poundedge?

hey i was wonderig what was the best bow draw weight for a bow? I shoot 45lbs and i was wondering if i should crank it up?

Andy 68, this is a great question, but really differs from Hunter to Hunter. In MN the minimal is 40 lbs with a 28 ” draw for Big Game Hunting I believe. I personally have mine set around 62 lbs. More weight is not always better. You want to be able to pull back a bow and be able to hold it back quite some time with no or little affect. In my opinion, being able to pull your bow back and being dead accurate is more important than cranking up your bow’s poundage as high as you can get it and not being accurate. My view is shot placement is the key to harvesting deer. Sure speed helps, but if you do not have good shot selection and placement, all the speed in the world is not going to help.

Come the last few days of season , it can get quite cold and the affects of sitting out in the cold has some impact of your abiltiy to draw a bow back.

To answer your question: If you can increase your poundage of your bow and still maintain your accuracy, I would definitley increase it. Remember increasing your poundage will have some affect on your sights. They might need to be fine tuned again. But if increasing your poundage does affect your accuracy, I would leave it alone. In the offseason I would then try to increase it and build up your strength, coordination and stamina, so next year you can gain some more speed on your arrow, if that is what you are looking for.

Just my 2 cents worth! Good Luck, have a great and safe season!

Andy 68, this is a great question, but really differs from Hunter to Hunter. In MN the minimal is 40 lbs with a 28 ” draw for Big Game Hunting I believe. I personally have mine set around 62 lbs. More weight is not always better. You want to be able to pull back a bow and be able to hold it back quite some time with no or little affect. In my opinion, being able to pull your bow back and being dead accurate is more important than cranking up your bow’s poundage as high as you can get it and not being accurate. My view is shot placement is the key to harvesting deer. Sure speed helps, but if you do not have good shot selection and placement, all the speed in the world is not going to help.

Come the last few days of season , it can get quite cold and the affects of sitting out in the cold has some impact of your abiltiy to draw a bow back.

To answer your question: If you can increase your poundage of your bow and still maintain your accuracy, I would definitley increase it. Remember increasing your poundage will have some affect on your sights. They might need to be fine tuned again. But if increasing your poundage does affect your accuracy, I would leave it alone. In the offseason I would then try to increase it and build up your strength, coordination and stamina, so next year you can gain some more speed on your arrow, if that is what you are looking for.

Just my 2 cents worth! Good Luck, have a great and safe season!

I agree 100% with Lip Ripper!

don’t mess with things now, just keep practicing with what you have and wait until the offseason to tinker with your bow. Its just like weight lifting, the more you shoot the stronger the muscles get and the easier it gets. I shoot 70# all summer then crank it down to 65 a week before season so I can hold a draw for at least 45-60 sec.

another tip for holding your draw is to drop your elbow down and that will help with the pressure

I agree 100% with Lip Ripper!

don’t mess with things now, just keep practicing with what you have and wait until the offseason to tinker with your bow. Its just like weight lifting, the more you shoot the stronger the muscles get and the easier it gets. I shoot 70# all summer then crank it down to 65 a week before season so I can hold a draw for at least 45-60 sec.

another tip for holding your draw is to drop your elbow down and that will help with the pressure

Agree with what has already been said 100%. Speed is not totally necessary. I like to be able to pull my bow back with ease and not have to point it at the moon and jerk the string back You should be able to point the arrow at the deer and quietly, slowly, and smoothly draw your bow back and not be detected. For some people this is 45# and others it can be 80+#. Myself I have my limbs maxed out at 63#. The bow I have now I specifically ordered the lower limb weights instead of going with 70# limbs and having them turned all the way out. Much more effecient. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with

Agree with what has already been said 100%. Speed is not totally necessary. I like to be able to pull my bow back with ease and not have to point it at the moon and jerk the string back You should be able to point the arrow at the deer and quietly, slowly, and smoothly draw your bow back and not be detected. For some people this is 45# and others it can be 80+#. Myself I have my limbs maxed out at 63#. The bow I have now I specifically ordered the lower limb weights instead of going with 70# limbs and having them turned all the way out. Much more effecient. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with