Some bowhunters may have a tough decision to make this fall

By V. Paul Reynolds

The Maine expanded archery season for whitetail deer is in full swing. If it is late afternoon as you read this, it’s likely that I am hunkered down in my ground blind about 20 yards from a known game trail. And not all that far from a local downtown drugstore. Yes, urban deer hunting.

Beside me within easy reach is my compound bow. It’s an Ember model made by Elite. It’s relatively new, and I really like it. We’re not supposed to feel fondness for inanimate objects, but I can’t help myself.

Here’s how I became smitten with this gadget of cam wheels and string. There may be a takeaway in this story for you, particularly if you happen to be an aging bowhunter.

For years, my bow of choice was a 60-pound PSE compound. Pulling it to full draw was always a challenge, but I managed and killed deer with it.

Then one day the weight of the draw got to be just too much, even after adjusting the weight downward as far as possible. In the bowhunting community, the conventional wisdom was this: Aging bowhunters need to give consideration to abandoning the compound bow altogether and going with a crossbow.

That move seemed rational to me, so I bought one.

It was hate at first sight.

What a contraption! Ugly as sin. Heavy, awkward to carry through the woods and I could not easily cock it without the hand-crank deal. Oh, it was deadly accurate and no doubt lethal as a hunting tool, but somehow it took the “romance” out of the hunt for me. I sold it for a song.

It seemed that the solution for me, an aging bowhunter, was to go back to what I knew: a compound bow that was within my physical limitations and comfort range.

After doing some homework and talking to archery gurus more knowledgeable than I, an Ember compound bow by Elite seemed to be the ticket. A dealer in Falmouth carried a good selection of Elite bows. I made the trip and, after a lot of good advice and bow testing at the dealer, I came home with a new Ember bow by Elite.

The bow evaluation “experts” classify this bow as a “very good, highly adjustable hunting bow rather than a high-performance flagship bow.” It also gets high marks for “shootability.”

At only 3.6 pounds bare, it’s a delight to carry in the woods. For me, the biggest attraction of this bow is its remarkable adjustability in terms of draw weight. This is a real advantage for a woman, an aging male or even a younger male with bad shoulders.

If there is a downside, it’s the fact that at my adjusted draw weight of only 47 pounds, the speed drops from 310 fps to 240 fps. But I will take it. An accurate shot at a deer with a broadhead arrow will kill at any speed.

This bow has a wonderfully smooth draw cycle, which makes it pleasant and fun to shoot and doesn’t wear me out in practice sessions. Another thing I noticed is the bow’s so-called “solid back wall.” Once you’re at full draw, you have something firm to anchor against rather than feeling as though you’re pulling through a soft stop. This alone has improved the consistency of my shot groups at 20 yards.

I only wish that I had acquired this bow years ago. My accuracy level has picked up considerably and thus my confidence level, which is key at that critical moment.

Don’t get me wrong. Crossbows have their place, especially for those who just can’t handle a compound bow. And they get the job done.

If you are going the crossbow route, spend the money and get a good one. As you might suspect, the lightest, least awkward crossbows are the most expensive.