I make and build primitive bows as well as arrows, and have taken two Bucks with these weapons already. But I have a few questions pertaining to my bow setup, with one of my new bows. It is a short 48 inch wide-limbed flatbow, pulling around 45-48 pounds in draw weight. It shoots an arrow around 138-147 FPS, pretty slow compared to modern bowhunting equipment, but is is powerful. My question is this- is my bow powerful enough to take down a Deer? The arrows I shoot from it are handmade dogwood shafts, around 380 grains total in weight. At 11-12 yards, it will penetrate a solid hardwood tree about 1/4 of an inch ( or a little more) with a blunt headed arrow, and will stick into it pretty good. With a trade point steel broad head, the arrow will penetrate a solid Oak tree about 1 inch at 30-38 feet. Although the draw weight is sufficient, im worried about KE. I don't plan on using this bow past a 20 yard range. I have heard that 11 pounds of KE is enough IF you have great sho placement and a razor sharp broadhead. Im not sure how to know if this bow has enough power to take down a deer. Please be specific with your responses. Thankyou
