Minimum Poundage to Ethically Kill Deer

[Capt Glenn]

Redfish, my son has actually killed two deer with his bow now. He is shooting a Hoyt Ruckus 21" draw and 29# with Magnus Buzzcut 2 blades. The doe was under 10 yards angled away. In behind the shoulder and penetrated thru the offside shoulder blade. The broadhead exited the deer but it wasn't a complete pass through. He then shot a mature buck just behind the front leg and again buried it to the fletching with the broadhead exiting the far side. He was at 10 yards. 20 yards was our absolute max but I really held out for those 10 yard shots, which we got.

I was not worried about accuracy in the least. The boy can shoot that thing. He practices a whole lot. At 20 yards or less he is money. If I had any concerns there we would not have attempted it this year.

The gear will do the job if the kid can shoot it well and if you hold them off until the shot is right. You just don't have much room for error. You have to be really patient and the kid has to be pretty into it if they are going to be still and quiet enough to get a deer in that close much less get drawn on them.

They grow so fast that we are already to the point of lengthening his draw and he could probably pull a few more pounds too. I just didn't want to start changing stuff in the middle of hunting season.

[evotek]

30lbs under 20yds with a buzzcut

[bbuck8]

I always thought 40, too but that was years ago.

[Sparkles]

My kid has killed a few things with her diamond edge at around 35lbs
Even almost a complete pass through on a 170 pig

[super_dave]

Minimum Poundage to Ethically Kill Deer

My wife shoots 35lbs at 24in draw. Killed everything she's shot at. I keep all her setups at 15 yards or less.

This!!! 35#'s is plenty but don't get stupid and try to air a shot past say 25 yards. The deer will run off and watch the arrow go by where he was. A quiet now on a level plane from inside 20yds is very deadly at 35 pounds especially with a cut on contact 7/8" slick trick

[popup_menace]

ok massa,,

Didn't realize how I came off on my last post... I do sound like an azz.
But I just keep a 35# minimum because of the fact I want to leave as little to chance as possible. I know 30# can kill a deer, but since my wife does not shoot all the time, I do not expect her shot to be dead on. The extra 5# does a lot for KE in terms of being able to slide past or cut through a small deer rib, which is why I have that limit.

[Sparkles]

Didn't realize how I came off on my last post... I do sound like an azz.

But I just keep a 35# minimum because of the fact I want to leave as little to chance as possible. I know 30# can kill a deer, but since my wife does not shoot all the time, I do not expect her shot to be dead on. The extra 5# does a lot for KE in terms of being able to slide past or cut through a small deer rib, which is why I have that limit.

Do you what the difference in KE is with 5 lbs less draw weight and her set up?
Just curious

Also I'd like to echo the cut on contact heads.
I only buy my daughter Magnus stingers, they've been great for us

[denimdeerslayer]

Uncle Ted shoots 45# now and kill deer all the time.

[popup_menace]

Do you what the difference in KE is with 5 lbs less draw weight and her set up?
Just curious

Also I'd like to echo the cut on contact heads.
I only buy my daughter Magnus stingers, they've been great for us

The 5# increase meant a speed gain of about 12 fps with her setup, which increased her KE about 6 ft/lbs

[txdukklr]

Ethically?

I've flubbed a few shots out of a 50lb bow at 27" draw that an extra 10lbs wouldn't have helped me miss any better.

In my opinion, accuracy, range, along with equipment (fixed blade, balanced cutting diameter), and draw weight/draw length matched against the size of the deer you green light, all play an important factor. I don't beleive a magical draw weight number exists that covers all the possibilities. If my kid could pull 30lbs at 24" draw and group 5 arrows at 2-3" at 15 yards, I'd let him take a shot on a 80lb hill country doe at 10 yards with a fixed, 2 blade, Magnus.

exactly, it's better to be accurate and have the ability to place the arrow where it's supposed to go. An 85 gr stinger needs about 4" of penetration and you've got a very dead deer if it's in the right spot. I say he has enough poundage. Here's a video of a young man I took hunting was shooting in the low 30's shot was less then 10 yards and the doe ran about 50 yards. stinger broadhead and he had a pass through at the back of the liver, not a great shot but the head did its work

[ame="http://vimeo.com/32422127"]Jakes Deer on Vimeo[/ame]

Go to 7 minute mark

[Bisch]

Sorry to argue but i dsiagree. I am 6'4'' 270lbs and can probly shoot pretty good up to 80+lbs.DW. but i hunt with a 50lb pull bow. i can draw it standing on my head in a snowtorm in my underwear. and havnot lost a critter sense i switched to fixed blades.

You are correct, to a point. Once you get to a certain weight, it does not matter anymore. But this thread was about how low can you go and still be good. I still say that in this case, a kid or new archer should shoot all the weight they can shoot well.

For example, if you have a kid that can shoot 35 really well, but you really want them at 40. You crank the bow up to 40, and there is a noticeable loss of accuracy. I say go back to 35 and let the kid shoot well until they are strong enough to handle the 40.

On the flip-side, if that same kid can shoot the 40 really well, it would not make sense to not keep the bow at 40!

Bisch

P.S. - txdukklr, that is a really cool video! That kid will have that to remember his first bowkill for ever!

[SaltwaterSlick]

My wife has taken several deer with her Mathews Ignition set at about 32#/25" draw. Year before last, (She had to use a X-bow last year because of a broken wrist) she killed three deer and 2 of the three died on camera and 2 of the three were pass thru's. Both bucks were pass thrus and died on camera. The doe was a quartering away shot and the off side shoulder stopped the arrow from exiting the body of the deer, but it was full penetration. She shoots 85 grain Magnus stingers, the ones with the little bleeder blades. Those suckers are razor sharp and make a HOLE! It is a personal preference, but I do not like the buzz cuts heads as they take a perfectly good stinger and cut round notches in the head, thus removing almost 1/2 the cutting surface of the head, and adding extra drag on the head as it passes thru the animal. Nothing cleaner than a razor sharp head that is cut on contact and cut the full length of the head.

Also, for low poundage bows, I would never use a thunderhead either. They are NOT cut on contact and it takes a lot of ke to push a thunderhead thru the skin of a deer. If you want to do a little test, next time you have access to a freshly killed deer hide, set one of your arrows on the ground or other hard surfaces noc-down/broadhead facing up. Take the deer hide and stretch it out between your hands and try to push that head thru the hide to simulate it penetrating a deer... be careful if you are using an aluminum arrow. I have had people actually bend their arrow trying to push the hide over the head. If you do the same thing with a cut on contact head (no matter 2, 3 or 4 blade head, the head will slide thru the hide like a hot knife thru butter.

The other thing I'd NEVER use on a low poundage bow is any type of mechanical head. Again too much energy required to deploy blades, begin the penetration, etc.

These are all just my opinions, but they have been formed from dang near 50 years of hunting/bowhunting experience.

[txdukklr]

My wife has taken several deer with her Mathews Ignition set at about 32#/25" draw. Year before last, (She had to use a X-bow last year because of a broken wrist) she killed three deer and 2 of the three died on camera and 2 of the three were pass thru's. Both bucks were pass thrus and died on camera. The doe was a quartering away shot and the off side shoulder stopped the arrow from exiting the body of the deer, but it was full penetration. She shoots 85 grain Magnus stingers, the ones with the little bleeder blades. Those suckers are razor sharp and make a HOLE! It is a personal preference, but I do not like the buzz cuts heads as they take a perfectly good stinger and cut round notches in the head, thus removing almost 1/2 the cutting surface of the head, and adding extra drag on the head as it passes thru the animal. Nothing cleaner than a razor sharp head that is cut on contact and cut the full length of the head.

Also, for low poundage bows, I would never use a thunderhead either. They are NOT cut on contact and it takes a lot of ke to push a thunderhead thru the skin of a deer. If you want to do a little test, next time you have access to a freshly killed deer hide, set one of your arrows on the ground or other hard surfaces noc-down/broadhead facing up. Take the deer hide and stretch it out between your hands and try to push that head thru the hide to simulate it penetrating a deer... be careful if you are using an aluminum arrow. I have had people actually bend their arrow trying to push the hide over the head. If you do the same thing with a cut on contact head (no matter 2, 3 or 4 blade head, the head will slide thru the hide like a hot knife thru butter.

The other thing I'd NEVER use on a low poundage bow is any type of mechanical head. Again too much energy required to deploy blades, begin the penetration, etc.

These are all just my opinions, but they have been formed from dang near 50 years of hunting/bowhunting experience.

Exact head jake used the 85gr stinger with bleeders

[tex4k]

The size of the bow, bullet, or whatever isn't as important as learning to read a deers body language to be able to make a low risk shot. Take him to the blind and teach him the differences in relaxed, alert, or wound up like a spring deer which deer to shoot etc. also teach him to visualize where the heart lays and how put an arrow there. To many people tell kids to shoot him behind the shoulder, without thinking, a deers butt is behind it's shoulder also. From some of the deer I've seen they weren't sure which is which.

[SwampRabbit]

exactly, it's better to be accurate and have the ability to place the arrow where it's supposed to go. An 85 gr stinger needs about 4" of penetration and you've got a very dead deer if it's in the right spot. I say he has enough poundage. Here's a video of a young man I took hunting was shooting in the low 30's shot was less then 10 yards and the doe ran about 50 yards. stinger broadhead and he had a pass through at the back of the liver, not a great shot but the head did its work

Jakes Deer on Vimeo

Go to 7 minute mark

That is an awesome video/story right there!!!