BowHntrRick

I am hoping you bowhunting experts can give me some advice. This is my second season bowhunting and I am enjoying it very much; in fact, I got my first deer last month. However, I started bowhunting at the age of 46 (now 47) and I do not think my left shoulder is going to hold up. The draw weight on my Hoyt Magnatech (Command cams) is set down to about 55 lbs, but 20-30 practice arrows cause my shoulder to ache and I think it is getting worse. If I don't find a solution, I expect I will have to switch to acrossbow which I do not want to do.

It seems to me that part of the problem is the "holding weight" of my bow. Since the Magnatech has a 75% let-off, I should only be holding less than 15 lbs. However, there is virtually no margin (in terms of draw length) between the point where the cams turn over to reach this 75% let-off level and the "wall" at the physical end of the draw. In order to keep the cams turned over I suspect that I am actually holding 25-30 lbs: if I relax my draw I reach a point where the cams begin to release.

Is there a bow/cam type with some margin between the full let-off and the physical limit of the drawn bow? I would like to be able to draw and anchor in this area where I am truly holding less than 15 lbs.

I appreciate any advice on this.

buckeye

It is hard these days to find a bow that has a big valley. Most people don't care for the sloppy feeling of a large valley. Although I understand why you would want one.

BowTech and Diamond bows have a draw stop on the cam where you can fine tune the valley to your personal prefrence.

Take a trip to your local dealer who carries either BowTech and or Diamond and tell him your dilemma . Shoot the bows and see if you can get the feel you are looking for by adjusting the draw stop.

Best of luck.

pjhunts

I tore my rotator last year and it made shooting my mathews legacy almost impossible so I went looking for something different. I ended up getting a bowtech liberty vft with the freedom cams. I still pull 70 #'s but with the freedom cams it feels like 55, they are really amazing. I cranked it down for my wife and she could pull 55 lbs, but can barley pull 45 on her own bow. It is a very smooth and awesome shooting bow!

MO_Bowhnter

I too would recommend testing out a Bowtech liberty. Plus you can pick up an 04 or 05 for a decent price.

IL Rancher

There are lots of variety out there in valley on bows.. I know my Oneida Black Eagle for example has a very, very long valley and is very kind to my shoulders when they act up but that bow is not for everyone. I also know it is a bow, for me at least, that gets me in a bad habbit of creeping at times while another bow I have, a Darton, is just the opposite in that there is basically no valley. You creep and thatstring is going to go forward on you. I use it a cure for when I do start creeping on the Oneida.

I have a Tribute that I just got recently that I haven't messed with much (Haven't had the time) so I can't speak to that at the moment, I think I ahve only put 30 arrows through it.It does give you some adjustment but how much? I just don't know. The liberty, or Justice (Diamond makes both now) gives a nice amount of adjustment and has a pretty nice gentle draw cycle, about the nicest on a wheeled bow that I have messed with.


edited to ad Not sure how they draw but I believe Concept makes a bow with around a99% let off. Don't know much at all about the bows, never seen one in person but they are out there...

davidmil

You know.... whenever I hear someone complain about shoulder problems my first thoughts are your draw length is too long. May seem odd to you, but that's probably where most shoulder problems start...improper equipment fit.

JoshKeller

I cant really remember the command cams right now, but do they have a draw stop peg like the other Hoyt cams? Just remove it and it will soften up the wall.

IL Rancher

The first thing I think of when myleft shoulder hurts is the time a 240 pound "friend" drove my whole body into the ground while playing snow football when I was 19... Mind you, I was about 160...Ouch... Theright shoulder, welll as long as I am not throwing anymore it feels fine, never bugs me with the bow.

davidmil

That's your fault for getting caught by that big ole fat boy.[8D][8D][8D]

Cougar Mag

I have to agree with Davidmil. Although not always the case a draw too long can really bum up a shoulder. My fatherinlaw's Matthew's Switchback "slipped" and the draw length increased to the point it fit me very well. It was out by an inch, and it was tearing up his shoulder to shoot it. The pro shop worked on it, found the problem and fixed it. Just a 1/2" too long of a draw on these newer bows can make a big difference.