Short guy slow arrow

[bvangor]

I have a question on arrows and weights. I am trying not to get bogged down on the whole how fast my arrow can go how much momentum etc. but I do want to ensure that I can have clean and ethical kills on an elk at 40-50 yards. I have a draw length of 27 and I am pulling 66.8 lbs which I will be bumping up to 70-72lbs soon. I shoot a 468 grain arrow with a big FOC. (yes I have heard the put it in the boiler room and it'll go down, but I wan to make sure I am being as ethical as I can be with a good shot, sharp broadhead, and enough power to put it down quickly) I did some online calculators and see that my KE is around 58 and my momentum is around .488 slugs. My main questions is yes that will kill most thing at 10-20 yards but would it be able to carry that KE and momentum out to 40-50 yards?

I know I can't really change my height or draw length so I am just wanting to see how it is possible to take down larger animals without having been blessed with a long draw length. Thanks so much!

 

[Scoot]

You have a nice setup for elk! Would you benefit from longer arms and a longer draw length? Sure... but it doesn't work that way, obviously. Given your 27" draw length, I think your setup is good. Your current draw weight is 100% totally fine and you'll benefit a little, but not much, from bumping it a few pounds. If your accuracy is negatively impacted at all by that bump, it's not worth it IMO.

If you limit your shots to 50 and under, you'll be good. Make sure your broadheads are razer sharp, aren't too big, and are 2 or 3 blade fixed heads. Lastly, and this one is generally poorly understood- make sure your bow is tuned well and your arrows are flying like darts. Your KE/momentum calculations aren't at all accurate if your arrows aren't flying well. If your arrows are fishtailing and needing to adjust a bunch in flight, they are losing efficiency (KE/momentum) and don't have near the oomph they should. Tune your bow/arrows and make sure you have perfect arrow flight.

Good luck!

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Your arrow will be plenty lethal at 40-50 yds (and beyond). I'd recommend a 2-blade fixed broadhead to help maximize penetration on larger animals like elk.

KE isn't really a good indicator of arrow lethality, but FWIW if you're shooting a moderately fast modern compound (330-ish fps IBO rating), you're likely around 65 ft-lbs at your current draw length/weight and will likely get 70+ ft-lbs after you bump up DW.

 

[bvangor]

You have a nice setup for elk! Would you benefit from longer arms and a longer draw length? Sure... but it doesn't work that way, obviously. Given your 27" draw length, I think your setup is good. Your current draw weight is 100% totally fine and you'll benefit a little, but not much, from bumping it a few pounds. If your accuracy is negatively impacted at all by that bump, it's not worth it IMO.

If you limit your shots to 50 and under, you'll be good. Make sure your broadheads are razer sharp, aren't too big, and are 2 or 3 blade fixed heads. Lastly, and this one is generally poorly understood- make sure your bow is tuned well and your arrows are flying like darts. Your KE/momentum calculations aren't at all accurate if your arrows aren't flying well. If your arrows are fishtailing and needing to adjust a bunch in flight, they are losing efficiency (KE/momentum) and don't have near the oomph they should. Tune your bow/arrows and make sure you have perfect arrow flight.

Good luck!

Scoot thank you! I just had my bow tuned up and aligned and everything is running incredibly smooth. Arrows are darts just a bit slower darts haha. I have Montec G5 100 grain BH that I think fly really well. My groupings are within MOA. At about 60 yards I have noticed they get slightly larger but I am working hard this off season to close those up! Appreciate the info!

 

[bvangor]

Your arrow will be plenty lethal at 40-50 yds (and beyond). I'd recommend a 2-blade fixed broadhead to help maximize penetration on larger animals like elk.

KE isn't really a good indicator of arrow lethality, but FWIW if you're shooting a moderately fast modern compound (330-ish fps IBO rating), you're likely around 65 ft-lbs at your current draw length/weight and will likely get 70+ ft-lbs after you bump up DW.

Mighty Mouse,

I appreciate it I am shooting a Mathews Tactic with a 335 IBO so that sounds about right. Just making sure I am being ethical and a good hunter! Thank you for the info!

 

[5MilesBack]

Don't worry about what you don't have.......just make sure you maximize the effectiveness of what you do have (i.e. tuning, COC 2-blades, accuracy, etc). And if you have to take shorter shots, then take shorter shots.

 

[Scoot]

Don't worry about what you don't have.......just make sure you maximize the effectiveness of what you do have (i.e. tuning, COC 2-blades, accuracy, etc). And if you have to take shorter shots, then take shorter shots.

This is excellent perspective! Personally, I wouldn't change a thing with your setup given what you replied with. Practice practice practice with your excellent setup and go have fun next Sep!

All of my elk have been shot between 8 feet and 29 yards. I can shoot smaller than volleyball sized groups at 60 yards, but it has never mattered! Do your job as a hunter (i.e., get close) and your job as an archer is pretty easy!

 

[bow puller]

Plenty good with what you are shooting now, no where close to under gunned.

My kids have killed elk with way less, 40lbs/25", etc

 

[hobbes]

You'll be fine staying at 66 lb draw weight. There is really no need to bump it to 72.

 

[Coveyleader]

I've killed a bunch of them using arrow weights right where you're at with bows much slower I'm sure. I will say most of my elk have been in the 20yd range but I can say I've had two follow up shots that were long, 40yds on the nose each one, and had no issues with penetration using hellrazor and slick trick broadheads.

If I could give one more "Tip", I would say away from BHs that aren't really efficient if you plan on shooting that far. I used to shoot the Slick Trick Magnums and even at 20 yds, I was finding my penetrations wasn't all that great. To be clear, those were on typical CO bulls. There is a huge difference between a big bull and a raghorn from a size perspective so keep that in mind. The standards were much better. In the end, I've found my hellrazors to be great penetrators so I've used them for the past few years and won't hesitate to shoot at elk from several different angles if given the option.

Good luck!

 

[theleo91386]

You're setup is fine as long as it's well tuned. Arrows are pretty efficient at maintaining their energy/momentum over distance so long as they are flying straight. If you're ever worried about it try using a COC broadhead with shallower blade angles so the physics are more comparable to slicing rather than chopping. Montecs don't have the steepest of blade angles to begin with, I'm just saying it's something you could play with if you wanted to.

 

[cnelk]

I’ve killed a truckload of elk with a setup very similar to the OP’s

Go hunting

 

[roosiebull]

I have a question on arrows and weights. I am trying not to get bogged down on the whole how fast my arrow can go how much momentum etc. but I do want to ensure that I can have clean and ethical kills on an elk at 40-50 yards. I have a draw length of 27 and I am pulling 66.8 lbs which I will be bumping up to 70-72lbs soon. I shoot a 468 grain arrow with a big FOC. (yes I have heard the put it in the boiler room and it'll go down, but I wan to make sure I am being as ethical as I can be with a good shot, sharp broadhead, and enough power to put it down quickly) I did some online calculators and see that my KE is around 58 and my momentum is around .488 slugs. My main questions is yes that will kill most thing at 10-20 yards but would it be able to carry that KE and momentum out to 40-50 yards?

I know I can't really change my height or draw length so I am just wanting to see how it is possible to take down larger animals without having been blessed with a long draw length. Thanks so much!

TOTALLY fine, nowhere close to marginal, you are golden at those specs

 

[Wrench]

For perspective, elk have been dying to 130ish fps longbows for a long time.

SHARP cut on contact head that flies like a dart and doesn't hit the humerus or ridge in the scapula should be worry free. Hit one of the above and things get complicated. A few pounds of draw weight won't fix that either.

 

[Maverick1]

I have a question on arrows and weights. I am trying not to get bogged down on the whole how fast my arrow can go how much momentum etc. but I do want to ensure that I can have clean and ethical kills on an elk at 40-50 yards. I have a draw length of 27 and I am pulling 66.8 lbs which I will be bumping up to 70-72lbs soon. I shoot a 468 grain arrow with a big FOC. (yes I have heard the put it in the boiler room and it'll go down, but I wan to make sure I am being as ethical as I can be with a good shot, sharp broadhead, and enough power to put it down quickly) I did some online calculators and see that my KE is around 58 and my momentum is around .488 slugs. My main questions is yes that will kill most thing at 10-20 yards but would it be able to carry that KE and momentum out to 40-50 yards?

I know I can't really change my height or draw length so I am just wanting to see how it is possible to take down larger animals without having been blessed with a long draw length. Thanks so much!

What @Scoot said!

 

[browtinebull]

Your setup is fine. I suggest if you are a rookie elk hunter, try and keep your shots to under 30yards broadside/not walking shots only.

 

[bvangor]

Are you saying that due to the setup or shooting ability? I do hunt other animals with a bow as well. I am getting all on a pie plate at 70-80 yards right now and I figure I have almost a year to push that out further in order to get more comfortable closer in.

 

[SoILSlocker]

I think it will be plenty to kill at distance, the biggest problem will be pin gap or arrow drop. You'll want to have a pretty good idea of the range because even being off a few yards could cause you to shoot higher/lower especially at longer distance.