# Min Draw weight for whitetails?



## Bowmania (Jan 3, 2003)

In WI it's 35 pounds. Check the regs in your MN. Probably a little less than WI, you guys aren't as strong. LOL.

Bowmania


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## Stash (Jun 1, 2002)

Shoot the heaviest draw weight you can legitimately handle under ANY hunting situation. 

Of course, every state/province has its own regulations, but that's always a minimum, and you will not go wrong by going higher, provided you can accurately shoot the bow.


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## DJ Hardy (Jan 18, 2016)

Well those Minn deer are bigger than most of these Texas deer so I would go at least 45 lbs
from a good performing bow


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## Brad Lehmann (Sep 4, 2010)

DJ Hardy said:


> Well those Minn deer are bigger than most of these Texas deer so I would go at least 45 lbs
> from a good performing bow


There are no deer in east Texas. Everybody know that. 

At least 45 pounds for shots over twenty yards.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

The minimum draw weight for bowhunting in Minnesota is 30 pounds. 

You will get a lot of personal opinions on this, here's mine; while 30# may be legal it's not optimal. The thing is, the weight of the bow doesn't tell the whole story. A 30# well tuned stickbow, tipped with a razor sharp broadhead and in the hands of an accurate hunter will be deadly. A 50# bow, poorly tuned and tipped with a dull broadhead in the hands of a less than accurate hunter can be a disaster.

There is also a big difference in the energy stored and delivered to the arrow between a 30# compound and a 30# recurve or longbow. Since almost everybody hunts with a compound these days one wonders if they aren't the main impetus behind the rule.

While bow weight will rarely if ever make up for a bad shot, there is no penalty to be paid with more draw weight, assuming the archer has practiced and can accurately shoot the heavier bow (again my opinion).

Another opinion, an adult male should not have any trouble with a 40# stickbow in a hunting situation. Also, don't confuse a hunting bow with a good learning bow, they are not always the same. Most experienced coaches recommend starting in the 30#-35# range for an adult male, and less is probably better. Women and young hunters will be better served with even lighter bows.

In my opinion, anything over 40# and you are good to go for deer hunting. That's assuming you know how to shoot, how to tune your bow and how to sharpen a broadhead. All of those caveats hold _regardless_ of bow weight.


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

Damn, you are right. It is 30# here. But what would you, personally, use as a min for hunting?


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

PLJ271 said:


> What would be the minimum draw weight you would use for whitetails? *Probably would be be shooting more that 20 yards.* Thanks in advance for any info.


Accuracy is what determines effective range. There isn't a lot of momentum loss over normal bowhunting ranges, the arrow just doesn't slow down that quickly. Penetration may actually be better a few yards down range than right off the bow since the fletching had had time to have an effect and the arrow will be flying as true as possible. The better your tune and release, the less this is going to be true.

I should also add that lots of very competent bowhunters, even with many years of extensive practice, never feel comfortable shooting at game over 20 yards away with a stickbow.


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

Easykeeper said:


> The minimum draw weight for bowhunting in Minnesota is 30 pounds.
> 
> You will get a lot of personal opinions on this, here's mine; while 30# may be legal it's not optimal. The thing is, the weight of the bow doesn't tell the whole story. A 30# well tuned stickbow, tipped with a razor sharp broadhead and in the hands of an accurate hunter will be deadly. A 50# bow, poorly tuned and tipped with a dull broadhead in the hands of a less than accurate hunter can be a disaster.
> 
> ...


I have not shot a single string bow since I was a kid and am looking to get into it again. I am thinking about getting a Sage Sammick with lighter limbs to start and build form/accuracy and then upgrade to heavier limbs.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

PLJ271 said:


> Damn, you are right. It is 30# here. But what would you, personally, use as a min for hunting?


I'm shooting 50# at my draw weight but am considering using my 45# bow due to arthritis and the fact that a 50# bow is tough on that first shot on a cold October or November morning. Cold muscles, heavy clothing and the fact that your form and alignment are large parts of your sighting system means a bow you can shoot all afternoon in July can be a real struggle in a hunting situation.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

PLJ271 said:


> I have not shot a single string bow since I was a kid and am looking to get into it again. I am thinking about getting a Sage Sammick with lighter limbs to start and build form/accuracy and then upgrade to heavier limbs.


Good plan...:thumbs_up Post up on here as you go, there's lots of friendly people willing to help out. 

Sorry for taking over your thread with all these posts, it's not like I have the last work on this stuff.


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## lunger 66 (Feb 16, 2017)

I think if a person has a well tuned outfit, and is accurate, a 30lb bow would be fine if you limited your range. I was shocked at the performance of my wife's 25 lb bow out to 20 yards. I've often thought that her bow would work great, if 20 yards were the limit. At 15, her bow sinks deep in our target, and even shoots pretty flat at that distance. Lunger


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

Easykeeper said:


> Good plan...:thumbs_up Post up on here as you go, there's lots of friendly people willing to help out.
> 
> Sorry for taking over your thread with all these posts, it's not like I have the last work on this stuff.


I posted hoping for info and this is good stuff! What do you think that the most important things I should look for outside of a bow? Arrows? Arrow rest types?


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

PLJ271 said:


> I posted hoping for info and this is good stuff! What do you think that the most important things I should look for outside of a bow? Arrows? Arrow rest types?


For someone starting out I can't think of a better way to spend $20 than this book...http://www.lancasterarchery.com/shooting-the-stickbow-book-2nd-edition-by-anthony-camera.html

The author is a well respected coach and member of this forum who posts under the alias "Viper1". It's a very good book on the basics of archery, both how to shoot and equipment. 

Arrows are pretty easy when you are starting out, just about anything will work. This arrow spine calculator will get you close, assuming the input values are accurate...http://www.3riversarchery.com/dynamic-spine-arrow-calculator-from-3rivers-archery.html

You have to choose a static spine, .340, .400, ect. That however is only a small part of the picture. What counts is the _dynamic_ spine, a phrase that describes how the arrow bends under the load of the bow as applied through the string. The arrow _has_ to bend to clear the riser, unlike a compound where everything is centershot. The amount of bend is determined but many things, some of the big ones are shaft length, tip weight, inner vs outer diameter of the shaft, material properties of the shaft, setup of the bow (centershot), and far from least, the idiosyncracies of the shooter.

Eventually you will want to tune your arrows, but you really can't until you develop some shooting skill. No matter how you choose your starting arrows, leave them at least a couple inches longer than you think you might need. Not only do most people gain draw length as their form develops, arrow length is an important tuning variable. If you cut them too short to start...you can't make them longer if you need to. They are easy to make shorter though if that becomes necessary.

Don't get to worked up over arrows now though, like I said earlier almost anything will work to get started. You will want to tune once you get your form down, and especially once you start thinking about shooting broadheads and hunting. This is the standard tuning method, bookmark it for future use...http://www.3riversarchery.com/dynamic-spine-arrow-calculator-from-3rivers-archery.html

The section on bare shaft tuning is the real nuts and bolts of tuning, but there are tons of threads on the forum about it too.

As far as arrow type, I like carbons but aluminum are cheaper and often held to tighter tolerances than carbon. I use Easton ACCs, the same arrows I use with my compound. I leave them longer for my stickbows. They are kind of expensive though and definitely overkill until you know what you need.

All the little things like what kind of rest, glove vs tab and all the other little things you might need are worthy of a thread on their own. Opinions vary widely and there really is no correct answer. Don't hesitate to start topic specific threads, you will get a lot of great advice. The search function is also very helpful since just about anything you can think of has been address in some fashion or other over the years.


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## DJ Hardy (Jan 18, 2016)

Well done easykeeper


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## sinko (Dec 1, 2004)

In my opinion the bow is the launch pad and the arrow is the delivery system but the broadhead is the piece that does the work. Now all of it is important. Honestly if you really tune a 40# bow and shoot a 500gr arrow with a quality 2 blade broadhead, no deer walking will be safe out to 20 yards. Understanding traditional archery is not hard but there are things that don't cross over from modern archery all that well. Sometimes it's best to keep it simple and remember the basics. I'm a big advocate of arrow tuning and having nothing less than perfect arrow flight. It makes everything from accuracy to on game performance so much better.


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

Easykeeper said:


> For someone starting out I can't think of a better way to spend $20 than this book...http://www.lancasterarchery.com/shooting-the-stickbow-book-2nd-edition-by-anthony-camera.html
> 
> The author is a well respected coach and member of this forum who posts under the alias "Viper1". It's a very good book on the basics of archery, both how to shoot and equipment.
> 
> ...


Ordered the book! Great advice, thanks you for putting it together. 


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

sinko said:


> In my opinion the bow is the launch pad and the arrow is the delivery system but the broadhead is the piece that does the work. Now all of it is important. Honestly if you really tune a 40# bow and shoot a 500gr arrow with a quality 2 blade broadhead, no deer walking will be safe out to 20 yards. Understanding traditional archery is not hard but there are things that don't cross over from modern archery all that well. Sometimes it's best to keep it simple and remember the basics. I'm a big advocate of arrow tuning and having nothing less than perfect arrow flight. It makes everything from accuracy to on game performance so much better.


Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. 


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## DJ Hardy (Jan 18, 2016)

Brad Lehmann said:


> There are no deer in east Texas. Everybody know that.
> 
> At least 45 pounds for shots over twenty yards.


I'm about to figure that out. Lol


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## j.conner (Nov 12, 2009)

I would go as low as 35# for deer but 40# is ideal. You will really need accuracy if you plan to hunt beyond 20 yards.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Stash said:


> Shoot the heaviest draw weight you can legitimately handle under ANY hunting situation.
> 
> Of course, every state/province has its own regulations, but that's always a minimum, and you will not go wrong by going higher, provided you can accurately shoot the bow.


By legitimate, I'm SURE you meant accurately can handle didn't you.. :grin:


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## j.conner (Nov 12, 2009)

Good point, Rattus - we should define this. For deer, I would say legitimate accuracy would be putting 6 out of 6 arrows into a paper plate. For most, that would be 20 yards. For PLJ271, it sounds like 30 yards. To further clarify, this would be shot cold (no warm up) and under the expected conditions (tree stand, blind, brushy, hillside, etc.). I think what Stash is saying is that it would be max poundage under those conditions - in other words, being able to "handle" 55# in your garage or back yard, or pulling and holding in your den, is not the same as doing it under hunting conditions.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

j.conner said:


> Good point, Rattus - we should define this. For deer, I would say legitimate accuracy would be putting 6 out of 6 arrows into a paper plate. For most, that would be 20 yards. For PLJ271, it sounds like 30 yards. To further clarify, this would be shot cold (no warm up) and under the expected conditions (tree stand, blind, brushy, hillside, etc.). I think what Stash is saying is that it would be max poundage under those conditions - in other words, *being able to "handle" 55# in your garage or back yard, or pulling and holding in your den, is not the same as doing it under hunting conditions.*


So true, so very true.


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## maddog20/20 (Oct 13, 2015)

I wouldn't go below 40#. While it's true that a perfectly placed shot with a 30# will go deep enough to kill, not every shot placement is perfect and sometimes you hit a rib or they move and you glance off of a shoulder and I just feel more comfortable with a bit more punch.

I shoot 50#, so I'm not one of these super bow guys that shoots 90# or anything. I also won't shoot past 30 yards with 20-25 being my sweet spot. There's just too much that can happen past that to screw up what could have been a good shot if closer. A gust of wind, the animal jumping the string or just taking a step or quartering the wrong way...just a myriad of things that turn a heart shot into a miss or even worse, something like a gut shot. That's just my personal opinion.


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## ahunter55 (Aug 17, 2009)

For me It's the legal weight bow you can draw easy in a sitting position (not saying sit when drawing on a animal). I've seen many animals killed with light weight legal bows. Women & younger kids do it all the time. My 1st Deer was with 45#s, pass thru at 35 yds. I shot A Bull Elk at 35 yds with 55#s. My Longbow today is 50#s.


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

j.conner said:


> Good point, Rattus - we should define this. For deer, I would say legitimate accuracy would be putting 6 out of 6 arrows into a paper plate. For most, that would be 20 yards. For PLJ271, it sounds like 30 yards. To further clarify, this would be shot cold (no warm up) and under the expected conditions (tree stand, blind, brushy, hillside, etc.). I think what Stash is saying is that it would be max poundage under those conditions - in other words, being able to "handle" 55# in your garage or back yard, or pulling and holding in your den, is not the same as doing it under hunting conditions.


I don't plan on shooting at animals past 20 yards. I would practice further out but agree with others that too much could happen. 


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

ahunter55 said:


> For me It's the legal weight bow you can draw easy in a sitting position (not saying sit when drawing on a animal). I've seen many animals killed with light weight legal bows. Women & younger kids do it all the time. My 1st Deer was with 45#s, pass thru at 35 yds. I shot A Bull Elk at 35 yds with 55#s. My Longbow today is 50#s.


I'm planning to start with a 30-35# draw to develop form and consistency and would bump up to 45# to hunt. 


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

I'm looking for a used Samick Sage to start with based on others recommendations. Then I can get higher poundage limbs over time. Are there other bows I should be looking at as well? 


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## kspseshooter (Aug 6, 2010)

Depends on the broadhead you will be shooting,DL, and arrow weight. 


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## maddog20/20 (Oct 13, 2015)

PLJ271 said:


> I'm looking for a used Samick Sage to start with based on others recommendations. Then I can get higher poundage limbs over time. Are there other bows I should be looking at as well?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oh, some things to note about the Sage. It's pretty twangy until you make a few adjustments like calf hair pads at the tips, string silencers and limb stabilizers. Once you put those things on there and get the brace height right, it's actually a really decent hunting bow.


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

kspseshooter said:


> Depends on the broadhead you will be shooting,DL, and arrow weight.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have no idea what I would be shooting for arrows/broadheads. I'd love some suggestions. 


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## PLJ271 (Jul 15, 2017)

maddog20/20 said:


> Oh, some things to note about the Sage. It's pretty twangy until you make a few adjustments like calf hair pads at the tips, string silencers and limb stabilizers. Once you put those things on there and get the brace height right, it's actually a really decent hunting bow.


That's great info! Thanks. 


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## maddog20/20 (Oct 13, 2015)

PLJ271 said:


> I have no idea what I would be shooting for arrows/broadheads. I'd love some suggestions.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Man, you're opening up a can of worms here. Everyone has "the best broadhead ever" that they'll insist you need to use.

I'll tell you that I like the Strickland Helix which is a two blade, double bevel broadhead. It flies really cleanly and creates a good spiral wound channel so the blood trail is easy to find.

http://www.stricklandsarchery.com/helix.aspx


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## TwentySix (Feb 25, 2011)

Two things: while 30# and below may kill the animal, out of safety and respect, I wouldn't go below 40#. 

More importantly, shoot for a solid year before you hit the woods to hunt with a trad bow.


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## Bill 2311 (Jun 24, 2005)

Do a topic search on here for broadhead choices. 
You probably don't have the time to read all of the threads.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Easykeeper said:


> The minimum draw weight for bowhunting in Minnesota is 30 pounds.
> 
> You will get a lot of personal opinions on this, here's mine; while 30# may be legal it's not optimal. The thing is, the weight of the bow doesn't tell the whole story. A 30# well tuned stickbow, tipped with a razor sharp broadhead and in the hands of an accurate hunter will be deadly. A 50# bow, poorly tuned and tipped with a dull broadhead in the hands of a less than accurate hunter can be a disaster.
> 
> ...


I read a number of books by everyone I could when I got into archery about hunting... Fred Bear commented once that more deer have been killed with a 50# bow than anything else and was probably the most popular draw weight for hunting. :grin:


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

PLJ271 said:


> I have no idea what I would be shooting for arrows/broadheads. I'd love some suggestions.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


SNUFFERS rule in MY OPINION... or the likes of the Wenzel woodsman as an alternative... IN MY OPINION... :grin:


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## rogbo (Jan 2, 2004)

white tails are not particularly tough critters. They are not overly thick skinned, heavy boned or dense coated. But, there are some basic principles that should always be adhered to. ANY cut on contact SHARP broadhead will do the job. Magnus stinger, Snuffer, phantoms, VPA cut throats, ETC. Put together a arrow and broadhead combo that flies like a dart. Dont get too spun up with super heavy or high FOC or any of that crap (yet). There will be time for that after you've gained some time behind the string. Just get an arrow that flies as perfectly as you can. With a 45# bow (not knowing your actual draw length) i'd expect a 500 spine with a 125 grain broadhead but use the chart easykeeper linked you for a good starting point. Then make sure you can hit a basketball at 20 yards everytime. That's right a basketball, not a softball. Strive for the softball but a basketball is a pretty fair representation of the lung area. personally I look for carbon arrows because they are straight, tough and they are everywhere. It can be hard to find good quality woodies and all the major stores around here stock way more carbon choices than aluminum. same with 125 grain broadheads. EVERYONE makes them and you can find them from bass pro to walmart to the local hardware store. Everyone has a opinion so give mine the 2 cents it might be worth.


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## bwd (Dec 6, 2013)

Killed a few with a little Kanati I pull about 38# on, at my draw length. Don't usually get a complete pass thru, but with a 500-525gr arrow and a two blade broadhead, be it a grizzly, or tigershark, or somewhere in between, I will have as much arrow sticking out the off side as the side it went in on.


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## bwd (Dec 6, 2013)

Killed a few with a little Kanati I pull about 38# on, at my draw length. Don't usually get a complete pass thru, but with a 500-525gr arrow and a two blade broadhead, be it a grizzly, or tigershark, or somewhere in between, I will have as much arrow sticking out the off side as the side it went in on. But then again, I'm not as well versed as some when it comes to slipping one thru without hitting bone.


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## MOBIGBUCKS (Aug 12, 2006)

I'd say 40#. 

I shoot right at 43 pounds or so but that 's with a 30" draw length.


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## bowshooter47 (May 12, 2012)

40#s min for me or what your state min is.


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