The perfect hunting bow will not get in my way on an odd angled shot or when leaning in a tree stand, yet it must be forgiving and with a high enough brace height to avoid clothing on cold hunts. Therefore the ATA will be very short - 28" will do just fine. Enough forgiveness will come from the 9" brace height, which will also assure that the string does not hit my heavy hunting jacket, even when leaning around a tree.

I need a little help on those cold mornings when my ageing muscles are stiff and inflexible, therefore the draw will be smooth with a gradual rise to peak weight and a gradual decline into the valley that has a hard stop - somewhat similar to the feel of a CPS cam, but probably closer to the feel of a round wheel.

It will be the quietest bow on the market, because if quietness isn' t important in hunting, then when is it? Making more noise than necessary is like smelling stronger than you need to. Neither is going to help you.

When I' m hunting for elk on a mountain top in Colorado, I want a bow that is easy to carry all day, yet strong enough to withstand a lot of abuse. It will weigh only a couple pounds and yet vibration dampening will be superb because of the proper design and use of the latest dampening features. At the same time, it will be constructed strong enough to withstand hundreds of dry fires without effecting the next shot.

Limb angles, riser shape, cam style and grip angle won' t mean a thing to me, because none of those are going to affect the likihood of taking game. Speed is not important either. I' ve never lost an animal yet because my arrow was too slow and I doubt I ever will in the future.

It is my belief that a manufacturer could make this bow tomorrow if it wanted to. Why don' t they? I think it' s because they' re too caught up in the search for more speed. I wish my desires weren' t so unusual, then maybe a company would give me what I really want in a pure hunting bow.

Reflex Buckskin
Shootout
Tranquilizer
Toxonics
PSE Carbon Force
125 Gr Deadheads

BM,

I like your specs but would probably only offer general specifications. An example would be that I would probably include some sort of bow silencing device though I would not specify " Mathew dampeners" or a " Hoyt Tec riser" . By looking at it in a general fashion it might actually be easier to find a bow that comes close to fitting your description.

Judging by what you posted I would probably say that your Mighty Mite is the closest current model to your " ideal bow" and rightly so since you spent alot of time researching it.

My specs:

33-34 inch axle to axle length: I have found this length provides me with the greatest compromise in terms of maneuverability and stability. Any shorter and I loose some of the latter. Any longer and I loose some of the former.

8 inch plus brace height: I really do like how those 8 inch or larger brace height bows just soak up many of shooting form inconsistancies. My past favorite bow and my current choice for a hunting model both have brace heights over 8 inches.

320 fps plus IBO rating: With this high of a rating I can shoot my hunting setup in the 280-290 fps range with a ton of KE and a very flat trajectory

A slightly reflexed (under 1.5 inches) or straight riser.

Ofcourse, I would want some form of riser/limb/string dampening devices either added to or built into the bow itself. Having them built into the bow is somewhat optional as a set of limbsavers and a good stabilizer usually goes a long way in reducing noise and vibration.

A relatively smooth draw cycle in my typical draw weight range of 65-70 lbs so that I can comfortably draw on game without sacrificing speed or KE.

In all honesty the Patriot DC that I had earlier in the year possessed many of these qualities but was a tad long in axle to axle length, a tad short in the brace height and a tad too stiff in the draw cycle. If all of these characteristics were " adjusted" then it would get my vote for the perfect bow. That is not too unrealistic if you think about it because creating a slightly smoother draw cycle and increasing the brace height by only 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch should not drop the speed more than 10-15 tops and since the IBO rating for the bow is in the 332-340 fps that would still put it well over 320 fps IBO.

My two cents....

Its about time Frank

Yes, I was being specific, but, I was giving these to give general idea of what needed to be on the bow. Does that make any sense?

Your bow also sounds really sweet.

Now, if only a company would get ahold of this post and build each one of us our own " perfect little bow"

I know for sure that the perfect hunting bow for me..... I bought early this spring The BowTech Patriot Dually. Now 65 pounds, 29 inch draw, shoots 272 fps with a 460 grain arrow, very quiet, very forgiving and accurate, short and light, easy to tune and is backed by a life time warranty and a bunch of great people. Hunting bows will have to get faster and even more forgiving for me to want anything other than the Patriot Dually and I don' t think it' s going to happen for quite some time

Pearson diamond back with a higher IBO rating and solid limbs. Never shot one, but they sure look like a hunter.

Well DaveC, since you decided to ruin my post (joke) and make it into a post about what would you do to a certain bow to modify it into your perfect hunting bow, I guess that I am FORCED to come up with one

I would LOVE to see a RazorTec with 1" a.t.a. length knocked off, a 8 1/2" brace height, and an I.B.O. speed of 335 f.p.s. That would be right up there with the one that I described earlier

I agree with Frank........with all the smackdown my Patriot Dually is gonna hand out this season put aside I still do not feel it is THE PERFECT hunting bow for me for mainly the same reasons.
Getting close to the right idea in my mind........and accurate as heck, but the short valley and the stiff draw cycle are my biggest sticking points. For target/3D archery that short valley is actually a benefit IMO in the correct draw length, but in a treestand at a weird angle it can be a problem.
One of the major reasons why I' d recommend a 60# version of this bow....it' s just MUCH easier to handle.
I have a 70# model and will hunt with it from a treestand at 64-65# even tho on the ground drawing it maxed at 76# is not a problem.
The only way I would hunt with it at 70# would be from the ground for something like Elk or Caribou etc. where straight out target style shots are more of the norm.

I like the 34-35" ATA lengths
8" brace
VFT style limb/long riser configuration
Med/low wrist grip angle
If it was a " Perfect" world I' d want 360fps from a " Round Wheel" draw cycle 70-75% let off, and a hard wall but since I know that' s not happening anytime soon, I think I' d settle for a juiced up version of BowTech' s " Wheely" on this platform, or a tamed down ,smoothed out Patriot Dually.
Squeak 320fps IBO out of it with those specs, give it a 70% let off , nicer valley and a solid wall and sign me up.
(For those of you who haven' t shot a " Wheely" its a treat.)
I too would take a " Speed Cut" for a few more " Hunter Friendly" alterations.

my bow

I want Matt' s bow !!