white tail hunting with a recurve?

[David Dumke]

I have a Hoyt 40 lb td recurve, some of my family is saying it might be too low but everyone else I've talked to says 40 lbs is enough to take white tail.

Yes or no and why please? id like to get this settled before I get in to practice mode.

[ChrisM]

Depends, what is your draw, what broadhead, what is your gpp, and of course what can you hit.  Have a buddy with a 27" draw that uses a 40lb widow long bow and a stos head and has pass throghs all the time.

[term]

Start practicing! You will be fine, even with the large deer in your state. I would regimens a two blade broadhead and get the right arrow for your setup. Good luck. term

[Rob W.]

40 is enough. I drew that or less when I started and did fine.

Knowing what I know now I would have maybe went with a 2 blade head. 3 blades did do the trick though.

Make sure your broadheads will shave and you can put it in the right spot consistantly.

Rob

[doubleo]

Should be just fine. My son shot his first buck with a 44 lb bow and got a complete pass through with a bear razor head ultra lite. I would recommend a sharp 2 blader.

[KentuckyTJ]

Get your arrow tuned where the flight looks like a bullet and all will be good. I would use a two blade very sharp COC head though.

Good luck can't wait for the hero shot.

[YORNOC]

Whatr everybody said above, BUT Just make sure your state allows 40. We have to use minimum 45 here.

[GMASIUK]

Dave, Massachusetts has a 40 at 28" minimum.

Glen

[Shawn Leonard]

Killed a couple deer one year with a bum shoulder. 42#s at 28.5"s and 8gpp. Pass thru on both with 3 blade snuffer and shot the full length of a big coyote with same set-up! Shawn

[YORNOC]

Must have changed it Glen, its been 45# my whole life. Cool.

[David Dumke]

Just looked it up and it says the minimum is 40. Just got super excited, haha. I was shooting at about 5 yards (in the dark; didn't want to shoot up my girlfriends shed.) and grouped better than I ever have before. I desperately wanted to shoot all day and the only chance i had was at failing light and then it got dark. I'm not complaining though, shot 6 arrows and they were all grouped fairly tight, well, tighter than i've ever shot.

some might say 5 yards is silly, but i'm working on form mostly and was worried about going any further in the dark. here's a pic of my grouping. (not sure if it's okay that it's not a 3d target but it's all i have to shoot; circle of foam)Was trying my hardest not to get in the center because of the lack of stopping power, none lol, busted a broadhead that way..
two arrows at bottom aren't my shots, They were the better half's stepdads.

 

[huntmaster80]

I am going to be getting a new 41# BANSHEE this week due to an unexpected surgery I had this past week.  I just picked up some two blade heads from stick hunter (THANK YOU)!!!  I am thinking that a well placed shot will get the job done.

[Night Wing]

Just take a look at my signature. I've been bowhunting with light poundage recurve bows for the last 47 years.

Killed my very first deer in 1966 when I was 16 years old with a 36# target bow.

[Looper]

That looks like a good target to shoot at. Stick a small piece of tape to it for something specific to shoot at.

You're on your way. Before you go hunting, though, you need to make sure you're accurate and consistent enough to hit a deer's vitals. Don't rush yourself. If you need to, go to the Shooter's forum and post some pictures or videos of you shooting and get some good, constructive criticism.

A good rule of thumb to go by for hunting accuracy is that you should be able to keep all of your shots within a 9" paper plate at your maximum hunting distance.  Most whitetails shot by traditional bowhunters are killed within 20 yards. Some further, but most around 15 yards. Again, don't rush the process. Make sure you have the accuracy to make an efficient kill.

So, what size groups should you be shooting at various distances? Well, if 9" at 20 yards is your goal, you should be shooting half of that (4.5") at 10 yards.

I think it's a great thing that you're learning at a young age. This is a sport you can enjoy your entire life. Take the time to learn the basics and be patient with yourself. Tradgang is a great source of information, and don't be afraid to ask questions, if you need to.

[Don Stokes]

When I was growing up in the '60's, the typical hunting bow was a 40-45# recurve. It's plenty of bow for whitetails. Getting your arrows flying perfectly with broadheads is much more important than a few pounds of draw weight.

[stagetek]

40# will work. Being able to hit where you need to, and sharp broadheads are key.