Is 40# weight enough

[Rob DiStefano]

This is a subject that always crops up at least a few times a year.  Here's my take ...

How much stickbow draw weight can ya effectively and consistently control?

How consistently accurate are ya with that draw weight, within yer effective hunting distance?

Can ya create and maintain super sharp broadheads?

Are yer arrows of a proper weight for the game ya seek?

IMO, too many trad bowhunters are overbowed, and it shows in their inability to come to full draw and their subsequent poor accuracy.  These folks would be better served dropping down a bunch in draw/holding weight and get a heap more consistent/accurate with the arras they fling.

OTOH, I've seen newbies to trad bowhunting struggling to hold a 40# recurve at 28" of draw.

Then there's the matter of arrow weight - at 10GPP, a bow that holds at 40# will shoot a 400gr arrow.  For deer, I think that's too light.  So ya up the arra weight to 500gr and now yer in the 12.5GPP range and yer effective arrow speed and killing distance suffers (or at least it should matter to ya).

See my point with all this?

Know yer limits.  Understand what tackle is required to effectively down the game yer after, and work towards that tackle goal.

Oh yeah, always HUNT SHARP!      
     

[emusmacker]

Thanks Rob, I'm used to shooting compound bows and realized real quick that trad gear don't have letoff. Lol. I'm comfortable shooting 40# and can shoot a little heavier good. But bow season is in here in Ga. and my other bow hasn't been finished yet. There's been some good advice and it really don't matter if you shoot wheels or trad shot placement and being comfortable with equipment along with sharp heads is what matters most.

[Pete W]

Draw weight can be misleading.
 I have 50+ pound bows that are barely suited for rabits, and 40# bows that I would not hesitate to hunt with.
 Guaranteed the 40# ACS/CX will outperform the 50# selfbow with any arrow weight. This gives us a wide range of performance to consider, not just bow weight.
 A dog of a bow is a dog, but we don't need a race horse either.
 We all know to have politicaly correct arrows and flight, but it realy boils down to knowing your limits with the equipment you hunt with, and not taking Hail Marry shots in desperation.

Bow hunting is about getting close, not shooting far.

I had a friend shoot a very large moose with a test bow from Rodney Wright, he drew it 39# at his 27" draw. 1 Arrow and the moose went down, and there was enough energy to bend up the broadhead on the far shoulder. More power would have just bent the head more. He picked his shot and the distance he was confident with after turning down many marginal oportunities. That is good hunting.

To much draw weight for many is giving them false security. We often see short drawing a bow that is to heavy. You do not gain anything when you can not come to full draw! Some guys are short drawing up to 3", but brag they have a heavy bow.
 One guy was trying my carbon arrows and insisted he had a 27+" draw length. The arrows were marked for testing in 1" increments and he was actualy only drawing 24". When he tried a lighter weight bow I had with me he was drawing nearly 28" and shot much better. 55# was far to much for him , and a 40# at full draw was shooting the same arrow visibly faster.
 Point is draw weight is not the wholy grail of what to use. Shoot what you can draw and hold and don't shoot beyond your means.

Less can also be more.
 Pat has a Pecos River longbow that was to heavy for her. When we shaved it down a few pounds the draw length she pulled increased and the arrow speed actualy went up with the same arrows. Why? She ended up holding the same draw weight only at a longer power stroke, and it gave her more performance. Less can be more if you are a short draw shooter.

 If we run the jackson calculators   www.bowjackson.com   and use the KE / MOM values out to 30 yards we can make some informed decisions on what is good at what ranges. {They show them out to 100 yards}The arrow drop is there also, but this is something that falls under our shooting ability with that set-up, not just drop numbers.
 Like I said earlier, I have bows over 50# I would not hunt anything bigger than a rabbit with. Look at the bows performance the way you have it set up, then decide . Most modern 40# bows do just fine when we do it right.
 Take only high percentage shots no matter what bow you shoot, and stay within your personal limit of ability. It is better to pass up a shot than to be asking for help to track a poorly hit deer.
 

Pete

[Scott Gray]

Great posts Shawn,Rob and PeteW  

[Rico]

Knowing your equipment and the anatomy of your quarry will go along way in helping choose the right # bow rather than just the experinces of others.

  In my experince 40# can do it but I would want more.
Why would the archers that use to shoot 40# or their wife shoots less and its plenty choose to shoot more now.