lightest poundage bow for deer?

[Bill Carlsen]

Back in the 50's and 60's a lot of deer were taken with bows in the 30's. However, a lot of states have minumum draw weights for hunting bows so you may be taking a legal risk with such a light bow. Check your state regs.

[Rick McGowan]

Don, arrows do kill by hemorage, but without force(energy) you have no penetration and no hemoraging.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

My paternal grandfather killed dozens of Wisconsin whitetails over decades of bowhunting with a recurve pulling 42# @ his 26" draw length with a Dacron string. His preferred arrows were in the mid-400-grain range with 3-blade cut-on-impact heads. He rarely had anything but pass throughs.

How that compares to your son's draw length and a 35# recurve with a modern string and presumably 2-blade heads, I don't know. But WI has a 30# minimum for whitetails, and while I'm sure it's happened, I've never heard of anyone losing a deer due to poor penetration with a light weight recurve and good shot placement.

[Highlandwarrior]

Rick,
All you need  is 6" of penetration to completely kill a deer, it might take a while but it will die. I'm pretty sure you could get 6" pen. from a blow gun. It's a kid learning, and probably won't even get a good chance his first year. Lighten up

[James Wrenn]

A lightweight bow in the hands of someone without experiance is probably almost as bad as giving them a bow too heavy.Someone with experiance would be different and a 35lb bow is plenty for cleanly killing deer and other game if common sense is used in selecting broadheads and shots.That being said...a youngster that is supervised and put into a situation when the shot distance is limited and someone there to help make the call on when to shoot is the best way to go.In a case like that I would take the kid hunting if all he could shoot was a 25lb bow IF it was legal.I say that because I would be controling the most important thing whick is the shot selection.jmho

[pdk25]

I agree that a 35# bow is sufficient to kill a deer.  My dad had several pass through shots on deer with a 38# bear grizzly.  That doesn't negate what Mr. McGowan and Mr. Lewis have said.  It is a marginal weight, and there is little room for error.  A deer with heavy ribs may very well stop an arrow from this bow, as well as a shot through the skinny part of the scapula.  I don't recall if the question was answered as to what the draw weight of the bow would be at the child's draw length.  At some point there is probably a limit on how low you should go. That being said, as long as the parties are aware of the factors and choose their shot wisely, I wish them success.

[Irish Bowhunter]

Guys, thank you all for your input! I know evryone means well and has the sports best intrest and my sons as well as a beginer bowhunter.You all had valid points. I will take it all into consideration. I'll have Hunter realize the limitations of his bow. His broad head will be wicked sharp! And he will be instructed to only take a shot at a standing broad side deer. He's mature for his age and I feel sure he will only take a good shot when given the chance. thanks agin for everyone's input!

[Drew]

yes, I killed my first whitetail an 8pt with a 25# bow, a heavy arrow and a sharp bear broadhead at 8 yards. Was it the best set up...that's opinion but it was what i could handle and shoot well at that age.

Get him in the woods (if he hasn't been yet)and close to deer...I'm sure he still get the shakes.

Just remember it's about the hunt and spending some time with your son..Enjoy and best of luck.

[Mojostick]

I, like Drew, also killed my first few deer with 25lbs starting in 1978. It was not a trad bow, but the old Bear LTD compound that you could take the cables off the 2 small wheels off the riser and reduce the draw weight by 50%.

But for the sake of this discussion, it was 25lbs. We shot fingers and instinctive back then, with Bear broadheads with bleeders.

I don't recall any total pass thru's, with the arrow laying on the ground, but I do recall the deer dying within sight and the arrow going in far enough.

With a "modern" trad bow design with new string material, I wouldn't think twice about 35lbs. Especially if you shoot 10-12 yards.

In fact, about a year or so ago I almost bought a 35lb Whisperstik recurve that JD made up. I almost bought it for myself! I fiqured in Late December in Michigan, with possibly frigid temps and bulked up wool, 35lbs may draw nice after 4 hours out there. And I'm 6'2" 210lbs.

Instead I've settled on my 42lb Thunderstick for those late season conditions.

[Danny Roberts]

Had a friend that killed one with a 32# recurve. Good luck !

[donw]

here in california, the law says a 'legal' hunting bow must cast a 'legal' hunting arrow 130  yards in a horizontal direction. a 'legal' hunting arrow is one of at least 7/8" across the cutting head at it's widest...

[Molson]

I think you should set the bow up as it will be for hunting and honestly evaluate the bow's performance as your son shoots it.  If you have experience shooting deer with traditional equipment, you will know whether the combination is capable or not.  

Something to keep in mind is a 35# bow is not neccessarily a 35# bow.  I'm surprised someone didn't bring this up already.  If the bow is specifically designed for kids, the performance level may not be comparable.  I have several laminated youth recurves in the 25-35 range that are not even close to hunting capable.  They look the part, but were not designed as hunting bows.

I agree that 35# can kill deer.  I also agree with everything Rick McGowan said.  There is a bunch more to consider than just the # number on the bow.

[TonyW]

I really hate these threads, everytime people rush to praise how deadly lightweight bows are "when everything is perfect" and mostly its based on what someone told them. The problem is when someone is just starting out, they don't have the experience to know "when everything is perfect".
Rick is dead on.
Light tackle is considered sporting for fishing -if your skill is lacking, the 20 pound grouper breaks the 8 pound mono.
Trying to thread the needle of the kill zone using the weakest draw possible just seems disrespectful and silly.

[larryh]

i've killed an awful lot of deer, bear, and elk, and i've never had to thread a needle to hit the kill area on any of them. it's actually a pretty big area.
i find it neither disrespectful or silly to follow the laws of the state you are hunting in and shoot the animals allowed with the equipment allowed!

[Irish Bowhunter]

Guy's again, thanks so much for your input!! I can't wait for this up comming deer season with Hunter! I'll keep you posted!!