Q: I am 25 years old, 5'7" 170 lbs. I am going to buy a bow, but I am not going to go bow hunting until next year. I tested a couple of bows at a sporting goods store, I am probably going to get a 70 lb. bow. What is the farthest kill distance for a 70 lb. bow. I will be practicing with it for a year before I go deer hunting.
A: I realize you probably don't want to "hear" this at all, but I'm saying it anyway: Forget about killing a deer at long-range distances with a bow of any kind; the stories about "he was standing 80 yards away when my broadhead ripped into him..." are all a bunch of hookum. Those idiots got lucky. Concentrate on ACCURACY at the distances you will be encountering during any hunt you go on -- which "just happen" to average out to 30 yards (and less). That "flat trajectory" means absolutely nothing when the arrow misses. Also, as "targetbutt" said, look into using a lower draw weight bow. You don't need a 70-lb bow for the average deer, and if your body really can't handle it then you will only injure yourself with it. If you cannot control the bow, you will never achieve proper accuracy no matter how much you practice! I'm betting you're looking at compound bows, which is fine...but even the most cooperative deer in the world is not going to stand still just so you can muscle that bow into full draw and hold for two/three minutes while you set the pin-sights on the "spot". If you have to "grunt" to draw the bow, the deer is going to hear it -- and you will likely lose that deer. Get a proper hunting setup -- including proper hunting arrows -- you can control with ease and achieve proper hunting accuracy with that setup (3 out of 5 arrows in a 6-inch pie plate is good - but how about 8 out of 8 in a 2-inch circle). And don't let the sales people fool you, either...a 200 fps arrow out of a 40-lb bow can have more "power" than a 300+ fps arrow from a 60-lb bow. It's in the physics of the bow/arrow combination...and a good part of it is how deeply that arrow penetrates.