the temps get cool enough and wear it the rest of the season...... only turning it on as necessary. That way, you never get caught with your pants down so to speak!
 
Timely. I was just putting the early season clothing away. My solution is to stick a couple of the Grabber brand toe warmers on my shooting shoulder. Just that little bit of heat works wonders. Also read an interesting article on how much faster per pound of pull today's modern bows are. Convinced me that on my next bow I won't be pulling more than 55#'s for the speed I'm getting now at 60#'s. Makes a big difference when its cold. Of course seeing those bigguns will warm any of us up!
 
I would lower the poundage for next season.
Maybe before blind calling. Try to warm up and stretch a little bit, draw back a few times until your muscles are comfortable doing it
 
Thanks guys for so many responses. I like the higher poundage because I’m a terrible judge of distance (especially in steep terrain) and flatter shooting can compensate to an extent. I haven’t had a problem with it before. But I’m more than happy to dial it down.

QUESTION: if I dial down both those adjustments bowls will it just fly apart if I go to far? Or are there stops on the end of those bolts? I’ll go to the PSE website to try to find out for sure but thought I would see if anybody knows. It is a 2010 model PSE bow madness XS.

I’ll price check heated vests, but am sure I can’t afford one this season.
 
Jasper2 said:
Even if you pay attention and know what the weather is "supposed to be", it takes some people a little longer than others to acclimate to the changing temperatures. Therefore, the first few times the mercury drops, it kind of sneaks up on you. I hunted on October 30 and it was 71 degrees, yesterday morning, it was 21 degrees.

That is one of the reasons that I love my heated vest. I start wearing it as a mid layer when the temps get cool enough and wear it the rest of the season...... only turning it on as necessary. That way, you never get caught with your pants down so to speak!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I’m not acclimated yet. Two or three years ago I killed a doe with this same bow in 8 degrees.

Yesterday, it wasn’t supposed to rain or snow, but it did both. It was colder than predicted. I am 51 now, so not as strong as I used to be maybe. But I think lack of acclimation is the biggest factor here.
 
Jasper2 said:
Get yourself a heated vest my friend. It's one of the best things that I've ever purchased for hunting. Also, with technology like it is, there is no reason to shoot over 60# of draw weight in a compound bow....for deer.
Click to expand...
What brand vest have you used?
 
When it’s super cold out I will test draw my bow every 30 minutes. If I can’t draw it I would immediately pack up and go home. I had that happen only once. It was -9. By the time I could not draw my bow anymore I could also barely move my legs. It was very difficult climbing down.
 
@PastorKen, it will help, sure. And I've been in situations where I did it. But it's kind of a bandaid. Exercise will pull blood to the muscles in use, which means they'll get warm and limber. Quit using them, and they'll go cold again and get stiff. Over the course of a hunt, it would require a lot of cycles to stay limber. You never know who is watching your exercise regime.
 
Drop the poundage for sure, but wait till after he season and have a bow shop do it for you. In the meantime the cheapest fix is to go to a drug store and buy one of the heat/cold packs for your back that comes with the strap to hold it in place. Open the box and toss the hot/cold pack in the freezer and forget about it. Get the big chemical hand warmers and put them in the strap. Put the strap on so that the heat packs are situated pretty much over your kidneys.

I’ve only had it happen to me once. 8° in SC. Was NOT used to that crap and I had sat all day the previous 2 days in 16° then 12° highs. To make it worse, the buck was slightly behind me over my right shoulder.
 
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