Bow hunting in colder weather

[Skoaltender]

Stupid question for a inexperienced bowhunter.
Will shooting your bow in let's set -10 harm your bow? Are there lots of folks on here who bowhunt until end if season regulars less of weather?

[Jameson340]

Not at all brother. Iv shot mine in -20 -25 before. The limbs are meant to handle it. One thing you might find is its harder to draw your bow, everything gets a bit stiffer in the cold.

[muzzy]

Won't hurt your bow but drop the poundage in cold weather

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by muzzy

Won't hurt your bow but drop the poundage in cold weather

Do this and re-sight your bow as it will change things. Remember warm muscles function better so stay warm during your sit. regarding the bow all should be ok. Shoot your bow with exactly what you are going to wear in stand to insure there are no surprises when that 180 typical walks in!

[Tow Bow]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Do this and re-sight your bow as it will change things. Remember warm muscles function better so stay warm during your sit. regarding the bow all should be ok. Shoot your bow with exactly what you are going to wear in stand to insure there are no surprises when that 180 typical walks in!

Cant drop my bow and still hunt legally but a guy told me he once set a bow down in the sun on dark spot and when he shot it, the limbs blew. Thinks the resin got too warm. Havent had any problems shooting cold aside from my peep always being jammed up with snow and or ice.

[58thecat]

Gotta watch those dark spots.........

[Jameson340]

one time I left my bow leaned up against my truck tire and was taking off my camo and stuffing it in my scent bag, jumped in my truck cause I was freezing to death and forgot my bow. Ran it over. Found it the next morning when I came back to hunt, brushed off the snow and ice and smacked a 170" whitetail.

[rielbowhunter]

Not sure about every bow out there, but it was -27c out when I arrowed my bighorn ram with my Hoyt. Keep hunting , good luck.

[zonker892]

Originally Posted by masonbuchanan

Stupid question for a inexperienced bowhunter.
Will shooting your bow in let's set -10 harm your bow? Are there lots of folks on here who bowhunt until end if season regulars less of weather?

One thing you will learn is that there is a ton of misinformation on Alberta outdoorsmen but to answer your question Temperature absolutely affects how a bow shoots and so does humidity. If your bow is sighted in dead on leave it in the cold for a few hours and shoot it again, you will notice it will shoot HIGH. Hope this helps good luck

[ThreeD]

Originally Posted by zonker892

One thing you will learn is that there is a ton of misinformation on Alberta outdoorsmen but to answer your question Temperature absolutely affects how a bow shoots and so does humidity. If your bow is sighted in dead on leave it in the cold for a few hours and shoot it again, you will notice it will shoot HIGH. Hope this helps good luck

Thanks Zonker. I will need to target test that information. Not disputing it, just need to see the proof as to how high. Thanks again as I never really hunted with my bow below -5 or so.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

Several years ago We did a Cold test using a Mathews bow,

The bows specs were taken ..including draw , bow weight, sound, etc
We placed the bow in a deep freeze overnight...

The results were not that dramatic...in the sence that most thought bow poundage would increase 10 lbs plus.......

However as zonker892 stated there was a increase in bow poundage right out of the deep freeze, this particular bow increased 4.5 lbs in draw weight ...reasonable as limbs were frozen solid!

All other specs were minimal...and on a shot within minutes or removing from deep freeze...other than a dang cold grip and a slight high POI at 20 yards [Due to increased poundage] there was not much differance in specs...


BTW the Ugly Cookie [Whisker Biscuit] preformed flawlessly...

We rationilized that out of most stands in typical cold weather it would not effect the shot dramatically at shorter ranges...longer ranges would have move effect on high shots...

However this was extreme cold and for a 24 hr period...

IMHO its the strings that are effected most by cold, hummidity, etc...

and came to the conclusion that most cold winter screw ups came from the ....."freezing of the nut behind the string" meaning the shooter was cold after a long sit and muscles hindered the shot more than the bow itself...

JMHO
Neil