Elk. . . mid to upper 60's # RD longbow. Either 2,3,or4 blade broadheads. What arrow weight range should I be looking at ?
ChuckC
you've got plenty of bow, 9+ gpi is plenty.
I personally like 10-11. I'd shoot heavier, mostly just because its quieter. Don't fret it. get a good arrow with a good head, make it fly right, at that bow weight..hit em where it counts and you have a dead elk.
Enjoy hunting!
Shooting mid to upper 60#s, any 2, 3 or 4 blade broadhead you choose will get you meat in the freezer.
BTW, I think the "majority" of bowhunters shoot between 10-12 GPP (grains per pound) arrows.
You been hitting the weights, Chuck, or are you asking for Jon? :biglaugh: About 600-650 grains.
Orion
Been taking vitamins a lot the last couple years. Not really comfy with that mid 80's# bow any more (can't even string it I think).
I was just looking for other opinions. I typically add a zero to the bow weight and there ya go.
Thinking of making up some wood arrows for this hunt and I am not sure what kind I want. Cedars at over 600 grains (without 300 grain heads) is a kinda tough thing to do isn't it ?
In keeping with the arrow weight question. . any suggestions on different arrow wood that is tough and heavy, and works well ? I have used ash and they work. How about others ?
ChuckC
When you are looking for strong and heavy wood shafts look at the Douglas Fir shafts. Surewood (sp?) produces excellent shafts.
P.S. I don't think you will find Cedar shafts that are as heavy as you want.
Moe, how are they for durability ? Stumping etc ?
ChuckC
It's possible to find cedar that will make 600-650 grain arrows. I have lots of 11/32 cedar arrows, 29 inches back of point, spined 70-85# that make up into 625 to 675 grain arrows with 135 to 175 grain heads. Also have Doug fir in the same range. Doug fir is tougher, but I still use mostly cedar. I've been collecting the good stuff for more than 30 years so it's very high quality. BTW, I agree with moebow, Surewood produces excellent Doug fir shafts. They're a better choice for stumping than cedar, IMO.
Thanks guys. .
I have a ton of broadheads, all kinds, but I have lately taken a shine to the VPAs. The 175 grain VPAs (both screw and glue) have shown themselves to be reliable heads in my mind.
Guess I am gonna be looking at messing with a batch of Doug Fir shafts shortly and see how they fly for me.
ChuckC
Chuck, I agree with Orion and yes you CAN find heavier POC BUT... The Doug Fir is about as tough a wood as you'll get when you balance out weight, straightness & durability. Sure, you can get some hardwoods like ash but they are reported to be much harder to keep straight.
ANY arrow is going to take its share of damage when we start shooting at unknown targets. Wood will generally break just behind the point, aluminum will bend, and carbon will shatter/splinter. When you are hunting or "stump'n" you must determine if the target is worth an arrow. They are our "bullets" and to a certain extent MUST be considered expendable.
That said, fir will hold up as well as any shaft material out there.
Chuck, I shoot full length 23/64ths cedars with 190 broadheads and they come in at 650 grains. Not every dozen cedar shafts will be of the same weight unless you are carful to buy them that way!
If you go with a hardwood footed cedar or Dfir with rear taper and your 175 broadheads you should be about 600 to 675.
I'm terribly opinionated on broadheads, and firmly believe in a heavy two blade with a long length to width ratio for elk. But, remember that part about opinionated! :)
Monteray. we all are ! That's part of the fun of our talks. As long as we are all courteous and remember that there are many ways to skin a cat, we can have a great time.
Again, thanks
ChuckC
I would go with 600 to 650 grains.
Im almost im the same boat.. But i have 2 sets of arrows tuned to my 63# longbow. One set is 2020 legacys with a 175 gr head that finish weigh 630gr.And the other is larch footed with purple heart that weigh 750gr.. Now if i can settle on the right broadhead.. This will be my first crack at an elk with a longbow so it will be a blast no matter what..
Mike. . find a place to practice shooting up and down hills, steep ones. Not a whole lot of flat in the mountains.
Also, either make a cardboard cut out of a full scale elk to practice, or go to Gander / Cabela's etc and spend time just looking at the elk mounts (full body) from different shot distances. They are bigger than deer by a bunch and tend to look closer than they really are for us midwesterners.
Mostly, don't get caught up in that " I must kill an elk or I failed" mentality. The mountains are awesome places. Enjoy the hunt for what it is. See and smell the roses.
ChuckC
My goal on my last elk hunt was to see a bull and hear him bugle. And that happened our first day scouting so it was a succesful hunt. I actually got a shot at the same bull the last day of the hunt and shot under him.. I cant wait to get back in september...
10 to 11 gr per pound. Sometimes hard to find wood shafts in that weight range 650 to 700gr finished weight. Douglas fir would be my choice.