Since I have been on TG there has been a countless number of threads about what arrow to use for elk. What never ceases to amaze me are the responses to these questions. I am by no means an authority on the engineering of an arrow. I have seen a lot of elk on the ground though, some of them mine most others. I have taken elk with 430gr arrows out of 57lbs bows and elk with 600 grain arrows from the same weight bow. I will pass on a few of my thoughts from what I have witnessed in person.
There are so many schools of thought on what it takes to kill an elk. When I first joined tradgang and described my set-up to the crowd I was told I would never be able to kill an elk with what I shoot. Never I was told. At that time I was shooting a Palmer 57@28 and gold tip arrows with a Magnus stinger. No added weight just a sharp head on an arrow that flew straight.
Here are just two of the elk I took with that set up.
Let’s talk about learning. I did some from this set-up over time, even though I shot through both of these elk. I did pay attention to the heavier arrow arguments and chose to test out some new combinations. What I came up with was a 600gr skinny FMJ axis with the stinger head and 100gr brass insert. On a various number of mediums it showed an improvement in penetration. So I took it hunting.
This bull was taken with that arrow. It was a horrible shot due to an unforeseen situation with the wind. The 31.25 inch arrow buried to the knock through bone and muscle. I firmly believe the heavier arrow was the difference between kill and wound on this bull.
I have held close to that arrow design and weight since then and it continues to perform over and over again. I have seen elk killed with many combinations of arrows, broadheads, bow weights and draw lengths. The bottom line is this in my opinion.
It is no doubt wise to do everything you can to optimize your set-up, draw the most weight you can comfortably shoot well, shoot an arrow that is of reasonable weight for the bow your shooting i.e. 9-11 gpp, TUNE TUNE TUNE a poorly tuned arrow no matter the weight will not penetrate worth a darn compared to an identical well-tuned arrow, use a quality head and get it sharp. I have found in my time whether guiding hunters, being with friends or my own experience the most important factor in successful hunting is confidence in your gear. Spend the time with your bow to be confident in what it can do and that you and the bow can do it together. It doesn’t take some insanely heavy arrow or 80lb draw. However, you must be smart in all hunting about your set-up and do the research to get the most out of your bow with what you're able to do. You owe that to the game you pursue.
There will no doubt be someone or many someones who have been on one guided hunt and now know everything about what it takes and those who are keyboard hunters and have never killed an elk and they can and will tell you everything you are doing wrong. Don’t let the nay sayer destroy your confidence in the set-up that works for you. I have seen this so much over the past two years it truly boggles my mind.
Topic: *****What is an ELK arrow????? (Read 1137 times)
