Lonster that's a heck of a good shot with a stick bow at 25 yards. Congrats!
Woodsman, whatever poundage you think you can shoot, drop it by 10lbs. If you can buy one of those bows from Amazon for $100, I'd suggest getting a 40# bow. Get your form down, then go up in poundage. As an example, when I started shooting a stick bow, I was 2o years old. I was shooing a PSE Fireflight compound set on 85 lbs. I shot it every day, for at least an hour a day. I bought a 65# recurve and I never could shoot it worth a dang. I ended up buying a 50# bow later and got decent with it but I had a whole lot of bad habits to overcome from trying to shoot a bow that was too heavy for a decade or more. If you have a long draw length, go way lighter than you think. They're all measured for pounds at 28" draw.
Thanks Fur, for the record, I was hunting with one of the forum members here, he ranged the deer and was supposed to be videoing. I was shooting the 3rd deer (a 10 point) as it came from behind some tree limbs. We had been watching these bucks for the last 20 minutes of fading light. There were several deer in the field and along the edges and these bucks would go out of view for maybe a minute before popping out into range, IF they continued on the route they were taking. I watched buck #1 and buck #2 walk by at 20-25 yards. My friend Lance, MBrock knows him, is sitting in a stand right above my left shoulder and he is watching Thru binos and says “wait for the 3rd one, that’s the 10 point.” So as the 3rd deer is coming from behind the tree limb Lance says “you’re about to be able to see him, there he is stepping out now.” The deer stops and is standing broadside. Lance says “he’s 25 yards” and I said “I’m going to kill him.” I had previously told Lance that I would not shoot past 20 yards. Lance said “Are you sure? He’s 25 yards.” I shot and pinwheeled “him”.
After tracking the deer for about 65-70 yards we both looked in disbelief because we were expecting a 10 point!
I guess this lucky doe stepped in between buck #2 and buck #3 when they walked behind the overhanging tree limbs.
You are 100% correct on not being over-bowed on a stick bow. My longbows are #45 bows. I have a 30” draw.
