Hi all,
Got a question. I am shooting a Double BB Whisper Stix 2 longbow marked 47@28, but it feels a bit lighter. My draw is only 26 inches though, so I figure I am only shooting around 40 lbs. Got good arrows and Magnus stingers that are pretty sharp. I can shoot the bow fairly accurately, 6 inch, 5 arrow groups at 20 yards. Its not great, i know, but I am still practicing hard with instinctive shooting.
Am I being too paranoid in thinking that I am just going to maim a deer if I shoot one with this setup? Its a really nice bow; it is not ultra fast, but alot of that has to do with me being a short draw length I think. Anchoring at the corner of my mouth, should I try to change to my jawbone? Any advice is apppreciated.
While nothing can replace good shot placement and a scary sharp broadhead, you have to decide what is an ethical shot distance for you. There are plenty of examples of ethical kills with bows in your draw weight range.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=112539
I killed my first with a 47# Bear Alaskan at 13 yards with Easton 2016 and a very sharp Bear Razorhead. And my draw was about 26 1/2". Complete pass through. But typically, even today I'm most comfortable inside 15 yards with 20 being the limit for me.
keep shooting the way are. as your acuracy improves the more confident you will get. you can kill a whitetail with that set up. if you shoot a deer where you are supposed to hit them you will kill it.
Stay out of the shoulder, keep your shots close and you have no problems with bow weight
I draw to 26 also, shooting 47 lbs. I have shot completely through a big doe with a 2 blade magnus. And penetrated through both side on a really good buck using a 150 grain snuffer. With a two blade you will not have any problem, if your going to shoot a 3 blade, i would say use a blade that is not as wide as a snuffer, like the WW'S. That is what i switched to this year. My bowyer told me he shot through a bear with his 40 pound longbow and a two blade. Your set up will be fine for deer sized game. Good Luck
Check out the thread a lil further down the page. 40-45 lbs harvest thread. There is all your proof.
No problem with the bow weight. Pretty sharp for the broadhead isn't good enough! Learn how to get them really sharp!
I'd say keeping your arrow weight up is key. I've killed some bigger critters with bows in the low 40's and had great penetration with heavy arrows. I only draw 27"s (when I manage to get to full draw) and shoot arrows between 520 and 625 grains. Hope this helps!
QuoteOriginally posted by rolltidehunter:
keep shooting the way are. as your acuracy improves the more confident you will get. you can kill a whitetail with that set up. if you shoot a deer where you are supposed to hit them you will kill it.
In bowhunting we simply do not always hit game animals with absolute precision with every shot, they move, and we have adrenaline going through our veins! There is always a possibility of wounding an animal, that is just the reality of hunting with any weapon.
If you really want to know what poundage you are shooting, you will need to weigh the bow at your draw-length. I have had bows that in reality were 5 pounds less than marked and ones that were dead on in weight. I would verify the bow by weighing it. This gives you a benchmark on what you are pulling now.
People have killed animals with more and less poundage than you are shooting. 40 pounds is really just too light in my experience. Yes, it has been done, but there is no insurance for when things do not go as planned.
If you are comfortable shooting that weight, maybe work towards lifting some weights, stretch exercises, etc and slowly build up to a heavier bow. There have been multiple articles in trad bowhunter about building up to shoot a heavier bow.
I'm currently refinishing a recurve that pulls exactly 42# at my draw. I'm using Wilderness Surewoods with Eclipse 2-blades and 5" fletch that total 535grains and I see no problem at all out to 20-25yds with this set up.. make sure the arrows are tuned, and the broadheads are sharp and I'd also say to keep the fletching low cut or 4" to 5" only because I know the highbacks slow my arrows pretty much.
My wife has a short draw similar to yours. I think you will be alright with a good arrow placement. Where are you located in Ms?
James
QuoteOriginally posted by rolltidehunter:
QuoteOriginally posted by dragonheart:
QuoteOriginally posted by rolltidehunter:
[qb] keep shooting the way are. as your acuracy improves the more confident you will get. you can kill a whitetail with that set up. if you shoot a deer where you are supposed to hit them you will kill it. [/b]
In bowhunting we simply do not always hit game animals with absolute precision with every shot, they move, and we have adrenaline going through our veins! There is always a possibility of wounding an animal, that is just the reality of hunting with any weapon.
If you really want to know what poundage you are shooting, you will need to weigh the bow at your draw-length. I have had bows that in reality were 5 pounds less than marked and ones that were dead on in weight. I would verify the bow by weighing it. This gives you a benchmark on what you are pulling now.
People have killed animals with more and less poundage than you are shooting. 40 pounds is really just too light in my experience. Yes, it has been done, but there is no insurance for when things do not go as planned.
If you are comfortable shooting that weight, maybe work towards lifting some weights, stretch exercises, etc and slowly build up to a heavier bow. There have been multiple articles in trad bowhunter about building up to shoot a heavier bow. [/b]
right! so more weight will not always the kill animal when it comes to bad hits. this is hunting. yes people make bad shots and yes everyone loses deer due to bad hits including guys that pull alot of weight. its better to be more accurate with less weight than someone being a bad shot b/c they are pulling out of there confort zone
your fine.keep your shoots close.keep up your pratice. an stop worring about it.you got to have confidance in your set up. no time for floundering when its time to take the shot.you got to belive its a good set up.good luck
The fact that you're concerned about it shows you have a good attitude! Good for you and your quarry........good advice given here already.
Get those broadheads shave sharp and hit the woods.
Rather than worry about the tackle set-up study deer anatomy in detail so you know without a doubt correct shot placement. Work on accuracy, and getting the broadhead sharp-sharp-sharp!
I would say 40#s is most likely enough weight at reasonable yardages, put it in the boiler room and you will b good to go I would think. Good luck, and keep the heads super sharp!
40 to 42 pounds, sharp heads, 6" groups at 20 yards, unless you are shooting armor plated deer, the only things I would be concerned about 1. Are arrows tracking straight behind your broadheads and shot timing. I am sure you know where the arrow is suppose to go and I would bet that arrow flight is good. Shooting a live deer takes timing and nerve, I have seen lots of good shots that don't shoot so good at live deer, then again I have seen guys that were not such good shots shoot better at a live deer. Shoot at small game first if you want to gain confidence, you have enough power.
Then what is too light of a bow weight for a hunting bow?
Well Jeff, its determined by the state law.
I agree with you that a bow should be the heaviest weight that you can shoot accurately. But some people cant afford any bow other than what they have be it 40 or 80. Others cant pull more than 38#, etc.no matter what they can afford.
So the state law determines it, if this is on the low end poundage wise... but legal, following the advice here is the best bet. Those who have I choice I agree (IMHO) should shoot as heavy as they can accurately just for those times when mother nature throws a curve your way. The most accurate shot in the world when released doesn't matter if the animal moves after the release.
Gotta balance it all as best we can.....
dragonheart asks a good question. I've owned two bows, 1- in the middle #40's that shot a 480 gr arrow at 150fps. 2- in the middle #30's that shot the exact same arrow at 162 fps.
Here in Wa state the minimum legal big game bow is #40. So many things factor into an efficient bow for deer...bow design, tuning, arrow weight (FOC EFOC), bowstring and so on. Having said all this the shooter is the biggest factor. If he/she does their part, today's gear in the #40 range works.
Most states will set a min. bow weight. I guess my perspective is a bit skewed. In my neck of the woods, you never know when you are going to get an opportunity at a wild boar. My setup has to perform not just on a deer, but also on a wild hog. The pig is the test.
The buck in my avatar was a big bodied son of a buck (pun intended). I shot him with a 46 pound, 21st century longbow @ my 26" draw. Did not get a pass thru on soft tissue, liver shot. I hit a rib going in. That was in 2003 and I have not hunted with a bow below 50 pounds since.
I shot a small boar in the "goody box" with a 600 grain arrow out of a 57 pound longbow and only got about 8" of penetration total.
I killed and found both animals. A pass thru, getting the BH thru the other side of the animal increases your ability to recover that animal. 2 holes let out more blood to follow than one. That has been shown thru research and is what I want in a hunting set up.
I recently read where Abe Penner killed a moose with 53 pound longbow and a super heavy arrow and tuffhead. Not saying you cannot kill critters with bows of lower weight.
You have the equipment you have. We all work to be proficient as we can with our given bow & arrow set up. Most people will never even think of hunting with stickbow unless they are pretty serious about shooting.
The trend for the last few years has been towards lighter bows for hunting. As with most things, that has some good and some bad too it. Too light, too heavy, I guess in the end, we each must find the balance for ourselves at a given point in our adventure in archery.
Thanks for all the encouragement. Just got done finishing broadheads on a leather strap. Everything in my quiver is shaving sharp except the small game head, and its close. Hopefully I will get a shot this weekend...
James, I am located in Brookhaven, MS, but hope to be up around Rolling Fork at Twin Oaks one day next week. Is the hunting there any good this time of year?
If youre shooting 6 inch groups at 20 yds you are the man and I doubt if your accuracy will improve to be much better than that. Thats way better than i can shoot and better than anyone I know. 6 inch groups is just 3 inches each side of your spot. Thats very good shooting and with a good 2 blade you should be able to keep your arrow in the ribs easily and if you do you can kill an elk with that bow. Go get em!
I've been killing deer with light poundage recurves for the past 47 years and this upcoming February, it'll be 48 years with broadside lung shots at 20 yards and less. Most of my shots are between 12-17 yards.
Light poundage bows will easily kill a deer. Just look at my signature to see the bow poundages I shoot.
You can improve penetration with mass weight. Studies have been done that show a 600 grain arrow out of a 40 lb bow will get PLENTY of penetration and be very lethal.. but you sacrifice speed. Speed is the other issue. A deer ducks at 500 fps (conservative estimate), runs 35 mph, and has a 12 foot vertical leap. To attempt to kill an animal with these stats with a 400 grain projectile @ 150 fps is border line... ummm... nonsensical.
The problem with getting into arguments over bow numbers is that there is quite a wide span of performance from one bow to another and from one shooters set-up to another. A hot shooting under 40 pound bow with a 440 grain straight flying arrow, a sharp two blade head and a shooter that has strong form can have more killing power than someone shooting a slower model bow of greater poundage that possibly is struggling with form and gets a sloppier flying arrow. The parameter of what is lethal needs to be more exact than mere numbers. I don't like to tell someone that knows their stuff and has good shooting technique what their poundage numbers should be. My wife has a bow that is 38 pounds at her draw, she shoots tight groups and is very fluid in the field, I compared her bow to a longbow that was over 50 pounds and shot her arrows really nice, the problem was that her bow shot those same arrows ten feet per second faster. Her bow had more power than mine. Numbers are just numbers, shot placement and performance are real measures of power.
QuoteOriginally posted by pavan:
The problem with getting into arguments over bow numbers is that there is quite a wide span of performance from one bow to another and from one shooters set-up to another. A hot shooting under 40 pound bow with a 440 grain straight flying arrow, a sharp two blade head and a shooter that has strong form can have more killing power than someone shooting a slower model bow of greater poundage that possibly is struggling with form and gets a sloppier flying arrow. The parameter of what is lethal needs to be more exact than mere numbers. I don't like to tell someone that knows their stuff and has good shooting technique what their poundage numbers should be. My wife has a bow that is 38 pounds at her draw, she shoots tight groups and is very fluid in the field, I compared her bow to a longbow that was over 50 pounds and shot her arrows really nice, the problem was that her bow shot those same arrows ten feet per second faster. Her bow had more power than mine. Numbers are just numbers, shot placement and performance are real measures of power.
Well said!
you could give mike brittain, mr. double bb, a call and i bet he would tell you that you are shooting closer to 42 pounds. that might give you a little mental relief. i really like those double bb bows and wouldn't hesitate using a 42# [or a 40# for that matter] on deer or even hogs. and you will most likely shoot the lower poundage bow more accurately than a heavier bow too. IMHO.
bill
oops. just looked at mike's website and he mentions 3# per inch for a longbow.
41# - i'll still go with my above comments.
bill
Good luck. If you hit it in the right place it should easily kill a whitetail, but not necessarilly a pass through. Some food for thought, though. This year I shot one of my lighter bows for deer. That was around 58#@29.5". I made a bad shot on the first shot. Hit too far forward and broke the close side scapula and off side leg bone. The deer dropped down on the front end and gave me time to put one in the heart. I promise you that I am glad that my bow still had enough to get the job done. Not being judgemental, but I don't believe your setup would have had any result other than that deer running off with an arrow stuck in it's scapula. If all I could shoot was your setup, I wouldn't hesitate to hunt deer with it. But I would certainly see if I could work my way up to something with a little more power to help when things go less than perfectly.
No problem killing with your equipment but you cannot let your questioning mental attitude get in the way.
In other words, if you let other thoughts like "I don't want to wound him" YOU WILL! Its the same in any shooting sport, work on total concentration with an all positive thought process.
We have all experienced that one shot that had laser like focus and the arrow magically appears in the spot you were aiming. And we all have experienced the shot where we questioned ourselves and sure enough- got the negative outcome.
I try to model myself after guys like Michael Jordan- does he stop shooting when he misses. Heck no, he has total confidence that that next shot is going in. That shot that misses is a fluke- shrug it off with total focus on the next one cuz its going to be there.
I always have more respect for someone that shoots well a bow they have total control over than for someone that is struggling with too much weight, especially if they just shoot one bow for years at a time, like a friend that has only ever used a 45 pound Super Kodiak, then when he got a new bow he got a 45 pound super Kodiak. I don't know if he has missed a deer, but I do know that he has never lost one that he hit. Certainly, looking for more power is a good thing, but it comes way after confident accuracy in importance.