New to bows and I have a new 09 cheetah

[Dark Halo]

I have a new 09 cheetah bow that I just bought using the stores advice. I am100% brand new to bow hunting and bow shooting I know squat about bows. What is needed to dress out this bow to make it last and pull as smooth as possible. The bow is a little hard to pull for my liking as I have had two shoulder surgeries but I wanted to know if it will smooth out as I use it more. Is this bow a good choice for a first time shooter, and any tips on sighting it in?

[bfisher]

It;s often personal choice, but even with me being 5'8" and a 26.5" draw I prefer a longer axle bow.

The best thing you can do is let some weight off the bow till it is smoother. Most guys that complain about a harsh draw cycle are just plain shooting more weight than they can handle. I've been there and done that.

Your bow is not going to get any smoother as it gets older. In fact, as the string creeps over time the draw length is going to get a little longer and the bow's draw weight will increase making it draw harder. It's a slow process that sneaks up on you. Keep an eye on this. Check the bow a few times a year if you shoot a lot.

[NEstickslinger]

The cheetah is a nice bow and very capable for hunting and target shooting. It is a fairly quiet, smooth and fairly fast bow.
Is it a 60# or 70# bow? If it is feeling a little hard to pull, by all means you need to back it off for now. Being new to archery you need to focus on your form (draw form, anchor point, release and follow through). You deffinatly dont want to be struggling while learning.
You will be using muscles that are not normally used in this way, and over time you will notice you can easily pull more weight (as you train these muscles to your proper form).
When I started, I started at around 55#. After a couple of months of practice, twice a day ( once your arms start to get tired and you find yourself wobbeling and loosing your form put the bow away)(this might only take a dozen arrows or so at first) I then cranked the bow to 60#(you will have to resight when change poundages). This worked great for turkey hunting. That fall I cranked the bow down all the way (always back the bolts out a quarter turn after fully tightened), this made my poundage 67# on my bow.
The following spring I bought another bow for bowfishing and didnt take long before I had it cranked to 70# and it felt like I was only pulling 55#.
I guess my point to this story is your body will let you know what poundage you should be pulling
Hope this helps alittle, good luck, and welcome to archery!

[Dark Halo]

it is a 70 pound bow and the guy at the store has it set all the way to 70#. I will adjust it out some and see how it goes. what about sighting it in any advice?

[bfisher]

First off, I would have gotten a 60# bow with bad shoulders, but what is done is done. 60# is enough to hunt anything short of big African game. I'd take it back and see if they'll swap it, but if that isn't an option then take at least 3 turns off the limbs. This should drop it down to about 61-63# which will make it more user friendly for a while. In fact you can take the bow down to 55# with no problems. It all depends on what feels decent to you.

It's amazing what you can do with some of these bows these days. I have some problems and have a 2005 ShadowCat, 60#, and have it set on 36# right now and it shoots fine. My arrows aren't spined correctly for 36#, but they will do till I get back up to my normal 50#.

As stickslinger said, your muscles will develop over time. The ones that draw a bow are not normally used much and are pulling in direction not often used so give it time and don't tear anything apart. I would also have to think that your shoulders can't be that bad if you considered a 70# bow. Why you would choose this is a mystery to me---almost. Most people do think that they need a ton of power from a bow to hunt and it's not quite that way.

That being said, drop the weight down so you can comfortably draw, anchor and aim the bow. It's not a weight lifting competition so make it easy on yourself.

You asked about sighting the bow. For now try one pin set for 20 yards till you figure out and can practice good form. If you can't shoot 20 yards then set the top pin on your sight to hit about 1" high at 10 yards. This should make it pretty close when you are able to move to 20 yards.

Have you any archery clubs nearby? Join one and get to know a few people who can give you hands-on help with shooting form. Consistent form is what you need to develop. You'd be surprised at how many people are willing to help new guys. Maybe you'll make some life long friends.

[Dark Halo]

First off, I would have gotten a 60# bow with bad shoulders, but what is done is done. 60# is enough to hunt anything short of big African game. I'd take it back and see if they'll swap it, but if that isn't an option then take at least 3 turns off the limbs. This should drop it down to about 61-63# which will make it more user friendly for a while. In fact you can take the bow down to 55# with no problems. It all depends on what feels decent to you.

It's amazing what you can do with some of these bows these days. I have some problems and have a 2005 ShadowCat, 60#, and have it set on 36# right now and it shoots fine. My arrows aren't spined correctly for 36#, but they will do till I get back up to my normal 50#.

As stickslinger said, your muscles will develop over time. The ones that draw a bow are not normally used much and are pulling in direction not often used so give it time and don't tear anything apart. I would also have to think that your shoulders can't be that bad if you considered a 70# bow. Why you would choose this is a mystery to me---almost. Most people do think that they need a ton of power from a bow to hunt and it's not quite that way.

That being said, drop the weight down so you can comfortably draw, anchor and aim the bow. It's not a weight lifting competition so make it easy on yourself.

You asked about sighting the bow. For now try one pin set for 20 yards till you figure out and can practice good form. If you can't shoot 20 yards then set the top pin on your sight to hit about 1" high at 10 yards. This should make it pretty close when you are able to move to 20 yards.

Have you any archery clubs nearby? Join one and get to know a few people who can give you hands-on help with shooting form. Consistent form is what you need to develop. You'd be surprised at how many people are willing to help new guys. Maybe you'll make some life long friends.

I will see if we have any clubs around here. I am a big guy so I guess that is why the guy set it up the way he did. I was able to shoot the bow about 35-40 times in a row set like it is but I always have to move the bow fairly high to break it over.

[bfisher]

I will see if we have any clubs around here. I am a big guy so I guess that is why the guy set it up the way he did. I was able to shoot the bow about 35-40 times in a row set like it is but I always have to move the bow fairly high to break it over.

Here is something to try, even though you have the bow. Sit your butt flat on the floor with your legs out in front of you, slightly spread apart. Now take your bow and extend it to the side like you normally would. Pointing it straight at something draw the bow---without pointing to the sky or anything. If you can draw the bow with a certain amount of ease then it's not too much weight If you can't draw it smoothly then turn it down till you can. This should be your maximum weight for a while.

And don't forget draw length. A bow that is set too long for you will take more effort--sometimes a lot of effort.

[NEstickslinger]

Hey there, You asked about sighting. Wow there are so many techniques a guy can use, but lets start simple.
Asuming they (at the shop) got your center shot and nock point set correctly then all you have to do is zero in you sight to where you arrow is hitting. (when I say center shot and nock point, I am refering to your arrow rest. Center shot is left and right, and nock point is up and down.)
Just follow where your arrow is hitting with your sights. If you aim at the bullseye and your arrow hits left of this, then move your sights to the left. Same for up and down, hit high, move the sights up.
That being said remember once your get your form figured out try to keep it the same. Because form, anchor point, peep location, where you touch your nose with the string, ect., will all afect where your arrow hits!
Once you get some time under your belt (a month or two of shooting) you will find what is comfortable for you. You might even make some small changes that makes it feel better for you. ( I went from holding the string on the tip of my nose, to holding the string on the side of my nose and touching lightly on my lip.) Just remember when you make changes to your form, you will most likely need to resight.

There are many ways and devices to fine tune (super tune) your bow, but this will get you started.

I would start out at 15yds or less.

Good luck, and let us know how its going. Archery becomes a passion, you will love it!