whats pushing it with a 42lb treadway longbow and sbd string

[deadpool]

I found this to be my best shooting bow yet, i feel i can hit anything with it at 20 yards with a 560 carbon or wood arrow, my question is how far can i push this bows capability on larger game, besides deer, would it be wise to shoot this set up at larger/tougher game, like cow elk, wild boar, one day black bear? what do you guys think?

[Josh Perdue]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=127527

Heres a good thread on the topic from people that have actually killed elk. Ive never killed an elk so I dont know squat.

[ranger 3]

I think Mr Treadway killed a bull elk with one of his bows that was 41#s

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I think the odds of making a clean kill on elk, hogs, and bear would diminish considerably using a 42# bow.  Hell you can throw a rock and kill one if you hit it just right....

But i wouldn't hunt elk with anything less than 50# and prefer 55-57# or more. If you can handle the weight and shoot accurately, you owe it to the game you hunt to shoot the heaviest weight you can.

[deadpool]

I could go higher i havent tried the weights in between,it goes from 42straight to 50lb i would looooove to try one of.his bows at abiut 47lb

[deadpool]

@kirkill even if I use  heavy narrow arrow ? with a bow in the mid 40s?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Like i said earlier bro. You could kill an elk with a rock if you hit it just right...

A 42 pound bow can kill any animal in the northern hemisphere with a good sharp broad head, or even a stone point for that matter. But your odds of getting a clean kill go WAY down. Those are damn tough animals with very thick ribs. In Oregon it's a 50# minimum requirement for elk.

hunting for elk with a 42 pound bow would be like hunting a deer wearing a bullet proof vest. it could be done.... but....are you feeling lucky?

If you can't handle a heavier weight bow, there's no shame in that at all. just use a different weapon that will do the job when you do hunt elk.

[Bud B.]

If the bow is 42@28 are you actually drawing 28? If not drawing to the length/poundage it's rated, you're gambling. And have you actually put a scale on the bow?

Make sure before you commit.

I personally would not use 42# for elk out of respect for the animal AND my accuracy limits. I should also note I have not hunted elk. Deer and hogs are my fodder 'round here.

[elknutz]

I think you would be fine for black bear at reasonable ranges.  They seem to go down fairly quick with well placed arrows.

[Caughtandhobble]

Christian,

One of my all time favorite post was said something like this..."My ole buddy don't have the WWW, so he just don't know that 40# bows will not kill anything".

Even with that being said, I would not shoot an Elk or a hog bigger than a choate with a 40# bow. A good friend has killed bear with mid 40's on a regular basis.

Sharp broadheads and great accuracy have there place, but sometimes physics comes into play. Shooting a big boar hog with a 60# well tuned bow broadside does not always work. Choose your targets well, and if a bad gut feeling comes along always wait for the next chance.

[deadpool]

Sorry guys i forgot to mention i draw a solid 28" , I do tend to over draw on quick shots but 28" is the number, and i just wanted to know in advance what the odds were if i was able to get away with such a light weight.

[LC]

Its ALL relative to how well your bow AND arrow is tuned! I'd much rather hunt a elk with the bow and arrow as you stated proberly tuned as comared to a bow 10lbs heavier with that's poorly tuned. I have friends who shoot the same who have taken game all over the US and Africa. With that said I'd limit my shots just like I would if I shot a heavier set up!

[jrchambers]

no problem on blackies if you miss large bones a 300lb bear is, imo, easy to pop compared to a hog assuming hits are in the rib cage,
do you know how fast your arrow is going as that is plenty of weight in the arrow to kill elk as long as it is reasonably moving.  for me I wouldn't consider elk,  but I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a big blackie

[deadpool]

Ill chroni it this week, but it matches this old hickory longbow i used to have at 55lb 160-165fps

[Bjorn]

We talk about the animals that are killed by lower poundage and we don't talk about the ones that are lost. If everything works perfectly you can kill and Elk or decent Hog.  
How badly would you feel if you hit an animal but failed to get the second lung and did not make a successful recovery. A Hog or an Elk can go seemingly forever on one lung-could survive for up to a month.
It can be done and an Elk can be killed with a 22. If all you can pull is 42# then that's what it is.

[deadpool]

its not all i can pull but i do get your point, im curremtly on the hunt for the same bow 46 or 47lb at my draw

[jrchambers]

gosh to be honest if your going for elk I would shoot for low 50s min

[Butch Speer]

I'm definitely not trying to stir up anything or question any ones experience with this and I've never shot an elk so I wouldn't know how much poundage is enough.
I do remember when I started hunting with a bow,69 or 70, just about everybody shot 45 lbs. It was about all you could get. If you had a 50 lb. bow it was odd. There were still lots of animals killed then. What's the difference between then and now?
Like I said, not trying to ruffle feathers.

[Mojostick]

I recall a conversation with Dan Toelke where told me that he made what I recall was a 37lb elk hunting bow for himself when he had some shoulder issue's and one of his good customers in Alaska buys 40lb Whips for huge Alaskan bull moose. Seeing that Dan Toelke has probably forgotten more about bows and bow performance than many of us know, I'll take his word for it.

Keep ranges short and use a silly sharp 2 blade with a good heavy arrow.

[pete p]

Deadpool,  few things to consider....your a young fella. looking at your profile i see you were born in '92...the yr i graduated, ouch!! looks like you are into mma. your in your early 20's, your going to "fill in", get stronger and its going to happen soon. i remember as a jack a$$ 18 y/o thinking i could take on anyone...well, the 30 y/o version wouldve beat the 18 y/o hands down.  if your not going to hunt elk in the next few yrs id just relax, have fun with your current bow and rest assured that in a few yrs you will be shooting a heavier bow with ease. Like Kirk said, its not a matter of if you can, more so a matter of if you should. keep at it and have fun!