I've been in the gun camp for many decades. Firearms has a bunch of ballistics terms like muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, striking energy, maximum effective range, maximum point blank range and so forth. How much do archers get into such technical physics of the arrow in flight? Are discharged arrows ever tested over a chronograph the way some in the powder burning camp do when they test handloads of ammo? A bow really doesn't really have a "muzzle" like a gun so what is the archer's equivalent to "muzzle velocity"? What does the bow hunter have to know about the physics of the arrow in flight and how the projectile performs on the body of the game to master becoming an ethical bow hunter? That is to make a decisive kill on game animals. I understand some state game regulations have minimum poundage requirements for bows. How does "poundage" translate to "ballistic" performance? How does it translate to velocity, downrange energy, tissue destruction, maximum practical range and trajectory? Does archery even use the term "ballistics" as the gun camp does? I want to learn more about the physics of archery. A man, a gun hunter and a bowhunter has to know his limitations.
Yes and no. There are plenty that geek out... FOC, gpi, speed, momentum, kinetic energy, fps... However not really ballistics per se. For bowhunting, drag and lightweight arrows contribute to noise. Broadheads kill very differently than bullets.
yes, that is prefered ...accomplished by a well placed super sharp broadhead, momentum and ke ... arrows 6/7grs-10grs per pound are optimal and a FOC of 8-15% .. some prefer more but not really needed for deer sized critters ... what IS needed is a very well tuned bow to optimize that arrow flight/penetration and practice, practice and practice, preferably with 3d targets in hunting type of set ups and distances...
Here is a neat video I found that gets into archery science quite well, the guy mentions broadhead sharpness and hemorrhaging toward the end... interestingly, a slow arrow (150 fps) encumbers FOUR times LESS Force of Drag than an arrow at double velocity. According to this chap, compound bows at typical hunting poundages tend to have twice the velocity of similarly-purposed recurve bows. As with any weapon as a gun or an air rifle, you just can't kill what you can't hit even with a bow. I saw some beginner archery videos harping on that form and posture are essential to hitting one's mark consistently. The beginner videos stress things like ANCHOR POINT and DRAW LENGTH. One thing the bow hunter doesn't seem to suffer from that a rifle big-game hunter suffers from is RECOIL (bruised shoulders). I don't remember any "felt recoil" in junior HS archery. Here in my state of Oklahoma, the modern CF rifle deer hunter suffers from very few places (if any) to hunt on public lands during deer seasons. Gun seasons and special holiday antlerless seasons are largely confined to shotguns with slugs. This is true in much of America east of the Rockies. Bows, shotguns and muzzleloaders are dominating deer fields and deer woods here east of the Rockies. I'm now seriously considering adding a recurve bow and archery skills (as well as a Savage 220 slug gun) to my battery of hunting weaponry. I realize game calling skills, patience and stalking the game close will also be essential for the slug gun and even more so for the bow. I think the biggest reason for the wide following of bow hunting is to get more days afield during deer seasons to increase one's chances of getting venison to the freezer year after year. There are these early archery seasons in some parts. I think the learning curve for archery might be steeper than that for the long gun.
Just as with any tools one uses for anything putting in the time to learn it's performance and improve your skill with it is essential. Time put in is essential. Understanding how you'll be using your tools is essential. I practice mainly from hunting height. That said I also put time in sitting from a chair ,sitting on the ground legs out, kneeling. Shooting standing aiming up a steep or down a steep angle. You need to know what effects your arrow flight. With a recurve, drawing and holding is a big practice session. There is no "let off". Deer do not always stop at a perfect angle or open space...sometimes there is a waiting game. Practice after you've done something to get your heart rate and breathing up..because that's what you'll have going on when a big buck shows up. I climb a ladder stand with 3 arrows and shoot a non measured distance until I'm dead on then move target to a different distance and angle...believe me, repeatedly retrieving those 3 arrows will get your heart, breathing and sweat up. Going up and down that ladder will build your arms , shoulders and legs up for hunting. Teach you how to control your breathing at a shot.
Bullets kill via a hemorrhagic shockwave. Kinetic energy in archery is irrelevant. All that means is the amount of work the bow did to get a certain arrow of whatever mass to leave the mechanical system (bow) at whatever velocity. Parabolic motion of a projectile matters a lot in archery. Drag matters a lot in archery, but there is no way the common man can measure it. You need a wind tunnel an then you need to calculate the Reynolds number for any of it to matter. If you can hit a 12" circle at 40 yds shooting a 400 grain arrow at anywhere from 265 to 285 fps, you're in the game.
