Minimum draw weight for elk

Looking for a bow for my wife in case we don't draw wyoming this year. She can pull 45 pounds now and I believe that we can get her to 55 by September. I am not an engineer and I tried to understand KE, some people said more is better other say speed, so I don't really know. But her draw length is 25, so I am think a 26.5 inch arrow and maybe the FMJ with a magnus stinger broadhead. Is this enough arrow and draw weight for an elk at 30 yards?

Momentum is what you need to worry about. It'll be slow but I'd build an arrow that weighs 450-500 grains and put a SHARP two blade on it.

^ THAT ^ !! No truer words have been spoken.

Wyoming requires a minimum 50# draw weight for elk, just FYI.

Oak, I read that too. I think we will get her there and I am hoping for 55 pounds if not she will be using and carrying a crossbow.

I use stinger myself, switched from Rage. I really like them. You will read a lot of opinions on this versus that for sure. Some things I would say are a minimum:
1. Accuracy. When you can consistently hit the bullseye (2inch group) at a certain range, I'd say that's effective. Yes, you can use the "pie plate" theorem that states if its within an 8" pie plate, then your good. but Accuracy is key. You put that arrow where it needs to be, and little more will matter.
2. 125 gr broadhead. I recommend fixed vs mechanical. (you could use 100gr I suppose...)
3. 55# Draw. Go with the highest that you can comfortably draw STRAIGHT BACK. not pointing the bow to the sky and then drawing back. Its dangerous and way too much movement.
4. Speed. More is generally better, but not if it costs any of the above.

A 50 # bow will be fine. I would get a cut on contact broadhead not mechanical. I have taken moose and antelope with a 50# recurve and it did more than adequate on the moose.

On the bow front my I suggest the Eva Shockey bow by bowtech? I know it's kinda high in the price range but when my fiance switched to it from her infinite edge, the draw cycle was so nice her draw weight went up right away by about 8 lbs. She is a tiny person (5' maybe 95 lbs) and she is drawing about 42 lbs right now. She loves the way that bow shoots and is deadly accurate out to 40 yards.

All the info from above is good stuff on the arrow selection side, just thought I would let you know about my experience on the bow side.

IMO, most of the advice that you've gotten on here is good. Again, you don't need speed, you need energy. Speed (e.g. higher draw weight) gets you more energy, but can be substituted for mass (e.g. heavier arrow set up). Another thing that is a factor at lower speeds is mechanical advantage of the broadhead. There is a reason you usually see single-bevel 2-blade broadheads on traditional setups. They get the best penetration and are less affected by ribs, or glances off of bone. You want a long blade with a gradual angle, and preferably a cut-on-contact. If you do get a broadhead with a ferrule, try to make sure the ferrule diameter is greater than the diameter of the arrow shaft. Here are 12 good things to remember (I poached this from the internet):


Quoting and paraphrasing Dr. Ashby's twelve factors, they are listed in the order of importance that he has assigned:
1. “Structural Integrity of the entire arrow system is the most important factor. It applies to every aspect of the arrow, from the broadhead tip and edge strength to the nock”.
2. Arrow Flight is number two in importance. ”You should spare neither effort nor expense in achieving absolute perfect arrow flight.”
3. A higher FOC is important. The degree of arrow forward of center ( FOC) makes a big difference. “Above 19 % the penetration gain continues increases as FOC increases”.
4. A higher Mechanical Advantage is important. The higher the mechanical advantage of the broadhead the more pronounced effect it has on penetration.
5. Shaft-Diameter to Ferrule-Diameter Ratio can be critical. The diameter of the broadhead should be larger than the arrow shaft
6. Arrow Mass or arrow weight is important. ”You should use the heaviest arrow acceptable trajectory allows.”
7. Broadheads should be Shaving Sharp. A smooth sharp edge is better than a serrated edge.
8. When considering Shaft Profile, tapered shafts have an advantage.
9. A smooth Broadhead With No Bumps to impede penetration is desirable. ”How gradually and smoothly the broadheads ferrule fades into the blade becomes a major penetration factor when heavy bone is hit.”
10. The Type of Edge Bevel is important.”When broadheads, identical in all aspects except edge-bevel, are tested side by side on identical arrows, single-bevel versions demonstrate penetration increases in 100% of cases involving bone impact”
11. When discussing Tip Design Dr. Ashby believes “the Tanto shows the best performance”
12. Arrow Mass or weight probably has little effect in soft tissue. However, there is a significance difference if bone is encountered.

Agree about the fixed blade a mechanical takes energy to open and with elk you're going to need all you can get. Maybe consider the Deep Six FMJ arrows also, those micro diameter shafts get good penetration and pulling a lower poundage bow every little bit helps

If she's struggling with draw weight, don't push her to do more than she can she can comfortably draw, hold for about 30 seconds, and still shoot accurately. Just go with a heavier arrow and steer away from big mechanical broadheads. She'd do fine with 3-blade Muzzeys or something along those lines.

Agree w most everything said. Bows today w their mechanical advantage shoot w much more energy than bows back in the day of the 6 wheel Bear Whitetail Hunter ( what I started w ) so u don't need 65# pull. Shoot straight, consistently, w a good, sharp, broadhead, in the broiler room n she will have her elk. I started using DRT's this year n love them. Shoot great, strong, n the company backs their product; had 1 that was 2grains off n they sent me a new 1 no ?s asked. As far as powerful, shot a hog one evening, was getting late so shot her behind the ear (accuracy also) went clean through separating spine from head at 20yds. Not affiliated w the company, just like good American made products that stand behind their work

She'll be just fine at 30 yards. 10" of penetration gets to the center of the lungs and you'll watch it fall. Teach her where to hit them, then work on your skills so she can get close and make the shot. A pass thru doesn't mean much when it's thru the liver.

I know zip about archery hunting so please ignore my ignorance.
After reading the above, a less powerful draw equates to reduced velocity, a heavier arrow affects trajectory.
So two questions came to mind, is there more chance of the Elk/Deer hearing and reacting to the release of the arrow and moving before impact, and if a heavier arrow is used, doesn't that affect point of impact in the vitals as it's arriving at a steeper angle compared to a lighter arrow with more velocity?
Cheers
Richard

devon deer said:

I know zip about archery hunting so please ignore my ignorance.
After reading the above, a less powerful draw equates to reduced velocity, a heavier arrow affects trajectory.
So two questions came to mind, is there more chance of the Elk/Deer hearing and reacting to the release of the arrow and moving before impact, and if a heavier arrow is used, doesn't that affect point of impact in the vitals as it's arriving at a steeper angle compared to a lighter arrow with more velocity?
Cheers
Richard

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At shorter ranges - trajectory isn't going to matter as much. Yes, you have to have your pins set correctly, but a mis-range of a couple yards doesn't matter at 30 yards like it does at 60 yards.

A heavier arrow is more efficient and will transfer more energy into arrow speed/momentum/energy than a lighter arrow, and will also be quieter.

Yes - certain animals react to noise up close more. There are some whitetail that when on alert can drop a whole heck of a lot on a shot, less of an issue on Elk. This is a "know your quarry" scenario and whether or not you're shooting an alert animal.

OP - sounds like a 50lb bow would be the right bow. Bows are more efficient when their draw weight is maxxed out than turned down. You'll probably be close in speeds running a 50lb bow maxxed out than a 60lb bow turned down to 55. Also - many bows shoot a little over their rating. Hoyt for example is very easy to tune 1-2lbs above their rating. Both my 70lb hoyts are at 72lbs right now.

I personally would pick a newer, more efficient bow at 50lb, matched to a sharp cut-on-contact fixed blade broadhead, with lots of practice!

Ok we got her a new Edge Infinity SB-1 bow, she is almost to 48 pounds now and is pretty good to 20 yards. We still have 6 month before we make the 30 hour trip from Florida to Colorado, didn't get our Wyoming tags, and I believe 30 yards and 50 plus pounds is achievable. Definitely going with the magnus COC broadhead and will start working up a good arrow. She has only been using the practice carbons that we bought her to get started.

Plumber, keep us posted on how the SB-1 does on an elk. I'm new to bow hunting and just picked one up to get started. I am curious to know how it does in the field.

Sorry to hear you didn't draw Wyoming but welcome your wife to the world of archery hunting. Make sure you get out and practice some field shooting. Hitting the target in the backyard can seems very different than hitting a target out in the wide open spaces. Distances can seem very different without the familiar backstop.

Wife is up to 51 pounds bow and we have a total arrow weight of 415 grains. She is shooting well out to 25 yards right now with 4 months to go.

plumber1969 said:

Wife is up to 51 pounds bow and we have a total arrow weight of 415 grains. She is shooting well out to 25 yards right now with 4 months to go.

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She has more than enough draw weight to kill any NA big game animal. Just make sure she shoots a COC head, preferably a 2 blade for elk. My daughter shoots 32 lbs, 417 gr arrow and 26" draw. I would feel comfortable with her shooting anything smaller than an elk with the right broadhead.