I have recently gotten into archery/bowhunting and wanted to ask if soreness is normal when first beginning to shoot?

Yeah, it is. But...It also has nothing to do with draw weight. You just don't use those muscles normally.

depends on the strength and size of the beginner

Well if your goin to hunt with it you need to read the regulations to confirm your bow would be legal in your area. Here where I live in Alberta you need min 60 lbs bow to hunt legal with.

Welcome to the fire. They have some really good archery stuff nowaday. I shot a big black 2 years ago near dusk. Thank god I was using lighted notches or I would never have found him.

Practise, practise and the soreness will go away. While your sitting on your couch watching your TV work your bow every night, to build your muscles and steadiness.

Do this at your peril! Load the bow with an arrow and sooner or later, either the TV or something (someone) more important dies.

Don't load the bow with an arrow and sooner or later something gets hurt bad. Either the bow blows up with and accidental dry fire and you get lucky, or the bow blows up in an accidental dry fire and you get hurt bad along with the bow.

You pull the bow with no arrow in it to build your muscles. Why would you put an arrow in when you don't really need too?/?Its an exercise machine thats it. Who in their right mind would draw an arrow in their house??? Duh?

Never draw a bow without an arrow knocked. Buy stretch exercise bands to work your muscles without putting you or your bow or both at risk.

FWIW wife shot at or under 45 ish pounds for many years.

Killed the biggest hog I've ever seen taken, something over 335 pounds our scale went to. Shields almost 2 plus inches thick IIRC.

Choice of broadhead was COC, and the head made it out the other side after passing through the heart...

You don't need as much weight as we always thought....

The sooner one figures out archery is more about finesse than brute strength the sooner he becomes proficient...

Words of wisdom. Some who read my comments seem to suggest dry fire, that is not what I would recommend. When you work your bow for exercise sake you don't dry fire you let it back using your muscles. No arrow installed either. I had an 80 lbs bow and worked my upper body muscles by working my bow back and fourth sitting on my couch while watching TV every other night. 95 percent of my friends couldn't even pull the pulley bow. I realized after many years of bow hunting you don't need all that power.

[quote=378Canuck]Words of wisdom. Some who read my comments seem to suggest dry fire, that is not what I would recommend. When you work your bow for exercise sake you don't dry fire you let it back using your muscles. No arrow installed either. I had an 80 lbs bow and worked my upper body muscles by working my bow back and fourth sitting on my couch while watching TV every other night. 95 percent of my friends couldn't even pull the pulley bow. I realized after many years of bow hunting you don't need all that power. [/quot

Yeah, but dayom it was nice.

Hell no,

Send me ur bow.