How to choose a bow and arrow for hunting?

Arrow selection is a two-step process: first, determine the weight of the arrow you need to use, which determines the type of arrow shaft you need; second, choose the correct shaft hardness to correspond to your draw distance and arrow length.

Determine Arrow Weight
Not all bowhunters need to shoot arrows as fast and as light as possible. In fact, shooting arrows that are too light can damage your bow and accessories. Arrows that are too light absorb less energy than heavier arrows, so there is too much residual energy left in the bow itself, and this energy can only be released through vibration, which causes more damage to the bow. At the same time, because the energy distributed by too light arrows is less, its kinetic energy and lethality are less than those of heavy arrows. Of course, if you really want to achieve high arrow speeds without considering the life of the bow and the lethality of the arrows, then you can choose arrow weight according to the industrial test standard 5 grains/pound of draw weight recognized by the World Bowhunters Organization (IBO), but the arrow speed obtained in this case is generally only suitable for 3D archery competitions and has little significance for actual hunting.

Hunting heavy arrows: Hunting arrows with a tension of 8-10 grains/pound are heavy arrows. Using heavy arrows of this specification can obtain the maximum kinetic energy, that is, the maximum lethality, while the bow vibration is minimal, because the arrow has fully absorbed the kinetic energy, and there is little excess energy on the bow. The main corresponding ones are Easton aluminum arrows, with numbers ranging from 2115, 2215, 2315, 2314, 2216, 2317 and 2514.

Medium-weight hunting arrows: Hunting arrows with a tension of 6-8 grains/pound are medium-weight hunting arrows. This type of arrow has a good compromise in terms of quietness, durability, and low elongation of the flight trajectory, and is a relatively mediocre choice in performance. There are generally three choices for middleweight arrows: truncated heavy arrows with overdraw; Easton thin-walled aluminum arrows, such as 2212, 2213, 2312, 2413, 2512, 2613; full carbon arrows.

Ultralight hunting arrows:
If you really need to get the lowest possible flight trajectory, and consider the life of the bow and the energy of the arrow, then you can try ultralight hunting arrows, which are hunting arrows with a draw force of about 5 grains/pound. There are two choices for ultralight arrows: one is to use truncated middleweight hunting arrows with overdraw; the other is to choose existing carbon aluminum arrows (such as Easton ACC), or existing carbon arrows of corresponding weight, such as Beman ICS Hunter, Easton Evolution, Gold Tip and Carbon Express.

Correct shaft hardness:
Correct shaft hardness determines the perfection of the arrow's flight posture. If you use your fingers to release the arrow, because of the side swing of the arrow, matching the hardness of the shaft is a very complicated task. It often takes multiple tests and repeated replacement of shafts with different numbers to achieve perfect performance. For archers who use a release device to release the arrow, the choice of shaft hardness is relatively simple, but there are many options within the range of the shaft weight index. This requires a comprehensive selection based on your own purpose of use and personal preferences, but the general principle is to choose hard rather than soft. Within the permitted range of arrow weight, try to choose a harder shaft.
Arrow weight:
In fact, the weight of the arrow has been comprehensively considered when you first choose the arrow weight, and it should be given priority. That is to say, when you consider choosing the arrow weight, you should first consider how heavy the arrow is. The weight of the arrow affects the position of the center of gravity of the whole arrow. There is a special calculation formula for reference for the choice of its weight. Moreover, every archer should develop a habit: the weight of the practice arrow used in daily life should be the same as the weight of the arrow used for hunting.