50# not enough...really?

[joevan125]

I read somewhere a guy killed a full grown elk with a 43@30 ACS and got a complete pass through.

[mcgroundstalker]

I've read somewhere that ANY arrow from ANY bow should be shot at an elk standing broadside. Stay away from quartering away shots. If your shot hits too far back, a gut full of grass can stop an arrow like a target mat!

... mike ...

[Andy Cooper]

Originally posted by snag:
It's all about shot placement. Same with a rifle. Some say don't hunt with a .270, only .300mag...a .270 has killed a lot of elk. But this is about archery, isn't it.    

I was thinking the very same thing, but being a newbie here, didn't want to mention (rifles).      :D

[Pointer]

50 lbs will do it just make sure its legal to use that weight....some states have a 50lb minimum and some are as low as 40lbs.

[wv lungbuster]

Why go with the minimum when you can shoot. A little more weight and know it will be efficient. Of course you still need to put the shoot in the vitals.

[Tsalagi]

Bows in the 40 to 50 pound draw range have killed every animal on this continent for nearly 2,000 years and still going. I don't think anything has changed.  

[wildgame]

quote:Originally posted by Tsalagi:
Bows in the 40 to 50 pound draw range have killed every animal on this continent for nearly 2,000 years and still going. I don't think anything has changed.    

[Jake Fr]

i'm gld i read this couse i wanna use my 48# long bow for elk next year

[PAPA BEAR]

all about the broadhead and where you put it

[The Butcher]

No shame here with me about rifles Andy. I'd say lots of guys here like to hear the rifle crack.  I love archery, more than any other type of hunting.  But PA seasons are so screwed up, if you like to hunt, you gotta do what you gotta do.  My second love, is long range groundhog hunting.  I have a 37 pound custom rifle I use for that, with a 1960's 24X Unertl on it(the tradtional part coming out in me).  Even though I'm going to Denton for the primitave archery, I can guarantee, my .22-250, and .220 Swift will make the trip to take advantages of the long fields up north.  Besides, unless I'm wrong because I'm a newbie too.  Is this not the Pow Wow, where we can chat?  I'd say your question was a good one, as I know I don't do a search on every subject.  I'd also guess that large numbers of traditional hunters use between 45-50 pound bows for good reason. Control. In another life about 20 years ago, when I was in my 20's,  I had a 72# Damon Howett Hunter (measure of my manhood.  Yea, I shot it real good, lol  Ended up with a 65# Wapiti TD, then ended up with a 52# set of limbs for that.  I now shoot 51#, can handle it, and if I must say so, I think I shoot it very well on my good days. Can I shoot a heavier bow? Sure.  Can I shoot it well enough to have the confidence I need.  No!  Everything aside, a good shot with a light bow, is better than a poor shot from a heavy one.  Shoot the poundage that is good for you, and forget what everyone else shoots. It's a moot subject.  Joe Blow shooting 65# ain't going to be in my treestand. Closing, Do check game laws. Again, just my opinion.

[texas woody]

If you shoot what you are comfortable and consistant with you have already won half the battle. Shot Placement, Shot Placement

[Ragnarok Forge]

I hunt them every year with 55 lb's.  The wife uses 42 lbs on R/D longbow.  Just keep your arrow weight up, get close, and shoot straight.  A 30 lb selfbow with wood arrows and obsidian points will kill elk.  American Idians proved it for thousands of years!

[eric-thor]

like the others said ill take a good shot with a 40 lb bow over a bad shot with a 60-70 ect.... any day.

[Hopewell Tom]

I don't know how or who does the math in our local DNR, but 50# is the minimum here in Nova Scotia for moose. I haven't been so lucky, but I got an e-mail one time here from one of the moderators who said that bow weight has iimportance, but it's mostly about the arrow. Well tuned and razor sharp is what sticks in my mind.

[Ray Hammond]

I bet someone's killed an elk with a 28#@24" bow...and a field point.

It's all about respect....and knowing your equipment and your limitations: meaning shot angle, distance, etc. When faced with a big 6x6, don't let the thrill of the moment take away your objectivity when decided shoot/don't shoot.

Remember above all else- you're the ONLY one making a choice in that situation- the elk you hit with that arrow isn't- and he/she has the most to lose.

A lot of these "axioms" we've used in the past were based on the equipment we had available in the 50's, 60's, and 70's.

The situation today is different. We have many more choices- better builders, better materials, better efficiency in designs also.  

And combined with our now clear understanding that a heavier arrow combined with what used to be thought of as a moderate weight bow- especially one built with our new-found efficiencies- would have made that bow a lot deadlier for larger game as well. The bow is a launching pad- the arrow/broadhead combination is the critical component here.

[Margly]

When finding the proper set up for elk, moose bears etc, Isn`t it the slug/momentum that is the most important, besides the weight of the arrow?(and sharp bh`s)

There is so many different bows with different effectiveness on your draw length so maybe the way of finding out the limits is better with momentum?


(Formula for calculating momentum:
Momentum = Mass (in grains).velocity (in feet per second)/225218 slugs)


example 50# bow, 600 gn arrow:

600 gn arrow X 160 fps / 225218= 0,426 momentum

Would this setup do the job on the game with proper sharp bh`s?    

Margly

[Bowwild]

I note the OR law statement above. I haven't checked the law but I know a fellow (OR resident), who will remain unnamed who told me he shot, killed, and quickly recovered a Roosevelt elk with a 47# traditional bow last year. Of course states with such bowhunting regulations rarely enforce them. I'm a "graduate" of nearly 30 years working for (and writing regulations) for 4 state fish & wildlife agencies.  Such regulations generally get enforced when the hunter is suspected of a more grievous violation that can't be proved -- so the agent tries to write up other violations. I'm sure there are some out there but it would be an oddity to find an officer with a bow scale checking bowhunters. If they are knowledgable about archey (you'd be surprised how little some of them know about this) they would simply either 1). Ask the hunter the draw weight or 2)read the spec on the bow.  Of course most of you here know how inaccurate reading the spec might be. A buddy just returned from Africa and did quite well with a 52# recurve.  Like many have said, the condition of the equipment, talent of the archer, and probably most importantly the decisions made by the archer are more critical than a few more pounds of draw weight.

[mnbearbaiter]

Its not needed, but ill throw in my 2cents worth! A #50 bow with an arrow in the 550gr range and a good sharp 2 blade head like the STOS, Magnus or Zwickey, and good shot placement= a recovered animal thats as dead as the guys shooting the #70 bow!

[Gehrke145]

I shoot 50 at 28 and never had a problem with arrows from 450-550.

[Slasher]

Originally posted by Andy Cooper:
 

I shoot a 50 pound bow and it is plenty to kill anything I hunt in Pa. If I were hunting Moose or Elk I would need a heavier bow.

Another poster wrote this in one of the other forums here. It got me thinking. Is 50# really not enough for elk?  I've only hunted elk with traditional equipment once, and couldn't get closer than 40 yards to a 6x6 on three different days (same bull.) I was shooting a 60# Blacktail Elite at the time.

Lately, I've been shooting an old 50# Martin Hunter. I believe with 600 grain arrows and a scary-sharp Magnus BH, it would be fine for elk. BUT, I haven't the experience to back it up. What say ye?

(I'm asking because I'm about to order a new Great Plains Swift SR...and am thinking of staying with a 50#'er if I don't need to go heavier) [/b]

   Lots of good posts...        So I will just say that is a question you must ask yourself....

But think the following quote may help when you ask that question of yourself:
  Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
“To achieve success, whatever the job we have, we must pay a price.”
“Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.”
“Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent’s pressure, and the temporary failures.”
“A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.”  Vince Lombardi-

So my point is if you believe it is enough, it probably is... Just be ethical, be honest (with yourself), and realize that the difference between success and failure is usually hard work and confidence!