Lectured about energy .....

[XB I GO]

I went to school and showed the pictures of my brother's deer and my deer that we got over Thanksgiving. One of the adults said my bow was "awful small" and asked what it was. I told him and he told me I have no business shooting at deer with that bow. He says "you need blah blah blah kinetic energy blah blah blah". My bow is 42.5 pounds. My Dad took me to the archery shop to make sure it was at least 35 pounds, that's how I know. We have a Hornady scale so I weighed my arrow and got 339.9 grains. My Dad used the speed measuring thing and got 174 feet per second. I have shot an Ibex at 25 yards, a ram at 20 yards, and two deer at 18 and 22 yards and all the arrows passed through and the animals didn't go very far. I use a rangefinder because my bow needs the 30 yard pin from 26 yard out to 34 yards and anything closer I can use the 20 yard pin. My Dad won't let me shoot animals if I they are not in range for the 20 yard pin! Now this same guy says even my brothers crossbow (its actually my Axiom) is a little weak to be hunting with. I know that's not true! I told my Mom and she said I probably know more about real hunting than this guy. My Dad said "proof is in pudding" and it works fine, go shoot something else and bring more pictures. Am I doing something wrong? I have been feeling bad about this.

[hunter with MS]

No you are not doing anything wrong . Sounds to me like the other person is putting you down because he or she has not done keep hunting and keep showing them the pictures .

[Boo]

Don't stress, there's always at least one bozo on each bus. Smile and walk away.

[xcaliber]

Totally agree with both posts so far.

[jd4223]

Should have asked him at what distance he would feel safe if you were to use him for a target...lol! Of course he wouldn't think that would be funny but,you would have proven your point in regards to whether your bow would have sufficient energy to kill a deer. Just curious,is he a hunter? What type of bow does he shoot?

[xcaliber]

I have found it's best to ignore these remarks. You always get more criticism from non hunters or unsuccessful hunters than any other group of people. You are on the right track, and your father is coaching you well. The state law allows for the draw weight you're using, and it is ethical, legal, and humane.

[gerald strine]

You have nothing to feel bad about You keep your shots short and you will do fine as you have all ready proven.
It is important to always be more respectful than your adversary , speak from logic and facts with controlled emotions to be a good representative of hunting , it sounds like you had it covered great job.

[artifact]

Probably that same guy thinks you need a .338 RUM to shoot a deer!
Back in the recurve days, most guys shot 50-60 lb bows, some around 45lb, and some at 70lb+. (you need to be old to remember that) LOL!
You are doing fine, take his "opinion" with a grain of salt and just keep doing what you are doing, it could just be that he has no clue as to what that "little bow" is capable of.

[XB I GO]

My little brother said Don't let the enemy steal your joy. He's right, I can't wait for Christmas break when I can try another hunt. Thank you Sir's for the support.

[hunter with MS]

Your welcome .

[bigbowman]

Only need 30 lbs of bow force to ethically kill whitetail deer! You are shooting above the minimum. Don’t let nay sayers bother you! Good luck with the rest of your season!

[rayman]

Seems there is always someone around that has to put you down. Perhaps because they are jealous. Perhaps just because they are jerks. Sounds your doing great so I wouldn't worry about it.

[longbow joe]

Ask any old bowhunter not me .lol maby exie or the vixer .back in the day in the 70s when l learned to bowhunt most men used a 45 or 50 pound recurves and they were men .l had a 40 pound blackhawk recurve my friends some had 35 pound bows . We killed a ton of deer with our sub 50 pound bows at short ranges. Men like fred bear shot 65 pounds but that was unusual. Up until my shoulder pooped out a few years ago my 60 pound longbow @180 fps killed at least 3 or 4 deer a year for me l started using a longbow at 18 years old im 52 now
.thats a lot a deer killed with a slow bow to be a flop. Just smile as the "experts" preach the fps speed saga as the others said

[wabi]

I have shot an Ibex at 25 yards, a ram at 20 yards, and two deer at 18 and 22 yards and all the arrows passed through and the animals didn't go very far.

If the arrow passes completely through the animal it was traveling with sufficient energy.
Any more energy is just going to bury it deeper in the ground on the other side.
With archery it is not kinetic energy, but rather broadhead performance and shot placement that counts. Sounds to me like you're doing fine!

[nchunterkw]

I have shot an Ibex at 25 yards, a ram at 20 yards, and two deer at 18 and 22 yards and all the arrows passed through and the animals didn't go very far.

If the arrow passes completely through the animal it was traveling with sufficient energy.
Any more energy is just going to bury it deeper in the ground on the other side.
With archery it is not kinetic energy, but rather broadhead performance and shot placement that counts. Sounds to me like you're doing fine!

This right here.......wabi is totally right and so are you. You and your Dad have you a setup that works perfectly as you have demonstrated several times. The guy you are talking to has no clue what he is talking about.

And your brother has given you perhaps the best advice of all....do not let the enemy steal your joy. Stay strong in your faith and keep growing that along with your hunting skills.

Keith