To cut or not to cut

[HuggoChase]

Hello all,
I’ve been bitten by the bow hunting bug. I have a couple of questions as a relative newby

1. I have a 30” draw and the arrows I purchased are 32” would you cut them to 31” or it wouldn’t make that much difference.

2. What draw weight is recommended for elk and moose I was thing 65# would be enough or should I max my bow out at 70#?

3. If i can be consistent at 40 yrds and less is that an ethical distance to shoot from?

Thanks

[brendan's dad]

Originally Posted by HuggoChase

Hello all,
I’ve been bitten by the bow hunting bug. I have a couple of questions as a relative newby

1. I have a 30” draw and the arrows I purchased are 32” would you cut them to 31” or it wouldn’t make that much difference.

My Draw length is 29" and my arrows are cut at 28.5" (end of carbon to end of carbon). I uses a 3 blade fixed broadhead and I have no worry about the broadhead being too close to the shelf or my fingers. 32" inch arrows for a 30" draw is long, but not undoable.

2. What draw weight is recommended for elk and moose I was thing 65# would be enough or should I max my bow out at 70#?

I hunt at 65 lbs and 29" draw and have no problem with any NA game. If you can go 70 lbs without sacrificing the ability to hold at full draw or accuracy, then more weight always equals more energy hitting the animal when all other things are equal.

3. If i can be consistent at 40 yards and less is that an ethical distance to shoot from?

I good rule of thumb is a 2" group at 20 yards, 3" group at 30 yards, 4" group at 40 yards and so on. If you can maintain those group sizes consistently, and your 1st arrow on each shooting session is within that group size at the given distance every time, then that would be a good indication of your ethical hunting distance. A lot of experienced archers and hunters will limit themselves to 40 yards and under and only take longer, follow up shots if an arrow is already in the animal.

Thanks

Happy Hunting.

[Steyr Luxus]

Heavy for weight arrows properly balanced driven as fast have these advantages:
a. Heavier arrows tend to absorb/dampen vibrations; less bow noise, and
b. Heavy fast arrows have more kinetic energy.
I tend to prefer a heaviest arrow possible for a hunting setup.

[jcrayford]

Originally Posted by HuggoChase

Hello all,
I’ve been bitten by the bow hunting bug. I have a couple of questions as a relative newby

1. I have a 30” draw and the arrows I purchased are 32” would you cut them to 31” or it wouldn’t make that much difference. (Not sure about this)

2. What draw weight is recommended for elk and moose I was thing 65# would be enough or should I max my bow out at 70#? (If you can draw while sitting on a stool with your feet raised by core muscles and hold for a minute, yes max out your bow. A maxed out bow will be most efficient. Remember that you will most likely be drawing at that magical moment with cold muscles, so being able to draw while sitting on a stool with raised feet will test your abilities)

3. If i can be consistent at 40 yrds and less is that an ethical distance to shoot from? (Brendan's Dad has it correct - 1" per 10 yards. If you can do this from your first arrow through your last arrow at 30 yards, then 30 yards should/could be your distance. Keep in mind that A LOT happens in the 1/2 second that it takes the arrow to fly 40 yards and the sound of your bow reaches the animal before the arrow does. Relaxed animals are less likely to jump the string, animals on full alert will likely take off from your aiming point before the arrow gets there resulting in a very long day tracking)

Thanks

^My unprofessional opinions are above. MHO

J.

[Deer_Hunter]

I would not cut them

I do not think an inch of extra length in arrow will make the arrow any more difficult to tune than if cut assuming correctly spined

Longer keeps your broadhead further away from your fingers

While I do not tend to have my fingers in the way of my large fixed broadheads I do not like having them sitting right above my fingers when at full draw

If you cut a ligament in your finger it will never be the same

[HuggoChase]

Thanks for the info

[brendan's dad]

Something else to consider.

If you are using an online "spine calculator" to determine the correct spined arrow for your draw weight, draw length, and bow IBO, that published optimal spine range is based on a 28" arrow.

Think of a 2x10 floor joist that is structurally rated for a 12' span. Now stretch that floor joist out to a 16' span and you could end up with a sag in your floor.

By having the arrow 32" in length, you are going to need to go with a heavier spine then if the arrow was cut to lets say at 30".