Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Arrow weight for elk: how much?

I will be suprised if you get a blowthrough with your current setup.
Dont take that the wrong way but I shoot 417 grain arrows at right between 298-300 fps and of the 3 elk I shot only 1 was a blowthrough.
Remember 2 holes are better than 1 when it comes to bleeding out.
Whatever you do just report your fidings with us.......in other words prove me wrong.

Bob33,
Don't forget one very important aspect of adequate arrow weight and speed- that is TUNING.
A properly tuned bow will throw its arrow straight, relatively speaking. And an arrow hitting point on will penetrate better than one reaching its target sideways, losing much of its energy in the effort upon impact.

I'll take a lighter, slower arrow out of a properly tuned bow, over a heavier, faster arrow with sloppy flight characteristics, any day.

Tom264, your 417 grains at 298 fps suggest a higher draw weight than I am shooting. My 395 grain arrows are going around 245 fps from a 54 pound bow.

I may not get a blowthrough, but I do expect to get a dead elk if I place the shot correctly. Thanks.

I wouldn't hunt elk with that setup especially with a 4blade broadhead. Unless of coarse you get within 10paces. The arrow is light and the poundage needs to be cranked up for that arrow. If you use that set-up I would go with a 2blade broadhead. That's just me.

Hey Bob,
Check out these broadheads........might be worth looking into, especially if there is a chance of bone.
Steelforce Phatheads,

Thanks. I've read of quite a few bowhunters that disagree with the need for heavy arrows, so I will go with the equipment that several experienced archers set me up with.

No prob...............its your hunt.

Bob33, Only thing I'd change is your max range. Practice out to 50 at least. If a big bull is standing there broadside at 40 yards - put an arrow in him! Some guys make elk out to be armor plated - the ones I've killed have had fur on them. If your arrow is not over 500 grains it will likely bounce right off, hooy. Like I said before my setup is a 390gr carbon arrow out of my 59# Ultratec with a 4 blade Muzzy going about 265 fps. That setup killed a bull each of the last 2 years and hopefully I'll put another one in the freezer this fall. Put a sharp broadhead in the boiler room and your setup will do just fine. If you can pull a few extra pounds, then that is all the better, if not - what you have now will do the trick. Hope you stick a big one!

Thanks, Centershot. I am just not strong enough to increase the draw weight this year. I will have to limit my range for now. I do believe I can kill an elk at 40 yards. Beyond that, I'm not confident enough to take a shot. I've shot at 50 yards with my 40 yard pin and noted how much the arrow drops in those 10 yards: at least 15 inches, it seems. Being a first year bow hunter, I want to be successful and then build on that. A clean kill on a cow elk at close range is my goal. Once I've got some actual hunting experience and another year to practice I'll be competent at longer distances.

I personally think a lot of guys would be much better off shooting lower poundage bows. It's easier on your body especially the shoulders and for most guys the aiming process is easier holding less weight. With modern highly efficient bows high draw weights are no longer necessary. Reasonable arrow speed is easily obtainable with carbon arrows. So, you can shoot more, more accurately and more often without being tired or sore all while still having acceptable performance - what's not to like about that? If you are planning on a trip to Africa or to Hunt Big Dangerous Bears or have a really short draw length then you may want to rethink your setup, but for the lower 48 a 60# 28"+ draw modern cam bow will get the job done.

My current bow,Bowtech 82nd, is set at 57lbs draw weight. I just picked this one up last weekend and it is a good bit faster than my older bow. I have a 28" draw, shooting 430gr arrows and the speed was 259fps this afternoon, checked at the archery center where I purchased it. That's plenty good for elk or moose out to 35yds, no need for straining to pull more poundage. If this or a similar setup won't do the job I'll increase the arrow weight.