So i wanna hear about who shoots real light bows, say 45 lbs or less. What all animals have u killed with them. What was ur setup. What was ur reasoning for shooting such a light bow?
Just read an article in Bowhunter Australia where a 10yo killed a goat nanny with a 20lb longbow, heart shot at 7yds. Article said the arrow was just hanging out the far side. Not sure about the arrow setup, but whatever it was, it worked.
i remember when i was younger i got into a box of my dads old archery magazines from the late 60's-70's. In the back of the mag where readers sent in success pictures it seemed that most of the guys back then were shooting deer with 40-45# bows.
shoot a 42 and 45lb bow. Reasons: i can hold better form, can shoot more without fatigue, shoulder surgery several years ago.
nicest kill was a 150lb 8pt last season - arrow is about 450grains with a magnus 4blade stinger out front.
matt G
i see no reason to go down in bow holding weight unless prescribed by physical ailment, as long as that holding weight is in compliance with the hunting venue legal regulations, and is commensurate with the type of game hunted.
a 40# holding weight may be legal and fine for small game such as rabbits, or thin skinned game such as deer, but at the least will be questionable for other types of larger, thicker skinned and boned game.
add into the equation the most important part, the arrow - it must fly well, have a sharp coc broadhead, be of reasonable mass weight, and the operator (bowhunter) need to be able to consistently hit the mark under hunting conditions and at reasonable shooting distances. better to have superior accuracy with a 45# stickbow than a 55# stickbow with limited accuracy. all predicated by the game to be hunted, too.
if yer not physically challenged, it will pay to pack a bigger stickbow hunting punch. won't take long to increase holding weight by 5 to 10 pounds, and if that deer 'jumps the string' and the broadhead hits in a less than desirable spot, yer chances of a good kill are increased.
jmho and ymmv.
Killed a bunch of rabbits with a solid orange, fiberglass bow of no more than 15-20 lbs before I was a teen ager. I loved that little bow, wish I knew where it is.
If one is looking to drop weight, to improve form and accuracy it is a good thing.
I do still hunt with bows as heavy as I can shoot accurately. Which in my case is about 60#'s at my 30" draw. I also know as I age that will decrease at some point in time.
What limits me the most is a bad neck and shoulder from a motorcycle crash.
Some of the bows out there do get a great deal of performance for a lower weight. If and when I do go to lower weight bows for my hunting bows. Those bows will be one of these A&H ACS come to mind as well as the Centaur.
As stated on this site many times; perfect arrow flight with really OMG they are sharp broadheads out front is essential.
QuoteOriginally posted by HcSmitty:
So i wanna hear about who shoots real light bows, say 45 lbs or less. What all animals have u killed with them. What was ur setup. What was ur reasoning for shooting such a light bow?
There was a point in time when 45# was the norm for whitetail hunters for one reason, because it worked. These days folks seem to think whitetails have Kevlar for hide and rebar for ribs. ;)
My paternal grandfather hunted with a recurve pulling 42# @ 26" with 400-something-grain aluminums and 3-blade glue-on heads. He killed a
lot of deer in his life, and rarely ever kept an arrow in a whitetail -- in one side, out the other. It worked just fine then; it still works just fine now.
Get it sharp, get it flying straight, get it where it belongs. The rest is just hair splitting.
All states have a minimum weight for big game animals. In Washington state that weight is 40lbs.
When young I too shot high poundage bows, I now shoot 40lb for deer and 50 for elk. I do have a 57lbs self bow that I made this year but have yet to hunt with it.
My point is that as we get older we start to lose muscle mass and it is not as easy to shoot a higher weight bow with the same accuracy. A well placed arrow is much more effective from a lighter bow than a not so well placed from a heavier bow.
Many of the folks in our area that have been hunting as I have for 40+ years have gone to the lighter weight bows with excellent results.
Texas does not have a minimum weight poundage for bowhunting.
I have two bows and you can see in my signature the poundages they are, what size aluminum arrows I shoot, the tip weight of these arrows, the overall weight of these very heavy aluminum arrows and the GPP (grains per pound) they are for each arrow.
I shoot light poundage bows because I don't take a shot over 20 yards and these poundages will easily dispatach whitetail deer, mule deer, small feral hogs, and javelina. These are the animals I primarily bowhunt.
For my broadheads, my 37# bow shoots a 145 grain STOS 2 blade broadhead and my 42# bow shoots a 160 grain 2 blade STOS broadhead. When I was much younger, I shot Bear Razorheads.
So; light poundage bows, heavy arrows, scary sharp 2 blade broadheads, 20 yards or less for the bowshot and waiting for a broadside shot where I can take out both lungs on a pass through shot has always worked for me during my 46 year bowhunting career.
I might add, my pass through shots are classified where the arrow enters the deer, exits the deer on the opposite side where the arrow is still in flight in the air until it hits the ground.
i hunt with 38 -43 lbs longbows and recurves,for deer ,turkey,rabbits nutters and have no problem ,but if i was going to hunt big ol nasty hog ,i would go 45-48lbs ,i have killed alot of game with light weight ,had a very sharp 2 blade head on and my arrows are right at 10gpp,i also shoot light weight cause i can ,your realease has got to be good ,cause you dont have alot of tension on the string ,plus i can shoot for a good 4 hours non stop and not get tired,hey nightwing thats the same broadhead i use ,its hard to be that stos when its scary sharp
I shoot a Beeler 56" Tracker longbow (short to some)41#@24" but am drawing 44# at my actual draw length. I shoot a light weight bow for medical reasons. Earlier in the season I killed a hog around 120lbs. with my longbow. My setup is 26" 1916 XX75 Camo Hunter shafts, three 4" parabolic feathers, uni-nock system with X-nock, aluminum insert, and a 250 gr. broad head. FOC is 22% and I keep my shots to 12 yards or less. Brace height is as low as I can get it and still function optimally (BH = 6 3/4"). And yes, the broad head is very sharp. I have had to do a tremendous of fine tuning in order to be able to hunt both effectively and efficiently with my setup. Dave Beeler and Tim at Braveheart Archery have been very helpful in achieving my hunting goals with this bow. If I am correct in my measurements my gpp is a little over 13 gpp.
I hate being referred to as u. Makes me feel cheap.
I killed a doe fawn with a bow pulling maybe 42 pounds at my draw. Spined her at 25 yards, and followed up with another arrow. Both stone points made holes in two vertebrae.
Killdeer
Hunt with what you are comfortable shooting and make sure your arrows are tuned well/broadheads sharp.
I hear stories of pass through shots on deer with 40 lb bows all the time. One guy shot a 200 lb buck with a 40 lb recurve and old thunder head screw in broadheads. Yep they were not cut on contact. Zipped right through the deer. 18 yards broaadside shot!
I am not recommending any type of broadhead or bow. That would be soliciting. I do however recommend becoming a proficient shot and make sure your arrows are perfect. Keep your shots ethical, learn how to track and you will recover almost all your game! (unless coyotes beat you to it).
Good Luck!
one thing for sure, i would NOT advocate the use of really light holding weights for trad bowhunting any critters.
it's one thing if you really know what yer doing, and completely another if you don't, particularly with concern towards newbies.
use the heaviest holding weight you can accurately shoot under hunting conditions.
Rob, I agree that people need to use the heaviest holding weight they can shoot accurately. But some of us are not able to do that and we have to work doubly hard at creating and tuning a setup that will allow us to hunt as effectively and efficiently as possible. Shooting the 120 lb hog was no doubt pushing the envelope as far as hunting hogs go. Normally the ones I shoot are in the 70 to 80 lb class but I had to find out what my setup would do on the larger hogs. On the hog I shot the arrow entered just behind and slightly above the elbow on the left side and exited on the right side. The one thing that bothered me about the shot was that upon exiting on the right side the broad head hit the right elbow and stopped. He ran a fair distance before expiring, but there was plenty of blood to follow. I suppose people could say that I just got lucky and they may be right, but I like to think it was the result of a lot of hard work tuning and practice. I made a mistake on my previous post (edited it) concerning the draw weight and draw length, which is 41#@24" while I actually draw a little over 25". One thing I didn't mention about my setup is that the bow is cut to center allowing me to shoot a wider range of spines.
ron, in my posts about this subject i've always said use the most holding weight you physically can, to meet any legal bowhunting requirements.
nothing wrong with a 40# stickbow for deer hunting if that's all you can muster with consistent accuracy.
however, imho, light holding draw weights make for more critical bowhunting, with more care required, and less of a margin for error.
Spike buck with a Treadway Black Swamp longbow 56" ,43# @ 28". I draw about 27" so i figure 40# at my draw. Excellent little bow that I can shoot all day and not get tired.Its more than enough.
Hi,Merry Xmas!This is Debbie Rash at Legends Bows.I have shot alot of big game with a 35# bow.I have never had any problem.My shots are within 25 yrds.Most have been at 15-20yrds.My arrows are Axes and are 480grns.and a very sharp 2-blade head.Pick your shots and put it there.You just need to hunt smart within your personal effective range.California dosnt have a weight requirment,its guaged by the cast of the arrow.You can see some of my trophies on our website in the "Trophy Room" that i have taken with this set up.Everyone enjoy your Xmas,and have a wonderful New Year!
I am 62 and my go to bow is a 66" 40# ILF recurve( Hoyt riser with TradTech carbon limbs ) my carbons are 425gr 31 1/4" with 190gr up front, my Grizzly BH's are hair splitting sharp and I would not hesitate to shoot anything huntable here in the NW...PR
Rob, I agree with you 100% about shooting and drawing the most holding weight one can. I also like and agree with your statement about light holding weights and "CRITICL BOWHUNTING". There are essential decisions that the low draw weight and short draw length shooter must keep in mind when deciding to hunt with the setup they have chosen. That concept, "CRITICAL BOWHUNTING" probably should be a part of our everyday vocabulary when it comes to bowhunting, no matter what the draw weight and draw length.
QuoteOriginally posted by RonD:
Rob, I agree with you 100% about shooting and drawing the most holding weight one can. I also like and agree with your statement about light holding weights and "CRITICL BOWHUNTING". There are essential decisions that the low draw weight and short draw length shooter must keep in mind when deciding to hunt with the setup they have chosen. That concept, "CRITICAL BOWHUNTING" probably should be a part of our everyday vocabulary when it comes to bowhunting, no matter what the draw weight and draw length.
yes indeed, ron. and, imo, the lighter one goes (holding draw weight), the more critical 'critical bowhunting' becomes ...
QuoteOriginally posted by RonD:
That concept, "CRITICAL BOWHUNTING" probably should be a part of our everyday vocabulary when it comes to bowhunting, no matter what the draw weight and draw length.
Exactly! I was always taught to take only high percentage "gimme" shots. Over the last 26 seasons I've hunted with draw weight from 40 to 67, and my choice of shot selection has always been the same.
Here are some links on the subject... Enjoy
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=095021#000014
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=090821
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=095021;p=2#000025
Rob, I with you 100%. I've always shot the heavist bow I could shoot accurately. When I turned 59 I moved up in weight instead of down.I get a lot better release and better trajectory. This helps with errors made in yardage also. I am not a big guy. I am 6' and weigh 170, so really I'm skinny, but at 60 years old I am shooting a 64# bow.If I hit bone this gives me a better chance of getting around or thru it. If a person has physical ailments that prevent him from using a heavier bow I understand, but I also know we have a responsibility to the animals we hunt to do the best we can.
Go over to Pete Wards site and read about his friend's moose that he took with a 43# bow. I'm not judging that decision, just stating it happened.
It was a HIGHLY skilled/acomplished hunter that pulled that off and that is something to consider.
Personally, I am noticing a Cordovan tab is allowing me to shoot heavier bows more comfortably. I am also not saying you should shoot heavier. It is just something I noticed that made me more comfortable shooting heavier bows.
I'm still having a bit of trouble with 45# being a "really light" bow. I shoot weights from 41-46# and all will do the job for me on big game if I do my part choosing heavy arrows, sharpening heads and placing the shot properly. Having said that, I don't expect to ever be able to hunt Moose or big bears with my traditional tackle. To me, "really light" is 35# and under, fine for small game, marginal otherwise.
one thing that terry green and i have talked about extensively in the past are concerns about threads such as this that might be construed as in some way promoting or 'blessing' the lighter holding weight side of trad bowhunting. therefore ...
trad gang does not endorse 'going light' for the sake of light holding weight itself, and we urge trad bowhunters to employ as much bow holding weight as can be readily controlled for consistent accuracy under hunting conditions.
'going light' simply means using a stickbow that's of less holding weight than you normally, accurately, could utilize.
and do please be aware of the proper gear and bow holding weights for hunting larger and/or 'tougher' critters.
thank you.
I don't think the membership on this forum shoots below what they can hold at a maximum and I certainly would not advocate shooting a lighter weight bow for the sake of going light. That defeats the whole purpose of hunting. For those of us here shooting lighter weight bows and having lower draw lengths I am of the opinion that we are very selective in the species we hunt and those we do hunt we are very selective in the effective ranges chosen when shooting at an animal. I believe the membership of this forum are very ethical people as well as hunters. For me, the only species I hunt are hogs, and even in that regard I am very selective in the size of hog harvested and the shooting range with which I am most comfortable. Of equal importance to the out of necessity lighter weight bow hunter is the tuning of the bow and shooting proficiency. I also think this is part of the selection process in choosing a custom bow that fits the shooter and gives them maximum performance in the hunting situation. I don't think the intent of this thread is to advocate lighter weight bows for the sake of a lighter weight in the hunting situation simply because it is easier. As one of the members pointed out above, we have a responsibility to the animals we hunt and the tradition that makes traditional bowhunting traditional.
If a person shoots 60# bow at 28" with B-50 and I shoot a 50# bow at 30" with D-97, I probably get more bang for the buck. Then make the 50# a recurve and the 60# a longbow and you have a bit more. Much more to this equation than draw weight. That being said I believe if you are going hunting big game take a hunting bow," The most weight you can shoot well".
No weight limit here in Mo.
I guess I'll keep his around when I need to buy my next bow.
After all, I know I can get at least 2 shots off of an 80 lb bow. :readit:
This debate will end the same way it started. With a question.
I think Rob's comment about Hunters being critical about the shots they take, was the best advice on this thread.
Now go lift weights and and buy heavy holding weight bows. You owe it to your game to stay in shape physically and mentally. ;)
Happy Hunting!
It takes some time and effort to figure out one's individual ideal bow weight. In my humble opinion, that is a bow that you can handle consistently and accurately when a shot presents itself.
In my neck of the woods a shot will generally present itself after a long wait on stand. First shot accuracy with cold muscles and no warm up will call for a bow that is a little bit lighter in draw weight than what I can shoot after I have warmed up.
I spend time going out into the yard and taking one shot and evaluating how that one shot turned out.
Suffice it to say here that the most ethical individual draw weight is the maximum weight that I can handle for a single critical shot with cold muscles under typical hunting conditions. I have found that age and arthritis have has an effect on what that weight happens to be at this point in my life.
Besides, it is the broadhead that does the work and a sharp broadhead from a 45# bow is always preferable to a dull broadhead from a 60# bow. And, of course, I know that a sharp broadhead from a higher weight bow will give us a margin of error and a longer effective range.
Keep them sharp!
Joe
right on the money, joe - great post, sir!
No minimum weight in KS either.
Last year I took a 3.5 yr old buck that field dressed right at 200 lbs. Great Northern Critter Gitter, 43# @ 27" (my draw). Wood arrow, sharp 160 gr Stos, 15 yd shot. Recovery 150 yds. I also took a mature doe with the same set up. 20 yd shot and 80 yd. recovery. This yr. I shot a 7 pt. at 20 yds. that field dressed 190 lbs late in the rut, 42# @ 27", recurve. 150 yd. recovery. Heritage 90, 125 gr steel insert with a 130 gr Stos. The key is close shots, fine tuned arrows and extremely sharp broadheads. I can shoot
52# @ 27" but not nearly as good as a bow in the low to mid 40#'s at my draw length. Shoot what you shoot best!!! Have the arrow fine tuned and an extremely sharp broadhead.
QuoteOriginally posted by fishone:
Last year I took a 3.5 yr old buck that field dressed right at 200 lbs. Great Northern Critter Gitter, 43# @ 27" (my draw). Wood arrow, sharp 160 gr Stos, 15 yd shot. Recovery 150 yds. I also took a mature doe with the same set up. 20 yd shot and 80 yd. recovery. This yr. I shot a 7 pt. at 20 yds. that field dressed 190 lbs late in the rut, 42# @ 27", recurve. 150 yd. recovery. Heritage 90, 125 gr steel insert with a 130 gr Stos. The key is close shots, fine tuned arrows and extremely sharp broadheads. I can shoot
52# @ 27" but not nearly as good as a bow in the low to mid 40#'s at my draw length. Shoot what you shoot best!!! Have the arrow fine tuned and an extremely sharp broadhead.
good thinking and the right way to go! :thumbsup:
Well ya see guys, i do shoot really light lbs on both the bows i shoot. Ones a humingbird dynabow recurve 52lb @28. N a "alex bow"???? longbow 50lb @27. With my 24 1/2 draw the huminbird is right at 40lbs n some how the longbow is heavier at 42 lbs. Both bows more than performed this year. No complete pass throughs. first 3 deer were shot with the longbow n tha last 2 were with the dear ol huminbird that i love so dearly. Im thinkin bout investing n a new bow. Bein that im sooo small id like to buy a 58in recurve to git more performance. And id like to try n go up in weight. I just dont wanna sacrifice what all ive learned over the past 5 yrs just for more performance. Id only be hunting deer n turkeys. But i do kno if i go up n weight itd open up the possiblitys for elk and hogs n other game. But im not to sure. Im very satisfied with the way im shooting right now.
Back in he early 60's I remember reading in "Archery Mag" That many PA hunters (then one of the sates with the most bow hunters) Used their target bows (around 35# or so) for deer hunting and pig hunting. Many picturew ofsuccessful hunters. Light set-ups will do the job.
Having said that, I still think one should shoot as heavy a bow as one can handle comfortably.
My wife shoots 37 and 38 pound bows. Every deer she has taken the arrow either passed through or was sticking out the other side, except for one two years ago. It was shot with a Darton that is 42 at 28, she draws a little over 26". The deer jumped at the 14 yard shot and caught the deer in the ham. The Grizzly stopped at the far left scapula, about half of the broadhead went into the scapula. I make sure that her arrows fly perfect, 420 grain cedars, and the broadheads are as sharp as I can get them. Her new bow has better cast, but she past on a buck this year that was too alert, so she let it pass by. All of her deer have been taken from the ground, scared of heights, I think the ideal range and the angle has a lot to do with her penetration and recovery success.
Something to be said that if one has a 45 to 50 pound longbow at 26" everyone will think it is enough, but a 38 pound NAT that puts out the same arrow faster is questionable. The number on the bow is only a starting point, The arrow is more important in the lighter ranges. It has to do its job perfectly. An arrow shot under drawn will fly loggy, if the person gets a predictable clean flight from a lighter bow, it will have more killing power than the bad flying short drawn arrow from the heavier setup every time. I think that if we were honest with ourselves we can all agree that things like short draws happen when shooting at game when shooting more weight when that first cold shot is taken. Byron Ferguson said that he likes to hunt with bows that are a little shorter to cover himself for that accidental short draw.
what we all don't want is for some newbie to read through this thread and decide that it's ok to use a 35# target stickbow to hunt deer. that's a prescription for disaster far more than success, and not gonna be good for trad bowhunting.