Lighter bow for cold weather?

[Black Moshannon]

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

[WhistlingBadger]

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.

[Pappy]

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 

[Black Moshannon]

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.

[Strelets]

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

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.

[bradsmith2010]

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,,

[Black Moshannon]

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

[bradsmith2010]

sounds good,, sometimes its hard to re work a bow,, but a good idea