How far can I shoot a deer before penetration becomes an issue?

[eminart]

You guys don't get so upset. I find it good, interesting discussion, other than the people who turn it into how far you SHOULD shoot rather than how far you CAN shoot.


Somebody with a big block of foam, a 200 yard field, and some time needs to go do some penetration tests for us.

"I" think penetration is going to be pretty minimal at the end of a bow's range unless you're shooting a very, very heavy arrow. But that's just my guess.

[maineac]

Ok, another late to the party because I saw a landmined field ahead of me. It was a great question, because it was not about how far he could push his limits, but a thought experiment.  That is how we have advanced as far as we have as a species.  Imagine if the first guy who thought of the bow had posted a question on the atlatl forum about sending a shorter lighter spear with a bent stick and string.  Any one who is here to learn through reading is taking some time to think.  As teacher I can tell you that only a small percentage   choose  to learn by reading.  Unlike hunter ed classes where they are made to go. I have enjoyed the read, even the controversy.  Thanks for posting it.

[Adrian Farmer]

Also late to the party.  And a litte tongue-in-cheek.  Based on a lot of posts here, it would seem that it doesn't matter.  If you have a sharp broadhead, and put the arrow in the perfect spot, then everything will be OK, out to the range of your bow.

But, if you don't put the arrow in the perfect spot (which no one ever does, of course), then ...

A compound friend of mine years back tried to figure out the same thing with very light and short carbon arrows.  He practiced at his long shots until he had some confidence, then bought a chrono from a friend. He backed off the measured distance of his bottom pin and shot to see how much speed the the arrow still had in it so he could decipher how much energy it had. He found that he had enough energy to totally destroy his chronograph with just one shot. He did have the right idea, how much speed did the arrow retain on long shots. I think the answer is about as far as a hunting arrow will fly is enough for deer.

[MT Longbow]

Originally posted by pavan:
A compound friend of mine years back tried to figure out the same thing with very light and short carbon arrows.  He practiced at his long shots until he had some confidence, then bought a chrono from a friend. He backed off the measured distance of his bottom pin and shot to see how much speed the the arrow still had in it so he could decipher how much energy it had. He found that he had enough energy to totally destroy his chronograph with just one shot. He did have the right idea, how much speed did the arrow retain on long shots. I think the answer is about as far as a hunting arrow will fly is enough for deer.

Now thats funny!

[Bjorn]

'Ya think the atlatl guys figured the bow guys were nuts for shooting arrows that were so much lighter and way faster? I'll bet they figured we would never get enough penetration and 100 fps was too fast to be accurate!?