does frost affect bows?

[dragonman]

Winter is coming, Though I've never worried too much before but lately I have been hearing stories that bows can break when used in below freezing tempertatures?? I've got some new bows I'd hate to break, so I was wondering if it was just a rumour, or can it happen??? Does anybody have that unfortunate experience?

[Pappy]

Never had a problem with mine,of course it hardly ever gets lower that the low teens around here.
I always draw it a few time at short draw till I reach full draw first thing out.Sometimes it feels heavy but that could just be me and cold muscles. 
   Pappy

[dragonman]

Pappy, sounds like you never get frost over there???

[Del the cat]

I smashed a sinew backed bow on the tiller tree, it had been in the garage and there was a hard frost overnight. I think if I'd been patient and bought it indoors for an hour or two it probably would have survived.
I was just reaching for the camera for that nice full draw pic when KABOOM.
Del

[George Tsoukalas]

No problems here been out in around 0 deg F temperatures. I have friend who likes to make bows from yew and won't shoot a yew bow in the winter. He's had one or 2 explode in the cold. FYI- I let the bow acclimate to the cold for several minutes before stringing it up and shooting.  Bowyering is done in a heated cellar. Jawge

[Swamp Bow]

Dragonman:

Pappy is in the States and we use the Fahrenheit system here, "in the teens" is well below freezing (0* C = 32* F).  I live in Florida, so the only frozen things I deal with come out of the freezer.  I suspect bow breakage has to more do with the low humidity associated with freezing weather than the actual temperature.  Our humidity level was at 97% last night, and I had to turn the air conditioning on again just to fall asleep, so take the advice from someone that has more experience with this than myself.

Swamp

[recurve shooter]

Dragonman:
  Our humidity level was at 97% last night, and I had to turn the air conditioning on again just to fall asleep, so take the advice from someone that has more experience with this than myself.

Swamp

same here. it snowed a littlebit friday night, and tuesday it was 77 degrees. still pretty hot. but at least we occasionally get cold. seems like its always hot down there.

[Swamp Bow]

Dragonman:
  Our humidity level was at 97% last night, and I had to turn the air conditioning on again just to fall asleep, so take the advice from someone that has more experience with this than myself.

Swamp

same here. it snowed a littlebit friday night, and tuesday it was 77 degrees. still pretty hot. but at least we occasionally get cold. seems like its always hot down there.

I think you mean pleasantly warm.   No, wait they call it hotter than H...     I deal with the heat, my nerve response is just too painful to cold temperatures.  I like it here, but it can get pretty brutal some summers.

Swamp

[Jesse]

I have mostly boo backed bows but have also had no problem shooting selfbows in temps below 0. Just went hunting in the snow the last few days with temps in the 20's and no problem. I suspect extreme cold does make them more brittle I just haven't had one break from it yet.  

[Pat B]

I have heard that yew is adversely affected by extreme cold but I've not heard of other woods being affected except to git a bit stiffer.

[mullet]

 I live in Central Florida and we have frost and Temps dropping into the teen's. I had a bamboo backed osage blow up like a bomb on a cold, frosty, morning. I think the Temperature has more effect on the epoxy used. I know if you freeze epoxy it becomes very brittle. I seperated a takedown handle that got accidently glued together by freezing it with Nitrogen.

[adb]

Dragonman:

Pappy is in the States and we use the Fahrenheit system here, "in the teens" is well below freezing (0* C = 32* F).  I live in Florida, so the only frozen things I deal with come out of the freezer.  I suspect bow breakage has to more do with the low humidity associated with freezing weather than the actual temperature.  Our humidity level was at 97% last night, and I had to turn the air conditioning on again just to fall asleep, so take the advice from someone that has more experience with this than myself.

Swamp

  It's -30C here this morning, and I definately won't be shooting outside today! I won't be turning on the A/C tonight either 

[AllanM]

Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy  It's -30C here this morning, and I definately won't be shooting outside today! I won't be turning on the A/C tonight either  Cheesy Cheesy

Cripes adb - where do you live? Siberia?

[nathan elliot]

I have a nice tree of heaven flat bow that I shot all last year. Got pretty cold last winter, I took the bow out for a shoot in -14c and it felt a little stiff and developed a few small compresion fractures on the belly (i did give the bow a good rub to warm it up before I shot it). My guess is that wood behaves differently at various temperatures. My advice is go easy and keep a good eye on your bow. Better still use your least favourite bow, that way if it does adversely affect the wood you wont be too upset.

Nat

[Justin Snyder]

Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy  It's -30C here this morning, and I definately won't be shooting outside today! I won't be turning on the A/C tonight either  Cheesy Cheesy

Cripes adb - where do you live? Siberia?

My mother was in Siberia for 2 years teaching English. It was -70 in the winter, and that was before the wind blew at 60 kph. Ill keep our lows with average in the high 20s.