drevilsmom

I bought a Hoyt Trykon Sport last year and even went out with it several times on our farm. I was ground hunting as we did not have any bow-friendly stands at the time. I was able to sight in on a small fawn at about 20 yards, but refused to fill my tag as we neededmore meat (and only 2 deer between my hubby and me) and gun season was starting in less than a week. I had no problems shooting 40 pounds since I kept moving and warm.

I got to go for the first time this season yesterday. Big difference! For one, it was COLD (for us at least) at only 42 degrees, so I was wearing bulky clothes. No problem since I practiced before I went out, and it didn't seem to interfere. What was frustrating was that I did not realize how much just sitting and being cold would affect how little I was able to pull after only a little more than an hour on the stand. I just could not pull my bow at all! Would it still be ethical to lower my poundage to 35-38 pounds? I shoot fixed broadheads, and even though I practice out to 35 yards, I will not take a shot over 20 yards. I realize that I will need to retune my bow, but I have done that before, and I don't mind. I'd always told myself that I would not go hunting if I could not pull at least 40 pounds, but even with regular practice, that has still beensomewhat of astruggle. And to add to the fact that getting cold caused me to stiffen up a bunch, I feel like buying the bow was a big mistake since I feel I cannot make an ethical shot. I'm pretty slender at 5'9" and only 135 pounds, but really like the outdoors and was tired of trying to hunt during the high pressure of gun season. What do you guys think?

live2Draw

i think 35 lbs should kill a dear handily. That said, I also think that if you bump up your routine, that 40=50 lbs should be no problem. use resistance bands and draw your bow at least 5 times a day. Crank it up one crank every coupla day. you will be fine, the only way to get stronger is through repetition and increasing weight!! then when you go down to 40 it will feel like nothing. And remember to stretch and stay nimble in the stand. Being warmed up is important, you will shoot better, as well as be able to pull it back. trust me it gets cold up here lol
Good luck

Mr. Finkelhiemer

Resistance bands, some weight training, even pushups, will help build up that extra strength. My wife just got her first bow this year and we had it cranked all the way down 32 lbs as that was as far as it would go. After months of shooting on a regular basis, she is lsowly turning up the draw weight. Live2Draw is correct in saying that repetition is the way to go. Remember you are using both a push and a pull movement to reach full draw. Strengthing up your triceps, biceps, and shoulders would make this task much easier. Especially when it is cold. I have met quite a few woman who have killed plenty of deer at 35lbs of draw. Remember, the cold tightens up your muscles and also fatigues the body.I knowsome of us arebrand loyal in some instances, but you might check out a easy pulling single cam. Doesn'tmatter which. I know hoyts pull smooth and they feel great on release,but some of your single cam set ups will feel much lighter at the draw. Well I wish you the best of luck whatever you try to do.Try placing a handwarmer on your drawing shoulder while you sit. This will keep you fromtightening up before the big moment. I have done this on several ocassions and found it works for me.

PS- My wife couldn't do push ups unless she did them from her knees. She can now do regular push ups and this I beleive is the reason drawing has become alot easier for her.It is great to hear another female archer sounding off. Good Luck!

KodiakArcher

I think the key here is going to be year round shooting to get up to poundage but you have to be careful not to develop bad habits by being over bowed. AK minimum for goat and brown bear hunting is 50# and my ex who is a kayak guide and in excellent physical shape had a real tough time getting that back. It did get easier for her as she shot more though. Drop it down to a comfortable weight and then increase it in small increments (a pound) each week and you'll be surprised how quickly those muscles build.

Dryridge

Following shoulder surg. I had no problem killing deer at 32# using Magnus Stingers.

That said, there is no substitute for shooting to build up muscles. The act of drawing a bow uses muscle groups ina way not typically utilized. Pulling bands can help but only if done in similar fashion to drawing a bow. Also, drawing your bow regularly while on stand in the cold can help when the moment of truth comes.

Good Luck.

SwampCollie

The Trykon Sport is a great bow. My girlfriend shoots the same one... still trying to get her on a deer. She had a giant in her lap last saturday... she was looking left, deer came in on her right and from behind her... she never saw it until it was 8 yards away.... she had one chance.... but the deer went behind a big oak instead of in front of it.... it would have 23 yards if he went in front... instead it was 29... she made a good choice and passed.

Rebecca is pulling 42#s, has a 26" draw length (and that has a lot to do with how much ummpph your bow will produce.... If I were to shoot 42# at 29" compared to her 26".... I'd likely be shooting 40fps faster with like weighted arrows). Reb shoots Easton FMJ 500s with 125 Simmons Sharks, a two blade Cut on Contact head, modeled after the best penetrating design God ever built.... a great white shark tooth. Its a good, heavy arrow... she gives up a little speed, but she gains plenty of stealth and plenty of extra punch to make sure she gets through both lungs and into the offside shoulder.

Honestly, when you compare 38 and 42#s..... there isn't a whole heck of a lot of difference (unless you cannot pull the greater weight.... then its a HUGE differece!!!) . If you are going to keep your shots under 20 yards, just so long as you place it well, and are very patient on following up the blood.... no problems at all.

When it comes to keeping warm... being a duck hunter and having a 5 foot 4 inch 105# girlfriend who would rather duck hunt than eat,I'm a master at such things.....if I wasn't good at keeping her warm.. I'd end up handing over every stitch of clothes on my body to her and I'dfreeze myself....here are a few of my secrets....

Next time you are in the wal-mart or the super market, head into the pharmacy section and get ahold of a couple packs of those single use peel and stick heating pads designed for folks with chronic back pain, the ones that react with plain air when you take them out of the package and last about 10 hours or so. Take one of those babies and stick it right slam on your spine in the small of your back or just below your shoulder blades. It could be 40 degrees and you'd be fine in little more than a pair of thermals and a sweater.

Also, it's a little spendy... but if you haven't ever tried or considered Under Armor cold gear... it is worth every single penny.

Finally, and this is a big big big secret that nobody has hardly ever tried or heard of..... lots of folks, especially use webfoot whackers keep a thermos of coffee on hand to warm up with.... I'm not a coffee drinker myself.... and coffee is really just like light beer.... might take your mind off being cold... but it just makes you have to pee a lot. Rather than a thermos of coffee, and old waterfowling friend of mine tipped me off and suggested I carry a thermos of heated BEEF BROTH (swanson or the like). Make sure its beef, not chicken. There is just something about hot beef broth that litterally warms you up right down to the bones.... next to a campfire or a wool blanket... its right at the top of the heap.

im ocd

Try to determine your arrow weight & speed.
KE is a better indicator of power than draw weight.
I would want an absolute minimum of 30# KE with an effiecent broadhead, 35# is better.

http://home.att.net/~sajackson/ballistics.html

rybohunter

Good advice here. You should be alright with the lower poundage, make sure you meet your states minimum though.

Doegirl75

First off, welcome to the forum. It's good to see more females involved in the sport. First and foremost, you have to hit what you're shooting at. If you have to crank your bow below 40lbs to shoot accurately, by all means do so. IMOCD gave good minimum KE parameters, and for you that will be accomplished by using a heavier arrow. Play with arrow weights and you'll find a"sweet spot" where yourKE is just about maxed out but trajectory does not suffer too badly. A two bladed broadhead like the Muzzy Phantom or the before mentioned Simmons Sharks are very good heads.
BTW-I'm 33yrs. old. I'm 5'4", and weight is classified information. I've been bowhunting for 7 yrs. I'm convinced that I'll neverrequire a bow with a draw weight beyond 55lbs. My current bow is set at 51lbs. I need to practice year round to comfortably and accurately shoot a 50lb+ bow.

drevilsmom

Thanks all for the wonderful replies. I took the bow in to see how much I was pulling, and it was 42 lbs. I had them drop off 4 lbs, and I can see a huge difference. Had to do a few readjustments, but I no longer struggle with the bow. I shoot Easton St. Epic 500 arrows with a 100 grain field point and a 100 grain G5 Striker 3-blade, and have a 27.5" draw length. My shots will be less than 20 yards from where my stand is set up, and I refuse to take longer shots than that.

Mr. Finkelhiemer, what is so frustrating is that I CAN do regular pushups. I like to have toned arms, and my front side tends to be a little flat, and so I've found that pushups help to enhance what little I was blessed with.

KodiakArcher, I think you are right about developing bad habits. Now that I've dropped the weight, I had think about repositioning my left hand since I was really straining to push with it. My shots are like they were last year now, and I'm more confident.

Dryridge, I have to admit, I tend to stay very still and quiet on the stand. I don't like to move more than necessary. So it really surprised me to see you say to stretch and move around. Won't that startle a deer?

SwampCollie, yes, I've looked at the UnderArmor gear. I drool about it in Cabela's. Never thought about using the sticky hot pads. My mom uses them on her knees to reduce pain and keep them flexible. Why not on the shoulders?

Doegirl75, this is only my second season. I really like getting out in the woods, and enjoy the challenge that this form of hunting brings. I really do not understand how to fill out the trajectory table (well, more just about reading it). I know what KE is (I taught physics labs at my alma mater University as an undergrad), but filling out and reading the table confounds me. Does the arrow weight include the weight of the broadhead? Where do I find the arrow speed?