What draw weight for deer? (2024)

What draw weight for deer?

Plenty of deer have been killed with a 30 lbs draw weight, although 40–50 is more common.

What is a good draw weight for deer?

Ideally, bows used for hunting deer should have a draw weight of at least 40lbs, at a peak draw of 28 inches.

Is a 60 lb bow enough for deer?

If you have an average draw length of 27 to 29 inches, any modern compound bow matched with a good arrow and set to 60 pounds will work just fine on whitetails, mule deer, pronghorns, and the like with whatever broadhead style you prefer, so long as your shot placement is good.

Is 45lb draw weight good for deer?

Lighter bows will kill deer as well but they can lack the extra push needed for maximum penetration if the arrow encounters a heavy muscle mass or a bone. Bows of 45 to 55-pound draw weight will easily provide enough force to reach the vitals of a whitetail on a typical bow shot of 20 yards or less.

Is 40 lb draw weight good for deer?

Note that you can effectively kill deer with a 40-pound draw-weight bow. As a rule of thumb, 40 pounds of kinetic energy efficiently kills whitetails, and 50 pounds or greater is required for larger game such as elk, moose or bear.

Is 70 pound draw weight enough?

What Draw Weight Do I Need? A comfortable draw weight is different for each shooter. Some shooters are capable of shooting 70, 80 or 90lbs, but most adult males shoot between 60 and 70lbs. Today's bows are extremely efficient and 40lb compound bows are more than capable of harvesting many big game animals.

Is 55 lb draw weight good for hunting?

For small game such as squirrels or rabbits, a draw weight of 30-40 pounds is usually sufficient. For larger game such as deer or elk, 50-60 pounds may be more appropriate. These are minimum recommendations. As stated above, some states require as little as 40 pounds for deer hunting.

Is 60 lb draw weight too much?

On paper it looks great, but it's definitely not needed and most definitely not for everyone. The standard of 60 to 70 lbs is more than enough for North American big game. However, there are some folks who want to pull 80 to 90 lbs of draw weight. There is nothing wrong with this at all for them.

Is a 50lb bow hard to draw?

A strong enough guy can draw a 50# bow for a while, but fatigue will set in quickly and practicing form will be difficult, both of which lead to a rather high rate of injury. This is especially true for recurve, but I've seen more than enough compound archers damage their rotator cuffs.

What's the average range for deer hunting with a bow?

Average shot distance on P&Y Coues whitetail deer is about 25 yards, but about one-quarter of record-book bucks are shot beyond 40 yards. Average shot distance on Sitka blacktail deer is about the same as on Coues deer, but nearly half are taken between 30 and 60 yards.

How heavy should my draw weight be?

Does draw length affect draw weight?

We humans are all different sizes, and so all have different draw lengths. If your own draw length is over 28″, then the actual weight of a bow will be higher than it is listed at (conversely, if your draw length is less, the bow weight will be less).

What compound bow has 100 pound draw weight?

This makes this the King Cobra DG ideal for the short draw or the serious experienced archer seeking maximum power. With a blistering speed of 365 fps IBO and the ability to reach draw weights up too 100 lbs this will be the most powerful stock bow ever built, Producing 150 ke @ 100 lbs of draw weight.

How hard is it to pull back a 40 pound bow?

It depends. 40 lbs, if you're not shooting a bow to begin with, is quite a task. A bow exercises muscles that don't get used much otherwise. It takes a couple of weeks of conditioning to get your body used to pulling.

What is the lowest draw weight for deer hunting?

For hunting deer, bows must have a draw weight of 30 pounds or greater, and metal broadheads must be at least 7/8 of an inch wide and kept sharp. Stone arrow heads may be used.

Is a 40lb bow hard to shoot?

Understand that while a typical adult can physically pull 40lb without much additional training and conditioning, there's a huge gap between pulling the bow and actually being able to shoot it safely.

What is a common draw weight?

The survey found that the average draw weight for a male recurve archer is 49.5lb and 40.7lb for women (measured on the fingers at full draw). Among the men, draw weight ranged from 44.5-54lb and 35-45lb amongst the women.

Is higher draw weight more accurate?

A bow with a higher draw weight will produce faster arrows, but it will also require more strength to draw the bowstring back, which can lead to fatigue and reduce accuracy.

How much speed do you lose per pound of draw weight?

Looking at the data for all four test bows, the minimum speed change per pound of draw weight is 1.9 fps and the maximum is 2.4 fps. That is taking into account all draw lengths and all draw weights, and equals a total range of 19.3-23.7 fps.

What is a good draw weight for a beginner?

In general, children less than 100 pounds should start with a draw weight of 10 to 15 pounds. Small- and medium-sized adult females should aim for 25 to 35 pounds, while men of average weight should go for 40 to 55 pounds.

What spine arrow for 60 pound bow?

Adding weight to the front of the arrow weakens its spine. That's why Gold Tip recommends a 400 spine for a 27-inch arrow with a 100-grain point shot from a 60-pound bow, but also recommends a 340-spine arrow if its length and draw weight stay the same, but its point weighs 150 grains.

Is a 60 lb bow enough for elk?

A 60-70 lbs. bow that is fast, dependable, and accurate is plenty enough to bring down a bugling bull. Still, elk and especially big bulls are large and strong willed animals.

How fast does a 70 lb bow shoot?

If you are using a 70 lbs. draw weight, your compound bow would have a 270 FPS. And if your draw length is indeed 30″ (as it is during IBO testing), this number would be closer to 290 FPS.

How fast does a 60 pound bow shoot?

Set your bow to 60 pounds instead of 70, and you'll likely land in the 300 to 310 fps. Of course, shooting a 400-grain arrow will reduce your speed well below 300 fps, likely in the 280- to 290-fps range.

How heavy should my arrow be for whitetail deer?

Dr. Ed Ashby recommends a much heavier setup for maximum performance, starting at 650 grains for deer-sized animals. For my personal setup, I found myself somewhere in the middle of those two trains of thought. I shoot 570 grain arrows from my 65-lb Mathews VXR with a 30-inch draw length.