Thoughts on 36# for whitetail deer

[Flyboy718]

Well...let me here positives/negatives, success/failures.

[ssoden]

Very sharp 2 blade head, heavy arrow ( over 600 grains) , hit them were you should and you have success.

[Jeff Strubberg]

That's getting pretty marginal. What kind of bow?  What's your draw length?

[RUSTY1]

I'm sure Joe (Night Wing) will be along shortly to give you his thoughts. That's right up his alley!!

[Flyboy718]

Originally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
That's getting pretty marginal. What kind of bow?  What's your draw length?

Quinn Comet XL...my draw with this bow is 31"

[Jake Fr]

My wife shots 35# at her draw and shoots a 630grn arrow and its a lethal force to recon with in her hands. It will work just fine if you do your part and pick your best shot and hit em right

[Flyboy718]

Originally posted by Flyboy718:
 

Originally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
That's getting pretty marginal. What kind of bow?  What's your draw length?

Quinn Comet XL...my draw with this bow is 31" So, I am getting about 36# at my 31"[/b]

[Onestringer]

Marginal at best.....but I am sure it will kill a deer.

[Bjorn]

36# and you are drawing 31"? You have lots of string time-go for it!!      

[Flyboy718]

Originally posted by Bjorn:
36# and you are drawing 31"? You have lots of string time-go for it!!            

I am getting about 36# at my 31" of draw.

[ChuckC]

In some states that is not legal weight.  Sure, you can kill a deer with a 20 pound bow, or a .22, or a club.  If everythng works well.

The more on the fringe you go, the more chances for something not going well.  I don't know from experience, only guessing, but I am wondering if most of US can maybe jump the string on a 600 plus grain arrow pushed by a mid 30's bow.  If it hits, it will penetrate. . but. .
ChuckC

[David Yukon]

What about the distance of the shot, is that make any diference? like a dear at 5yards over the same dear at 15yards?
Is it something to consider?

PM Night Wing. He can give you the skinny on hunting with low poundage bows as he has been doing it for quite some time.

Bisch

[Altiman94]

I'd keep the shots short, heavy arrow, 2 blade BH.  There's lots of guys out there who do it.  Shot placement is everything.  You can shoot a 90# bow, but if you hit them in the leg that's not going to work.

[Night Wing]

Originally posted by RUSTY1:

I'm sure Joe (Night Wing) will be along shortly to give you his thoughts. That's right up his alley!!

Speaking of the devil.     :D  

I've shot low poundage trad bows for bowhunting since 1964 and I was 14 years old when I started. My first bow killed deer I took was taken in 1966 with a one piece 69", 34# @ 28" target recurve with white limbs. At the time when I was 16 years old and still growing, I was 5'7" tall and I had a 29" draw length back then so the poundage was right at 36#.

I used a scarry sharp 2 blade screw in Bear Razorhead broadhead (without the bleeder blades). The broadhead and insert weighed around 155 grains tipped to a 2016 aluminum arrow cut to 29 3/4" BOP. The total arrow weight was right around 510 grains so I was basically shooting a very heavy 14.1 GPP (grains per pound) arrow. The arrow was no speed demon either and I figured the arrow was doing somewhere around 150 fps (feet per second).

Arrow was fletched with 3, 5" right wing parabolic feathers with cock feather out and with lots of right helical twist. Bowstring was a dacron string.

The shot was a 15 yard broadside double lung shot. The shot was a complete pass through as the arrow was still flying in the air, after exiting the deer on the opposite side, from a concealed ground blind shot. The arrow traveled another 10 yards before hitting the ground. The deer (doe) traveled about 40 yards and was easy to find since I had a very good blood trail.

BTW, I'm now 5'9" tall with a 30" length and you can see in my signature, I still shoot low poundage recurves for bowhunting.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I think that is too light. You asked for thoughts, thats mine.  If i were going to err, i err to the side of caution.  I don't try to get as light as possible and wonder if my equipment may or may not have the ability to kill.  I shoot upper 60 #s most of the time, but I do have a bow that is 53#@28, I pull 29".

I know that much poundage is not required for killing a deer, but I shoot it well and feel comfortable with it.  I shot Mrs. Hope last year, she was 49#@28" and I did kill a small buck with her. I know light bows can do the job, but 36# is super light, not even legal in AR.

Your draw is a huge plus, but if you have to ask the question, you have your doubts in the bows ability to be effective also.  Just my 2 cents.

God Bless,
Nathan

[BobCo 1965]

My son got a passthrough on a buck with a 37# Ben Pearson Cougar using a 4 blade Magnus Stinger.

[Jeff Strubberg]

A 31" draw makes up for a ton of missing weight.

[cbCrow]

This is my 2 cents. I killed my first deer in 1963 at the age of 14. In those days most hunters that shot traditional were using between 35-45# bows and were taking deer. It all changed when compounds came on the scene and all trad guys starting shooting heavier weights to keep up with them so to speak.Due to injuries I'm no longer able to shoot heavier bows and have found my way back to lighter bows. I hunt with a Harrellson longbow that pulls 38(37.5)#s@28" . I shoot a 424 gr. arrow which includes a 125gr snuffer( 11.3gpp) and have taken 2 deer in the last 3 years. Both shots were pass thru's and dispatched the animal within 60yds.I can speak from experience that they will work provided the person knows his/her limitations. I hunt from the ground and usually never take a shot beyond 15yds, and practice year round to be as proficient as possible. The bow does not kill, its the arrow!

[Ben Maher]

I bet with that draw length you are shooting close to , or  as much as I do at my 26 1/2 " shooting 50 lb's .
Jimmy Blackmon has killed a great deer recently with a 40# self bow and  don't think he a long draw etc