Light Weight Hunting Bows

[OldbowKY]

#4796

Would be interested how hunts with light weight bows say under 40# for deer?

Most state laws require a 35# min. at 28″. What is your wt. at your draw??

[Doc Nock]

#33903

If memory serves me, (???) quite some years ago, TBM did an article on women in Africa and they were shooting bows in that 40# range…but big heavy arrows…

I dropped to 47#, but it’s triple carbon and my Sasquatch is so well designed that I had to go UP in spine to harness the extra ooomph from Kirk’s design, over my 50# bows that were carbon core.

This should be a fun thread once it gets going!

[OldbowKY]

#34294

Just picket up a used Black Creek Banchee Hybred at the All South shoot in Alabama. 38# @28 62″.

Just go back from stump shooting, and I was very impressed.

Thinking about deer hunting with it??????

[WyoStillhunter]

#35177

45# is the minimum for antelope and deer in Wyoming. Elk and trophy game require 50# or heavier. Anything goes for small game and varmints.

I have four bows: 35#, 45#, 50# and 55#. My 26″(+/-) draw puts actual draw weight about 5# lower. So I am trying to master the 55# bow and use it exclusively.

[archer38]

#35302

I hunt deer and bear with a 40# Howatt recurve. Now, I also over draw it to over 30 inches so my real draw weight is more like 46 or 47 but its plenty enough to kill what I’m after.

[grumpy]

#35382

One of the main reasons I made my own bow was to get 40# at my 22″ draw.

Law here in MA says 40# minimum (nothing about draw), but a 40# at my draw is only around 30#.

[OldbowKY]

#37756

Just checked KY Game book ” no weight limit”.

I Was surprised.

Just talked with a bow hunter last week whose son shot 2 deer W/ 35#……”24″ draw = 23#”. one was a good size doe arrow hit the shoulder blade on the opposite side, feathers just showing. Saw photo of kill. Very interesting.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#37764

My paternal grandfather killed Lord-knows-how-many whitetails with a recurve pulling 42# @ his 26″ draw lenght. This was with a Dacron string, swagged aluminum arrows and three blade heads. Whitetails, even large mature Midwestern ones, don’t present much in the way of resistance to penetration.

[Tyfrei7]

#38172

I have seen my uncle shoot many deer with a 40# pearson recurve many times. We hunt in northern Indiana. As long as you put the arrow where it belongs it will take down anything- People get to wrapped up in heavy arrows and over bowing themselves- I used to be one of them- Keep it simple and trust your shooting- Good things will happen.

[lbman77]

#38342

OldBow, you pose a thought-provoking question. My assumption, after having read, and re-read Vol. 1 of the Trad. Bowyer’s Bible, is that overall bow efficiency would be an important part of any chosen bow, not just the wieght. If given a choice between a poorly designed 40#er and a well designed 35#er, I’d pick the superior design over higher poundage. What I’m saying is, we should be careful to not just look at draw weight, since 2 bows of a given weight, but different design, will probably shoot the same arrow at levels of efficiency, affecting overall penetration. If I recall, Dr. Ashby did a writeup, comparing a 40# bow to 2 different bows, one of 70#, the other @ 82#. The results of the 40# bow were really surprising, and would point towards a pretty efficient setup for the 40#er, unless more factors were at play (and I don’t remember!). It reminds me of the addage “work smarter, not harder”. Now, I won’t tell you that I have a 60ish pound longbow, but after drawing my lighter recurve, the higher poundage bow sometimes is a bit burdensome, due to the much greater effort required to draw. I have no idea how they compare, but now you know one of my projects! Just my thoughts.

Rich

[OldbowKY]

#38936

My thought behind this, is to have a arguing point with the wheelies that you have to have a heavy bow to harvest a deer.

99% of the bow hunters around here shoot nothing but deer and think that the TV junk is gospel…. speed, long shots and mechanical junk…

I like to argue with them 😆

Just an oldfart who likes too stir the pot.. 😈

[lbman77]

#39173

I like your style!

[Jason Wesbrock]

#39249

I learned a long time ago that the best way to handle conversations like that is to excuse myself from them. Folks sometimes have all sorts of odd opinions they confuse for facts and, much like politics and religion, the likelihood of changing their minds is nil. For example, this past Sunday I was at my local archery club shooting an indoor 3D round—30 targets, 30-yard max, center 12s count. There were only two of us shooting recurves, me and another guy. He missed more animals than he hit and broke two or three arrows bouncing off the metal stands. I shot 14 12s, 14 10s and 2 8s for a total of 324, but bless his heart, he sure tried to tell me the “proper” way to aim a recurve instead of “all that looking at the tip of the arrow stuff” I do. I thanked him for his suggestions and wished him well.

[grumpy]

#39502

Been there. It is even worse if you are fly casting. My form is terrible, and would take years to change, but I can put a fly where I want it.

[Etter1]

#40496

Im amazed at the difference in energy released from different bows at the same draw weights. My black widow draws to a out 52 lbs at my draw length but I had to tune my arrows to levels I would have expected from a 65lb or more bow. Fast flight strings seem to really throw some power into any setup.

[jpc]

#40521

etter1 wrote: Im amazed at the difference in energy released from different bows at the same draw weights. My black widow draws to a out 52 lbs at my draw length but I had to tune my arrows to levels I would have expected from a 65lb or more bow. Fast flight strings seem to really throw some power into any setup.

And if you shoot the new Border Hunter bow you will have same results with Borderbow @ 42 than with Black Widow 55 Lbs

I tryed

Have a look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m1ad2O7s04

[Etter1]

#40805

jpc wrote: [quote=etter1]Im amazed at the difference in energy released from different bows at the same draw weights. My black widow draws to a out 52 lbs at my draw length but I had to tune my arrows to levels I would have expected from a 65lb or more bow. Fast flight strings seem to really throw some power into any setup.

And if you shoot the new Border Hunter bow you will have same results with Borderbow @ 42 than with Black Widow 55 Lbs

I tryed

Have a look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m1ad2O7s04

How is that the same? Your bow said 55lbs?

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