A bow’s power is derived almost entirely from the draw weight and the length of the arrow. Unfortunately, new bowhunters tend to think they need to go in the store and purchase a bow with a 125lb draw weight because they don’t know any better. The draw weight to kill a deer is, fortunately, a whole lot less.
A 40lb draw weight is sufficient for killing whitetail, mule deer, and other species of North American deer similar in size. However, it’s the minimum. Any lower and you risk wounding the deer rather than killing it.
It takes more than a 50lb draw weight to tackle bigger Cervidae family members, such as moose, reindeer, and elk. Whether you’re going with a 40lb draw weight or a 240lb war bow, the draw weight is more about you than anything else.
How Much Draw Weight to Kill a Deer
Draw Weight Explained
Draw weight is more properly termed “draw cycle,” which is the amount of weight you pull from the beginning to the end of the draw. If you have a 50lb draw weight, you may not feel all 50lbs immediately.
- The initial weight you feel just as you start to draw
- As you draw back, you’ll reach a point of maximum weight somewhere along the cycle
- The weight falls off once you reach the first pinnacle
- Weight goes up again as you finish drawing all the way back
When you have the bow at full draw, you’re not holding 50lbs of weight, at least not anymore. This enables the shooter to hold with the bow fully drawn back for a long time. This is where the term “let off” comes in.
When you purchase a bow, there will be a “let off” percentage listed by the manufacturer. This percentage is how much of the draw weight is reduced when you have the bow fully drawn. For instance, if your bow has a 50lb draw weight, with an 80% let off, the actual weight when fully drawn is 10lbs.
Minimum draw weight Required
The minimum draw weight required is 40lbs. At least, that’s the minimum draw weight required for deer hunting or any other kind of game hunting. However, there is no minimum draw weight required for practicing and learning how to shoot a bow.
If you have little kids and you want to teach them the finer points of archery, most kids won’t be able to pull 40lbs. There are bows out there with only 10lb draw weights. They aren’t legal for hunting, but they’re perfectly reasonable for teaching and training.
It’s a good idea to get something with a 10 or 20lb draw weight to teach someone to shoot a bow, even if they are fully capable of drawing 50lbs. The draw weight shouldn’t be an indication of someone’s weakness or inability to draw heavier weights. It’s for practice, not a power-lifting competition.
Some states allow a minimum of 35lb draw weight for hunting, but you shouldn’t go that low for deer. You can get away with it for smaller game, but you run the risk of seriously wounding a deer rather than killing it quickly, painlessly, and humanely.
Several states have regulations on the “let off” feature of bows as well. You should always check with your state if you’re looking for a bow with a light draw, just to ensure you aren’t in violation of the regulations when hunting certain game.
A good example is purchasing a bow with a 35lb draw weight. That might be fine for certain game, but states like Alaska require a 40lb draw weight for hunting deer and a 50lb draw weight for hunting goats, moose, elk, brown bear, and bison.
Bottom Line
Draw weight has a lot to do with the velocity and accuracy of your arrow, as well as the length of the arrow. It’s important to know and understand draw weight, let off, and the draw cycle.
That knowledge will benefit you in the short and the long term. It’s not important to have the heaviest draw weight around, especially if you can’t draw the bow back appropriately. What matters is how well you handle it and if it’s above the state requirements in your area.
If 55lbs is all you can handle, that’s more than enough to drop a brown bear/grizzly or a bison, both of which are huge animals. If you’re new to shooting bows, it’s a good idea to start small anyway, until you have a better understanding of the weapon.
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