DRAW WEIGHT

[LeverActionman]

What is your draw weight and setup to get consistent passthroughs on deer size game?

[Bjorn]

Passthroughs are more about shot placement, shaft diameter and broadhead shape and sharpness than bow poundage.
2 blade passes easier than 3 or 4. Skinny arrows penetrate better than fat ones.

[bigbadjon]

For the deer I shot in Oct I used a Great Norther Fireball 58# with a Redhead carbon shaft tipped with a Simmons broadhead. My arrow weight was 580 gr. Shooting a quartering away shot at 22 yrds my arrow hit the opposing shoulder and did not pass through. It also bent my broadhead about 45 degrees.

[Crash]

True statements there.  I use bows that are 45 or 46 pounds at my 28" drawlength due to some form of arthritis in my drawing hand fingers.  I achieve consistent passthroughs using 540 to 600 grain arrows and sharp STOS or Magnus two blade broadheads on the business end of Carbon Express and Beman MFX arrows.  My arrows ended up sticking far enough into the ground on the other side, that I am going to try some of the 200 grain Terminator 3 blades this year.

[sswv]

my hunting bows (R/D longbows) are 46-47#s @ 28"s. I draw a wee bit past that. I shoot a 450 grain (total weight) carbon arrow with 4-blade heads. sometimes they wizz right thru the deer, sometimes they don't. it all depends on the shot placement, how the deer was standing and the reaction of the deer at the shot. in a perfect world YES, they'll pass thru everytime but, we don't live in a perfect world.

[huntingarcher]

I shoot 50# at my draw length,my arrows finish out at 480 Grains.With a shaving sharp 2 blade head 90 percent of the time its a complete pass through.If I hit shoulder bone it wiil sometimes hang up,but still is sticking out other side.

[GO Rogers]

Wow, great info for a newbee!♠

[Bonebuster]

I shoot a 73 lb recurve and 750 grain arrows.
The statements about shot placement are true.

I can CRUSH the bones of deer sized game, but if I want a pass-thru EVERY time, then it is a broadside shot I want.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

38 pounds will do it if you use the right bow, and hit it in the right spot.

[Stumpkiller]

59# w/580 grain arrows and 125 grain double-edged broadheads.  I get pass-throughs even with a centered rib hit from broadsides, but depending on the angle have had them hang up.

I don't think a hung shaft is a problem.  It may snag on cover and keep the wound open.

My wife used two recurves, a red wing and a 56" darton, and now a Lost Creek NAT 38 pounds at her 26 plus draw. She has had one arrow that did not come out of a 140 pound doe, rear hip to far front shoulder, one that broke a rib on each side was about a foot sticking out and all the rest were pass throughs using wood arrows and two blade broadheads with a 100% recovery rate on all hit deer. I have shot a deer with a slower bow that was a bit lighter than those, when I was too injured to shoot anything heavier. It seems that lighter weight bows are more efficient than heavier bows in hybrids and recurves. An 80 pound bow is not anywhere near twice as deadly as a 40 pound bow. At a 27" or 28" draw there is not a deer in Iowa that cannot be taken with a decent 40 pound recurve or hybrid paired with a deadly arrow.  I hit a deer with a stuffed Microflite 12 out of a 96 pound bow and got about 30 yards of pass through, the next deer with that bow I hit a rib and the far shoulder joint and did not get an exit wound. Accuracy and that shot angle are more important than power for getting pass throughs.

[Eugene Slagle]

So far the weight & set up I have in my sig line works great for Deer.

Broadheads are Wenzel Woodsmans.

[Whip]

The other factor that will increase pass throughs significantly is proper arrow selection to match your bow.  Poor arrow flight just about guarantees poor penetration.  

With proper arrow tuning, sharp broadheads, and good shot placement, any reasonable hunting weight bow will more than do the job for you.

[Night Wing]

Originally posted by pavan:

My wife used two recurves, a red wing and a 56" darton, and now a Lost Creek NAT 38 pounds at her 26 plus draw. She has had one arrow that did not come out of a 140 pound doe, rear hip to far front shoulder, one that broke a rib on each side was about a foot sticking out and all the rest were pass throughs using wood arrows and two blade broadheads with a 100% recovery rate on all hit deer.

I'm just curious. I was shooting a 535 grain 2114 aluminum arrow out of my 37# recurve last season. Just for experimentation purposes, I decided to go to a lighter arrow weight this Spring. I settled on a 496 grain 2212 aluminum arrow. My question is, what do your wife's wooden arrows weigh which she shoots out of her 38# Lost Creek bow?

[Bowwild]

2 pass throughs last leason.

Deer #1: 21-yard shot, broadside, double lung. Ran about 30 yards died 59 yards from my tree.

Dear #2: 16-yard shot, broadside, double lung. Ran about 35 yards died 52 yards from my tree.

58" recurve, 47#@26" draw. Beman MFX Classic, 600, 3,4" feathers, 100 grain single bevel broadhead, arrow wt 415g.

I intend to use this same set-up on turkeys next month.

I've just built new arrows (MFX 500) with a heavier broadhead (same model) and insert to get my grain weight to 505 -- for the fun.

I bought 100 grain brass inserts from Big Jim and love em!

[reddust]

Draw weight is not as important as good arrow flight and sharp broadheads,I get as good results with my 55# bows as I did when I shot 65-70# bows.

[mnbearbaiter]

True that! When it comes to deer, #70 is no better than #50 without perfect arrow flight! A friend of mine consistently gets passthroughs on whitetails with #45!

[Roots]

45lb bow, 2114 shaft, 125gr 2 blade stinger, or bear razorhead, passthrough deer, racoons, beaver, trees, car doors, ....oops, sorry got carried away.