ORIGINAL: Arthur P
Seems to me that a fast arrow would be more forgiving in the field, since distance estimates aren't as critical for a fast arrow...
There should be no such thing as estimates in the field. There should be no such thing as estimates. If the yardage isn't known, it's a no-shot situation. Use a rangefinder! If you don't want to use a range finder in the heat of the moment, mark off distances around your stand. You know if that deer is halfway between that tree you've got marked at 30 yards and the bush at 40, it's a 35 yard shot. A little closer to the tree, 33 yards. A little closer to the bush, 37 yards. No guessing.
This is and always has been a matter of bowhunting ethics and I hate to see people using arrow speed as a substitute for good ethics.
I've taken 22 deer, 4 turkeys, and a bobcat by bow
at 22 yards or less. Only once was my speed over 300, most of the time it's been 265-285 fps. I don't intend to use speed as a substitute for ethics. I'll still set up for the same 20 yard shot maked with little surveyors flags this fall. The flags are placed at 17 yards for my wife. She is shooting a blazing 213 fps and her single pin is set for 17 yards (she has 8 deer and two turkeys to her short range credit). I'll have a second yardage marker at 25 yards,
if I can even shoot that far, typically I can't. (I also have a laser range finder hanging around my neck that I use to determine anyunmarked distances, never needed it, it's too thick.)
Do I need to shoot 311? No. But if I can and I'mmore accurate than ever, why not?
What I dislike about "that saying" is the assumption that people who shoot fast arrows are somehow inherently less accurate. You can shoot a slow untuned bow, or a slow mismatched arrow. "That belaboured phrase" is used as a meritless dig.