Minimum Poundage to Ethically Kill Deer

[Bisch]

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.

This is 100% spot-on!

Bisch

[tradtiger]

Love Slick's comment above:some opinions are definitely worth listening to. Might add a mention of Tuffhead broadheads, which are cut on contact, 2-blade, single bevel, with a "tanto" tip (made to be tough and aid penetration). Also, note that a 3-to-1 ratio of blade length to cutting width has been found to give the best penetration of game, regardless of bow poundage.

[sharkhunter]

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[sharkhunter]

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[sharkhunter]

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.

x2... Yet you always hear somebody recommend a Slick Trick, Thunder Head or Rage Mech. every single time the topic of low poundage comes up. Thanks for posting good info!

[SaltwaterSlick]

Love Slick's comment above:some opinions are definitely worth listening to. Might add a mention of Tuffhead broadheads, which are cut on contact, 2-blade, single bevel, with a "tanto" tip (made to be tough and aid penetration). Also, note that a 3-to-1 ratio of blade length to cutting width has been found to give the best penetration of game, regardless of bow poundage.

Great point on the 3:1 ratio heads... I shoot Wensel woodsman heads in my Trad gear, and also have some rigged up for hogs for my wife's X-bow... They are devastating heads with almost 9" of cutting surface, yet are cut on contact, 1" cutting diameter and can be weighted to almost 200 grains if you want... mine are 185 grains when I shoot them outta my recurve...