What would be the minimum performance for a Delta?

[SuperK]

Is a 480/490 grain arrow at 160 fps. enough for reliable pass-thru penetration on deer from treestands with a 2 blade Zwickey Delta?  (or a 4 blade Eskimo) I just recently dropped in poundage and was just wondering what ya'll have experienced.  Thanks for your help.

[reddogge]

It should be but hard to tell what you will hit shooting from a tree stand, bone, spine, lung, ribs, off leg bones, etc.

[frassettor]

[Kris]

Agree with reddogge.  Your 490 gr. arrow should be adequate...but it all depends.  I found that anything that shouldn't stop an arrow from penetrating a deer CAN...sometimes.  Error on the side of caution and shoot for the soft tissues.

I have shot most my deer with 2B Deltas & Snuffers, most all I have recovered, there was one very upsetting loss; 70# Bighorn recurve, 600 grain cedar, 2B Delta, shot in the lung (one lung) from the ground (on the level) at 12 yards.  I'm sure the deer did not die as we tracked it for 1 1/2 days in fresh snow.  Yes, there was a ton of blood that just became drops, then nothing.  A 10 + pointer (150 + class), 24  years later, I am still sick about it!  The deer was walking when I shot and that perhaps, was the reason for the lack of penetration...or unstabilized arrow flight, or...or...et al.  In my mind, I can still see the red fletched, red dipped Kustom King arrow protruding from that buck's side as it ran away...sad!    

FPS (160) and arrow weight (490) are only two components of many things that can be considered when developing your setup.

Good luck!

Kris

[Orion]

Reliable as in consistently pass through from above? I would say no.  If you put it in exactly the right spot, yes, it will make it through the animal.  A little high, a little forward, probably not.  Of course, the arrow doesn't have to come out the other side to kill the animal.  You've enough bow, arrow and head to kill whitetails.

[JamesKerr]

Definitely enough arrow and speed there to kill whitetails.

[ChuckC]

I agree with Orion.  How high you hunt and the shot that you take will influence the outcome about as much as the bow / arrow specs in this case.

As Kris described above,  things happen, even at 12 yards with a broadside deer and a 70# bow (though I am not certain how you got only one lung unless you took a severe quartering shot).

Just go hunt, take realistic shots, learn to be a better hunter and set up for the shots that you need for your set up, then report back to us all the successes you have.

ChuckC

[Charlie Lamb]

Run with it.  

[SuperK]

Thanks ya'll.