elk setup

[Beanbag]

Basic, My son is stationed at Fort Carson,getting the best long distant scouting available,just going to have him show me!.lol All kidding aside I'm pretty happy with my setup but need to satisfy my curiosity. I shot a nice cow a few years back with a compound/heavier than normal shaft 435grs and was surprised with how the Stinger 4 blade got bent up. I have a tendancy to prefer getting my shaft into the middle of the animal over a pass thru. I know I'm going to get some static for that thinking but I like to have that sharp broadhead moving around cutting everything up.You really don't need too much blood trail when the animal is killing itself by moving around.They don't go very far,that cow went up hill for about 50yds then rolled back down about 20. When we cut her open it looked like she was shot 10 times. everything was cut up.I guess some would say that it is not a clean kill, I don't know..I do realize you need enough to get in there though. I'm doing  the 3D circuit with some compound shooters. They are shooting in the 68# range and my 56#s is not getting the same penetration but it's not far behind though.It's interesting to see the kinetic/momentum thing going on, I don't know if the medium(deer target) has anything to do with it. I'm going to beef up those shafts to see what changes. The guys I'm shooting with will ##@% if my shafts start going in  as far or further than theirs. thanks Jim G

[Friend]

It would be most difficult for me to pursue elk at 8.0 gpp. This set-up is extremely marginal at best in my eyes and seems to be directed to utilizing the lightest arrow possible. Having stated this, there are numerous options and vast opportunities to significantly improve this set-up.

The elk deserve much better.


Calcs for your propoesed set-up are ~450 grains.


This poll was conducted on TG last year and was not specifically directed for elk.

Poll results after 526 Trad Ganger votes

Choose 1 less then 8 ggp 1% (6)
 
8 - 9 ggp 9% (48)
 
9 - 10 ggp 29% (150)
 
10 - 11 ggp 35% (182)
 
11 - 12 ggp 16% (86)
 
12 - 13 ggp 7% (36)
 
more then 13 ggp 3% (18)


Extreme enhanced penetrating relative examples:

10.0 GPP---- Arrow... Victory HV350(6.7 gpi)...28.75"...3x4" shield cut ...100 gn insert...250 gn BH...560 gn total...29.9% EFOC.

11.0 Gpp----Arrow... Victory HV300(6.9 gpi)...29.0"...3x4" shield cut ...100 gn insert...300 gn BH...617 gn total...31.1% Ultra- EFOC.

Note: If you choose the 2nd set-up, then be prepared to vastly loose target longevity. Used a quite similar set up out of my 51@28 1/8" cut past center bow this spring. This set-up completely disentegrated an 18 in 1 Rhinehart, which is warrantied for a year in less than a month.

[Jon Preston]

You might consider using some weight tubes at 3 grains per inch they would put you up there in the 590 grain range.
I would also suggest using a very sharp two blade broadhead.

My setup for Elk is a 60lb recurve, CX heritage 250( w weight tubes)585 grains total and a 125 grain silverflame broadhead.I have shot through two big bulls in a row at 20 and 40 yards. Both bulls died in seconds.I killed a third big bull a few years ago, the arrow broke through the back of the scapula going in, lodged in the off shoulder and he went down 5 seconds later.
I am sure their are people with more experence on this issue but my mine has been something in the 600 grain range and a really sharp two blade is adequate if you stay off the shoulder bone !  
Have a great time, Elk are a lot of fun to hunt with a bow!
Jon

[durp]

I might open a can of worms here but im gona say it anyways...there has been a ton of elk killed with 50lb bow's in days gone by...before internet and all...with a 50lb bow and cedar shafts we did just fine 40 years ago.

every elk ive killed over the last 44 years has never been wider than 19 inches at the wides point of the rib cage...up front where it counts it more like 12-14 inches wide...

ive put b/h through the OFF SIDE sholder blade with a 3 blade head (ww) at 17 yards with my 54lb longbow.

yes i like heavy arrows but am not afraid to use 500gn's on elk...jm2cw

[Beanbag]

Friend,,That 435gr shaft was coming out of a 68# compound at close to 280fps not out of mr 56# long bow at 190.Thats quite a bit faster than what we shoot in trad. For wheel bows that would be considered a heavy shaft. I would never try to go that low with a trad bow. At minimum I'm at 9grs pr lb at 56#s, looking to get that up a bit,In my 51# bow that is right about 10grs pr # coming out at about the same speed as my 56lbs.I hope the weight tubes will work for me.JimG

[joe ashton]

sounds perfect to me.  That basically is my stats and it works great----- when I do my part.