Well lets start by saying im more of a compound person myself but id like to try and get my first kill with my recurve. I have an old recurve that is 45# at 28 inches. Im only drawing maybe 27 So its not the full 45#. When shooting at my target(reinhart 18-1) i only penetrate 4 or 5 inches into the target from 10-15 yards. Im worried that this may not be enough to kill a deer and i sure don't want to go out and wound one. So what do you all think? Would this penetration be sufficient enough to kill a deer or should i hold out and stick with the compund?