poundage for legal hunting

[Faststeel]

lads..
Is there a poundage a compound bow needs to be for legal hunting in the province of alberta, thanks FS

[silvertip]

from the regulations..........


An authorized bow is one that is held, drawn and released by
muscular power and has a draw weight of not less than 18 kg (40 lb.).
This is the number of kilograms (pounds) required to draw an arrow of
71 cm (28 in.) to its head.

[brendan's dad]

I have had this question asked to me before and was planning to reach out to Fish and Wildlife, but never did.

The regulation is obviously using terminology relevant to trad bows as it refers to a specific draw weight at 28 inches (standard for measuring trad bows)

Compound bows are different because the weight is a consistent regardless of the draw length.

So my question to fish and Wildlife would be, if the intention of the regulation is to have a humane kill, and the regulation requires 40 lbs at 28 inch draw, would a compound bow at 26 inch draw and 40 lbs be legal?

Or lets say you have a compound bow at 27 inch draw and 45 lbs, is there some kind of formula that would determine if that is enough.

I would much rather a hunter with a 30 inch draw shooting 35 lbs than a hunter with a 25 inch draw shooting 45 lbs.

[Knotter]

has anyone ever had a CO look at their bow? ...pull out a bow scale and measure it?
I'm only guessing that its RARE if never. I would think it would be the bow as it's drawn gets to 40# somewhere in the draw cycle before 28". I hope to see the CO's take on this.

[Lefty-Canuck]

It’s all relative...

40 lbs minimum draw on a compound. So the cycle has to hit a minimum of 40lbs before it’s all the way back.

Trad bows... it has to hit a minimum of 40lbs when drawn to 28”, trad bows can be drawn as long as a guy wants till they break.

LC

[ghostguy6]

From the Regs:

An authorized arrow is one that is not less than 61 cm (24 in.)

What happens if your shooting a 24" arrow with a bow that has 40 pounds at a 28" draw?

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

From the Regs:

What happens if your shooting a 24" arrow with a bow that has 40 pounds at a 28" draw?

Then you better have an overdraw or a Kevlar glove.

LC

[kilgoretrout]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

From the Regs:

What happens if your shooting a 24" arrow with a bow that has 40 pounds at a 28" draw?

Then you have other issues that have nothing to do with hunting

[ghostguy6]

Let me clarify that, you could fire a 24" arrow out of traditional bow that only has a 40 pound draw at 28". So hypothetically you would be firing a legal arrow out of a legal bow but maybe only firing it at 30 pounds of force. Would that in fact be legal?

[kilgoretrout]

I am sure that it could be done because the rules state having the capability of shooting an arrow of 28 " at 40 lbs the issue is your arrow is only 24 inches so you would not reach the 40lbs required to be legal The bigger factor would be the possibility of wounding game because of lack of penetration ..... perhaps a heavier # bow at a lower draw length would achieve what you are looking for

[ghostguy6]

Strictly a hypothetical. I never said it was a good idea and should be done. I'm just curious about the legality of it since no one has had their bow tested by F&W.

[501s]

So I was wondering this exact thing this year as my son who is 12 started bow hunting. He is shooting a compound bow set to 42lbs. However he isn't a big kid, so his draw length is no where near 28". I mean he could shoot a 28" arrow but he has appropriate sized arrows for his bow.

There were a few people who doubted he would be able to hunt with this setup. Well, he proved everyone wrong and harvested both a muley and a nice WT buck and both deer didn't go over 100yds. He made great shots on both.

[Puma]

Originally Posted by silvertip

from the regulations..........


An authorized bow is one that is held, drawn and released by
muscular power and has a draw weight of not less than 18 kg (40 lb.).
This is the number of kilograms (pounds) required to draw an arrow of
71 cm (28 in.) to its head.

That's a regulation for Big Game, what about small game and bird hunting ?

I called F&W and they had no idea.

[kilgoretrout]

I think the key is practice and knowing your limits ...... I think he had a good teacher .... good job

[bushbug]

congrats 501s toyour son he accomplished something a lot of adults are still trying to do. I wish him all the success in the future. My hat is off to him

[brendan's dad]

Originally Posted by 501s

So I was wondering this exact thing this year as my son who is 12 started bow hunting. He is shooting a compound bow set to 42lbs. However he isn't a big kid, so his draw length is no where near 28". I mean he could shoot a 28" arrow but he has appropriate sized arrows for his bow.

There were a few people who doubted he would be able to hunt with this setup. Well, he proved everyone wrong and harvested both a muley and a nice WT buck and both deer didn't go over 100yds. He made great shots on both.

Wow, some guys, a lot actually, will go their whole lives without taking a buck that big with archery tackles. Well done young man!

[calgarychef]

I’ve got a buddy with a bad shoulder, he shots a 40# longbow but usually draws about 26#..that puts him somewhere below 30#. He’s killed elk, moose, deer, (and bear I think). He’s selective with his shots and shoots them up close.

My first compound, I set at 40# because I’d had surgery and I killed 2 bucks easily with my little pink kids bow. 20 yards on one and 2 yards on the other.

I’d have to say thought, with my new bow I wish I could draw 60# or 70# to flatten the trajectory a bit.

[obsessed1]

So what about a sling bow. I have a diy sling bow that draws 40# @28". would it be legal to use hunting? For those who Dont know what a sling bow is it's a sling shot set up to shoot arrows. Fyi I have never used it hunting, but it sure has some advantages above a bow. Mine has a horizontal grip and the arrow is seated above your hand. The sling itself is very small and is similar to a cross bow but uses rubber bands instead of flexible limbs. My diy is made out of wood so it's a bit clunky but someone with any fab skills could make one out of aluminum and keep it very trim and light.