I recently decided to give Bow hunting a try, and picked up a great deal on a used Bow. I got a 2003 Parker Hunter Mag compound bow that looks like new. Included was a Sure-Loc Lethal Weapon 2M sight , stabilizer, Bodoodle rest, Bohning 4 arrow quiver, Sims Limb Savers, Plano (tuff plastic) camo case, nine 2315 XX75 arrows, and a Tru Fire release. The draw length is 30" the poundage is adjustable from 60 to 70 lbs. My problem is..it is set for about 61 lbs, and to my surprise it is tough as hell to draw the string back to any reasonable distance, without my arms shaking and having virtually no control. Isn't 61 lbs a fairly low setting? Does it just take a while to get accustomed to drawing the string? I'm a faithful weight lifter so I really expected to have no trouble with it to be honest.

have you been to a pro shop and had your draw lenght measured?

Are you using your arm muscles to draw or your shoulder muscles.

It takes time to build up the muscles need to draw a bow as they are muscles that you dont use every day unless you are shooting a bow every day

61 lbs isn't extremely high, but it's not a child's draw weight, either. It's plenty high for shooting just about any animal on this continent. 40 is the legal minimum in my state for deer hunting.

But, I wouldn't get too worried about having trouble with it just yet. From what I've seen, drawing a bow back with even a moderate amount of weight can be difficult if you're not used to it or haven't done it before. It's tough to just 'muscle' through it. IMO, there's a technique to it, to a certain degree. The other thing is that, even though you may lift weights, drawing a bow uses muscles that your average workout doesn't.

That's correct it's not that your not strong enough it's just a need for the proper muscle's getting used to drawing the bow .Keep at it and draw it every day until the correct muscle's start responding to a movement which your not used to. If your using your arm's then stop ,it's your shoulders that do the work.

nubo

I would say the draw length is too long. That would cause these problems.

My arms are fairly long, so i don't think the draw length is it, but could be wrong. Do I have to take the bow in to the pro shop to adjust the pull weight or is that something I can do myself easily?

Maybe someone can chime in with the wingspan method of figuring out draw length !!

30" draw is pretty long.........heck I'm 6'03 and only shoot a 30" draw !
I would check that if I where you !

Most bows now a days have 10lbs of adjustment ! So if your down at 61 lbs you probably don't need to back it down anymore !

Lastly......weights have nothing to do with it ! You use muscles for archery that you never use for anything else ! One of my buddys was big on weightlifting a few years ago.....he's my height and build .....but a little thicker.....and a lot stronger ! I think he was bench pressing around 400 back when I let him shoot my bow ! He could only pull it back once and it was tough getting that one in ! The bow was on 72 lbs ! He couldn't believe it .........but like I said......it's muscles you never use for anything else !

There right about how you never use the bow muscles. I have a friend that played football hes about 6'3 and 280 he benches like 450. BIG DUDE and it really pisses him off because he can only draw like 65 lbs. while i can draw 90 lbs. just take it to a pro shop and check draw length the the weight. One good exersize is to put your right knee (for the right hand, left for left Ect.) on a bench ( back parrallel to the bench) and bring the free weight strait back in the same fashion you would draw your bow this will help also, lift free weights with you arms extended strait in front of you this helps to hold the bow steady when at full draw hope the helps.

Well I went to my local proshop today and had the draw length checked, and tried from 27-30, and the 30 was what I needed. I learned alot while there, because my form was what most of the problem was. Now I can draw alot easier than I previously did. Also upgraded to carbon arrows and stuck on a Whisker Bisquit rest. I'm happier already Thanks for all the advice.

I have the same bow. I have been shooting it for two years. I think you will be happy with it. It is a great bow for the money and Parker has great customer service. My only complaint is that it has a fairly harsh cam and a little hand shock. Great starter bow. Good Purchase