mininum draw weight

[ericmerg]

not thinking of legalitys here but what would you guys consider the bare mininum draw weight to hunt bear and deer with a 2 blade head assuming you have 10gpp arrow  of what ever draw bow it is

this is ethical draw weight also

[wapitirod]

I know Oregon is 40# minimum on the legal side but personally I would prefer 50# or more but it also depends on the size of the bear.  I've not taken a bear with traditional tackle only rifles and compounds and I've been amazed at just how tough they can be.

[ericmerg]

also ill answer
in my mind ethical bear rigs start at 55#

dont chastise me

[Brad Arnett]

Originally posted by ericmerg:
also ill answer
in my mind ethical bear rigs start at 55#

dont chastise me

Eric, whats the lowest bow weight you've killed  bears with? Personally I don't get hung up on a number, there's just too many variables other than a simple number. I would put a well tuned arrow and  brodhead sharpness first on the list.

[Bud B.]

I would hunt black bear with my Grizzly. It's #50 @ 28.

Never bear hunted though.


Not sure this thread will last long.  

[SS Snuffer]

This set-up passed thru every deer I have shot with it (6).

[Rob DiStefano]

here we go yet again.

look, aside from the gear legalities of yer hunting location, shoot the heaviest bow you can consistently, accurately handle and then check yer hunting ethics.  you wanna hunt bear with 40# or 45#, that's yer business, but you better know what yer doing or you might end up as bear supper.  :D

how long will this thread last .... ?

[59Alaskan]

I would not chastise anyone for hunting black bear with 40#.

Lots of posts on bear and deer kills here.  If you took and Calculated the average recovery yardage on both I would bet you'd find white tailed deer are very tough critters and bears don't last so long with holes in their lungs.

Rob makes a good point though, although rare on both, the instances of deer charging when wounded are far more rare than bear.

[SteveB]

What bow?
What draw length?
There is no magic one only number.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by ceme24:
I would not chastise anyone for hunting black bear with 40#. ...

neither would i.  depends on the archer/hunter's credentials and mental status.

all of this stuff is VASTLY subjective, and each of us know what's right or wrong ... for each of us.  there is NO one, simple, perfect answer to the op's question.  which makes threads like this reasonably meaningless.  ymmv.

[Terry Green]

QUOTE]Originally posted by ericmerg:
also ill answer
in my mind ethical bear rigs start at 55#[/QUOTE]


 

Originally posted by Brad Arnett:
Eric, whats the lowest bow weight you've killed  bears with?  

On those two notes....how many big game animals have you killed with a trad bow Eric?

[Plumber]

in maryland its 30 lbs BUT I would never shoot that weight.check your local game laws.an shoot as much as you can. 40-45 will take deer just fine.but for bear I would want more

Numbers on the bow is kind of abstract at best.  I have a recurve that is 45 at my 27" draw that will shoot a 520 grain arrow faster than my friends longbow that is more than 10 pounds heavier. Even that comparison is pointless if the arrow is optimal.  How much one deflates with buck fever or bear panic is a big one.  A strong confident shot with a 45 pound bow is always deadlier than a struggled shot with a heavy bow.  I heard of a young guy that thought he should go up in weight for elk, he practiced hard, just to find that he could not draw a 65 pound longbow back when shooting at an elk.  His 52 pound bow did just fine for him three days later.  For bear accuracy and a good arrow reign supreme.  I have been close to many black bear over the years, I hit one on the nose that was trying to sniff through the wall of my canvas tent, I never got the impression that any of those were planning on eating me.  Anyway, when watching bear that were mere feet away, while they were pretending that I did not see them and they weren't planning on trying to grab our food pack, two  things I considered when judging them to be a target for  an arrow.  1. Hair, it varies from bear to bear, some have a gnarly mass of it right where the arrow should go. That would explain some of the failures I have heard from hits with mechanical broadheads, where the simple file sharpened Hills seemed to be so devastating. 2. Fat, some bears look like they are on a pancake, gravy and bacon cheeseburger with fries diet. With a real fatso bear would my single bevel Hill get lost in the fat and would I be better off with a Delta or a Deadhead?  Then comes the poundage issue, how much will that Deadhead require over the single bevel Hill?  Don't know that one.

[Night Wing]

With my 30" draw length, I have no hesitations when it comes to bowhunting deer with a 35# bow and black bear with a 42# bow.

This is why both of my two recurves are low poundage bows. My bowhunting experience spans 48 years......and counting.    

Moj, I have a 26&1/4" draw with longbows, my buddy draws over 27" with his longbow, no short drawing on either of us, he is under 6 feet and I am 5'9" the last time I checked, but I may be shrinking. Anyway shooting left handed I open up my form a bit because my neck does not like to turn that far to the right, used to draw over 28" with my right hand target form, but I looked like I was trying to fall over backwards. That Grooves Spitfire is flat out fast.  I would bet that there are a number of bows that could challenge it for speed today. For those with lighter weights or shorter draw lengths, I always like to suggest going for quicker designs.  It makes a difference.

[TOEJAMMER]

Minimum bow weight is like a minimum speed limit.  It is legal but who drives it and feels comfortable doing it?

[Sam McMichael]

I have never hunted bear (only deer), but I agree with the guys who put skill and well tuned equipment ahead of a specific number. The lowest poundage I have killed a deer with is 45# and the heaviest is 78#. Those deer are equally dead, so it is not the poundage per se that makes the biggest difference.  I would guess that whatever weight you are are most proficient at for deer ought be be good for bear, too. Currently, I shoot 65#, because that is the most I can shoot well.

[ericmerg]

i will openly admit that i have yet to kill a big game animal with trad equpitment. this thread isnt about what is the real mininum its all about what each persons views are as im new im just trying to get a feel for what the trad community feels is needed.

thats why i said "in my mind" is all opinions.

[Kituwa]

Ethical to who,,the bear or the guy shooting it?  lol

[collofthewild]

Look at the thread with animals shot with 45# set-ups, that should alleviate any doubts with "lighter weight" and somewhat larger animals....

Atleast it did in my mind.