Just wondering what draw weight is most commonly used for elk hunting. Not the minimun required for your state but what weight do you use and how successful are you.
Thanks
Mike
53-57#'s is my preferred weight. You measure penetration by how deep in the dirt the arrow is after it passes through...
62lbs@ 30" with a scary sharp Zwickey on a 600gn (total weight) carbon or cedar shaft, will pass on through. Sharp and accurate are important.
50# @ 28 worked for me and also for Adam-Abowyer broadheads and 630 gn (total) Doug Fir arrow. Shot placement will trump everything else. :archer2:
I was wondering the same thing about draw weight and arrows for elk and other big game. The comments so far mention pass through. Would it not be better if the deadly part of the arrow, the broadhead, stopped halfway through and continued to do damage to shorten the animal's suffering and hasten takedown?
In December's traditional bowhunter magazine there is an excellent article on that subject. The author tested very primitive bow,arrow and stone broadhead designs that were very small and light. The results were enlightening. The very low poundage, lightweight arrow and tiny stone broadhead shot clean through full size whitetail deer. The broadheads, mostly known as bird shot broadheads were about the size of a thumbnail and capable of taking down big game.
This would suggest that a well placed shot at typical traditional archery hunting distance limits is far more critical than bow weight or arrow weight.
I would not sling that ancient bow and arrow combo at an elk or grizzly but that leads one to believe that a 45# trad bow with matched and balanced arrow/broadhead combo is more than enough to do what you intend to do.
Mike Treadway took a bull Elk with a 41# LB
The most you can shoot with confidence in your distance comfort zone.....Sharp broadhead and a well tuned arrow. Shot placement , shot placement and shot placement!!!!!!! :thumbsup: In fact that's true for whatever your hunting.....from pigs to bears and all in between.
Well since you live here in OR you know the regs show 50# as a minimum and I think that's probably a good starting point. I shoot 72# to 80# with 680gr arrows but I know that it's not necessary. I agree with Ron, shoot the heaviest your comfortable with and that you shoot well.
Took a bull 53@26 550 gr arrow. Sharp grizzly 2 blade
Up here in the Yukon, 45# is the minimum, for Moose, so I guess if it's good for moose, it must be good for elks.... But I like Ron's comment!!
I've gotten 4 with 55# long bows and very sharp broad heads.
Start with your states regulations. "most" hunters dont use 45# bows for elk unless they are dealing with an injury. "Bird Points" or very small stone points will kill deer. a .22cal rifle will kill one also, if placed correctly. Train to use a traditional bow of enough "caliber" that you dont have to worry about penetration.
complete pass thru's are normally much easier to track and IMO the blood trail will be shorter
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
The most you can shoot with confidence in your distance comfort zone.....Sharp broadhead and a well tuned arrow. Shot placement , shot placement and shot placement!!!!!!! :thumbsup: In fact that's true for whatever your hunting.....from pigs to bears and all in between.
X2.
Dont forget, the best shot placement in the world can change after you send the arrow and then the animal moves. A beautiful double lung can turn to a thickly muscled shoulder in the blink of an eye if the animal flinches on you...they are constantly moving. Thats where the most you can accurately shoot will be your friend.
I've always shot a 60# recurve for elk. Lighter weight bows will work just fine, the biggest factor will all animals you shoot no matter the weight is shot placement.
IMO,bigger animal ,means larger kill zone,means one can stretch their shooting distance,which means the need for more horsepower.
If one can stay decipline a lighter weight bow(45-60lbs) is fine.Once you start to stretch past 25yrds.60+lbs is my recipe and arro weight 9+ grs per lbs.
60# spine 11/32 cedar shaft footed w/ cocobola raw weight about 450. Cut to 29" and tapered last 10" 160 grain L Grizzly (matches fletch). Overall weight finished right at 600, spine 57#. It shoots through a 55# Herman like a dart and put down a cow moose this fall. Not a pass through but both lungs and done. Same set up on Texas pigs; 1 double lung and done another I shot a little higher (59# Horne bow) and broke it's spine. I have since retired from shooting the 59#er. I am so much more comfortable and confident w/ the 55# range and confidence/ accuracy is what it is all about.
Thanks for your input. It looks like most of you are drawing in the mid to upper 50's for elk. I'm currently drawing 53# pretty well. I would like to be a bit higher but it doesn't look I would need to be.
Thanks again
Mike
Mike,
Just to remind you, Fred Eichler has taken every recognized species of North American Big Game with a 54# Palmer recurve, including the big bears. An elk is "softer" than some of those other species and certainly does not require a heavier bow than 53#. Nothing wrong with more power, but you sure don't need it. What you need is to be able to shoot a good, well-tuned arrow with a sturdy, sharp broadhead out of your bow and accurately hit the elk in a vital area at the correct angle. Then you must be able to track the elk to where it died, so you can recover it. Buying the right bow is the easy part, and you have accomplished that mission.
Allan
I had a bad shot on a Elk this year in New Mexico. I was in a Double Bull Blind over a water hole and it was tight shooting. I do not know what happened but I hit my Bull a little front and a little high. Both bad places on a Elk. i have killed 4 P&Y Bulls with the wheel bow but this shot with my 49 @ 28 ACS only penetrated 2 or 3 ". I draw 29 and that is close to 52 @ 29. 550 grain arrow. 2 Blade very sharp Werewolf Broadhead by Eclispe. I watched this Bull herd his cows around in a meadow for 30 minutes after I hit him with my arrow hanging out of his shoulder. Very sickening feeling after 10 days of chasing Bulls. The key is shot placement like everyone says. I guess there may be a Trad Bow out there with enough Horse Power to get thru that shoulder Blade. I most likely could not shoot it. Placement is the key.
Thanks, Randy
Shot placement and control are very important aspects of hunting as no animal has ever fallen quickly to a knicked tail. However, when we begin to justify our setups based on effective shot placement to the exclusion of reserve KE for when all is not copacetic, something is lacking in the archer which can and should be remedied. "I'm going to use a bigger bow for a bigger animal and I'll work to achieve the state of being necessary to achieve this end."
QuoteOriginally posted by Forrest Halley:
Shot placement and control are very important aspects of hunting as no animal has ever fallen quickly to a knicked tail. However, when we begin to justify our setups based on effective shot placement to the exclusion of reserve KE for when all is not copacetic, something is lacking in the archer which can and should be remedied. "I'm going to use a bigger bow for a bigger animal and I'll work to achieve the state of being necessary to achieve this end."
Somebody should have told Eichler he needed a heavier bow.
As I recall, Fred jumped up a few pounds for the big bears. I also recall seeing a lot of arrow sticking out of some of the critters in his videos.
And another thought. . . I mean this lovingly. Fred is a very good and experienced hunter. He can pull off the shot nearly every time. We are not all in the same shoes and we sometimes screw up. Thirty five pounds will take a deer most times, but very few of us should use only that.
What is enough for any particular critter depends. . . on everything.
ChuckC
I have not killed an elk but have killed a kudu, waterbuck, and red hartebeest. After seeing what my 50# longbow with scary sharp broadheads on a 530gr arrow did to those critters, I would not hesitate to shoot an elk with it.
I am also a believer that a person should hunt with the most draw weight that they can shoot accurately.
Bisch
I fully understand the accuracy and control thing. I was just curious as to what weight was most commonly used. As for tracking, I'm an experienced hunter and have successfully recovered deer and elk in very difficult conditions, like no blood trail in the rain. I just don't want to be under gunned.
Thanks
Mike
I use a 51# bow and a 580grn. arrow. I have done it very well with same bow weight using a 505 grn. arrow.2 blade broadheads zwickey or magnus.
As I stated before, you need to be legal in your state. However, you should train to use the most weight you can handle. You will get a lot of comments on how someone else used a "35# bow to stop a charging elephant". You should committ yourself to train for traditional archery and not use someones else's light bow kills as a way to justify the fact you are just too lazy to train.
QuoteOriginally posted by OregonBlacktail:
I fully understand the accuracy and control thing. I was just curious as to what weight was most commonly used. As for tracking, I'm an experienced hunter and have successfully recovered deer and elk in very difficult conditions, like no blood trail in the rain. I just don't want to be under gunned.
Thanks
Mike
You're not under-gunned... just remember that above all it's wise decision making that plays the biggest role in successful hunts...no matter the quarry... the harder the game the better decision making you'll need to be making... we may not share Fred Eichler's skill level as a hunter or archer but we can all resolve to pass up on low percentage shots and hold out for the most opportune moments... all hunters share ability to be on the same level as the greatest hunters in that aspect... always the Indian and never the bow... imho.
I was wondering the same thing about draw weight and arrows for elk and other big game. The comments so far mention pass through. Would it not be better if the deadly part of the arrow, the broadhead, stopped halfway through and continued to do damage to shorten the animal's suffering and hasten takedown?
The odds of finding the animal decreases significantly when your arrow stays in the animal vs passing through it. Especial shooting from an elevated position....
if you don't poke a hole in the bottom, they don't leak very well.... It's much better having a good blood trail with a pass through than loosing the animal. IMO
QuoteOriginally posted by Kirkll:
The odds of finding the animal decreases significantly when your arrow stays in the animal vs passing through it. Especial shooting from an elevated position....
if you don't poke a hole in the bottom, they don't leak very well.... It's much better having a good blood trail with a pass through than loosing the animal. IMO
You have made my morning... thank you good sir. :laughing:
You can add to that,that animals also stress and go farther as long as the arrow stays in.With pass throughs,they often slow to a walk.Fred Bear felt that not getting a pass through could lengthen recovery 4 to 5 times.Thinking back,that seems to be close to my experience.For sure,the shortest recoveries were from clean pass through shots.
It is true that an arrow staying in can cause a lot of damage but it also reduces blood sign as Kirk pointed out and often causes a panicked flight which greatly affects distance of travel.
You have to walk up on your first elk on the ground to truly get how big and tough they are.