Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: Black Moshannon on January 11, 2022, 05:47:37 pm
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Is it just my poor shooting or does the cold make shooting harder? I just got out of the woods. Didn’t see any deer which is a good thing cause I shot at a hay bale with my numb hands and the first shot was absolute trash. I felt like I was struggling with the bow. Maybe I’ll take a lighter like 45-50 pound bow out in the cold so it’s easier
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Extreme cold can add some weight to a bow; how much depends on how cold it is, and probably on the specific bow. I have a devil of a time getting a clean release with numb fingers. Try getting some convertable/flap mittens. That's about the only thing that will work for me when it's really cold.
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Ya you muscles get cold and stiff and the bow feels heaver, it is a struggle to shoot after a long cold set in the woods. Doing some calisthenics and drawing your bow once in a while can and as you said a lighter bow couldn’t hurt. Pappy
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I will have to get those mittens I saw them at Ollie’s. I should try moving around and drawing my bow some too. This morning two deer came up twenty yards they were upwind but I had another downwind snorting and blowing just after it was light enough to see so the other deer were alerted. I just raised my bow and waited but they never came any closer and twenty yards is way too far and with how frozen my hands were it seemed like a 100 yard shot.
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Cold very definitely increases the draw weight of a wooden bow, and yew is much more prone to this than hardwoods. See this previous thread:
https://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,67204.msg945765.html#msg945765 (https://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,67204.msg945765.html#msg945765)
I have summer and winter bows for this reason. To make matters worse, muscles get weaker in the cold while the bow is getting stronger.
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I think its a good Idea,,
also practice your first shot at home too,,
sometimes I draw my bow during hunting if I getting to stiff,,
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I was shooting way too heavy at 55-60 pounds. I reduced most of my bows to fifty and under with added benefit of re working some of them and adding reflex. I found 45-48 pounds seems like the sweet spot. No need to struggle anymore
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sounds good,, sometimes its hard to re work a bow,, but a good idea