Am I being too paranoid about penetration?

[YORNOC]

Well Jeff, its determined by the state law.
I agree with you that a bow should be the heaviest weight that you can shoot accurately. But some people cant afford any bow other than what they have be it 40 or 80. Others cant pull more than 38#, etc.no matter what they can afford.
So the state law determines it, if this is on the low end poundage wise... but legal, following the advice here is the best bet. Those who have I choice I agree (IMHO) should shoot as heavy as they can accurately just for those times when mother nature throws a curve your way. The most accurate shot in the world when released doesn't matter if the animal moves after the release.
Gotta balance it all as best we can.....

[stujay]

dragonheart asks a good question. I've owned two bows, 1- in the middle #40's that shot a 480 gr arrow at 150fps. 2- in the middle #30's that shot the exact same arrow at 162 fps.
Here in Wa state the minimum legal big game bow is #40. So many things factor into an efficient bow for deer...bow design, tuning, arrow weight (FOC EFOC), bowstring and so on. Having said all this the shooter is the biggest factor. If he/she does their part, today's gear in the #40 range works.

[dragonheart]

Most states will set a min. bow weight.  I guess my perspective is a bit skewed.  In my neck of the woods, you never know when you are going to get an opportunity at a wild boar.  My setup has to perform not just on a deer, but also on a wild hog.  The pig is the test.    

The buck in my avatar was a big bodied son of a buck (pun intended).  I shot him with a 46 pound, 21st century longbow @ my 26" draw.  Did not get a pass thru on soft tissue, liver shot.  I hit a rib going in.  That was in 2003 and I have not hunted with a bow below 50 pounds since.  

I shot a small boar in the "goody box" with a 600 grain arrow out of a 57 pound longbow and only got about 8" of penetration total.  

I killed and found both animals.  A pass thru, getting the BH thru the other side of the animal increases your ability to recover that animal.  2 holes let out more blood to follow than one.  That has been shown thru research and is what I want in a hunting set up.  

I recently read where Abe Penner killed a moose with 53 pound longbow and a super heavy arrow and tuffhead.  Not saying you cannot kill critters with bows of lower weight.  

You have the equipment you have.  We all work to be proficient as we can with our given bow & arrow set up.  Most people will never even think of hunting with stickbow unless they are pretty serious about shooting.  

The trend for the last few years has been towards lighter bows for hunting.  As with most things, that has some good and some bad too it.  Too light, too heavy, I guess in the end, we each must find the balance for ourselves at a given point in our adventure in archery.

[jrnorton4]

Thanks for all the encouragement. Just got done finishing broadheads on a leather strap. Everything in my quiver is shaving sharp except the small game head, and its close. Hopefully I will get a shot this weekend...
James, I am located in Brookhaven, MS, but hope to be up around Rolling Fork at Twin Oaks one day next week. Is the hunting there any good this time of year?

[Rod in SC]

If youre shooting 6 inch groups at 20 yds you are the man and I doubt if your accuracy will improve to be much better than that. Thats way better than i can shoot and better than anyone I know. 6 inch groups is just 3 inches each side of your spot.  Thats very good shooting and with a good 2 blade you should be able to keep your arrow in the ribs easily and if you do you can kill an elk with that bow.  Go get em!

[Night Wing]

I've been killing deer with light poundage recurves for the past 47 years and this upcoming February, it'll be 48 years with broadside lung shots at 20 yards and less. Most of my shots are between 12-17 yards.

Light poundage bows will easily kill a deer. Just look at my signature to see the bow poundages I shoot.

[bucksbuouy]

You can improve penetration with mass weight. Studies have been done that show a 600 grain arrow out of a 40 lb bow will get PLENTY of penetration and be very lethal.. but you sacrifice speed. Speed is the other issue. A deer ducks at 500 fps (conservative estimate), runs 35 mph, and has a 12 foot vertical leap. To attempt to kill an animal with these stats with a 400 grain projectile @ 150 fps is border line... ummm... nonsensical.

The problem with getting into arguments over bow numbers is that there is quite a wide span of performance from one bow to another and from one shooters set-up to another. A hot shooting under 40 pound bow with a 440 grain straight flying arrow, a sharp two blade head and a shooter that has strong form can have more killing power than someone shooting a slower model bow of greater poundage that possibly is struggling with form and gets a sloppier flying arrow.  The parameter of what is lethal needs to be more exact than mere numbers. I don't like to tell someone that knows their stuff and has good shooting technique what their poundage numbers should be. My wife has a bow that is 38 pounds at her draw, she shoots tight groups and is very fluid in the field, I compared her bow to a longbow that was over 50 pounds and shot her arrows really nice, the problem was that her bow shot those same arrows ten feet per second faster. Her bow had more power than mine. Numbers are just numbers, shot placement and performance are real measures of power.

[YORNOC]

Originally posted by pavan:
The problem with getting into arguments over bow numbers is that there is quite a wide span of performance from one bow to another and from one shooters set-up to another. A hot shooting under 40 pound bow with a 440 grain straight flying arrow, a sharp two blade head and a shooter that has strong form can have more killing power than someone shooting a slower model bow of greater poundage that possibly is struggling with form and gets a sloppier flying arrow.  The parameter of what is lethal needs to be more exact than mere numbers. I don't like to tell someone that knows their stuff and has good shooting technique what their poundage numbers should be. My wife has a bow that is 38 pounds at her draw, she shoots tight groups and is very fluid in the field, I compared her bow to a longbow that was over 50 pounds and shot her arrows really nice, the problem was that her bow shot those same arrows ten feet per second faster. Her bow had more power than mine. Numbers are just numbers, shot placement and performance are real measures of power.

Well said!

[michigan bill]

you could give mike brittain, mr. double bb, a call and i bet he would tell you that you are shooting closer to 42 pounds.  that might give you a little mental relief.  i really like those double bb bows and wouldn't hesitate using a 42# [or a 40# for that matter] on deer or even hogs.  and you will most likely shoot the lower poundage bow more accurately than a heavier bow too.  IMHO.
bill

[michigan bill]

oops.  just looked at mike's website and he mentions 3# per inch for a longbow.
41# - i'll still go with my above comments.
bill

[pdk25]

Good luck. If you hit it in the right place it should easily kill a whitetail, but not necessarilly a pass through. Some food for thought, though. This year I shot one of my lighter bows for deer. That was around 58#@29.5". I made a bad shot on the first shot. Hit too far forward and broke the close side scapula and off side leg bone. The deer dropped down on the front end and gave me time to put one in the heart. I promise you that I am glad that my bow still had enough to get the job done. Not being judgemental, but I don't believe your setup would have had any result other than that deer running off with an arrow stuck in it's scapula. If all I could shoot was your setup, I wouldn't hesitate to hunt deer with it. But I would certainly see if I  could work my way up to something with a little more power to help when things go less than perfectly.

[beendare]

No problem killing with your equipment but you cannot let your questioning mental attitude get in the way.

In other words, if you let other thoughts like "I don't want to wound him" YOU WILL! Its the same in any shooting sport, work on total concentration with an all positive thought process.

We have all experienced that one shot that had laser like focus and the arrow magically appears in the spot you were aiming. And we all have experienced the shot where we questioned ourselves and sure enough- got the negative outcome.

 I try to model myself after guys like Michael Jordan- does he stop shooting when he misses. Heck no, he has total confidence that that next shot is going in. That shot that misses is a fluke- shrug it off with total focus on the next one cuz its going to be there.

I always have more respect for someone that shoots well a bow they have total control over than for someone that is struggling with too much weight, especially if they just shoot one bow for years at a time, like a friend that has only ever used a 45 pound Super Kodiak, then when he got a new bow he got a 45 pound super Kodiak. I don't know if he has missed a deer, but I do know that he has never lost one that he hit.  Certainly, looking for more power is a good thing, but it comes way after confident accuracy in importance.