how long can you pull back.....
 

your bow how long have you had to pull ti back when hunting

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I have held it back to the point where my shaking bounced the arrow off the rest[:@]

That buck gets bigger and bigger everytime I picture him running away;)

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

LOL :D

Not very long, I get shakey after about 20 seconds or so. I don't draw until I'm ready to sling that arrow, ever. I wait for the perfect position and I slowly draw, find my spot and release, all within 10 seconds.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I normally don't draw until the buck is reasonably close...under 35 yards...to avoid this very situation. One of the worst things to feel is not being able to hold a steady aim because of holding the string back too long so I try to avoid that type of situation at all costs.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I missed my first shot at a doe this year because i held my bow back for over 2-3 minutes no lie[:o] I couldn't get my body to stop. Next time i will just let down and wait for another shot opportunity.;)

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I was drawn back on a doe for what seemed like an eternity but ended up being only a minute. I was shaking pretty bad and my arms were burning so I let down and all 6 deer ran off.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

For me, this all depends on my cover set up and what the wind is doing in relation from my stand to the animal. If I'm in a stand and the concealment is good, the wind is in my face and the animal is coming 'towards' me--then I wait for the best shot opportunity, before even drawing my bow.
On the other hand, in areas where that cover is not as good, my game plan changes. 'Movement' becomes a serious factor, standing still--you'll either get the chance, sometimes you will not. I choose to execute shot when I am most confident & comfortable--otherwise I'll pass.
Holding a bow at full draw (for myself) in excess of 20 seconds isn't something I like doing. It becomes uncomfortable, my chemical transmitters starts second guessing myself, holding the bow at full draw, waiting, moving the pin searching for the kills zone--I've got a shot, I don't have a shot, too many factors to think about, then the hand starts to wobble, you're running short of air--a perfect scenario for what could be a terrible 'punch' shot!!

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I would probably say the longest I have held is 2min. on a bull one time, which seemed more like 5min. Alot of times when calling elk, when a bull comes in, they come head on, facing you. I keep a reed in my mouth, and cow call softly till they turn and offer a broadside shot, and that when it seems like time goes by at a stand still. ;)

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

Before anyone jumps on me about holding my bow up to two min., it actually probably was a min. As I was'nt timing myself.
Just for a test, pull your bow back, and have someone time how long you held, and see if it matches your estimation. [:o]

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I can agree with robinhood36 because I too have had to hold for quite a long time when a bull elk is coming in head on. Most of the time I try to use the buddy system to avoid this but sometimes the buddy system isn't possible and you are at it alone trying to call in an animal, and sometimes it doesn't turn out how you planned. I have spooked a couple animals off because I had to let down my bow. [:'(]

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I also would agree with robinhood36 and the elk scenario he states is most definatley true. i was pulled back on a cow towards the end of the season, i missed a couple of oppurtunities for a few nice bulls, but the shot wasnt there. But i was pulled back on this cow for probably a min, but felt like 5. I ended up having to let up becuase my body was shaking. Boys, after that i hit the gym! ;)

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I don't rightly know. I've never timed it. I've held TOO long and have had to let down.[X(] There are a couple tricks you can do to extend the time at draw if need be.... and it'll steady the shakes a bit. One is to just lower the bow and rest the cam on your leg if you can move that much without being spotted. The other is easier and works better to me. When you're at full draw and think you can't take much more... just do this. While still at full draw push your string hand elbow down against your side. Just press it to your rib cage and push in. You'll end up with your forearm and bicept pushed together. Your hand will still be in contact with your cheek. It sounds odd... but it does work. When you get ready, just raise the elbow back up to the full drawn position and shoot. Just try it, you'll instantly see a lessening of full draw forces on the body. I'd post a picture but my digital broke and I had to send it in to Olympus for repair. Glad I got it with a 5 year warranty.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I probably haven't had to hold for more than about half a minute. Sometimes I hold mine back for a minute or more for conditioning. I don't have any problem holding it back a minute.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

2 minutes! And I learned that was dummmm! I actually did this twice both with bad results. At one minute to two minutes you have dramatically lost your ability to aim and the biggest problem is whether you know it or not, you dramatically change your form (you create a very bad form) and I'll bet torque becomes a problem for everyone, I know it does for me!

Good Luck!

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I don't draw back til I'm ready to shoot.No let-off on my recurve so when I hit anchor--I'm letting it fly.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

On the 140 class buck that was approaching me earlier this fall, I had to draw before he came out from behind the brush because there was no cover after that and he was facing me. He stopped at 20 yards, still facing me and rubbed a tree and made a scrape all without offering me a shot. When he finally turned and started walking, I had to wait for him to clear some small branches. When I saw a clear path to his vitals, I dumped the arrow. Too bad I forgot about TRAJECTORY! [:@]

Total full draw time was over two minutes.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

;) I never draw for longer than 10 seconds. Learned a long time ago while doing isometric and or weight training, that lactic acid build-up in muscles can cause muscle quivering etc. No matter how good condition you have all your muscle groups it is a physiological phenomenon that is a fact of life. Any hold longer is certainly possible but the internal changes within our muscle groups cause muscle fatigue, hence, quivering, and lack of fine control. Just when you need that fine control you have unknowingly lost your edge. Tragically, many times the results are wounded game, long tracking, and quite freguently lost game. As a test for this phenomenon just squeeze a fist tightly for 10 seconds. Release that tight squeeze and you will notice a calming feeling in your hand. That is the muscle group recovering from lactic acid build-up. I urge you to try and keep your draws to a minimum hold time. JMO, but I believe you will have more success and fewer errors at release.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

This is exactly what I've done and it does work. Back when I was young (hehehehehe) I had a buck coming right down the "happy trail" like a dream. Coming straight across the field and heading for his trail in a hedge where my stand was. Same scenarios I've seen 20 other bucks do. Except this time this guy did something slightly different. He was about to duck into the hedge so I got to full draw figuring he'd continue to walk down the path like the other ones did. (haha nope) He stopped about 25 yards in front of me and stood there behind a cluster of 6 or 7 small trees. 5 more steps and he's a dead deer. I didn't time it, but like everyone else said it seemed like 5 minutes. Probably 1.5 in reality. I did what david said and lowered my elbow against my ribs whith my hand to my cheek still. I even stuck my chin behind my release clip and tried to hold some of the weight with my chin. I got to the point where I just about couldn't take it anymore and kinda let out a little groan/grunt thing. You know the kind of sound you make when you're lifting something heavy. For whatever reason that sound got the deer moving. He didn't bust out of there, but he didn't want to be there either. He took about 5 more steps out to my shooting lane and I raised my elbow again and took him.
I'll tell you what was amazing is the "new found" energy that you muster up when he finally presents you with a shot. Suddenly it seemed like I just drew back again. Body stopped shaking and bicep stopped burning.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

I've had to let up on more than one occasion. Buck walks behind tree, I draw, buck stops behind tree, I hold at full draw, buck stays behind tree, I begin to shake violently and sweat profusely, buck still behind tree, I have to let up. This has happened a couple of times. Sometimes you just can't do anything about it. I like the trick davidmil talked about. If one of these situations ever happens again, and I'm sure it will, I'll have to give it a try. Oh yea, I've never timed how long I can hold at full draw but it's probably not much over a minute.

RE: how long can you pull back.....
 

though it has never been timed I can hold my for a while I sit and watch T.V. during the summer and practice holding my draw as commercials come on and it helps alot....