I am currently shooting a check mate hunter II 60#@28" . I will be buying a new bow hopefully soon. I can shoot 60# alright with this recure. I am thinking of getting a Martin Vision 60#@28" . Do you think they will be similar feeling on the draw? I am a firm believer that anything less than 60# is not enough for deer. Am I just torchering myself by shooting this heavy? My shots were I live are commonly 15 to 25 yards. Do you think a 55# or 50# bow will do the job WELL?
Does anyone have any stories of deer taken with a " lite" bow effectivley. I am asking this really because the 60# bow gets really tiresome shooting all day and I think a lighter bow would help with form and accuracy. This is a little long winded I' m sorry but " cant afford two so ones gotta do" all. Thanks

I' ve been hunting for 37 years. 40# will kill a deer if the shot placement is right. I hunt deer with a 45# recurve. I think it' s plenty with 2 blade cut on impact broadheads. Stop thinking in compound terms. Dick

What Dick said and Martin makes a good bow, but I don' t think it measures up to the Chekmate. I would opt for a lighter set of limbs for the bow you have or another Chekmate if you have to have another bow. The price between the Martin and Chekmate would be very close. Don

It' s ludicris that 60# is the minimum for deer. Some states set their minimum draw as low as 35#. If you can handle a 60# bow, but get a little tired from it..drop down to 55# or even 50#. You' ll still have plenty of thump and it' ll feel better than a 60# Like Don said, get a second set of limbs for it in 50# or 55# That would be cheaper than a new bow. I' m not sure, but aren' t the Martin Visions close to $400? You could buy a stock Chek-Mate cheaper than that. To me it' s foolish to mess with a 60# when all you' re doin is deer huntin; especially if you' re not shootin any farther than 25yds. Now if you have elk or moose to go after then I can see why you' d want 60#. It kind of rubs me the wrong way when compounders or whoever talk about needin 60/70 lbs and 60 ft lbs of KE or whatever they say. My old 45# Kodiak Hunter didn' t get anywhere near that, but I know it' d down a deer. I saw it thump the target hard enough. If you saw my 55# Mahaska longbow put an arrow all the way through to the fletchin on a Burly Deadstop then you wouldn' t doubt what a 55# longbow could do to a deer with a sharp broadhead. There isn' t a whole lot I know, but I sure know it don' t take 60# of bow to down a deer.

Brandan

Throwit,a couple of years ago I shot a 5pt with a longbow,53#@26" .I chrono' d this bow at 150fps,arrow weight 525gr.That gives me 24-ftlbs of KE for what it' s worth.I blew thru the near shoulder blade and lodged the Zwickey in the far blade-deer went 40yds.If you' re comfortable shooting at 60#,have at it but deer aren' t thick-skinned animals and it doesn' t take much to put a sharp BH thru them.Every deer I ever killed with my recurves or longbows were complete pass-thru' s and all my bows are low 50' s#.

A friend of mine that has been hunting with traditional equipment for over 30 years (very successfully I might add) once told me this when I asked about KE.

He said " KE don' t matter much to a dead deer."

We both got a good chuckle about this, but the more I think about it, the more I agree. I would wager to say that over the years, more deer have been killed with 45# bows than any other.

Shoot what you are comfortable and confident with (within reason), shoot sharp broadheads and hit them where you should.

JMHO

KPC

Thanks guys. Your help is greatly appreciated. I thought that my Chek-Mate performed great. The owner of the proshop were I live told me that the Martin Vision would be an improvement over the Hunter TD. Guess he just wanted to sell me something. I think that I will not buy another bow right now. I am very accurate shooting my CM and I' m gonna try not to succumb to temptation. Now that I know 60# is more than enough for deer. I have a lot of moose around my house so from what you all said I could use this bow for them too. Thats Great!
I need to stop thinking like a 85% letoff compound guy. Its tuff though because most people here shoot compounds or crossbows and when they see you with only a " ?#" recurve they all have there comments. Thanks angain!

I reckon they' ll have their comments when you show them the pictures of a moose you took down with a 60# recurve. They say a picture' s worth a thousand words

Brandan

Not much I can add to the bow poundage for deer question, but I do have a suggestion for you concerning the shop owner. If he thinks the Vision will be such an improvement (not that it matters how far the arrow goes after it passes through the deer) you might try this. Figure out a fair test--speed, penetration, and smoothness of draw (a chronograph, foam target, and a bow scale will take care of that). If there is any noticeable improvement from the Vision, you buy the bow (you will have to come to terms on what defines " noticeable). If not, he gives you the bow. I seriously doubt he will take you up on it, but if he does, I believe you will get a free bow. Keep in mind, if you do this, to scale the bows--Martins are known to be heavier than marked at times.

Chad

I can tell you this,

I am killing moose with a 60lb longbow 02! Almost a complete pass through with a 64lb recurve in 99, both with wood arras.

I have the confidence to hunt grizzlys and brown bears, bison and muskox with my 60lb longbow! Those hunts are in the makings! As they say you cant do every thing at once.

and you' re right, thats exactly what he wanted......your money! The hunter II is a fine looking and even finer shooting bow!