# 45lbs enough for deer?



## Tradhunter500 (Dec 13, 2016)

I have a 45lb recurve and I want to hunt with it next season. Also what would my effective range be limited to to?


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## westksbowhunter (Sep 23, 2002)

Tradhunter500 said:


> I have a 45lb recurve and I want to hunt with it next season. Also what would my effective range be limited to to?


More than enough. As far as your effective range, that depends on your accuracy and has nothing to do with bow weight.


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## Greencb (Jul 8, 2008)

westksbowhunter said:


> More than enough. As far as your effective range, that depends on your accuracy and has nothing to do with bow weight.


100% truth


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

westksbowhunter said:


> More than enough. As far as your effective range, that depends on your accuracy and has nothing to do with bow weight.





Greencb said:


> 100% truth


Yep, although there ultimately is a minimum appropriate draw weight. That's usually whatever your state requires to legally hunt and 45# is well over that (for deer). Some states require more for larger game.


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## Tradhunter500 (Dec 13, 2016)

Thx guys.just what I wanted to know. Any suggestions on broadheads?


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## Greencb (Jul 8, 2008)

Tradhunter500 said:


> Thx guys.just what I wanted to know. Any suggestions on broadheads?


There is quite a bit out there on this topic. Look up Dr. Ashby reports. I like two blade Grizzly but there are several great options. Make sure they are sharp and they will do fine.


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## Sauk Mountain (Aug 3, 2015)

Greencb said:


> There is quite a bit out there on this topic. Look up Dr. Ashby reports. I like two blade Grizzly but there are several great options. Make sure they are sharp and they will do fine.


Good grief he's new, don't start him down the Ashby reports rabbit hole. He's talking about hunting South Carolina whitetails, not Cape Buffalo. 

Tradhunter500, in addition to Ashby's reports, stay away from any books about shooting by G. Fred Asbell too. There are a lot of great broadheads out there, my choice of broadhead for the last 10 years or more have been Magnus Stingers, with both compound and trad bows. To answer your first question, yes 45# will do just fine.


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## TGbow (Jun 24, 2016)

Probably 90% of the deer killed in the 60s and 70s were killed with 40 to 50 lb bows. A 45 lb bow with a sharp broadhead will kill the same deer a 55 lb bow will kill.


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## twigzz88 (Jul 17, 2006)

More than enough i shot my first this year and it was like a hot knife thru butter and that was 40 lbs. Im a big fan of zwickeys thus far.but im looking into magnus this year.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

Magnus stringers/buzzcuts seem to work well.

I think lots of cut on contact heads will work great.


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## keb (Jul 17, 2007)

45 is plenty, shot what the most accurate even if it's 40lbs.

I have killed plenty with 40-44lbs bows @ 28, which is my draw with 395-500 grain arrows. Big bodied 300 pound bucks 2.

Shot them with big 150 grain snuffers and 2 blades. I much prefer the hole left by a 3 blade.

From 4-20 yards, my max is 25 I feel like I'd shot.


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## WoodsmanRyan (Jul 1, 2016)

I used a 40# bow for years and had no problems killing deer, so you'd be fine with 45#. I used a 2-blade Magnus Stinger with the setup.

As for distance, as others have said, it's a personal limitation. The furthest I shot a deer with my 40# setup was 22 yards (my longest shot at a deer).


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

I used 47# this past season and got clean pass throughs on two doe with a Simmons Tigershark (bigger two blade). Don't know if 45# will be enough, though. That extra two pounds really does a lot... :lol:

You'll be fine. Just set up your arrows properly and be as accurate as possible!


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## Yooper-travler (Feb 28, 2011)

My 40# limbs on my bear T/D are actually 38#. With my draw its 36# lol. At 16 yards it sent an arrow almost thru a 260-270 ish whitetail.


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

Shot mine with a 45 @ 28" longbow. Was on my right side and had a hard time coming to a full draw with my harness on. So I drew about 26.5 -27", low 40# at that draw. Arrow buried to the fletch and the came out the other side couple seconds later. Was using a Zwickey Delta 2-blade. 485gr total arrow weight.


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## 5 Arrow (Nov 20, 2015)

45# is completely adequate. A razor sharp cut on impact type broad that travels through both lungs on a whitetail deer is extremely effective. Light out in a hurry.


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## ahunter55 (Aug 17, 2009)

I started in 1956, bowhunted Ill. 1st ever Deer Season in 1957 with 45#s & killed my 1st at 35 yards with a 3 blade head & 45#s in 1958. I started my 1st full time shop/lanes in 1964 & had it until 1982. THREE blades were by far the most popular. I still shoot a 3 blade as does 8 family bowhunters. They fly great 99.9% of the time with little or no tuning & if you put it where it's supposed to go as with any head will do an excellent job. In the near 20 years b/4 compounds started taking over I have seen hundreds of Deer, many Black Bears & Elk taken with 40, 45 & 50 pound longbows & recurves. You are fine & there are MANY great heads on the market now.


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## arrowchucker222 (Jun 17, 2013)

Nope!! I want to shoot a bigger deer than #45 lbs. LOL But my brother did shoot one that weighed #47 field dressed. And this was a central Minnesota deer!


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

Given that many states’game laws have a minimum draw weight of #40 for big game…and some states have no such restriction…45# could be considered overkill. Arizona has a minimum draw weight of 40# for buffalo…and my leanings would be towards believing that Arizona and the states with no restriction have it right.

The fact of the matter is that large game has been taken for ions with much lighter bows than what most would consider doable…in this day and age. That said, a combination of a greater than average knowledge of hunting and the chosen quarry, plus shooting and tracking skills seems to run proportional to amount of “handicap” one endeavors to undertake. All in all, you get out of it what you put into it…and I consider the process/experience to be priceless.

I’ve mentioned it a few times that the first critter that falls to a broadhead from a stick and string is something of an experiment…to the shooter. There are lots of good broadheads out there that have been proven in the field…so my advice, in such circumstance as this, is to use a “simple” 2 bladed cut on contact head to establish a benchmark for comparison. Very similar hits on different critters can produce different results…and I’d take that into consideration when “averaging-out” any broadhead’s performance.

Many times there’s a temptation to jump from one head to the next…not something I would recommend without enough “successes” under your belt. Keep it simple…you’ll be fine. Rick.


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## catman-do (Aug 17, 2014)

I use a old 66" #45 Whip Classic, crazy accurate, don't know if is me or the Whip. It just feels right in my hand and plenty good for my deer woods.


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## Bisch (Sep 10, 2016)

A well tuned 45# bow is plenty for deer. Your effective range will be whatever distance you can shoot well at. That bow will kill farther than you can accurately shoot!

Bisch


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## mow1954 (Aug 12, 2016)

I have shot several whitetails with Snuffers. They fly good and make a big hole. Last year, I switched to Solid Broadheads. They are great, and to me, have a real "cool" factor. They fly good, stay sharp and penetrate well. They are quite expensive tho.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Tradhunter500 said:


> I have a 45lb recurve and I want to hunt with it next season. Also what would my effective range be limited to to?


The short answer by most I'm sure is going to be "more than enough".... Effective range is going be what what range you can accurately put your entire quiver into a, say, 6" pie plate... and in so doing, should be doing via your hunting garb on, potential positions you might be shooting from, kneeling, standing, canted, shooting level, up hill... etc... :grin:

Aloha..


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