Krisken, If you're thinking of hunting with tradtional bows, don't be scared for a minute about their ability to send an arrow hard enough to kill deer. When properly spined, moderate weight arrows and cut-on-contact broadheads are used, broadside passthroughs are quite normal with a 50-55# recurve. As with any weapon, the key is taking only the shots you are confident you can pull off cleaning, and passing on the ones you don't. My own shooting confidence varies throughout the season depending on how much practice I've done and temp/weather conditions. I've passed on deer as close as 10 yds because for some reason the shot didn't feel right. On other occassions, I'll killed deer cleaning at distances to 30 yds. (Kills have been at 8, 9, 10, 18, 25, and 30 yds...all from the ground except the 8 and 25 yd-er from a treestand). Strangely, perhaps, I've actually taken more deer in the last 3 years of selfbow hunting than I did year to year with compounds.

Here's a picture a fellow selfbowyer posted on another forum. (He posted it to the public so I doubt he'd mind if I add a link here.) It's his Ohio buck from this year. The bow...a short, 46# osage "sliver/pony bow". The arrow...a selfnocked cedar arrow with handmade steel "trade point". His bow setup had enough energy to completely pass through the deer. He was able to pull it off because he waited for good, quartering away shot at 7 yards.