RobinHood36

Arthur P, I have been bowhunting elk since I was 14, In the last 8yrs. I have harvested 7 bulls taken with compound bow, 65% let off. I know from many set ups on elk that when you see them coming in you better get the bow back and wait for your shot. Bull elk when calling them in they will come in and if they do not see another elk, they will leave if they already hav'nt winded you. Bull elk are not going to stand there and let you pull your bow back and let you shoot, 90% of the time when they see any movement, they will bolt! They're not curious as the muley deer.
I have held my bow back on big bulls as close as 5 yrds. waiting for a perfect broadside shot. I am very particular where I shoot a bull elk, as I will only take a broadside shot. I have held on bulls, and I admit there has been times I just had to let up and spooked them off because they just would not give me a good broadside shot. With 80% let off I figure yes it would thus allow you to hold back more comfortably 15% less more weight, thus being less shaky if and when you do hold back for a while on bulls.
As with hunting with recurves, yes I do hunt with a Damon Howat 55# bow. The last 2years I have hunted the first 2 wks with recurve, and follwed up the rest of the season with my compound. I can get an arrow off pretty fast and accurate out to 20yrds. So I say with a recurve you probably don't need to pull back and hold, and it also has to do with your shooting style, and at the time the situation. I hav'nt as of yet had a chance at bull elk with my recurve. Just curious, have you hunted ELK.
And by the way if I did't get excited when a elk came in, and shake a little bit, I would'nt be bowhunting.

Arthur P

EXACTLY!!

And, like ampahunter said:
So, why would you want a bow that forces you to be dead on with your very best form and control - in order to make an accurate shot - at the very moment when your heart is pounding in your dry throat, palms sweating, knees shaking and your concentration scattered to the winds? It doesn't matter whether the animal is an elk or a ground squirrel, a poor choice in gear is a poor choice period.

CamoHunter

Well, I checked and most of the bows are set up for 65% at the shop.
I'm sorry maybe I misunderstood him when he told me before. I thought he said they were set-up @80%. Anyway I shot them again at 65% and loved the Liberty. Thanks for everyones input.

Elkcrazy8

ArthurP
Yes, there are many traditional shooters out there that get their elk every year, you are correct. However a guy like myself who has the occasional flyer and cannot be sure that he will hit an elk hard every time with a recurve or barebow, would be unethical if he hunted with a bow he was not proficient with and should use sights even(Ah! theres that word again). I would much rather hold back at 80% than 65%. I have killed many elk over the years and have taken a few hunters on their first bow kill. Yes you do need to hold back for longer periods of time while hunting elk with a sighted compound. I actually practice this way at the range. An elk can pinpoint your exact location from several hundred yards. It is now second nature to load up when the bull is commited to coming in. When I was a field editor I spoke with many people on this topic and many have agreed. The number one reason that an elk within bow range is not killed is because the hunter has waited too long to draw, I have seen it time and time again ,first hand. Robinhood is valid in his point. The elk I took last year waited about 45 seconds to give me the perfect shot. And when it did, the arrow hit home and punched both lungs. Hunting open lodgepole is a different environment. With a bull in front of you there is never usaully the opportune moment to draw. Yes a recurve is a good bow to hunt with if you are a decent shot and wait for the close shot. And I beleive that they are effective, the best in some cases, In the right hands. But for those that aren't proficient enough they too can be the poor choice. As for the 80% being harder to shoot I would say for some yes , but then again recurves are hard to shoot for some also. I know that I can shoot an 80% as well as a 65%. So why woudn't I want a bow that would give me the edge in these situations. The 80% rule for Idaho has my vote. Hey Arthur, maybe we can get rich off an over and under bow? Without sights of course.[8D]

Straightarrow

I've tried several 80% letoff cams with a module to change letoff to 65%. I hate the 65% letoff modules. All they do is shorten the valley. Nothing else changes on the bow's draw cycle, but the valley becomes non-existant. Just a dropoff to 65% in a very short distance. I think I would love a 65% letoff on a cam with a nice valley, but I hate the method they appear to be using to acheive a 65% letoff on cams that are designed for 75-80% letoff. Until I can get a 65% letoff cam that is designed with a valley, I won't use them.

Archer18

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Arthur P,[>:][>:][>:]

Sounds to me like you have never hunted elk before if you can wait until there 15 yards in front of you and you can just pull your bow back without them seeing AND hearing you. I am in COMPLETE agreeance with RobinHood36. Every elk ive killed ive pulled my bow back just before they come tearing out of the timber or are in sight. Elk are NOT mule deer, they are not as curious. Sure traditional bowhunters can harvest that way, but we are talking about COMPOUNDS here, not stickbows. As far as im concerned you need to apologize to Robinhood36 becuase his point is VALID![:@]

Archer18

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By the way Arthur, i found this quote you made. So are you just undecided on if you like letoff or not. or maybe you just like to start arguments for the heck of it. [:@][:@][>:][>:][X(][X(]

Cougar Mag

Ok, so if you ever get hold of a 90% bow....that makes it better? When does a bow no longer become a bow?

Archer18

when they start putting gun barrels on them. [X(]

Straightarrow

Archer 18,

I don't think Arthur is trying to argue, just giving an alternate point of view. No need to get upset, just take what you can use and leave the rest.

By the way, I've drawn on several elk and none have ever seen me draw. Maybe it's because I'm careful about my setup and where I'm hiding. I'm use to hunting whitetails and I've learned to draw on them and release within a couple seconds. I'm usually in a tree, behind a tree or bushes or in a blind. I'm very aware that I want to hide my draw. However, I don't want to draw way in advance and hope I get an opportunity. Just my method, and it works well for me. There is more then one way to skin a cat.