I have a very nice RER static recurve, 49# at my 29" DL. Shoots great and is quick, but I'm concerned with its power for deer hunting. I was doing some close bale(5yds)and some of my arrows (about 515gr total weight)would bounce off the Morrell bag target I was using, others penetrated but just a few inches. I tried a heavier aluminum arrow I had, maybe 560gr, and it was a little better, but not much. I would like to make the switch to recurve for deer season, but not too confident right now. Have many of you had luck with bows in this # range? Would like to hear your opinions/experiences...Thanks!
A 49# bow and 515gr arrow is plenty for deer...sounds like there may be an arrow tuning issue,though.Can you give us some specs. on your arrow?
Unless the bow has very bad cast, 49# with a well placed shot with a hunting weight arrow, should be sufficient for all but the largest of N. American game.
You will be fine with 49lbs at your 29" draw. A 515grn arrow with a sharp cut on contact head will work great for deer sized animals.
Don't get too hung up with your penetration on bag style targets. They are not a good indication of what penetration will be on a deer. I shoot a bag target with a 60lb longbow and 600+ grn arrows and don't always get the penetration you would expect.
Keep practicing and you will be all set for this fall.
I agree with whats stated above. Sounds more like a tuning issue. give us the type of arrows you are using and point weight. also let us know how long your draw length is.
There are a lot of good archers in your area that can give you some hands on advice.
Check out WTA (wisconsin Traditional archers)
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=78
Its enough poundage with a two blade head like a zwickey that's razor sharp, I killed my first 10 deer with a bow that poundage. That's a great arrow weight at 515 grains. What your draw length? For every inch under 28" of draw you can deduct about 2.5 to 3 pounds draw weight.
My arrows are Beman Hunters. 400s, 30.5" long, 100gr insert + 125gr point. Backed up to 15yds and arrows flew straight to target, just thought they would have more punch.
Definitely sounds like a tuning issue. I killed 2 deer last season with a 49# Zipper recurve, 540gr arrow tipped with Stinger 150gr 4 blade BH's. Complete pass thru on both deer.
I have a 48# Centaur longbow. I wouldn't hesitate going after anything up to elk. Deer? No problem!
BTW there was a thread on Pow Wow about a year ago that asked folks to post pics of game taken with 45 lb or less bows. Lots of deer, plenty of elk and a moose or two.
A 49# bow is plenty for deer, and other critters. Age caught up with me a few years ago and I dropped to 50# recurves. I shoot 575 gr arrows with either zwickey deltas or Simmons interceptors. I've gotten pass throughs on many deer and a cow elk. If there is any difference between 50+60#s, I can't see it. Dead is still dead.., I wished I'd have dropped the poundage years ago, as I sure shoot the lighter weights better, especially on cold days after being in a tree for 5 hours.
Shoot straight and good luck
DK
Sometimes those bag targets can be stuffed pretty tight. I have had bows that were 55 lbs bounce off bag targets at times. Not consistently but bounced off none the less. Also you should consider sometimes they penetrate but bounce back out.
You have good equipment and arrows are flying straight. You should be good to go.
I'm always tinkering, but my current set up is 50@29 with 525 gr arrows. I'm not scared to shoot anything in Texas with that set up, including pigs. I think you'll be fine. If you were up close, maybe the angle was bad or your arrows were paradoxing too much.
49#s, 29" draw, and 10+ GPP is a perfect match for deer. Go hunt
With that setup you shouldn't have any problem hunting anything in NA with sharp blades and a well placed shot. Definitely sounds like a tuning issue.
Years ago I had the same situation shooting wwwwaaaayyyy too stiff an arrow
Probably hitting the target sideways :scared: :scared:
I have a 45lb rer and shoot 30 inch 35/55 gt with 145 up front fly great
Tx, you may be right about being too close. None of my further away shots bounced off, but 50% of my close ones did.
My 46# Kanati blows arrows through whitetails easily. I haven't shot any critters with my 47# RER yet, but it is faster and I have no doubt it will do as well or better.
You may have a tuning issue, but bag targets are stuffed with an odd assortment of junk. I often have arrows bounce back out and they are tuned to perfection. Field points can hit the stretchy stuff in a bag target and bounce back at times. Believe me, broadheads will zip right through (don't ask how I know this :banghead: ).
I like to paper tune my arrows because I don't shoot animals with bare shafts, so I want to know how my arrows are tuned the way I hunt with them. I made a simple tuning device with 1" pvc pipe. It takes 10' of pipe, two elbows, and four tees. I make it big enough to fit a newspaper page, which is held on with masking tape. Set it about 4' in front of your bag target, back up 10' or so and shoot through the paper. You should see one hole and three cuts from the fletching (assuming you use 3 feathers. If you have a tear rather than a hole, you need to tune.
I shoot a 49#27 stalker longbow presently and have killed a Turkey and a hog with it. I have no worries though because the bow I hunted the last couple of years with is 47@ 27 and I`ve killed 16 deer 6 pigs and 4 Turkeys with it. Most with Woodsmans and simmons heads with a couple no mercy kills thrown in.I`ve said this before and I will again...John Bookhart my bowhunting no computering mentor has killed hundreds ....yes hundreds of deer and hogs with a 45@28 longbow. RC
Bag targets are funny that way, I've had 800g arrows out of a 65# bow bounce off if I hit a certain spot. You got plenty for deer.
Eric
I can't count the number of critters I've killed with my 50# at my DL Sarrels bows and a 530gr arrow!
As long as you are well tuned, you are good to go for deer hunting!
Bisch
It's the bag target. Here's what 51# @ 26" did w/ a 500gr arrow.
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh236/Prairiedrifter/Africa%202011/IMG_0095.jpg)
It was a whole lot bigger than a deer. I have gotten complete pass throughs on deer w/ 43#'s at my short draw of 26". You have more than enough for deer.
If your tune is good then it is the bag. Mine does that as well with more weight on both the bow and the arrow. Not a concern at all as long as your arrows are tuned you will have plenty to zip through deer.
I shoot 51#s andmy arrows weight only 450 grains and I have no problem with pass thrus on pretty big whitetails, up to 200lbs. I am sure it is a different issue, tuning but also those targets if left outside can get dense and penetration is limited. I have actually killed a few deer with 42# Widow shooting on 335 grain arrows with sharp heads, pass thrus on two and two holes on the other. Shawn
they are never going to penetrate as well in bag target...also as mentioned if hitting at angle or you have a loose target face could allow enough cushion to soften the impact.
Could also be if you bought a bag rated for crossbow bolts and compounds over 300fps....they make them a little tougher as the bows shooting soda straw arrows apparently give regular targets an issue at regular ranges.
If you are pulling a true 29" and almost 50# it should stick in every time.....is there another traditional guy near you to come watch and give advice you trust.
My bow is 49 lbs and my draw is 29" my arrows are 480 grains tipped with a Zwickey Delta. no problem.
Although tuning is a possibility, I agree with others that say its definitely the target. I've personally taken deer with bows ranging from about 45-55#, like many others here, with no issues at all. And I frequently use bag targets because they last so long, and my arrows that pass through deer like butter, will rarely stick in the bag more than 3-4", and I sometimes have them bounce off also. The stuffing in the bag has lots of "give", and it quickly absorbs the arrow's energy.
Zane
49lbs for deer is overkill. I get passthru's with 40lb 1950's Bear's with B-50 strings and 550gr arrows.
All my recurves are 45-48 lbs @ 29". I've put over two dozen deer on the ground with those bows.
The only thing that will stop those arrows is the dirt on the far side of a deer.
I get a lot of bounce backs since I switched to screw in bullet points. A sharpened broadhead is a whole different cat. I wouldn't worry about it, you are good to go.
I killed 5 deer last year with a 49lb bow and 480 gran arrows. I wouldn't be afraid to hunt much with my setup. Bag targets are not good indicators of penetration on deer. I agree with the previous stated: check your tuning. Main thing is be sure your confidence is restored when you do decided to hunt.
My local 3D range has those bag targets for warming up on, they suck as penetration indicators. I agree with the other guys, if you're tuned you're good to go.
45# 520 grain arrow,no problem on deer. Bag targets stink. Get a foam target.
for penetration...broadheads best.....field points next.....bullet points are worse.
bullet points are better for hay or sisal targets.....anything else you need field points if not shooting broadheads...in my opinion.
killed 2 deer this past season with a 44# recurve, 495 gr arrow. Both were pass thrus.
I've been shooting 47-52# bows for the past ten years. 2018's with 125 gr.heads. Plenty of power. You'll have no problem with deer.
I hunt with 40lbs, got a pass thru on a 330 lb KS whitetail at 15 yards, cedar arrows 480 grain. I have shoulder problems.
last year on Bear Quest VI I got a black bear with a 48lb Arroyo@28 inches.arrow blew straight thru and stuck in ground.its plenty of power if you can make the shot.preactice,practice,practice.
I wouldn't think of that bow as a 49# bow, but as a 50#'er - it's only one pound away and brace height and string can make more difference than that. I've not heard anyone claiming 50# is not enough for deer. I also have a 49# RER (a Retro) and shoot a bag target in my shop. I have a matched set of 6 arrows for it. I've had a couple arrows completely penetrate the bag and one or two out of the same group bounce most of the way back out and hang almost vertically by the point. I've re-covered that bag after trying to stomp it back to uniformity. Still has soft and hard spots. The good news is they don't make whitetails out of plastic sheeting. Can you imagine what that would tasted like?
Bags dont bleed or run! You have plenty of bow, sounds nearly identical to my setup, except I am using carbons. Had several pass thrus on a bunch of deer and turkeys.
If you hit a deer in the vitals with your set-up and a sharp broadhead you will be good to go. Proper tuning and good location is important with any set-up. Get close, shoot straight, and "Keep'Um Sharp". :archer2:
If closer shots are bouncing out 50% of the time, that sounds like an arrow that isn't flying straight until it's had more time to recover. They could be hitting the bag sideways (to some degree) at that distance.
With field points, your fletching may be straightening out your arrows after they fly several yards. If arrow flight is not good, it will likely be greatly magnified when you shoot broadheads.
You could also have a tuning or release issue. Collapsing upon release can steal a lot of energy from the arrow, too.
I used a 48lb Don Dow longbow to kill a deer a couple years ago, I used a Zwickey straight out of the package which isn't that sharp. I got a complete pass through at 15 yards! Now I use a Jewel styk to sharpen my broadheads and have no problem blowing through game! A sharp head and hitting the right spot will kill everytime!!!
Thanks for all the replies!
Yea, plenty. My buddy's dad killed his 1st with a 32# recurve and wood arrows.
Put a broadhead on and see if it bounces back
Deer and black bear with 47#@30 longbow shooting 560 grn arrow w/ 3 blade VPA. Would not hesitate to hunt elk or possibly even moose with the same setup and sharp 2 blade head.