Min Poundage for Elk

[blkbltconder]

Idaho's law is min of 40 lbs at 28" for all animals, but that is really light. The min use to be 40 for deer and 50 for elk, moose, and bear. I have a recurve that is 45# at 28inches. I think that is really light for Elk. I can't affod to go out and buy a new bow right now, unless I find a cheap one on Ebay of at a Pawn shop. I am leaning towards traditional sooting, but only one person replied to my other post. Any stick bow hunters have any suggestions on poundage. for a recurve or long bow for future refrence.

[lovestohunt]

Idaho's law is min of 40 lbs at 28" for all animals, but that is really light. The min use to be 40 for deer and 50 for elk, moose, and bear. I have a recurve that is 45# at 28inches. I think that is really light for Elk. I can't affod to go out and buy a new bow right now, unless I find a cheap one on Ebay of at a Pawn shop. I am leaning towards traditional sooting, but only one person replied to my other post. Any stick bow hunters have any suggestions on poundage. for a recurve or long bow for future refrence.

See if you can get a hold of Tjen on here. He shoots alot of stick bows. Also Lodiman, you will find him on the AOBS thread quite a bit. I wish I could help you out but I know nothing about instinctive shooting. Good luck.

-Jess

[Kellyelk]

For what its worth the state of CO only requires bows to have a minimum draw weight of 35# and no more than 80% let off for compounds. Seems a little light to me. I thought it would be at least 50#................

[ColtWKnight]

I have a 45# recurve with at 28" draw, but with my 31" draw length its about 56 or 57#s. Ive found that just hunting deer, the 45# at 28" if I don't draw completely back is insuficient for white tail past 20 yards.

[buck hunter]

50 pounds min for elk with recurve under 25 yards. whare i live in michigan there is mo restrictions on poundage or letoff. for deer i would trst my old bear kodiak magnum at 45 pounds and 28"draw

[tjen]

Well from my club every year there are kids taking deer and bear with 35lbs to 45lbs bows so they do work. My cuszin and uncle used the same 38lbs Kodiac Magnum to shoot say a dozen or so deer as well.

I would like to see a suggested draw weight of 55lbs as a min for elk, but if you keep your shots to 25 yards or less, 45lbs would work just fine. Keep your arrow weight up for momentum say 470-500grs. If you shoot say 400 ICS Beemans use the brass incerts for about a 70gr increase over the reguler aluminum incerts. For any low poundage bow I always recomend a two blade head like the Magnuas, but if not the G5 Monotec or Stricker wound be the next best.

Quick reality check here, two guys from my club hunted caribou north of the Brooks Mnt Range. After they returned they were asked at what range did you shot them at? The answer was at 15 and say 21 yards because if you can hunt white tails you can get to within 30 yards pertty easy. Latter on that year in Spetember one of them and another archer I know went to Ontario for moose and they both were successful. The question now was how good of penitration did you get? Answer both where 100% in fact my arrow was stuck in a bush just on the other side of where I shot em. The poundages for these bows 60lbs and 68lbs.

I oftend use a well used poundage, broadhead, bow or arrow type as a standard to measure or judge things by. Like a two blade broadhead if it kills game like deer bear and elk in ten seconds or less shouldn't a three or four blade do better? Or if a 60lbs recurve is sufficent to give 100% penitration on deer/bear/elk/moose would not a 60lbs or even a 55lbs compound do the same or even better? Thats with the same weight arrow. So when you see an example I give its for comparison and or a standard that has ben proven to work. And in mentioning my club its because it a proving ground for Bow Hunters, when after hunting season we all can compare how successfull all the equipment, setups, and hunts were. When you get infor from 70 or hunters every season that information does matter. And aero dynamics and basic physics apply to all types of archery.

This is to help ansewer some PM's as well for those who may not have understud some of my advise and the reason for this long post.