Hunting with a light setup

Beendare

WKR
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Hopefully no RF fanboys heads will explode after watching this....grin

I'm just going to toss this out here....FWIW, its not meant to be construed as advice.

A tournament archer made a vid of hunting with his 70" tourney setup, 40# bow and a 372g arrow he shot a doe with.

My take- too Loud for me to hunt with...... but no surprise it blew through her no problem.
The first 5 minutes or so he goes through his tune and setup.....

 

alabamahunt

Lil-Rokslider
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That guy is a killer. He and Robert Carter are the definition of woodsman. Both have great videos. They’ll shoot ‘em all, does bucks spikes hogs. I love it
 
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My wife hunts. She shoots a 45 pound recurve with 500 grain arrows. She Has killed several elk (deer too) and she has always hit the offside ribs on elk and had atleast one pass through. One bull was a 380" big bodied bull a few years back.
 

Novashooter

Lil-Rokslider
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I feel like I missed something important. Isn't a 45# draw recurve the gold standard for hunting traditional bows? 40# draw doesn't seem that big a deal to me, and has always been legal in every state I'm aware of.

Also, what is an RF fanboy?
 
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Sapcut

WKR
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I feel like I missed something important. Isn't a 45# draw recurve the gold standard for hunting traditional bows? 40# draw doesn't seem that big a deal to me, and has always been legal in every state I'm aware of.

Also, what is an RF fanboy?
The “Gold standard” may be what bowholders can draw and shoot all day tournament shooting but has nothing to do with what is best for killing and recovering animals. (Assuming excellent arrow builds)

If you do not care to maximize your chances of penetrating animal bones and getting valuable exits, then 40# bows nor what appointed advisory game lawmakers come up with shouldn’t be a big deal to you.
 
OP
Beendare

Beendare

WKR
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I feel like I missed something important.

Also, what is an RF fanboy?

There are many trad shooters convinced they need massive arrow weight, ridiculously heavy FOC and single bevel BHs just to kill something. A lot of it stems from Ashbys poorly contrived testing…and now a guy calling himself Ranch Fairy on Youtube.

Ashby’s theory on massive FOC was proven with rubber bands and soda straws for gawds sake…but that doesn’t stop many of the fanboys from swearing that its better. ( hint; Its not)

This video shows what most of us non fanboys know already….A sharp efficient BH on just about any arrow blows through critters no problem.…and your accuracy suffers using a very heavy arrow on any shots longer than point blank range.
 

Sapcut

WKR
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I feel like I missed something important.
My guess is that Yes, you have. But you should read the Ashby Reports regarding decades of field research on arrow lethality to decide for yourself. If really interested in looking for the most comprehensive and unbiased information, it might be interesting to you. Including excellent penetration results from 40# bows and how to do it.

But some trad guys have already done "research" in their backyards in a foam target or phone book and have concluded their research has debunked 25 years of Ashby's research. And yes I am referring to grown sane adults.
 
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I don’t shoot a very heavy setup at all, and I haven’t had any issues on the game animals I’ve shot. I put the time in to learn how to shoot and get straight arrow flight and keep a sharp broadhead.

All I can offer is anecdotal evidence. I pull a 45# bow (closer to 50 at my draw) and shoot 420 grain arrows out of it. Yeah, they’re kinda light arrows, but they’re laser beams out to 30 yards, which means more to me for accuracy. I’ve passed through several animals.
 

kdsulliv

FNG
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Feb 27, 2023
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Now now everyone, you can disagree but play nice.

The thing to remember about Ashby is that he ranked perfect arrow flight as No.2 and total arrow weight as No. 6! Not even top 5! All he said was it makes a difference, not that it was a total necessity.

Having a perfectly tuned arrow (as the fellow in the video stressed very much that he had) is always more important than other factors, but once that is achieved, adding weight will also add penetration. If you just hit a whitetail through the ribs from 10 yards it may be a moot point, but if you hit the "T" on the scapula (not just the soft rubbery lip) that's when things like total arrow weight and BH choice can make a difference.

Another person's arrow choice doesn't have to ruin your day, just take it all in as additional data points. Even as a heavy, SB arrow shooter I really liked this video and found it encouraging to make me want to experiment with different setups. However, as I don't shoot a highly adjustable bow and am not exactly an Olympic-level perfect finger shooter, my tuning will probably never really get to this guy's level, and as much as I hate to admit it, neither will my accuracy. So for me, stacking the deck in my favor with a heavier arrow and efficient BH can't hurt me, but neither should I or anyone else fall completely into one camp or the other.

Watch, learn, and pay attention to the context of all the data that's coming in. Lots of things can work in different situations - just go read Ishi or look at how crappy (by today's standards) the archery tackle and stone points were of the Native Americans who put meat on the table every day! It probably takes less than you think, but tinkering for perfection in your situation is fun, so let it be fun!
 

Sapcut

WKR
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Yea and alot more good information where that came from. Lots of us are willing to learn more so why don't you show all of us your research and data that debunks The Ashby Reports. I am all eyes and ears. Personal preferences are irrelevant. Show us real information better than Ed Ashby's so we can better determine our personal preferences. If you don't have any better information than the best you have ever seen in the Ashby reports then just say you don't.
 

Novashooter

Lil-Rokslider
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I've been reading through a lot of what Dr. Ed Ashby has posted on the Ashby Bowhunting Reports. Much of it seems common sense. Less friction = more penetration. I've got a lot more to read through yet.

One of the things that I'm not liking is that everything so far has been summary reports. Actual data has been infrequent, and I have yet to see it said just how these tests were done. I'm still new to all this, and I certainly have no reason to doubt Dr. Ashby, but unless I can see exactly how his tests were done, his opinion means diddly squat to me.
 

Sapcut

WKR
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One of the things that I'm not liking is that everything so far has been summary reports. Actual data has been infrequent, and I have yet to see it said just how these tests were done. I'm still new to all this, and I certainly have no reason to doubt Dr. Ashby, but unless I can see exactly how his tests were done, his opinion means diddly squat to me
This may help

 
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