What draw weight for Elk

[chester12]

What would you suggest the min draw weight for a longbow or a recurve be for elk? In a few years I would like to join my uncles on a elk hunt and want to try with a traditional bow.

Thanks,
Chester

[michihunter]

I personally feel KE would be a better guage for this. Unfortunately I have no experience with elk so I cannot assist you there.

[BT]

I would feel pretty confident with 60# if I could get the shot I wanted.

65# would probably be best based on all the reads I have seen on the subject over the years.

Michi makes a good point.

If you want to know , adjust a compound to meet the same K.E. / Mass specs as the trad bow and see if you can pass through a wet phone book with a wet 3/8 ply in the center .

If so , you are pretty much there IMO

[Greg Krause]

it has been said over and over by the "old Greats" that 55#'s will pass through any North American game animal..................with perfect placement. I personally would go 65#'s.
I have a Bear Super Grizzly in 75#'s and although(no pun intended) it's a Bear to shoot, it's do-able. I think with enough time working with it, it wouldn't be too bad.
65#'s is what I would go for as a safe minimum.

[chester12]

I was looking between the 65-70 lbs range. I am not sure what I want/can afford just yet, but it will be a few years, so I have some time.

Thanks for the replies.

Chester

[Greg Krause]

Check AT Auctions, Bowsite clssifieds and E-bay. Many times you can find them for very good prices. You may find that a few people bought 65#ers and then realized they were more bow then they thought.
if I were you I would get one as soon as you are able to. Give you plenty of time to learn to shoot it well. I forget.........have you shot Trad bows before? If not I would start by getting one in the 45-50# range to learn on. You can usually find them on those sites for under $200 and they are a perfect weight for deer.

[chester12]

Well the whole point of this trip would be to reward myself to finally finishing college, so of course I would want a new bow, but I will look for a used on too.

I have 2 45# recurves that I am practicing on now, I can roughly shoot a 4-6" group at 7 yards, that is roughly the farthest that I can shooting in my back yard.

[smj]

You know, at 7 yards a 45# recurve with the right tip would take an elk. Ishi, the last Yahi indian in California, said that 45 pounds was the best hunting weight for anything - and keep in mind he was shooting stone tips. Howard Hill shot a stiffer bow, but from what I can tell in reading, this was to get flatter arrow flight to make sighting easier rather than adding extra force to take down game. I like a 60 to 65# longbow. Still, the point I guess I should make is that it will be more about where you can place your arrow, rather than if it will bounce off. BT can help you pick a tip that won't bounce off. Most folks I know hunt with a bow around 60#s. Draw length comes in to play, too. If you have a short draw length (<28"), a little extra bow might be a good idea. I know folks who have shot elk with a 50 to 55# bow and done just fine. You will have to pick your shot, no matter what trad bow and draw weight you go with. If you want to blast through bone with energy to spare, or take long shots, shoot a compound! Trad shooting needs to be up close and personal.

[chester12]

Oh the other thing that I am thinking, this might be a once in a life time opertunity for me, I am not sure that I will ever have the money to do this more then once. So I don't really want to limit myself to a 7 yard shot on an animal that I have never hunted before, and I might never get the chance to again. If I could I would use a 75# to give myself the best change, but I want to be reasonable about what I can pull and shoot well.

Chester

[Greg Krause]

Ask the guys here(tedicast, votto, BT...........) the first day I took my recurve out on the 3D range in was just pathetic. i was lucky to hit the target. After using the tips BT showed me, I improved 100% in just a week or two. I shot everyday for 3 months, sometimes only a few shots at a time. Now I can keep 6" groups at 30yds if I concentrate. Just keep at it.