How Much Bow is needed for Elk?

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Elk are tough, and there's alot of difference between the size of a cow or young bull vs a big bull.  Personally I'd set my own minimum for elk (for myself) at more like 55 lbs range with a reasonably efficient bow, I like a bit more than that.  I like to shoot big Snuffers though too.  I've seen elk hit really well go farther than you'd think, and marginal shots/penetration are bad news in elk country.  If you are an expert elk hunter, or spend months with them passing all but perfect shots I'm sure you could get away with light equipment.  As a guy that's hunted them around a dozen times and killed a handful, I'm no elk expert, I'll take the medium or better weight equipment for the added margin of error, and big broadheads.

R

[mnbwhtr]

I agree with Ryan, hunted elk 29 times and the last time shot a huge cow with 63# and 650gr arrow and it's the first pass through I ever got.

[J. Holden]

@Wudstix "I wonder if game wardens are carrying scales to measure poundage at the hunters draw?!?"

Yes, they do.  Why take the risk?  Follow the rules.

-Jeremy

[Orion]

I still have a few of Mike Lapinski"s books. He's was a pretty good elk hunter and guide.  Though he wrote this advice about 20 years ago, before trad folks were shooting low stretch strings and skinny arrows with a lot of foc, but he recommended 65# for elk, and had lots of horror stories about elk hit but not retrieved with lighter weight bows.

Shoot as much weight as you can accurately handle. 

[Wudstix]

J Holden;
Don't worry my light bow is 63# AMD and lightest arrows I shoot are @635 grains, up to 900+.  I was just making an observation.  Having never in my almost 50 years of hunting seen a GW measure a bow.  Back in the day (PA, IN) we had to I string our bows to walk out after dark though.  That I did see enforced.
 

[trad_bowhunter1965]

What ever you can pull and shoot accurately.  Whether 45 or 95.

Best advice for sure!

[SlowBowKing]

Out of curiosity, how long do they do the drawing before the season opens in Kentucky? I wondered the time period one would have to build up, or if you would have to already “be there.” I’ve never entered for it myself.

[KentuckyWolf]

They do the drawing around the end of May.

Odds vary...bull tag...might have better lucky with winning the PowerBall. Odds for archery cow were not bad, but they have since changed tag structure.

I have put in for every tag I can for it, every year since they started...with no luck. There were some years when cow archery tag odds varied from about 1 in 9, or better. No luck. Frustrating when you hear of people who have been drawn more than once.

Then again, you that’s me. Never win anything. No drawings, no raffles, no lotteries. Nothing.