The story with me was starting with a Red Wing Hunter at 45#, first year to hunt deer. I made a perfect behind the shoulder shot on a nice PA doe, she bolted and I could see the arrow still going it as she ran, 200 yard or more tracking job let alone getting her out. Bow was accurate and I shot a 292 out of 300 field course (Ohio, 30 targets). My first year I shot 3 deer, Ohio, PA and MI. I changed to a Wing presentation 2 at 62#, 30". Heavy arrows, it really worked with pass throughs. The bow was a take down recurve. Best bow I ever had until a limb broke. Tried the bear take down but the limb brackets would bend. Still shot good. I loved the old Kodiak until it broke. I went to Jennings compounds at 70# but they broke a lot of limbs. I shot so much and got so strong I could not release the strings so I kept going heavier. I shot target with 50, 55 and then 82#. Last bows I have are all 82# Brownings but shoulder injuries not related to shooting now have me with a Ravin cross bow. It took years to get a release, I was stubborn being a finger shooter. I could grip my bow scale and bottom it at what I figure was 120#. I have a huge middle knuckle that a revolver bangs. I learned it was not speed but arrow weight that killed. Just like heavy revolver bullets do. Most of my arrows started at 2219 to 2419 with 125 gr cut on contact. My wood arrows for a longbow used 175 gr heads. Snuffer heads. Many compounds make a high frequency noise we can't hear and I had deer move enough at 10 yards to miss. One day deer were coming past an opening at 25 yards, I missed the first 2 when they bent legs to jump. A third was coming so I aimed low, she did go down but I hit her in the shoulder, arrow went through it and the spine, cut the ball joint in half in the off shoulder, was sticking over half through and knocked her sideways off her feet, the arrow stuck in the ground and she slid down it. After this season with the Ravin I figure I have killed about 260 deer with arrows. My opinion is about 60# is enough with the proper weight arrows. The speed today is from light arrows and bows that don't break from almost a dry fire. I feel you would do better to tune a heavy arrow instead. I watch the hunting shows and see arrows stuck in deer so they come back the next day to find them. Can you eat them? Never seen a trophy hunter gut a deer either. I admit to hunt for meat and have shot the doe with a buck. Now my brother in law will kill a big Ohio buck and get it turned into jerky and he sends all of it to our troops overseas. How about a big OORAH to my brother in law? Thank all for their service.
