TERMINAL ENERGY.
For ethical hunting with a bullet the general agreement is that 1000 foot pounds of energy is the minimum ethical energy for deer size game. The military considers 500 foot pounds of energy as the minimum for killing humans.
That said, the farther the bullet flies the lower its terminal energy at the point of impact.
The same is true for an arrow. Take a 60 pound hunting bow and let fly an arrow, at 20 yards that arrow will pass through many targets but at 40 yards it will simply penetrate the target about 50% and at 75 yards it may only penetrate the target about 25%. (obviously this depends on the type/construction of the target) But the point is the same, there are ethical minimums which you want to consider.
So with that in mind would you deer hunt with a 25# draw weight bow or a 60# draw weight bow? Most would consider it unethical to use the 25# bow. Long distance hunting has the same effect as going down in bow draw weight. The longer the distance the less impact energy of the arrow.
Its NOT about your ability, it is about PHYSICS.
For ethical hunting with a bullet the general agreement is that 1000 foot pounds of energy is the minimum ethical energy for deer size game. The military considers 500 foot pounds of energy as the minimum for killing humans.
That said, the farther the bullet flies the lower its terminal energy at the point of impact.
The same is true for an arrow. Take a 60 pound hunting bow and let fly an arrow, at 20 yards that arrow will pass through many targets but at 40 yards it will simply penetrate the target about 50% and at 75 yards it may only penetrate the target about 25%. (obviously this depends on the type/construction of the target) But the point is the same, there are ethical minimums which you want to consider.
So with that in mind would you deer hunt with a 25# draw weight bow or a 60# draw weight bow? Most would consider it unethical to use the 25# bow. Long distance hunting has the same effect as going down in bow draw weight. The longer the distance the less impact energy of the arrow.
Its NOT about your ability, it is about PHYSICS.