Poundage Question

[2B4Him]

I have never stepped foot into this portion of The Green Screen before, so please be gentle with me. I have a question.
Another guy who hunts on my lease does 'some' bow hunting. He even kills a deer every couple of years with his recurve bow. He gets his bow out for archery season and puts it away until next year (no practice at all, in other words). He uses old aluminum (?) shaft arrows with messed up fletching on them.
He asked me to help him string his bow last weekend and I was asking him some questions about it. He said the bow is 50# and is for a 28" draw. (Being strictly a compound bow hunter, I don't know anything recurves.) Anyway, he said that since he is 6' 3" and has a 32" draw, he actually shooting at 60#.
Is that right?
Can the poundage increase based on his draw length?

[gatorgar]

You can safely add 2.5-3lbs per inch over 28. I doubt he draws 32", probably closer to 30, so he l should be drawing over 50# if the bow really is 50@28. Mass production bows are rarely their stated weight, but they are usually close.
So did I confuse you more, or solve the question? Lol

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[Bisch]

Poundage Question

The poundage does increase with the increase in draw length. Most trad bows are marked a certain weight at 28". If you draw less than 28", your draw weight will be less than what the bow is marked at 28", and if you draw more than 28", your draw weight will be more than what the bow is marked at 28". Like Alex said above, most will gain or lose about 2-3# per inch away from what the bow is marked at.

It is likely that you buddy is not drawing 32" (that is extremely long), but if he is, I would bet his actual draw weight on a 50# bow is more than 60#. Probably 62-64.

Trad bows are not shooter specific, or set up for a particular person like wheel bows. That being said, when a particular person picks up a bow, it is most important for him to tune the bow to himself and his arrows.

Bisch

[TXMark]

Listen to what those guys said. They know the trad bow. I also doubt the 32" draw length. I'm 6'3" and draw 28". Depends on his anchor and arm length.


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[Felix40]

Guy I used to work with was same height and had a 32" draw length. Broadheads would almost touch his riser on a full length shaft

[dk_ace]

I'm 6' even and have a 31.5" draw, and that is string apex at corner of my mouth not drawing too long. I have long arms and a wide chest. No reason to doubt a guy that says his draw length isn't average.

D

[chrisk]

I have a buddy that has a 29" draw and he isn't 5'6" if he was standing on a 5 gallon bucket. But 32" is a pretty long draw.

[Chunky]

The traditional community and bow manufacturers needed some type of standard so we could talk apples to apples kind of thing. So, when you ask someone what the weight of a bow is, unless otherwise specified, it will be that weight at 28 inches.

28 inches is probably right in the smack dab middle of average for normal adult American males to draw a trad bow.

So that is just a number to know what you are talking about. If you are a little shorter or have a short wing span, you will draw less length and weight, if you are taller and bigger a bit more. Bows are different, but you can estimate about two pounds an inch give or take from the weight at 28.

There is also a thing called stacking where you can draw a bow about as far as it's designed to go, and then it becomes much harder to draw farther, and can even break if stressed enough.

I don't know your friend, so I don't want to talk poorly of him, but most of us here feel you have to shoot often to keep your eye and accuracy to a level we feel ethical. Most can't just pick a bow up after a year and go hunt with it.

Lastly, welcome to this section of the green screen. You will find that the people here might look a little scary (some), we are very nice and try to be helpful. That is why this forum exists. Don't hesitate to ask questions. The sticky's at the top are pretty good for a starting point if you decide to give this a try.

[Rtree1]

Interesting

[critter69]

If he can just pick it up at hunting season and hit what is is trying to, he is either very lucky, or lucky (can't think of any thing else to replace it with, as I don't know any one that would even consider it) traditional bows take a lot more time behind the string on a regular basis to become proficient with. Even then there are plenty of days it's like you can't hit s^#^. Then there are days you feel very confident. Does he tell you about the misses, or how many he hits and makes a bad shot on ?

[Bisch]

If he can just pick it up at hunting season and hit what is is trying to, he is either very lucky, or lucky (can't think of any thing else to replace it with, as I don't know any one that would even consider it) traditional bows take a lot more time behind the string on a regular basis to become proficient with. Even then there are plenty of days it's like you can't hit s^#^. Then there are days you feel very confident. Does he tell you about the misses, or how many he hits and makes a bad shot on ?

I certainly thought it, but I did not type it^^^^^^^^

Bisch

[RickBarbee]

I know others are thinking it. I'm gonna say it.

6'3" / 32" draw

Can't string a 50# bow by himself?
Only gets the bow out to hunt, and never practices?
His gear/arrows are not well kept?

I'm just over here like Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm not trying to be mean, but there's something really wrong with the picture you've painted.

Yes, the draw weight will increase as the draw length increases.
How much depends on the bow, and the average is about 2# per inch past 28 inches, but it sounds like that should be the least of your concerns.

Rick

EDIT:
P.S.
critter69 beat me to it.

[CRM_95]

Man I don't know...he's probably not drawing 32'' honestly. I'm 6'4'' and have pretty long arms and I just draw a hair over 29'' with a stickbow. But like everybody said poundage will increase the further it's drawn.

[fwood]

I have a friend that sounds like yours. Never practices; picks up a stickbow and just shoots it whever season draws near or worse, goes hunting with it. Thinks he is drawing 31" because that's what he draws on his compound. When he shoots the stickbow (recurve) he snap shoots and probably doesn't hit 28" in draw length. To his credit though, he knows he's not ready to hunt deer with the stickbow. He's all over a 3D deer at 15 yards, but he can usually hit it somewhere.
He might try to shoot a pig with it but still, unethical, in my opinion. He has shot at a few squirrels but hasn't hit one yet with the recurve.
Just saying...your friend may be different.

Sorry if I sound negative but I believe in ethical hunting.

[2B4Him]

I agree with the comments about his lack of time practicing, maintaining his equipment, etc. He will also wear his same camo clothes all day long doing chores and working around camp.
But as soon as rifle season opens, he puts the bow away.
He is a tall guy with long monkey arms, so I don't doubt his draw length. I just thought it sounded weird that his poundage would increase by drawing longer than the bow was intended.


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