I now think 40#'s about as good as 50#'s !

[Renaissance Man]

Many years ago at one of the first Denton Hill Rendezvous I was set up with my tables and had the great pleasure of sitting and talking for about an hour with a nice gent from PA. He his son and his grandson had just won the recurve competition and he was a hoot to talk to.
He was shooting and old Bear recurve 45 @ 28 and he drew 26.5, wore bifocals, was over seventy at the time.
He and his sons told me about his travels and he had been shooting that old Bear since around 1961.
He killed some fine deer every year in PA and hunted big game all over the country, elk, bear and muleys with that bow and took them all. Preferred to hunt from the ground either still hunting or pulling up a stump as he put it.
But that gent put his arrow in heart lungs every time. Anything inside thirty yards was backstrap time.
A 40-45 pound bow will cleanly kill just about any critter walking. I have done and so have millions of others.
Beware the man with one gun(bow), this old gent was proof of that truism!

[Builder]

O.L. thanks for responding to these threads. I wish I could say I own one of your bows, however I don't yet. I really respect your knowledge on these topics.
As far as light bows, I can say a few years back I shot completely through a very large bodied 9 point WI. whitetail with a 42# Blacktail recure.

[RC]

I dropped down in bow weight a few years ago and went up in arrow weight.I now shoot around 48-51 pounds and 60-650 grains in arrow weight.I have no penetration problems.My shoulder and neck no longer hate me.RC

[Shawn Leonard]

Had shoulder problems for a few years. I went down to shooting 40# bows for a while. I hunted a whole season with a 42# at my draw PSA Widow and an arrow that weighed around 330 grains. I killed a big coyote and 3 deer with that set up, stay off the shoulder and keep shots under 20 yards with a scary sharp head and enjoy hunting!! I had a couple surguries and I now shoot 52-57#s with no problems!! Shawn

[James Wrenn]

Yeah I had to do the same thing.Hunted with a 40@27 longbow for a while.The simmons shot right through deer just like with my heavy 45lb bows.

[skychief]

Taking in all of your replies.   They are appreciated!  Thanks!

[skychief]

I'm going to bump this one more time for any further thoughts.    Thanks.

[Plumber]

The news sounds encourgaging all my bows are 47-51 I just called my bowyer an dropped to 42lbs I had neck surguries on 2-20 an I aint to darn happy right now I want to go outside an play! I should heel up just in time for the meat of 3-d season thank for the info. as always you all are great . with some of the best sorces of info!

[Rick_H]

I wonder if some people with 50# bows aren't drawing back as far as they do with a 42# bow and are getting more zip out of the lighter bow.

[dragon rider]

For what it's worth, last Sunday Graybeard came over and we measured my draw with 3 different longbows - one 42#, one 49# and one 51# all at 28".  My draw with the 42# was a good 1.00" longer than with the 49# bow and 1.25" longer than with the 51# bow.  The 51# is also the shortest of the 3 at 56".  Perhaps not entirely surprising, I also shoot better with the 42# - I think because I'm steadier with it between anchor and release.

[bmb]

i have been going thru something similiar. i have two bows, both are hoyt gamemaster 2's....one ( ive used for 2.5yrs) is 44# @ my draw shooting a 525gr arrow...killed deer,turkey,small game,aand 2 hogs( one that weighed around 170#)...but the second hoyt i just got and its 55#...lets just say i cant get use to the speed. i use the same arrows ,just cut back, and they weigh 478grs. and i am finding very difficult to adjust to this bows speed and the weight. and all these weights are measured at my draw of 25". i guess im not gettin as much performance as i should b/c of my draw?

[Rob DiStefano]

imho, it's a well placed sharp arra of reasonable mass weight that kills game at reasonable distances, not the bow.  

each of us gotta figure out what works best for both the short and long term of bowhunting and pulling string.  

i always get a better release and "feel" when i'm holding 55# or so at my draw length, it's what i've always pulled, and that's what i enjoy to hunt with these dayze.  due to a frozen bow shoulder, at times when i do have a physical problem with that bow weight, i drop down to 46#.

i think a 40-45# modern trad recurve or r/d longbow is a good enuf engine for killing small game, deer and hog, at reasonable shooting distances, with 450-500gr matched arras with good sharp broadheads, and good shot placements.

as always, ymmv!