I shot one last year that was behind the tree.One arm on one side of the tree and one on the other with belly against the trunk.Could only draw about 22" at best.About 35lbs at that length.I put a 2" wide treeshark through her with no prblem and busted up the brisket on exit.It don't take much to kill a deer.

In 1972 I traded for a wood A-riser Bear takedown with a No. 1 set of 43# limbs. I took my first bowkilled whitetail that fall with that bow and a Bear 308 magnum Alum arrow tipped with a bear razorhead. As I draw about 27", I probably was pulling about 41#. The deer, a 5-point, went about 60yds before going down. The next year I traded those limbs for a No.3 60# set and have shot in that weight range ever since. Shore wish I still had that old Bear!

i read an article in tbm of this one kid that killed his spiked deer with his dweyer defiant longbow, cx thunderstorn arrow and a 125g eclipse broadhead,
he said that he hit both lungs, but it took him till the next day to be able to retrieve it,
oyea,
his bow drew 33lbs at 26".
hope this helps

Here is what a light bow is capable of in skilled hands. Shanon shot this moose with a 41# curve and draws 27".
Look at the broadhead photo. It was bent hitting the far shoulder bones. No arrow goes thru big moose bones from any bow.
The link to the review with this story is attached.

http://peteward.com/test.stalker.html
 

 

Shannon is lucky .........

I have hunted deer and javie with 41-45# with a 24in. draw and have several passthroughs with my 1816 and 125 magnus heads,  sharp and the right spot.

My Dad shoots 44#@24" and stuff falls down and dies. Interesting anecdote.  An old Government trapper called up dad(Ed Scott-Owl Bows) and asked if he could sinew an old wooden bow to get more drawweight and performance from it. Dad said  most likely yes. So the guy sends the bow which he "guesses draws 35lbs" at his 27 inch draw. Dad gets it and discovers an old all wood youth bow that has held together for decades of being overdrawn. It has 3 inches of stringfollow and draws 28# @ 27". The owner said that he had killed several deer with it-usually the arrow stayed in but the broadhead stuck out the far side. Dad heated and straightened the limbs a little and sinewed it and got the guy 40@27 with a little reflex....but it was killing deer at 28 inefficient pounds.

You won't have any trouble with whitetails.  Before the confound devices came out, most bows were 45#...check Bear Archery History.  I lived through those years and hunted with 40 and 45 pound bows, so I know what they can do.  

As an aside, I've seen some of those heavy bow guys struggling to get a 26" draw from a 70 pound longbow.  A lighter bow fully drawn is probably more efficient than such a short-drawn monster.

I never said it couldn't be done...I know it can and guys do it all the time....my point was why do it, if you don't have to.

Biggie    

I have referred so many folks who shoot compounds to what Pete Ward has wrote and reported on his site. Too many folks think that you have to have #70 to shoot something that only needs 6-8 inches of pen. to kill it. I really think that if your broadhead is sharp and your arrows shoot good and it makes your states min. use it! Too many folks mis out cause they think that they do not have enough weight to kill deer.
Chris Kiefner

I agree Chris. Once you learn a little cut is what kills you no longer need to worry about numbers like weight,KE and such.They really have no place for the things most of us get a chance to hunt with a bow.Cutting them in the right place is all that matters and most people can do that better with a little less draw weight. jmo

the only problem that I seem to have with lighter poundage is my release is not as good as it is with a heavier poundage bow. I do not know if it is something that is mental or what the story is. I do know, I do not shoot the lower weight as much so that is certainly part of it I would suspect. But the more you practice(or me) the less this would be a problem I would think. Sorry for the rant.
Chris Kiefner

Read about all the great female gender that contribute to Traditional Bowhunter,it's shooting a heavy arrow with a razzzzzer sharp head and good shotplacement with a arraw that shoots like a dart,and keeping your shots under 20 yards.   Pete

I use a 45lb @28" drawing around 29.  Its more than enough.

Scott

shoot as heavy a bow as you can WITHOUT hurting yourself. for some thats only 40 lbs, for others thats 100 lbs plus,

btw, is 35# the min in every state for deer?

It is here in NY, but I'd imagine that there are some with 40-45 lb. minimums; prolly where there are bigger game besides deer roaming about...

Here in MO I think it is 40# maybe 45 probably 40 though.

Matt, they dropped the minimum requirement a few years back.  Now you just have to use your good sense!  How unlike the government to trust you to do that.

My son shoots 38 pounds at 24", and got 16 inches of penetration on a buck twice his size this last season.  The broadhead stopped under the far side ribs but almost poked out.  That was with a compound though, he's just too small for a stick...yet.

Ia has none   TX is 40#

Well i now own a #43 @28 wing redwing 52" long. I was on flea bay last night and had been watching the bow but wasn't sure if i wanted it(that is what i told the wife   ) Any how i bid a dollar higher than the highest bidder and i won a new toy. Don't think I'll hunt deer with it i just wanted a short re curve and the price was right. I am going to buy one at 45-48 pounds 58" long to play with also.