is 50## enough

[foreign]

im looking into getting into bow hunting. just looking at bows at the moment. im 6'1" and can draw my bros 65# bow all day with no issues.
the question i have is there is a 50# bear express bow ive seen and was wondering if 50# is enough to kill deer out to say 70rds ( ofcourse after practice)
any info would be great
cheers

 

[cstilt]

I'm no expert, so my opinion is about all I can offer.
I'm not too familiar with the bow you mentioned, but I would suspect it would depend a lot on the setup you have. By this I mean, are you shooting carbon arrows or aluminum arrows and what type of broad heads are you shooting? Mechanical broadheads require more energy to open the blades. It may not be a huge amount, but it's note-worthy. We all know carbon arrows are faster too. What type of speed is the bow capable of? These are the type things to take into consideration.

My first bow was a Darton youth bow. Setting at 45lbs, I would not take a shot past 40 yards with it and that was still pushing it. If I turned it up to 50, I doubt it having the power to take a dear past 40yards still. I honestly don't think I could fit enough pins in the sight to get me out to 70yards.

My current bow is only on about 60lbs, but it's designed to shoot arrows fast. I know for a fact it will take deer at 70 yards if I do my part. (I don't like shooting past 40 though.)

So to answer your question. It probably will provided you can launch your arrows with enough speed to make them count, which most of your recent bows can do. I just feel better shooting more weight.

Chris

 

[Nikolakangrga]

My first bow kill (after ALOT of practice) was in hopland, ca. It was a wild hog hunt, I took the shot, the sow was standing perfectly broadside at 74 yards. The arrow met its mark and the sow went 20 yards before collapsing. I was shooting a Hoyt 68lb bow. It was a complete pass through. I have the whole hunt on video. Memories I will never forget.

As for a 50lb bow, I would guess that with perfect shot placement it could take a deer at 70 yards yes. I would not recommend it but there are many other factors to look at other then just draw weight.

 

[dk17hmr]

I killed my first whitetail when I was 15 with a 45 pound compound, the shot was only 15 yards but the buck only went another 50 yards after that. I personally wouldnt think about shooting a deer at 70 yards with anything less than 65 pounds.

 

[bigngreen]

I'm shooting a newer Bear bow set at 70lbs and would not want to shoot anything lower at that distance. I started shooting it set on 60lbs and going to 70lbs made a huge difference at my 60yrd pin, I can shoot 60yrds with 4 pins. The arrow and broad head will do the job at a lower poundage but why make it hard on yourself.

 

[14cm]

i blew through a canadian blackbear shooting a 51lb longbow with a 670gr arrow at a wopping 158fps.

 

[ATH]

The question isn't if it will get into the lungs between the ribs, but what will happen if you are off a couple inches and hit the shoulder blade. I think you'd get terrible penetration. 70yds is a long, long way for a bow and if you're going to practice to shoot that far I would recommend pulling more weight. You can't plan on a perfect shot when your arrow is dropping so fast that 1-2 yds range difference makes a significant vertical placement difference.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

i blew through a canadian blackbear shooting a 51lb longbow with a 670gr arrow at a wopping 158fps.

That is because of the weight of the arrow. The heavier the arrow the better the retained energy. The lighter the arrow the poorer the penetration will be no matter how many pounds are being shot.

If everyone that hunts with a bow made their priority to have heavy arrows, sharp broadheads, front of center weight, and properly splined arrows. We and the game would all be better off. In my opinion shooting less than 500g arrows is asking for trouble.

On that note 50# is enough for 20yrds and in.

Steve

 

[foreign]

thanks for all the replies guys. you made me re think things and i ended up spending double the amount on a pse typhoon in the 60-70# weight. its at 60 now and as i develop the technique ill crank it up to 70. then i should be good to go.
cheers again

 

[pitbull320]

50# is plenty and you don't need 500 gr to do the job my wife has killed meny elk at 50yrds with a bow set at 40# and 320gr arrow and all have died with in 30yrds and 50# is enough to kill a deer at 70yrds with the proper set up and practice the best thing is to go to a local archery shop and spend some time talking to them and shooting bow to see wat you are comfortable with good luck

 

[ATH]

That is because of the weight of the arrow. The heavier the arrow the better the retained energy. The lighter the arrow the poorer the penetration will be no matter how many pounds are being shot.

If everyone that hunts with a bow made their priority to have heavy arrows, sharp broadheads, front of center weight, and properly splined arrows. We and the game would all be better off. In my opinion shooting less than 500g arrows is asking for trouble.

On that note 50# is enough for 20yrds and in.

Steve

+1. When I bought a faster bow 5 years ago I made the mistake of going for light carbon arrows and expandable broadheads. The results on deer were terrible and I quit hunting with the setup mid-season. I switched back to the heaviest carbon shafts I could find and my tried and true 100gr Thunderhead fixed blades, and the next deer I shot through both shoulders and the arrow dropped out the other side.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

+1. When I bought a faster bow 5 years ago I made the mistake of going for light carbon arrows and expandable broadheads. The results on deer were terrible and I quit hunting with the setup mid-season. I switched back to the heaviest carbon shafts I could find and my tried and true 100gr Thunderhead fixed blades, and the next deer I shot through both shoulders and the arrow dropped out the other side.

Right on. Really fast bows make it so you can launch 700g arrows fast. 350fps is like crack, people can't get enough of it, but the speed will kill ya. Properly tuned, heavy arrows is where it is at. Unfortunately there are not many pro shops around to help guys do it right.

Steve

 

[sp6x6]

Last 15 years ,40+ bow kills, 15 bull elk, animals to 1000 #'s, 410 gr arrow, 1/2 with 2 blade, 1/2 3-4 blade, 360 acc at 65-74 # bow

 

[Fitz]

thanks for all the replies guys. you made me re think things and i ended up spending double the amount on a pse typhoon in the 60-70# weight. its at 60 now and as i develop the technique ill crank it up to 70. then i should be good to go.
cheers again

I can tell you right now, bow hunting is by far the most addicting... I started last year with a Diamond Stud 60# and I just upgraded to the Bowtech Destroyer 340 70#. I'm set up with Carbon Express Mayhem 350 at 28", 100gr Grim Reaper mechanical and Easton tracer nocks. All together, it weighs about 400 gr. I'm shooting at 308 fps at 84 ft lbs. It is the perfect balance of speed and the penetration weight.

But like others have said, it's all about kinetic energy. The recommended min for deer is 25 ft lbs, preferably 45 ft lbs. Here is a good site to explain a lot of your questions:

Compound Bow Selection Guide - HuntersFriend.COM