Arrow Speed

[BWallace10327]

I shoot a 45# straight limbed longbow with 575 grain arrows.  I'm getting about 120-125 fps with that set up.  Is that enough to hunt deer or elk with? Any help would be great.

[Tree man]

Yes it is enough....but you will probably find trajectory troublesome beyond about 20 yards.

[R H Clark]

I hate to say it but it wouldn't be enough for me.

[BWallace10327]

I think it is great a fellow Coloradan replied.  Canon isn't all that far off.

[Gordon martiniuk]

BUY a Recurve of 48 to 50 lbs and keep the long bow for fun as for me it is too light why set yourself up for failure mabe your bow is enough but mabe not you owe it to the game to take them cleanly not make them suffer

[Colt]

I wouldn't try that on elk.

[Richie Nell]

BWallace...Can you pull more weight. Are you physically able?

[tramp]

arrow speed is a litle slow
your arrow seems heavy for that poundage
if you want to shoot that heavy of a arrow go to a heavier bow

[overbo]

I would look into a bow w/ better performance at your weight or work at moving up in weight.
If you are a ware of your limitations w/ your setup,by all means but you must be disapline.

[JRY309]

For me I like to keep my arrows at 9-11 grs. of total weight per pound of draw weight.Your at almost 12.8 grs. per pound.I think that gives optimum around performance and efficency.Are you drawing 28"?

[Tbay]

I use a 51#Palmer for moose so a 45# would be okay for whitetails but marginal for elk.  To improve things you might ditch the telephone poles and use arrows!

[Diamond Paul]

That's pretty slow; many self bows do better than that (although with fewer grains per pound).  Do you have a very short draw or something maybe?  I would think you'd want an arrow that weight going 170 or better for elk, but I think it would kill deer with no problem.  Good luck, Paul.

[LKH]

If everything goes exactly right, you're fine.  But if it doesn't and you have this question up front, can you live with a crippled and lost animal?  When you shoot at an elk, you're taking on a critter that will go forever with one lung.

I would get more.  The elk deserves it.

[laddy]

With a sharp grizz up front could this be one of those either it bounces off or kills the animal?  I have a 42 lb. reduced weight Hill that is much faster than that with a 500 grain arrow @26''.  Something doesn't add up here.

[James Wrenn]

You either got a very short draw or that is a selfbow with a lot of set in it. :)It would not be something I would hunt with myself. jmo

[ArrowAtomik]

I shoot 45# near 29" with my longbow which has only very mild reflex and I get into around 160 fps with almost that exact arrow weight.  If your draw is so short that you get that kind of performance, you've got to up the lbs.

[brettlandon]

You might try lowering the brace height and see if this gives you any more performance.  It will give you string slap though.

-Brett

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by BWallace10327:
I shoot a 45# straight limbed longbow with 575 grain arrows.  I'm getting about 120-125 fps with that set up.  Is that enough to hunt deer or elk with? Any help would be great.

IMHO, that's marginal for deer let alone elk.  With that setup, I'd wanna be launching at 150-160 fps minimum.  One reason I traded/sold all my Hill style straight/reflex longbows for fast hybrids.

[BWallace10327]

Looking back at the post I made nearly two years ago makes me laugh a little bit.  I realized when I wrote this I was shooting a kit bow i finished and tillered (poorly).  The arrows were a cheap off brand with STIFF vanes(no feathers).  My form was inconsistant and I was drawing to 25".  I still have that bow, its not my #1, but i have properly spined arrows and improved form.  My draw leagnth is actaully 27.5" when a draw everything in line. Numbers and statistics aside, i would not hesitate to hunt deer with that bow.  Now elk, I think i know a little bit better.

[SveinD]

Its always nice to learn