# Does cold weather effect your bow



## hoytarchery999

i am wondering if any of you pros or none pros can help me with this. about a month ago i had my bow sighted in for 20,30,40yds and was shooting just fine had groups everything was fine now i have been shooting 20yds getting ready for indoors for the past couple 2 weeks and when i went out too shoot today before i shot our 3D course i wanted too make sure everything was shooting good for 30 and 40yds and when i went too shoot 30 all of my shots were in groups but low i didnt understand it so turned the sight down and i am almost too my 40yd mark when i finally got 30yds back in i just dont understand how it changed that much and nothing has changed on my bow i dont know if cold weather has too do with it or not when i sighted the bow in it was probably around 50degrees and today it is like 35. but my 20 yard didnt change it stayed the same sometimes i get very upset shooting bow here is a picture of my sightbar starting from the top the first line is 20 the second is wear 30 used too be and the little needle almost down too the next line used too be 40 thats how much it has dropped im very frustrated.


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## ervay28

did the string strech how long has the bow been sitting before you picked it back up and started shooting it agen


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## loadtoad

*My experience in Alaska*

hoytarcher 999,

I had a Mathews conquest that when indoors was an Awsome X driving bow. I was fortunate enough to have a indoor 50 yrd range at our club, and it was dead accurate at 50 yards.
The winter is our 3D season in AK mostly, and when I would shoot in tempratures lower than 40 degrees...yes it was that exact temprature, my bow would shot way low. I had winners choice strings, and they were very stable. I would have 5 guys watch me shoot, all of them accomplished shooters, none of them could find any form issues that could be causing the problem. Ths went on, I contacted Mathews, they said take it to your dealer...I did, he could not find anything wrong, all cables were proper length, string length was dead on. I realy started paying attention to everythin on my bow, one day I noticed, in the cold my limbs would move up and down if I grabbed my center serving and pushed up and down. At first I thought, Ah ha, my center serving is the culprit, I re-served it, but it was still there in the cold weather. Took it back to the dealer, but this time i left in my truck over night and brought it right to my daler still cold. The limbs moved as before, he took some meassurements and found the CAM was not in the correct position, so he gave some twists on the control cable and it came into correct position. I asked him if the limbs were effecting the length, he didn't think so, that it must be the cables...of course because i did not buy them from him. But I stuck around and let the bow warm up, as i shot some arrows in the nice & warm indoor range. After an hour, bow was shooting high, and i looked to check the position of my cam, and it had advanced a bit past were we set it. I should my dealer and he told me I would have to adjust my nock point, because we messed with the control cable...wrong answer....I asked him what are these limbs made of carbon or glass, he said glass. So I started doing some research, glass core limbs will flex/contract/expand more than laminated carbon cores, and if the two limbs are not matched, then one can get large changes with extreme temprature changes. I still shoot my Conquest, one of the bet shooting bows i have ever owned, but my little "Connie" does not go out in cold weather. Unfortunately mathews does not see this to be my problem they blame it on the strings, so I have no intrest in sending it back to them. 

Part 2.
The bows I buy now all have laminated carbon core limbs. I have shot caribou on the north slope of alaska well below 0 degrees and have shot black bear when it was well above 70 degrees with the same bow, same arrows and i did nothing to the sights, both arrows hit right were I had the pin. Now that I am in Idaho, with temps above 100 during some 3D shoots, the same bow still drive tacks from summer to winter shooting with no noticeable changes. All 5 of my bows have winners choice strings and the only bow out of them all, the Conquest has issues with weather.

Now I am not bashing Mathews, they are great bow company and they have done a tremendous amount for arhcery. This is my experience with what I have at my house. Mathews Conquest/Martin Scepter3/Martin RazorX/Martin Slayer/Hoyt vetrix...some of my older bows Pearson spoiler (original) and PSE F-4 Maxis, I do not shoot these bows any more, but was to young to understand if my bows were even tuned properly.

Something we used to joke about in Alaska, was if we missed...I would always say...Gotta wait for the bow to warm up....did not realize that was indeed what my bow needed.

Just my Experience, do your own research, many, many different things could be the cause of your bow shooting differently...even the type of lights inside.

The Toad!


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## hoytarchery999

ervay28 said:


> did the string strech how long has the bow been sitting before you picked it back up and started shooting it agen


i shoot the bow everyday i never leave it set a day i was told by the local shop that the string streched and i got a couple twists put back in it.

thanks


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## BlackKnight81

Cold weather my play a factor. I do have a question, though. After you sighted in 30 and 40 did you wait a day and then go back out and shoot at 30 and 40 again? The reason I ask this is because I have found that if I sight in past 20 yards, if I wait a day and then go back out and shoot again, I will be lower in all yardages except for twenty. It is a head thing. Lets face it archery is 90 percent mental. this the case with almost eveybody I shoot with. I live in Colorado, so I understand about the cold weather question, and it may very well be playing a large role in this as well.


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## hoytarchery999

BlackKnight81 said:


> Cold weather my play a factor. I do have a question, though. After you sighted in 30 and 40 did you wait a day and then go back out and shoot at 30 and 40 again? The reason I ask this is because I have found that if I sight in past 20 yards, if I wait a day and then go back out and shoot again, I will be lower in all yardages except for twenty. It is a head thing. Lets face it archery is 90 percent mental. this the case with almost eveybody I shoot with. I live in Colorado, so I understand about the cold weather question, and it may very well be playing a large role in this as well.


yea i was shooting 20,30,40 for a good while like two weeks and it was fine i think the string just stretched it was a new bow.


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## AT_X_HUNTER

I find the cold affects me more than the bow. Sometimes the extra clothes you wear, ie. gloves, coat, etc., can affect your form and execution. If your coat sleave gets in the way, even slightly it can affect your shot. Extra clothes can affect your ability to reach your anchor point the same as you do without all your gear too. It's difficult to say. But personally I haven't had much of an issue with my bows in colder climates.


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## Brown Hornet

AT_X_HUNTER said:


> I find the cold affects me more than the bow. Sometimes the extra clothes you wear, ie. gloves, coat, etc., can affect your form and execution. If your coat sleave gets in the way, even slightly it can affect your shot. Extra clothes can affect your ability to reach your anchor point the same as you do without all your gear too. It's difficult to say. But personally I haven't had much of an issue with my bows in colder climates.


I agree 100%. Cold weather has never been in issue for me.....but I don't shoot outside much when it's colder then 40....


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## AT_X_HUNTER

Brown Hornet said:


> I agree 100%. Cold weather has never been in issue for me.....but I don't shoot outside much when it's colder then 40....


Ah, so your a fair weather sportsman huh? LOL. I don't blame you. This cold weather stuff is not fun!


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## Brown Hornet

AT_X_HUNTER said:


> Ah, so your a fair weather sportsman huh? LOL. I don't blame you. This cold weather stuff is not fun!


Nope that's not the reason.....usually when it is much colder then that here in the winter....you can't shoot outside because of the wind and it's indoor time. 

I am not going outside to shoot fat arrows with a nice range to shoot in....:wink:


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## TRB

If your 20 hasn't changed then your bow is shooting slower than on the day that you got those marks providing that you were hitting Dead Center at each distance the day you got all the marks. Now remember that the light factor has a very strong influence on how your eyes work in relation with your scope and or pins. The other thing is that it is always a good idea to verify your marks in the same lighting cond. if possible. When I am sighting in at 20 yd. I make sure that my arrows are hitting the same arrow hole sized group in the center if the x ring before moving further away. Because that 20mark could be off slightly and never really show until you compare it to longer marks. If you checked now by grouping your arrows in the Center at 40 yd. and moved your pointer needle to where it should be on your tape for 40, and then set it to 30 and move to 30 yrds and still get groups in the Center here. Now if the 20 yd mark didn't hit the center after you move up then you have a bad 20 mark. Testing your marks in reverse can show more results when done this way, Often the 20 is not the best mark unless they hit dead Center when you first start getting marks. I hope this helps you in the future. Tony B.


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## N7709K

I have the same problem with my hoyt. Here in Minnesota the temps are around 5 to 15 degrees. I sighted in my hoyt at 20 yards indoors and out to 50 outdoors. When I shoot outside all of my marks on my sure loc are off except my 50 yard mark. It gets really annoying when I try to sight in and I can't even group the arrows at a distance farther than 5 yards due to my sight being off and my peep turning.


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## kgoold

Hoytarchery999 Ive seen some pictures of you when you posted how your form was and you DL was to long so you might be getting some string creep. I know when im shooting to long of DL my groups are not very consisstant because im getting alot of string creep. Just shoot and watch your strings and make sure there not moving after you anchor.


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## Kriegwulfe

I hate to revive this old thread but since 2009, the last time a post was submitted..there have been some changes in bow crafting. The question again is " Has anyone had experience with their bows changing performance in cold or extreme cold" ? If so what were the fixes?? Retune or just adjust aim?


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## Pete53

I hunt a lot when its 20 to-20 below and yes it seems my bows shoot maybe a inch to an inch and half higher when its colder ,its like my hoyt bow shoots 2 lbs. flatter kinda ? I do only shoot 55 lbs. when it gets colder hunting here in Minnesota.so I adjust site in the cold by shooting my bows I also leave my hunting bows in the cold. even arrows seem stiffer in the cold ?


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