I was shooting today at about 35 yards (i have a "black hole" brand foam target) and the arrows varied in their "puncture". Some only made it a couple inches deep, others went in 7 to 8 inches...my question here is what types of variables caused this variance? My setup is very minimal (i am a total beginner) I do not have a stabilizer, or anything more sophisticated than a WB for that matter the REAL question that im looking to get answered though... while hunting, is there a range outside of which my arrows (even if they find their mark) wont get the job done? and how is that range increased? thanks for any help
I noticed that with shooting my Big green target, It seemed that in some spots the arrow buried itself and in other's it didn't. About how far the arrow will "Get the job done" matters on both your bow setup and how confident you are to get a good kill shot. I myself am not even going into the field because I only started a few weeks ago and am not confident in my shooting yet.
I would think that your issue could be caused by a couple of different reasons. The target may be denser in some spots causing lighter penetration of the arrow. But the first question I would ask would be are all the arrows the same brand, length, head weight, etc? Yes there comes a distance where your arrows won't get the job done and will simply injure the animal. Personally I set my limit at 40 yards. For me that is a distance I am confident shooting.
Hey newblood, first off, welcome, to the sport and the site. There are many guys on here with tons of experience. GAB kind of answered your question. Some spots may be more dense. Also, and I don't have a block but I have seen this done, is how the target is manufactured. If it is manufactured by using layers, you may just have found a seem if you will. On to your next question. As GAB and Fitz eludued to... Please give us the details of your setup. That information will help in answering any questions you may have. I know it's hard when you're just starting out and you see guys on here with elaborate setups, but remember, we all started out in your position. I have never seen anyone judged based upon their setup, only playful brand bashing. So with that, what do you have and what do you want to do? The more details the better.
If you haven't killed a deer yet with a bow i would recomend not trying a shot outside 20 yards on a real animal. Sharp broadheads and a good rib shot with any modern day bow should get you a pass thru at 20 or under.
good post ga. bowhunter ps. I got north ga. covered bud, might not be enough woods up here with that big T in your avatar. GO DAWGS
I agree with everyone alse as far as the penatration on the target goes. What I don't agree with is PatMcc30 statement about the 20 yard range. I have yet to shoot a deer with a bow but I am proficiant out to 40yd in the practice stand on my small 3D target. 3 out of 3 in the zone. I actually do much better on the deer target than I do on my bags. I will not however shoot at one this year past 30-35yd. As a matter of fact I will be setting up all my stands no more than 30yd off of trails. I am shooting 345gr arrows out of a 28" draw and 68lb draw weight. I shoot a lot 200-500 shots a week.
Thank you all for the feedback i totally appreciate it Ok so i guess first of all I should say what it is im shooting.. that would be a Browning Micro Midas 3 yes yes i know...it was my bow as a kid that i recently found in the garage and had serviced and restrung *WEIGHT maxed out to 40# *DRAW maxed out to 28'' *shooting carbon express "predator II 2040" arrows (30" long from nock to tip) *WB if it matters the set is 25"/35# (is that the original draw/weight?) thats all i can think of putting, if theres any more info i can give lemme know oh also PatMcc not to worry i dont plan on trying to hunt anything from any distance until I can hit a kill shot sized area consistently from about 30 35 yards
With that draw weight and those arrows, I would not draw back on anything over 20-25yd out. Thats barely a legal bow here in NC probably most other states also.
I see...perhaps that would explain the lack of consistency from 35 yards? if you dont mind me asking what exactly is the problem with 28"/40#? i dont want to be shooting unsafely and my knowledge on the mechanics of a compound bow is very limited
Thanks newblood. The key to hunting as far as bows go is speed and penetration. Your goal is to get the fast, most penetrating setup as you possibly can. Yes the majority of people on here have new setups, but there are many like yourself that don't, and that's just fine, like I said above, we all started somewhere. I have a trader paper golden eagle (not even as powerful as yours), a pawn shop many year old mathews, and finally my new z7x. Go to youtube or search online for anchor points. Learn what a good anchor point. Play with this on your bow. Now you need to honestly ask yourself if your bow is capable of your anchor point, like if you have a 28" inch draw and your 6 foot tall, you're not hitting your anchor point. We'll assume you can correctly anchor your bow. Next, get your arrows cut to your length. I like my arrows to match my draw length, but I think the standard is to have them an inch over draw. So now you have a good knowledge of anchor point, your equipment is set up for you. lastly, just shoot. Make sure you take every shot like there is a world record buck on the business end. Focus on hitting your marks, anchor point, nose to the string... start off close, don't even worry about where you hit on the target. Once you consistently get the form down, then the arrows will go where they need to. Lastly, read, learn, watch, listen... i like the midwestwhitetail.com website a lot. Read Bill's blogs on shooting well and read through his questions and answers. Also, start saving up. You don't need to get a $1400+ setup to be killing deer efficiently. You can get good bows cheap through craigslist and your local shop. Getting stuff used is a great way of building up your equipment. The browning micro midas 3 isn't a bad bow by any means. For where you're at and what you need to do, it will work just fine. If someone knows of the link to the easton tuning chart, that will help a lot also. And if you have any more questions, ask away, we've all been in your place and I have yet to find someone on this board that bashes a question for being too generic or basic.
There's nothing "wrong" with it per se. The problem is pulling only 40# is not going to give your arrow a ton of momentum or KE. Therefore your penetration will not be as deep on a deer. One thing with pulling that weight is I would make double sure that my broadhead is super razor sharp and the arrow is right where you want it to be to give yourself the best penetration possible. Just to give you an idea I shoot a fairly newer bow, its only 2 years old and my setup is 28"/65#.
I'm not saying it can't be done. But accuracy on a foam target is alot different then on a live animal. Just saying i would try to get a solid kill or two under my belt at a close and very confident range rather then risk a poor shot at a long distance. Most of my stands are in the woods off trails and usually there isnt a shot outside 20 anyway. i only have a few setups on field edges that give me out to 30. Last year was my first deer i took at 30 and he even ducked it and was spined....made for a nice easy recovery but didnt help my confidence on the long range shots.
Wow. I'm seeing a lot of good information in this post but unfortunately there is also a lot of misinformation. To answer the first question of the OP I'm going with target density differences causing the penetration differences. The next thing to look at would be shot consistency/bow tune. If the arrow doesn't strike the target square it's not going to penetrate efficiently and if the shooter's form is inconsistent so will be the arrow penetration. A 40# bow will kill whitetails all day long, forever when coupled with the proper arrow/broadhead and shot well. The idea that you need warp speed out of a brand new bow shooting 60-70 lbs. to kill deer is just plain ridiculous. What is needed is an understanding of the limitations of the gear you are using and the moral fortitude to stay within those limits. That's true of any hunting implement. Face it, a 40# compound is generating as much or more energy than a lot of the guys on the traditional forum are effectively killing deer with every year. The key to penetrating animals with light poundage is to maximize the efficiency of the system to gain momentum on the arrow. You do this by shooting a heavier than normal arrow, not by shooting a faster arrow. Heavy arrows absorb more available energy from the bow than do light ones, they retain that energy longer, stabilize and tune better, and deliver their energy on target more efficiently; all key factors to using lighter draw weight. In addition you want to maximize penetration through efficient broadhead penetration. You don't have a lot of energy to waste opening expandable blades or pushing a tip into hide. You need to use your limited energy cutting through your target. That's why cut on contact heads are known as being best for low energy set-ups. Spend the time between now and deer season becoming familiar with your set-up. Get it tuned up. Get yourself tuned to it. Keep your shots reasonably close, have fun and kill deer.
New, I just looked up your arrow specs... Predator II Arrow Specs: 2040 -598 spine Max length 30" B.O.P - 7.7 GPI, Nocks and Inserts included. To me, even though you are probably shooting the right spine for your bow, you are shooting way too light of an arrow. My guess is that your total arrow weight is around 340-350 grains if your tip weight is 100 grains. I would pump your total arrow weight up to around 450 grains or so. You can do that by purchasing a higher GPI (grain per inch) arrow and by increasing your tip weight. For example, get around 10 GPI arrow at 30 inches---10x30=300 grains. Add a 125 grain broadhead along with the feathers, nock, and insert and that should put you at around 450 grains. OR you can get a stiffer arrow, cut it down to around 28.5 inches and stack the tip weight to around 150-175 grains. I would also get a cut on contact broadhead like Kodiak suggested.
Kodiak, What distances are the tradition bow guys averaging per kill?? I bet it is no more than 25yd is it? 40lb bow will kill if it is set up right. I totally agree with that. A customer of mine was on the committee that petitioned the NC wildlife department to drop the poundage from 40ld down to 35lb. He has made the statement on more than one occasion that he would not recommend shooting one past 25yd. Newblood, my last statement has nothing to do with consistency. Yes, a stabilizer can help some but, FORM and consistent form will be your key to success. That lack of form, anchor points, grip, stance and every part of it affects consistency. I have a bow set at 30lb that I have set up as a youth for a rental at my range. I can easily hold around a 6" pattern at 35yd with this little bow. I could probably keep it tighter if I was a 23" draw. I am a 28" draw. Next time you are practicing don't worry about your distance. Stay at one yardage, I would say 15yd or so. Try not to torque the bow or string, keep the same anchor points, sight ring lined up with the outside edge of the peep if your sight has one, and do the same thing every time. Focus on every little thing your body is doing each and devry time and reproduce it when you were you are aiming. Once consistent then worry about distance, no matter how long it takes.
Kodiak & VS are right on. Your poundage is fine, you just need to know your bows limitations (everyone does). In your situation this is what I'd do: Start with the right gear- Bump up the arrow weight as susggested Avoid expandable BHs (Rage, etc) Use a COC (cut on contact) style BH Tune & Practice- Make sure your bow is in tune. Either take it to an reputable shop, or learn how to tune it yourself with resorses available (like Bowhunting.com ) Work on your form & consistancy. Again, either @ a shop, or with pics & video, you can get help right here. Tweak it. After you tune you bow, work on your form, then tune, then form. Tune. Form. As with most variables in bowhunting, they are not mutually exclusive. You'll get dialed in soon enough. One of the biggest advantages of your lighter setup, is that you'll be able to have longer shooting sessions. You won't fatigue as quickly as you would with a heavier setup. Good luck and have fun!
you guys are all awesome, super glad i decided to come here i will work on these: awareness of limitations heavier arrows (the concept of maximizing KE from my available PE really sank in here, ty Kodiak, viginia, Fitz) simple, efficient broadhead keeping bow tuned lots and lots of quality practice bigups to you all
