How much draw weight and speed do we need?

[mgragg61]

When did natives figure out the formula for kinetic energy? How about momentum? When did they realize that 90 pound draw weights were required to kill soft animals like deer or black bear? They must have known pigs were not even a consideration given Thier armor plating. Why all this overthinking? The white man has proven how ridiculous his thinking is! The natives made bows without a bow scale. They made arrows without a grain scale! They made them and made them work, for them. Archery should be fun, not a space trip into another scientific realm where every animal gets a hole in to run away and die horribly. It's all about me! And you, use your head and leave the science for academia! Good grief.

 

[mallardsx2]

I shoot 70 pounds with a 400 grain arrow.

Honestly, I should just shoot a 50 pound bow with a 350 grain arrow because 95% of my archery shots are under 30 yards. That’s still likely 2x as much as what the Indians used.

 

[mgragg61]

If I could shoot 70, I would. But I shoot a 40 @ 28 bodnik slick stick drawn to 29. I killed an about 80 pound pig this morning and my 480 grain arrow went thru and buried in the dirt. Got me to thinking. I have been shooting 55@28 Montana with 550 grain arrow but getting old. The slick stick is much more comfortable.

 

[trad bow]

We can kill any animals in Georgia with a 40# bow. I shot 65# bows for most of my adult life. Now my shoulders cannot handle anything else than50# or lighter draw weight.

Most eastern woodland bows were not as heavy a draw weight as most assume.

 

[ecoutside]

Who cares? Do what makes YOU happy.

 

[mgragg61]

That's my point mainframe, thanks.

 

[Semi-Pro]

Ikr, I'm thinking about putting some carbon arrows and a rage head in my kids nerf bow. That thing is light and shoots sweet

 

[mar0311]

Just shoot what you can handle!!I started off with my Dad's Lemon Wood Longbow! In my twenties, thirties and forties was pulling 70. After rotator surgery dropped down to 65 then 60! Now age 75 dropped to 54-pound draw!

 

[trial&error]

My 45# shoots over 100 ft/sec sounds awful slow compared to all these modern compound bows. But essentially that sharp point is going over 60 mph easily passing through most animals.

 

[NCHillbilly]

My 45# shoots over 100 ft/sec sounds awful slow compared to all these modern compound bows. But essentially that sharp point is going over 60 mph easily passing through most animals.

Those bows have been keeping people fed and defended for over 10,000 years. Now, folks act like the latest and greatest needs to be updated every year to kill a deer.

 

[Stump Shooter]

I have the same Bodnick Slick Stick recurve at 40 pounds, I draw to 27” giving me about 38lb draw. Have killed 2 deer with this bow a couple years ago with wood arrows, one was my biggest up until last year.

 

[Silvermallard1969]

When it comes down to brass tacks I don't think we need as much draw weight or speed as we think we do. I went down in weight to a 45-46 pound recurve and about a 48 pound longbow.