hey, just wondering, how much fps do you need to kill a deer? I've heard people say that deer will easily jump the string if you don't have enough. What's normal for a recurve?

Only jump a string if you bow is loud. I will let you know this fall, but I bet I can get off 2 arrows if the deer doesn't locate me. My longbow makes litterly no noise when I uses cedars.

One thing is, forget Kenetic energy calculations. Your main concern is penetration and "Hit Poundage" is much better factor to determine penetration. The heavier the arrow the less speed you need. I've always believed that for hunting big game (deer bear etc...) you shouldn't hunt with less than 40 "Hit Pounds" of energy. You would only need to push a 600 gr. arrow around 145 fps to obtain that and that's plenty for complete penetration on deer or black bear.

Longbow, when I shoot my >550gr cedars, I can't believe how much more they penetrate than my 480gr alums. I bet it sticks another 2-3" more in my 3D deer targets.

Ain't a bow made that's faster than a deer's reflexes--including compounds. Careful shot selection (shoot a quiet bow at a calm animal) makes all the difference.

Chad