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What's a good hunting all around weight ?

QQR

New Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2019
Messages
20
Guys what's a good all around hunting weight for whitetails ? that isn't above 50lbs
 
Thanks I'm currently shooting 50lb but I'm getting older and want to drop down some . I agree on the arrow combo also.
 
I’ve killed three with a 43# longbow drawing 26. Two pass through and one in off side shoulder. Two blade SHARP broadhead and keep em close you’ll be fine in my experience
 
I would personally not go below 35. But it also depends on arrow and range. Going down to 40-45 is still plenty. I use 50 personally but have a 37lb backup (marked 43lb but I draw 26) I would not hesitate to use. Also look at your state laws. Many states have a minimum.
 
Whatever weight you can put the arrow on the spot you want to hit. Look at tradlab they have kid smokin deer with 32# bows.
 
I am hunting with a 42 pound Big Jim Thunderchild longbow. I’ve killed one and got a pass through. I know someone who shot a 30 pound Recurve when he was a kid and shot an aluminum arrow clean through a deer at 15 yards. 40-45 pounds will kill about anything in your neck of the woods if you hit it right.
 
You might want to check the regulations where you hunt. Mine require a minimum 40# DW in some and 30# in other areas I hunt.
 
I'm not advocating weight too heavy for you, but proper alignment can make a big difference of how much weight you can comfortably draw.
But 45# is plenty of weight for whitetails.
My coach is shooting a 48#@28" bow at about a 30.5" draw and he never works out, but he is in his late 60s. He puts up 580-590 indoor rounds with olympic recurve. Alignment will get a guy really far. I can shoot 55 pounds and I'm a pretty weak dude.
 
I have killed deer with a 42# on the fingers bow, but I have a long draw. To get my arrow under my eye - but more importantly to get good alignment I anchor on my upper back molar which gives me a repeatable 30.5" draw. Your draw length does matter when going to very low weight bows (IMHO around 35# is low, above that is not) but not nearly as much as other factors. I think the biggest factor in hunting with any draw weight is to ensure you arrow is flying true; period. I'll take a heavy arrow from a 'light' bow with massive fletching and a heavy front that flies perfect over a corkscrewing arrow from a ultrafast setup 8 days per week.

3d and punching paper can be a smidge different, but for poking holes in things that bleed you want a true flying arrow. The recommendations of using a 2 bladed broadhead is very sound logic.

If you miss any major bones except for ribs, nearly any cut on contact broadhead will do the job; hit something more substantial and you'll certainly want much less resistance thus a 2-blade, preferably long length to width ratio head.

There is almost no end to the debate on what a low weight bow is for hunting, 50lbs is really not a light weight bow. I think it matters more about how far your average shot is likely to be more than the size of a deer in your area (animals other than whitetail may be different) because deer are pretty easy to poke two holes in -- but you have to hit them to eat them!
 
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