45lbs Recurve good for Whitetail?

R

rburch

New member
A few years ago I found an old recurve bow at a yard sale. I paid $10 for it.

It's a Ben Pearson Cougar 7050, and has the markings BB-1A1A2 62" XX45#-28".

I know it's a 45lbs bow at 28" draw, and I assume the 62" is the bow length.

I'm not good enough with it yet to hunt (I've decided that I need to be able to hit inside the 4" ring on my target 6 out of 6 times at least 9 out of 10 sets before I'll hunt with a bow)

I was wondering if a 45 lbs bow was good enough for whitetail.

Oh anyone else have one of these bows?
 
My late uncle hunted with a 45 lb. Bear recurve for years. He never had any trouble getting one with it. you just have to be able to [place your arrow properly. I used a Stemmler 50 lb. for years also. Practice, practice, practice.
 
I hunted with a 50# recurve for years. Never had an issue with the animals not knowing they were dead. It will do fine. Just keep your broadheads sharp.
 
Plenty of bow for a whitetail.

A couple of suggestion (if you already did this, ignore me :))

Check the limbs closely to make sure they are not de-laminating. Unstring it (using a stringer) and make sure it did not take a set. If it was stored strung, and took a set, you are not going to get an actual 45#. Last thing is restring it and check your brace height (distance from string to bow). You should be able to find the proper brace height on the net. Strings do stretch over time (makes brace height shorter), will effect not only draw weight but arrow tuning as well. If the brace height is shorter than it should be (and the string is in good shape otherwise), take off one end of the string and twist it some, restring and check it again.

Again, if you know all this, go have fun!!
 
The limbs are good, no twisting, and the laminating is still holding strong. It was stored unstrung, or I believe it was, the cheap rifle case it was in wouldn't hold it if it was strung.

I'm gonna get a new string for it, we've got a guy at our semi-local (45 min- 1 hour away) Gander Mountain who specializes in the Traditional Bows. I want him to give her a checkup and help me pick out a good string.

Then it's time to start shooting, a lot. I haven't done it much because the string is a bit old and I don't want to have it snap.
 
i agree it should be plenty of bow for whitetail, you will have to keep your range short (prob no shots over 30 yards) and you are going to have to be very good judging distance because the arrows will have a very large arc, they arent going to fly on a string like a compound bow. I can shoot 1 site from 5 yards to 30 with my bow......you will need a site for almost every 5 yards from probably 15 yards to 30. Not a bad thing, just something you will have to realise. Compounds are nice because they take some of the guess work out, recurves are nice because its such a simple design and you arent all caught up in the gadgetry. Enjoy
 
rb - Sounds like you already got the plan in motion!

arrows will have a very large arc
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Really depends on what arrows you use, point weight, etc.

If I was setting one up to hunt at 45#, I would go carbon with 100 gr broadheads, maybe lighter heads if I could get them to fly.

you will need a site for almost every 5 yards from probably 15 yards to 30
Click to expand...

Only if you use sights... First compound I had was about like that anyway (Bear Whitetail II 60#).

My last recurve was a 75# Martin Hatfield take-down. I shot wood arrows, big fletching and 150 gr broad heads. Really lobbed them in there, but the mass kept them going when they hit the target. My buddy called them "pointy telephone poles", but they would out penetrate his set-up.
 
scottycoyote, where abouts in SW VA you located?

Anyway, the land I hunt there's only a few places with any long shots, we've got 218 acres of mountain woods with a powerline running across it.

If you set up on the powerline, you can get 50-120 yard shots (with a rifle of course) the rest 30 is gonna be rare.

I normally hunt with a 44mag Marlin levergun and most of my shots with it have been within 20 yards.

Davlandrum, I got 6 carbon shaft arrows now, want to get at least another 6.

Not sure what weight the broadheads I have are, they were older ones left over from my dad's old compound bow. (Only target I have is the broadhead one my brother got for his crossbow, so I don't use field points)

And I don't have sights on my bow, not sure I'll get them either. I can hit the target most of the time with my bow, and I never measure it out. I always set it up and walk for a random distance, and never for the same distance between sets. All within 5-25 yards though.
 
hey rburch it sounds like you hunt in about the same kind of conditions i do, i live in martinsville va, halfway between roanoke and greensboro nc.
It sounds like you are on the right track with your distances, but i was curious as to how the carbons penetrate? Like dav was saying, he lobs those big arrows in there and they penetrate like crazy, just not sure if light weight carbons are the way to go with a 45lb recurve (could be wrong just saying you might want to check an arrow chart).

They got so many broadheads out there now i wouldnt know where to begin. I switched over to the expanding type years back because my bow shoots fast and it cuts down on planing. I think if i was going with a slower bow id use a good 3 or 4 blade fixed broadhead, or maybe the old fred bear 2 sided with the little razor piece you fit in there.
 
About the same conditions scottycoyote, I'm in Blacksburg.

The carbons do okay, but I have really lightweight heads on them. They're mainly for target shooting right now.

I'm gonna get some heavier tips and maybe even get some cedar arrows once I have less risk of breaking them:o

As for penetration, when I was shooting at haybails I had a few of my old aluminum arrows shoot through the hay and into the 3/4" plywood I used to protect the fence in my old backyard. :confused:I wonder if that had anything to do with those arrows getting bent up??

Of course that was from 5 yards out, and going through 2 square haybails isn't as tough as a deer.
 
rb - Talk it over with your pro-shop contact as far as arrow selection. Scotty is right, you don't want to go too light.

Field points should not hurt a broadhead target. If you are only practicing with broadheads, make sure you have a set of NIB for hunting season, or plan on resharping the ones you have been using.

I would guess the ones you have are 125s or maybe heavier. Lighter is a kinda new thing. I don't remember anything less than 125 until the mid-90's or so (of course, I am old and forgetful, so maybe they were out before then....).

Sorry, I have been out of the traditional game since my Hatfield got stole :mad:, so talking with the guy at Gander will probably get you more current and reliable info than I am giving.
 
The guy at Gander told me to get these arrows, so I hope they're good enough.

And I know field points won't hurt the target, it's just flipping imposible to pull them back out of it. Even when you lube the arrows like it says to.

Even using an arrow puller, we bent 3 the first time we used it. The slits from the broadhead blade let it slide back out, not sure what the reason is.

My tips are from my dad's bow he got in the early 90's, and I plan on getting some new tips and reserving some of them for hunting only. I'd like to have 6hunting arrows, and 12 practice arrows, but those silly little things are expensive.
 
You have to get a better target; try a Yellow Jacket or Block. Worse come to worse use a hay bale. Make sure you line up 2-3 with the strings down where the broadhead won't cut them. Fast Flite strings are best. Cedar arrows are NOT cheap. If you use aluminum, get the heaviest you can and use a heavy broadhead. I prefer cedar. JMHO.
 
Okay, I shoot it some more today.

The arrows are penetrating between 5-8" with the old and dull Broadheads I have on them. Not the best, but this target is really dense foam.

I'll probably look into some heavier points and arrows when I'm ready to hunt with it. For learning how to shoot properly these are perfect.
 
45 lb bow for whitetails?

Sure you can. Be sure to shoot a very sharp broadhead, (prefer a two blade if possible for good penetration). Worked for me a few years back before going to compound. Good luck.
 
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I started out with a Wing Archery recurve bow in 45 lbs. That was my only bow until mid-1980's and it downed 2 nice blacktail bucks for me in northern California. You should consider a few professional lessons. Form and release are very important with recurve bows.

In the beginning, only cedar arrows were available locally. Then for a short time, hollow fiberglass arrows were popular. But I had best consistent accuracy with Easton 2018 Gamegetters (31 inch shaft).

In the beginning, only back type of quivers were available. This was the style that was popular with archers all across the planet for many centuries. But Fred Bear invented the bow quiver and it's is easily the most popular. I kept my back quiver until the leather rotted.

I have had great luck with Bear broadheads. Look for the model that has a "bleeder razor insert" and slightly flat tip. Fred Bear used this style to take very large beasts such as moose plus medium sized animals as well. Its a design that is quite deadly indeed.

Eventually, I drifted toward the modern compound bow in 1994. But I cont'd to shoot "fingers" until last year. Now I use a TRU FIRE release aid. So it goes.

Jack
 
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