Pig hunting, 50# bow, and KE

[FrankM]

Just got my Jaguar Takedown speed tested. Did it just a couple of times:
o157 fps w/528 gr.,  KE = 28.89, Arrow FOC 13%
o174 fps w/409 gr.,  KE = 27.49, Arrow FOC 13.3%

My draw is 27" at 51#. Brace height is 7 1/4" though Martin recommends 7". Both arrows have 5" feathers, bow has B50 string.

Around here, there are some wild pigs, some get pretty large. Quartering shots have been recommended to me as well as shooting smaller pigs. I think for Boar you need a KE of 42. Is there a way to increase my KE for boar? Or is this bow just inadequate. I've been playing with online calculators, but can't get the KE to go up when changing arrow weight and changing fps to correspond.

[centaur]

What you NEED is a sharp broadhead put in the right place. Your bow should be able to do that if you can put the arrow where it needs to be.

[Grey Taylor]

I agree with centaur. The latest whiz bang articles and charts are interesting but when you start paying attention to them and deciding that your bow won't kill you're doing yourself a disservice.

Guy

[acadian archer]

sharp broahead, good flight. like they said.

[RC]

I`ve said this several times. My Buddy John Bookhart has killed 100`s of hogs with a slow 45 @ 28 longbow. He shoots dacron strings and big broadheads. He recently did start shooting vpa 200 grain heads.
  Exactly what Centaur said is the key.We often tend to make a simple thing hard. I shoot around 53@27 out of longbows mostly slight r/d or Hill style and know I can put a Big broadhead in the lungs of a mighty big pig.No worries.RC

[Bill Skinner]

Look at the shot placement pictures at the top.  Most people try to hit a hog in the same place as they do a deer.  The result is at best a liver hit, it is usually a gut shot.  No 3-D target that I have seen has the scoring rings over the vitals.  If you use a sharp, cut on contact broadhead, you should find your bloody arrow about ten feet the other side of where you shot the pig.  Bill

[rastaman]

click here for low ke bow & hog hunt  

Sharp broadhead + good shot placement==dead hog!

[Rob DiStefano]

frank, all the reply posts so far are aces in my book.  don't sweat the techie stuff, accuracy on the critter's right spot is most important of all.

[kbetts]

Wasn't Izzy's piggy taken with a 46#.  Seems a lot of hog guys shoot <50.

[Orion]

KE is a nice thing to compare bows and arrow weights, bow speed mostly, but it is a poor predictor of arrow penetration.  Beware of folks who tell you need a KE of such and such for pigs, or deer, or whatever.  They're probably wrong about a lot of other things as well.  As already mentioned, a sharp head and good arrow placement will get the job done.

[rastaman]

Izzy\\'s hog hunt with a "lightweight" bow

Here's Izzy's hunt.

[FrankM]

You guys are sharp!  Why do they post those so-called charts for hunting? Are those really for compound people? Seems to me as though it's inaccurate information.

[Ragnarok Forge]

KE means absolutely nothing to the penetration ability of an arrow.  KE is a measure of stored energy in the arrow in flight.  It says nothing about how well that arrow will penetrate.  Impulse and momentum are what determine pentration.

Focus your energy on getting the heavier arrow and bow system in perfect tune and put that arrow in the boiler room.  That pig will die, no matter how large if you do those last right.  

The KE charts are designed for selling compound bows. Speed sells lots of compounds. KE is based on speed.

[FrankM]

OK, do you think I should consider momentum? I was looking for a Momentum chart around that lists out recommended momentum for different animals like the KE charts but haven't found any.

Sorry about the techie questions, I have an engineering degree. Makes me anal. LOL!

[Grey Taylor]

Shoot about 10 grains per pound. Get your broadheads shaving sharp. Then concentrate on putting that broadhead in the right part of the animal.
That's really about all you have to do. Thousands of dead animals back it up.

Guy

[FrankM]

Whoa! Seriously?!  I've been barking up the wrong tree all this time?

[Ground Hunter]

Frank, point it at a hog, draw back, release string.  Go start grill.  Relax!  H

[centaur]

Millions of animals were killed with bows and arrows, atlatls, spears, and/or rocks before man ever heard of KE, FOC, etc. Terry recently had a thread on here about trad archery not being Popular Mechanics, and it is true. Most of us do this because it is challenging, but is also technically pretty simple. If you are into charts and graphs and tables, they are certainly there to be looked at, but the bottom line is Sharp Head+Stuck in Right Place=Meat On the Table. Pointy sticks kill efficiently when tipped with sharp blades placed strategically in an animal's boiler room.

[South MS Bowhunter]

Frank, For your techie side take a look at the ashby  (sp) report archives on the forum page, they list all of his research with KE VS Momentum and Penetration. Momentum is the key with our equipment

[FrankM]

Cool. I checked Ashby's stuff about KE, but didn't get to the Momentum part. I'll do that. Interesting stuff.  

Need a recurve chart that says:
Small game: xx slugs min.
Medium game: yy slugs min.
Grizzly, etc: zz slugs min.


Thanks guys!  Oh, note to self: put down the friggin' calculator.