My son wants to deer hunt with me this year and I wonder if his 35lbs. recurve would be sufficient to kill a deer.
Most certainly, if his arrows fly straight and his broadheads are razor sharp. Many deer have been killed with less.
35 Lbs. is plenty for deer, again provided that his arrows are spined properly and a "scary" sharp broadhead is attached to the business end. Just be sure to check with your local Game authorities to ensure 35 Lbs. is legal and whether a Hunter Safety Course is required. Some states require a 40 Lb. minimum.
Best of luck to you and your son.
I agree with Don, but keep the shots close, and make sure he can reliably place the shot well. Proper shot placement is always key, even with 100# bows. Hit'm is the guts or worse and they'll go forever, especially if pushed.
Thanks for the input! Can't wait to hunt with him this year! He'll be pumped to hear his bow is enough!
I'll put him in a stand with a point blank shot!Give him a slam dunk!
i did a quick search on the Georgia DNR regs for minimum weights but i couldn't find where they had been published for this year. i think 35lbs is sufficient, but for some reason i'm thinking Georgia has a minimum 40 lb weight limit....could be just my old grey matter....
Is it 35# at his draw length? Does it meet a minimum weight the state might require? If so, have at it. Good luck.
I did not find a minimium draw wieght for Ga. in the regs. This bow I just won at the TBG banquet.
All my bows are 50lbs and up. Too much for him. this bow has a rattle snake backing but no shelf or rest. I plan on adding a flipper rest to it.
I'm ordering me another hunting bow and it's going to be 35# at my 30" drawlength. I want it for casual target practice, hunting bullfrogs, rabbits and javelina, but I wouldn't hesitate one second to use it for deer hunting where I live in Texas. Our whitetailed deer aren't as large as the ones are in the northern states of the US.
Ga regs are very vague. No draw weight and also vague about arrows..." must be a broadhead type arrow...". It will probably be up to the discretion of the DNR officer you encounter.
A few years ago, Mike Treadway shot a 5x5 elk with one of his 41# bows and it was a pass through shot. If your son can put the arrow where it need to be, I'd say he would be OK with 35#.
Giving him a point blank shot might not be a wise decision. Movement becomes more of a factor. There are no "slam dunk shots" that I know of on a live animal. Pat
I shot a doe with a 43# longbow, that was the lightest I have used. But with proper arrow placement with a sharp broadhead, lighter weight bows are quite deadly.
But Orion makes a good point. If it is 35#@28 and he only drawing 25" or something you are talking a bow under 30#.
know a guy that had a pass through with a 32lb bow
I really hate these threads, everytime people rush to praise how deadly lightweight bows are "when everything is perfect" and mostly its based on what someone told them. The problem is when someone is just starting out, they don't have the experience to know "when everything is perfect".
A deer shot in the lungs from an arrow is a dead deer whether the arrow was shot from a 35# bow or a 55# bow. A deer is a thin skinned animal and the lungs of a deer take up a large space inside a deer's body which makes a good target for a bowhunter. The lungs are my preferred target when bowhunting for deer. If I can't get a lung shot, I don't take the shot and let the deer pass even if I was shooting a 55# bow. My Longhorn longbow is 41#s and my Blacktail T/D recurve is 42#s.
Let me elaborate on my post. I once had a deer (Doe) walk directly under my tree stand and turned quartering away at 6 steps. It was a very still afternoon and I was hunting with my 52# Sweptwing recurve. Due to the stillness, I only drew about 12" (or about 30#) I released the arrow and it struck the back rib, angling thru the vitals and exited in front of the off shoulder (not a pass thru but exited about 6" past the broadhead). She only ran about 75 yards before piling up.
I was shooting a 2114 aluminum arrow with a 125 grain "scary" sharp Zwickey Black Diamond.
Hope that experience was "first hand" enough. In reading above, I don't ever remember deer hunting "when everything is perfect"...If it were perfect, we would call it Kill'in instead of Hunt'in. IMHO
You can certainly kill deer with 35lbs., but it's a marginal weight in my opinion. Frankly, if 35lbs. were what I had to shoot, I'd look for compound compatible with a finger release (don't know if they still make those anymore.)
Theres a VAST difference between a deer thats ALMOST at a perfect shot angle and one that isn't or one thats at ALMOST the perfect distance or just a little past it or a deer thats PERFECTLY still and calm or one thats on alert and ready to bolt. Also a very big difference between deer, I know guys that have killed does that weighed less than 20#'s field dressed and guys that have killed bucks that weighed in the 300# range live weight, what may be perfectly adequate for one, isn't necessarily so for the other. ONE instance is hardly a realistic test for the adequacy of anything, I can site quite a few instances of poor penetration from bows that were borderline and the one thing that will or at least should sour a new bowhunter is having an animal run off with an arrow in it and not finding it.
Arrows kill by hemorrhage, not speed or force. Any bow that puts the arrow through the chest will kill the deer as dead as the strongest bow on Earth.
I'm assuming that Irish Bowhunter will mentor his boy properly, and make sure he does his best. There's only one way to gain the necessary experience... just do it. We have to start somewhere, and this boy is lucky that he has a dad that's willing to take the time to get him started right.
I know of alot of deer that were harvested with 30# bows. depends on what is legal in your state
Back in the 50's and 60's a lot of deer were taken with bows in the 30's. However, a lot of states have minumum draw weights for hunting bows so you may be taking a legal risk with such a light bow. Check your state regs.
Don, arrows do kill by hemorage, but without force(energy) you have no penetration and no hemoraging.
My paternal grandfather killed dozens of Wisconsin whitetails over decades of bowhunting with a recurve pulling 42# @ his 26" draw length with a Dacron string. His preferred arrows were in the mid-400-grain range with 3-blade cut-on-impact heads. He rarely had anything but pass throughs.
How that compares to your son's draw length and a 35# recurve with a modern string and presumably 2-blade heads, I don't know. But WI has a 30# minimum for whitetails, and while I'm sure it's happened, I've never heard of anyone losing a deer due to poor penetration with a light weight recurve and good shot placement.
Rick,
All you need is 6" of penetration to completely kill a deer, it might take a while but it will die. I'm pretty sure you could get 6" pen. from a blow gun. It's a kid learning, and probably won't even get a good chance his first year. Lighten up
A lightweight bow in the hands of someone without experiance is probably almost as bad as giving them a bow too heavy.Someone with experiance would be different and a 35lb bow is plenty for cleanly killing deer and other game if common sense is used in selecting broadheads and shots.That being said...a youngster that is supervised and put into a situation when the shot distance is limited and someone there to help make the call on when to shoot is the best way to go.In a case like that I would take the kid hunting if all he could shoot was a 25lb bow IF it was legal.I say that because I would be controling the most important thing whick is the shot selection.jmho
I agree that a 35# bow is sufficient to kill a deer. My dad had several pass through shots on deer with a 38# bear grizzly. That doesn't negate what Mr. McGowan and Mr. Lewis have said. It is a marginal weight, and there is little room for error. A deer with heavy ribs may very well stop an arrow from this bow, as well as a shot through the skinny part of the scapula. I don't recall if the question was answered as to what the draw weight of the bow would be at the child's draw length. At some point there is probably a limit on how low you should go. That being said, as long as the parties are aware of the factors and choose their shot wisely, I wish them success.
Guys, thank you all for your input! I know evryone means well and has the sports best intrest and my sons as well as a beginer bowhunter.You all had valid points. I will take it all into consideration. I'll have Hunter realize the limitations of his bow. His broad head will be wicked sharp! And he will be instructed to only take a shot at a standing broad side deer. He's mature for his age and I feel sure he will only take a good shot when given the chance. thanks agin for everyone's input!
yes, I killed my first whitetail an 8pt with a 25# bow, a heavy arrow and a sharp bear broadhead at 8 yards. Was it the best set up...that's opinion but it was what i could handle and shoot well at that age.
Get him in the woods (if he hasn't been yet)and close to deer...I'm sure he still get the shakes.
Just remember it's about the hunt and spending some time with your son..Enjoy and best of luck.
I, like Drew, also killed my first few deer with 25lbs starting in 1978. It was not a trad bow, but the old Bear LTD compound that you could take the cables off the 2 small wheels off the riser and reduce the draw weight by 50%.
But for the sake of this discussion, it was 25lbs. We shot fingers and instinctive back then, with Bear broadheads with bleeders.
I don't recall any total pass thru's, with the arrow laying on the ground, but I do recall the deer dying within sight and the arrow going in far enough.
With a "modern" trad bow design with new string material, I wouldn't think twice about 35lbs. Especially if you shoot 10-12 yards.
In fact, about a year or so ago I almost bought a 35lb Whisperstik recurve that JD made up. I almost bought it for myself! I fiqured in Late December in Michigan, with possibly frigid temps and bulked up wool, 35lbs may draw nice after 4 hours out there. And I'm 6'2" 210lbs.
Instead I've settled on my 42lb Thunderstick for those late season conditions.
Had a friend that killed one with a 32# recurve. Good luck !
here in california, the law says a 'legal' hunting bow must cast a 'legal' hunting arrow 130 yards in a horizontal direction. a 'legal' hunting arrow is one of at least 7/8" across the cutting head at it's widest...
I think you should set the bow up as it will be for hunting and honestly evaluate the bow's performance as your son shoots it. If you have experience shooting deer with traditional equipment, you will know whether the combination is capable or not.
Something to keep in mind is a 35# bow is not neccessarily a 35# bow. I'm surprised someone didn't bring this up already. If the bow is specifically designed for kids, the performance level may not be comparable. I have several laminated youth recurves in the 25-35 range that are not even close to hunting capable. They look the part, but were not designed as hunting bows.
I agree that 35# can kill deer. I also agree with everything Rick McGowan said. There is a bunch more to consider than just the # number on the bow.
I really hate these threads, everytime people rush to praise how deadly lightweight bows are "when everything is perfect" and mostly its based on what someone told them. The problem is when someone is just starting out, they don't have the experience to know "when everything is perfect".
Rick is dead on.
Light tackle is considered sporting for fishing -if your skill is lacking, the 20 pound grouper breaks the 8 pound mono.
Trying to thread the needle of the kill zone using the weakest draw possible just seems disrespectful and silly.
i've killed an awful lot of deer, bear, and elk, and i've never had to thread a needle to hit the kill area on any of them. it's actually a pretty big area.
i find it neither disrespectful or silly to follow the laws of the state you are hunting in and shoot the animals allowed with the equipment allowed!
Guy's again, thanks so much for your input!! I can't wait for this up comming deer season with Hunter! I'll keep you posted!!