Is this a stupid idea?
Whitetail Deer
Ok being an older guy with bad shoulders I cannot shoot the higher draw weights like I used to. 55 is about my max anymore and my ego is taking a hit. I had an idea the other day and was wondering if this would work. My idea is find a way to turn quickly turn up the poundage after the bow is drawn. I am not quite sure how to do this yet but I have some thoughts. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? It may be a stupid topic but why not stir up a convestation.
I doubt it, against physics... Just get ya a lightweight stickbow, a 40# recurve/longbow with the right setup with cut on contact broadheads will kill anything in North America...
Hit the gym. If you are unsure if you can safely do that due to shoulder injuries, ask your doc to do some Physical Therapy... And see if they can progress you towards a basic strength program. With that, and the next 6-7 months leading to the season, you likely can draw more safely, and better yet, your shoulders and the rest of you will feel better due to the work you put in.
You may never shoot 70 or 80 or something... But unless there is substantial damage, you could likely shoot more, or stay where you are feeling a lot better overall.
(NOTE: with modern bows, your 55 is likely more energy on target than solidly more draw weight 20 years or 30 years ago. And you could put arrows through deer and similar critters, right into mother earth, with 55. Sooo... if the strength thing doesnt jive for you, learn to let go of the ego... Ego can be a really limiting thing.)
A 55 pound compound will go through a deer no problem. Hell even 45 pounds will be fine.
My wife shots a 40 pound bow with a cut on contact head…..shoots through everything….including elk
Yep- you're making it sound like you have a problem, but you don't! Obviously 55 isn't 70, but 55 lbs is way more than enough to kill critters! My son shot less than that two years ago and I found his arrow 40 yards on the other side of the deer he blew through.
Get over the ego piece of this and simply shoot a 50 lb bow. You'll kill em dead with no problem, if you hit where you're supposed to!
Just get a fast 40-45 pound bow like a PSE Omen, it will pull like butter and you can shoot a hunting weight arrow with plenty of speed with a good fixed blade head
There are no stupid topics on the bowsite that include archery and hunting.
With today’s bows 55lbs is more than enough. Like stated shoot a good COC head and you’ll be fine. Throw the Macho man ego in the trash it’s not needed.
I’m now 66 and have had a few issues Now only shooting 49 lbs , This past fall I had my quickest kill ever on a buck Complete pass thru and deer made it all of 20 yds and tipped over , My daughter has killed several deer shooting 43 lbs , All about shot placement and keeping the shots reasonable close , Good luck
I believe Shemane Nugent draws a 45 pounder and she is a killing machine... very purdy I might add. scentman
45-50lbs. is plenty. The mother of a good friend of mine has killed over 20 bears and numerous other critters with a 45lb. compound.
I think it’s a fascinating idea. Hard to imagine how it might work in the absence of external power (like a battery). But “hard to imagine” has been a limiting theme my entire life…
Yep, an arrow with a COC BH makes even the low poundage setups effective killers.
I would agree with Will's post above...talk to a PT about exercises you can safely do...and especially the correct way to draw your bow without impinging on your rotator cuff.
Building the small muscle groups in your shoulder is a winner.
Not sure if it is a good idea, but almost all on this thread missed the whole point to your post. I assume if you can figure a way to change the angle of the limbs (similar to cranking down the bolts) at full draw when your at 90% let of you could add "weight" on the power stroke after your release.
John we just suggested an easier solution to an "age old problem" scentman
Time to check the ego. I had to do that after the 2017 season. Dropped down to a 50# bow and turned my 60#er down to 55#. I've killed 11 deer since then with several large bodied bucks included. The animals weren't deader when I was pulling more. Does it suck? Yes. But you can adapt and adjust.
Bad idea. 55# will kill anything in NA with the right broadhead/arrow combination.
I go to the gym every day. I get cortisone shots every few months and have done a lot of PT on my shoulder, I know I can kill a deer with a 55 lb draw. It not about my ego. The reason for the post was more about the concept of being able to turn up the bow after drawn.
I cant come up with any possible ideas how you could hold a bow at full draw and attempt to adjust the poundage while drawn, unless there is another person with you to turn the bolts, but with an animal in range, I dont see that turning out very well in a tree.. a blind maybe, but..... still doubtful..
Sounds like a solution that needs a problem
Jaybee...you said your ego was taking a hit.
Would switching cams increase the velocity enough to make a difference?
There used to be a device that would hold an arrow on the bow at full draw and then triggered kinda making it a pseudo xbow, but I can't remember it's name or if it is still manufactured...
Would it be easy , no , doable, yes, it would be a matter of affixing the limb bolts to a 12 to 24 v dc gear motor with a button on the riser to actuate the motors. Probably could use two 9v batteries wired in series for 18v operation voltage. Possibly a prox sensor to shut the motors off when the limbs bottom out, or get to your desired draw weight. Now that I'm thinking about it,it would be a fun project actually. Hopefully the motors would be quiet enough to not spook game at close range.
My recurve is 34@28. My draw @31 puts it around 40lbs. I killed 3 deer this past season and all 4 arrows stuck in the ground behind it. Yes, I got two lethal pass-throughs on one doe. She didn't realize what happened so I shot her again. This bow shoots faster than my 62lb longbow. Drop weight and save your shoulders.
probably pie in the sky but it sounds to me like what you need is some type of bow that you can mechanically draw prior to a shot opportunity...in a poundage that exceeds what you are physically capable of drawing and holding yourself...with the ability to hold or lock it at full draw...until such time that you need to aim and shoot...possibly with the aid of a scope and a trigger.
Varying the poundage would make sighting in a nightmare
Buckeye that could but I think CO2 powered similar to the existing CO2 cocking crossbows would be more efficient. Un necessary bulky and ugly but possible
what has happen to real archery and bowhunting???
Agree with the lower poundage solutions but if you do not want to go that route and feel the need for higher poundage you might try a draw lock set up. Maybe a last resort but I would choose it over a crossbow.
that is a crossbow. a vertical one
I think you need a good looking honey to hunt with you in a big blind with a couch in it. If she can’t turn the poundage up after you draw you can probably find something else that she can do for you.
Yes. It’s not the smartest idea I have heard today.
Ya don't need it, BUT a long time ago I recall the idea of, once you hit full draw a pneumatic cylinder would push on each limb increasing the poundage. This would increase the bow weight but after the "hump". It would also be illegal in most places since laws state something about human power only......Mike
Yeah badbull, "draw lock" is what I was thinking of... Thanks...
I’m actually thinking about going lower poundage as I mostly hunt from a stool now and it’s way different drawing a bow sitting in a low stool than standing up. Takes a lot drawing a bow back.
Yeah, sounds to me like a vertical crossbow with a crank handle to cock it would be way simpler, and would cover more market demand.
Draw lock. You could pull it how ever and it locks in place.
I’ll be straight forward. Yes that’s a stupid idea.
You have different options out there. My dad would never change in 55 years of hunting. But he did. Shot trad for his whole life. Honestly couldn’t walk 50 yards this season. So I bought him a crossbow and rode him to a ladder stand about 8 foot off the ground. This is definitely something he wouldn’t have ever done. His desire to just get out and set in the brush left him with little choice’s. The look on his face when 4 adult does walked under him and stood at 15’ was something I’ll never forget and we’ve hunted together for 40 years. The words from him on the drive home that night are etched in my memory forever. He looked at me and said while crying those big old does are the life lines to them big bucks. “They had no clue who was setting right above them “.. they got a free pass this evening.
Long story short don’t short yourself on memories man. That is what it’s all about. Honestly do what you need to do to get out and fill your glass with what makes you love what you’re doing.
Shane
Got my Mathews nocam set at 50 pounds. Shot right through 2 big Illinois bucks this past season. Cut on contact broadheads. I’m 72 and used to shoot 70 pounds. I have been using resistance bands to build muscle strength. Leave them handy and knock out 10-15 reps several times a day has really helped.
To offset the decrease of penetration by reducing your poundage, you might want to consider smaller (micro) diameter arrow shafts.
Carrying around a contraption like that would likely be a bigger blow to my ego if draw weight effected my ego.
A modern 55# compound is miles ahead of what I hunt with. I expect an exit wound if I do my part right. I shoot trad bows but if I set up a compound it would absolutely not be more than 55#.
First, it wouldn't surprise me if some engineering genius is already working on something similar. Second, it's unnecessary. I'd look for the smoothest drawing 50 pound bow I could find. COC broad heads, go out and kill things all day long.
In 2011, my daughter went bow hunting with me in Namibia daughter hunted with me and killed this 1400 hundred pound eland with the 50 pound compound and it went 30 yards. She also shot a zebra and a gemsbok that fell in sight so I think 55 pounds would be pretty good to kill most anything
49# Bushman Xyphose recurve. Heavy stiff arrow, with quick recovery flying straight . coc BH mature Eland in his prime. His body width would equal 2.5- 3 elk.
On this topic. We often think of the bow weight only. Many other factors help glean and utilize more of the available power.
If shooting a 70# bow and your 400 grain arrow Is still flopping back and forth as it hits the animal. You’ve wasted a lot of energy.
Efficient bow
Heavier Stiff arrows that recover sooner after leaving the bow
Strong CoC head
Get your arrow to fly more like a crossbow bolt. Very little flexing back and forth, up and down flopping around. Have someone film your arrow in slo mo on a cell phone. To see how much flexing its doing and how far down range before it stops. Most are still flexing past 30 yards
You’ll be amazed at the increased penetration. No, you won’t get that set up at any archery store
We’ve got electric cars, electric UTV’s, electric bikes already. An electric bow might not be too far away. I’m sure the technology is there. Maybe you could just “crank it up” like one of those emergency radios before you get to your stand and it will stay charged for awhile.
Only thing is it would probably rip your shoulder apart if you had to let it down at full power.
That’s a really good point about let down.
Simple answer is yes. This would be a tuning nightmare.
You could just scratch off the weight rating on the limb and write in 70-80#.
