frozen bow string....

[growalot]

Thats what I'll call it...probably has a term ...but have you ever had this happen...go to draw your bow and find it absolutely impossible to do...I know it is not the bow but it was my muscles that betrayed me..but why??? hhhmmm fine today.

[genesee_mohican]

39 years of archery and have not had that happen.  I think I'm pulling around 58 lbs the last few years.

[growalot]

It happened to me once before years ago...went to draw ..nothing! I mean not even a little give...I know it is the muscles "freezing" up on me...I always try to take at least one shot a day ...usually walking past my target area as I come home  after a morning hunt or on the way in for the a afternoon one...but I have been rushing the last week and 2 times have had to return to get my release to boot....Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this...

Edited October 26, 2015 by growalot

[Caveman]

Only time that ever happened to me was at the bow rack at Dick's. I sat there pulling and pulling like an idiot. Then, when I looked at the bow the string was zip-tied to the cables to prevent customers from dry firing.

[Taylormike]

Never happened but close. After sitting hours with the elements deteriorating, you suddenly get surprised and now have to fully draw without detection, it becomes difficult.

[NFA-ADK]

Practice more with the bow and that should not happen.  Do at least 15-20 shots every other day.  Taking one while going into or leaving a hunting area is not practice.  You do not need to be able to shoot hundreds of arrows but shooting a few every other day keeps your consistency in check and will keep your confidence up, plus it will help your muscle memory!

[dbHunterNY]

lots of little things add up to lessen your ability to draw your bow.  other thread started about it too.  focus on a push and pull using back muscles too.  you can do exercises in the tree to warm the muscles up periodically.  cup both hands and hook fingers together. also you can grab elbow in drawing position.  pull and release tension in muscles  over and over until they warm up and get looser.  stretching on release will let you go deeper into the stretch.  if done right you're really not moving around so no need to worry about movement in stand getting you busted.

[dbHunterNY]

sit in a chair with all your hunting gear on.  lift feet off ground and draw bow straight back.  if you can't then it's probably too much weight your trying to pull in a hunting situation.  lower it and try again until you can draw without excessive movement like pointing the bow to the sky or about falling out of the chair.

[moog5050]

If that happens Grow, I would consider dropping the weight for season.  Practice the rest of the year with it heavier and then adjust prior to season.  Maybe drop 8lbs or so.  You should be able to draw anytime, even without warming up IMO.  You will not be happy if it happens when a bruiser comes in and you haven't warmed up so to speak.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Thats what I'll call it...probably has a term ...but have you ever had this happen...go to draw your bow and find it absolutely impossible to do...I know it is not the bow but it was my muscles that betrayed me..but why??? hhhmmm fine today.

 

Yes I have. Sunday, October 18, 2015; a day I'll never forget. Long story short, drew back on a hugh doe and held the shot for well over a minute. Couldn't let down, doe would of seen me. I  blew a 24 yard shot on fatigue, I think. Then a few minutes go by, a beautiful 10 point gives me a 22 yard chip shot; I tried with all my might and couldn't get that string back. Oh my god, are you kidding me?

[growalot]

Lol as mad as I was...I was Oh so happy it wasn't a Buck...going out in a little ...shoot a practice arrow and take a slow walk to a ridge stand I haven't used...letting the blind stands rest today...had to go down with the Gator mid morning and retieve a couple of work ladders and cut a limb...Of course folding hand saw blade was loose...saw jumped and popped close on my finger...a brand new saw...Oh ya bled like a stuck pig and now my left trigger finger(gun) is blk and blue and swollen up...just needed a screw tightened

[NFA-ADK]

Goog luck Growalot! 

 

[Doc]

I have had it happen. I was shooting a bow that I had taken on a moose hunt that was set just below 80 pounds. I had shot it for about a year through all kinds of NFAA tournaments, and heavy long practice sessions, and never really ever struggled at all.

 

However there came a day on the hill when the temperatures were down in the lower 20's, and there was even a slight breeze. I stood for hours with my hands jammed in my pockets, and my shoulders all crunched up and shivering. Every shooting muscle was stressed, tight and constricted against the cold breeze. A doe came right along the trail just as it was supposed to, and I grabbed my bow and began to draw just like I had done all year long, and I could not get it back. I struggled three times and finally broke the damn thing over and of course by that time, I had nothing left to settle down the sight pin so I just let it back down and watched the deer move on down the trail. If anyone had ever told me that that could happen, I never would have believed it. But there are conditions that will make it happen. That night, I dropped 10 pounds off the bow, and have never had it up to 80 pounds again.

[Marion]

Don't forget to eat your Wheaties before you head to the stand!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[ants]

If your muscles get cold, you will lose strength and flexibility in them. Thats why you see baseball pitchers wearing jackets, in the dugout between innings. When things are dead, draw your bow a time or two. It might help.

[philoshop]

I've had that happen a couple of times over the years when it was just excitement/adrenaline or whatever.

In recent years it became a persistent problem because of the cold or the inactivity from being in a stand for hours.

Now I can't even bring my arm into position to pretend that I'm going to shoot a bow and it's the first time in 38 years I'll go without an archery tag/stamp on the license.    Too many of my years spent pounding nails.

 

Isometric exercises in the stand can help a lot to keep the muscles warm. Interlock your fingers and pull against them. Doesn't require nearly as much movement as drawing the bow, and it's very effective.

[NFA-ADK]

I can see it happening.  If I did not shoot for a week or two, then was out in the cold sitting for hours.  ok

 

Those practice rubber bands help!  Not only do they help in bow draw but they keep your back muscles in shape!  Basically the same as the springs but much more quiet.  If we could keep warm in the tree stand or while hunting this would not happen.  Great another thing that I have to worry about, lol!

Edited October 26, 2015 by NFA-ADK

[growalot]

I talked to my therapist about this...so the thing that happens as we sit in the cold...thinking we are warm enough is our body goes in to protection mode...in other words it starte slowing the blood flow to our extremitities to protect our core which starts to starve the muscles in our arms and legs...not a good blood flow and you loose strength... and also is what initiates hypothermia....So if she is correct that explains that.

 

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms vary depending on the degree of hypothermia, and may be divided by the three stages of severity. Infants with hypothermia may feel cold when touched, with bright red skin and unusual lack of energy.^[12]

Mild

Symptoms of mild hypothermia may be vague,^[13] with sympathetic nervous system excitation (shivering, high blood pressure, fast heart rate, fast respiratory rate, and contraction of blood vessels). These are all physiological responses to preserve heat.^[14]Increased urine production due to cold, mental confusion, and hepatic dysfunction may also be present.^[15]Hyperglycemia may be present, as glucose consumption by cells and insulin secretion both decrease, and tissue sensitivity to insulin may be blunted.^[16]Sympathetic activation also releases glucose from the liver. In many cases, however, especially in alcoholic patients, hypoglycemia appears to be a more common presentation.^[16] Hypoglycemia is also found in many hypothermic patients, because hypothermia may be a result of hypoglycemia.^[17]

Moderate

Low body temperature results in shivering becoming more violent. Muscle mis-coordination becomes apparent.^[18][19][20] Movements are slow and labored, accompanied by a stumbling pace and mild confusion, although the person may appear alert. Surface blood vessels contract further as the body focuses its remaining resources on keeping the vital organs warm. The subject becomes pale. Lips, ears, fingers, and toes may become blue.

Severe

As the temperature decreases, further physiological systems falter and heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure all decrease. This results in an expected heart rate in the 30s at a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F).^[15]

Difficulty speaking, sluggish thinking, and amnesia start to appear; inability to use hands and stumbling are also usually present. Cellular metabolic processes shut down. Below 30 °C (86 °F), the exposed skin becomes blue and puffy, muscle coordination very poor, and walking almost impossible, and the person exhibits incoherent/irrational behavior, including terminal burrowing (see below) or even stupor. Pulse and respiration rates decrease significantly, but fast heart rates (ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation) can also occur. Atrial fibrillation is not typically a concern in and of itself.^[2] Major organs fail. Clinical death occurs.

Paradoxical undressing

Twenty to fifty percent of hypothermia deaths are associated with paradoxical undressing. This typically occurs during moderate to severe hypothermia, as the person becomes disoriented, confused, and combative. They may begin discarding their clothing, which, in turn, increases the rate of heat loss.^[21][22]

Rescuers who are trained in mountain survival techniques are taught to expect this; however, some may assume incorrectly that urban victims of hypothermia have been subjected to a sexual assault.^[23]

One explanation for the effect is a cold-induced malfunction of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates body temperature. Another explanation is that the muscles contracting peripheral blood vessels become exhausted (known as a loss of vasomotor tone) and relax, leading to a sudden surge of blood (and heat) to the extremities, fooling the person into feeling overheated.^[23][24]

Terminal burrowing

An apparent self-protective behaviour known as terminal burrowing, or hide-and-die syndrome,^[25] occurs in the final stages of hypothermia. The afflicted will enter small, enclosed spaces, such as underneath beds or behind wardrobes. It is often associated with paradoxical undressing.^[26] Researchers in Germany claim this is "obviously an autonomous process of the brain stem, which is triggered in the final state of hypothermia and produces a primitive and burrowing-like behavior of protection, as seen in hibernating animals."^[27] This happens mostly in cases where temperature drops slowly.^[24]

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by growalot

[philoshop]

Excellent link Grow! Thank you.

When you're young you feel indestructible. I certainly did. When you get older, you realize the maintenance required to remain 'indestructible'.

[growalot]

This may account for the heart attacks one hears about during the gun season????

[jjb4900]

happened to me once.....sat in the cold rainy weather for about and hour, opportunity came and when I went to draw it was like everything was frozen, just like you said....think I pulled every muscle in my neck and back by the time I finally got it back....and was probably pulling more weight then I needed at the time.

[growalot]

Ya I shoot 49# which is lower than I can pull...I like to be able to draw way ahead of time and still be nice and comfortable at the shot...so weight isn't an issue...I'm pulling 80#'s at the gym 3 -15 reps.

[BigVal]

I was thinking about dropping my weight down from 73 because of this possibility