Archery Equipment (Compound & Recurve)

You’ve got a deer at 22 yards, quartering away, head down. You draw — and your arm is already shaking because the bow is set ten pounds heavier than you can hold. The pin won’t settle. That deer is lost before you ever release, and the problem started months earlier, in a chair at the shop, when someone set your bow to impress instead of to fit. A bow that doesn’t fit you can’t be shot well by anyone. This lesson is how you make it fit.

Quick recall

Quick recall from Choosing a Weapon for SC's Seasons — what's the defining limitation of archery tackle compared with a centerfire rifle?

Quick recall from Choosing a Weapon for SC's Seasons — what's the defining limitation of archery tackle compared with a centerfire rifle?

It's a short-range, low-margin tool — every yard and every angle matters more It's louder, so deer hear the shot sooner It's only legal on private land in SC

Check answer

Chunk A — Draw weight: the number you can OWN, not the number you can yank

Draw weight is the peak force, in pounds, you pull to bring the bow to full draw. It is the single most over-set number in archery. New hunters crank it high because a heavier bow sounds more lethal. In the field it does the opposite: a bow you can’t draw smoothly and hold steady costs you the shot.

The test is simple and it is not “can I drag it back once, standing, on a warm afternoon.” It’s this:

• Can you draw it slowly, while seated, with the bow held out in front of you and no skyward heave? (That’s the cold, cramped, can’t-spook-the-deer reality of a stand.)
• Can you hold it at full draw for 20–30 seconds while a deer takes its time clearing brush?

If not, the weight is too high. Back it off. A bow you shoot well at 50 pounds beats a bow you shoot badly at 70 every single time.

The why Compound vs. recurve: the let-off difference

A compound bow uses cams (eccentric wheels) that roll over near full draw, so you hold only a fraction of the peak weight — typically 65–85% “let-off.” A 60-pound compound at 80% let-off means you hold about 12 pounds while you aim. That’s why a compound lets you wait out a deer at full draw. A recurve (and longbow) has no let-off: the weight keeps climbing the farther you pull, and you hold the full draw weight the entire time you’re aiming. So a traditional shooter usually carries a lower peak weight, draws, settles, and releases in one fluid motion rather than holding. Pick a recurve weight you can hold rock-steady for a few seconds — not one you can only “snap shoot.”

Chunk B — Draw length: this one is set by your body, not your ego

Draw length is how far back you pull — measured, roughly, from the nock point to the bow’s grip at full draw. Unlike draw weight, you don’t get to choose it: your arm span and anchor point fix it. A common shop estimate is your wingspan in inches divided by 2.5.

This matters differently for the two bow types:

• On a compound, draw length is mechanically fixed by the cams. Set it wrong and you cannot shoot well — too long and you’ll over-extend and “peek” past your anchor; too short and you lose power and consistency. A compound must be set to your draw length (a shop does this, or you adjust the cam/module).
• On a recurve, draw length is defined by where you anchor — the mouth corner or jaw spot your string hand returns to every shot. A recurve forgives a little variation, but the same anchor every time is what makes it repeatable.

Draw length also drives the arrow length you need: cut your arrows to your draw length plus roughly an inch or two of clearance past the rest. Too short an arrow can fall off the rest at full draw and drive a broadhead into your hand — a serious injury. When in doubt, leave them a touch long.

Chunk C — The arrow: spine is the part beginners ignore and the deer notices

The arrow is not an accessory — it’s the projectile, and the wrong one flies wild no matter how good the bow. The number that trips up beginners is spine: how much the shaft flexes, i.e., its stiffness. Lower spine numbers (e.g., 340) are stiffer; higher numbers (e.g., 500) are more flexible.

Three things drive the spine you need:

1. Draw weight — more weight needs a stiffer (lower-number) shaft.
2. Arrow length — a longer arrow flexes more, so it needs to be stiffer.
3. Point weight — a heavier broadhead/insert up front weakens the dynamic spine, again pushing you stiffer.

Get spine wrong and the arrow “fishtails” off the bow, robbing accuracy and penetration. You don’t compute this by feel — every arrow maker publishes a spine chart: you look up your draw weight, your arrow length, and your point weight, and it tells you the shaft.

Broadhead — sharp, deer-legal Shaft — its SPINE (stiffness) is the match that matters Fletching — steers the arrow Nock — clips the string

Edge case Cut-on-contact vs. mechanical broadheads

Two broad families. Fixed-blade, cut-on-contact heads have a bladed tip that starts slicing the instant it touches hide — they penetrate bone and heavy tissue well and are the traditional choice, especially for lower-energy setups (recurves, lighter compounds). Mechanical (expandable) heads fly with their blades folded and deploy on impact to cut a wide wound channel; they fly more like a field point but “spend” some energy opening, so they reward a higher-energy setup. Neither is “the right answer” for everyone — but whatever you shoot must be shaving sharp and tuned to hit where your field points hit. A broadhead that plans off in a different direction than your practice points is an untuned setup, not a hunting setup. SC places no restriction on broadhead style or width — the requirement is sharpness and true flight, set by you.

Worked setup: building a deer-legal rig from scratch

Here’s the order an experienced shooter actually works in. Notice it starts with the shooter, not the gear.

1. Measure draw length first. Wingspan ÷ 2.5 gives a starting number; the shop confirms it at full draw against your anchor. Say it’s 28 inches.
2. Set a draw weight you OWN. Seated, slow-draw test. You can run 60 lb clean and hold it; you set it there rather than maxing the limbs to 70.
3. Cut arrows to length. Draw length 28 in, so arrows are cut to roughly 29–30 in for safe rest clearance.
4. Pick spine off the chart. 60 lb, ~29 in arrow, 100-grain broadhead → the maker’s chart points you to a specific shaft (commonly around a 340–400 spine in that range — read your chart, don’t guess).
5. Tune the broadhead to the field point. Shoot both at 20 yards; adjust the rest until the broadhead lands with your practice points.
6. Prove it from the field position before you ever hunt.

At the pro shop

You're new and want a deer rig. The shop has your draw length at 28 inches. The salesperson says, 'Let's max these limbs to 70 pounds — more is better for deer.' You draw it once, standing, with a big upward heave, and barely get it back. What do you do?

Take the 70 — it drew back, and more energy can't hurt Ask them to back it down to a weight you can draw slowly while seated and hold steady Compromise at 64 and figure you'll grow into it

Check yourself

Knowledge check

You can drag your compound to full draw exactly once, standing, with a big upward heave. Seated and cold, you can't draw it smoothly. What does that tell you about the draw weight?

You can drag your compound to full draw exactly once, standing, with a big upward heave. Seated and cold, you can't draw it smoothly. What does that tell you about the draw weight?

It's set too high — back it off to a weight you can draw slowly, seated, and hold steady It's fine — you got it back, so it's huntable It means your arrow spine is wrong

Check answer

Knowledge check

Which THREE factors determine the arrow spine (stiffness) you need? (Select all that apply.)

Which THREE factors determine the arrow spine (stiffness) you need? (Select all that apply.)

Your draw weight Your arrow length Your broadhead / point weight The color of your fletching

Check answer

Safety check

South Carolina's archery regulations set the practical minimum draw weight for deer at…?

South Carolina's archery regulations set the practical minimum draw weight for deer at…?

No legal minimum — so YOUR ethics (a clean pass-through, ~40+ lb in practice) set the floor A hard legal minimum of 40 pounds enforced by SCDNR A legal minimum of 50 pounds

Check answer

Take it to the woods

Bow fitting & setup checklist (do this BEFORE you hunt)

0/7

Reset

• Confirm your draw length (wingspan ÷ 2.5, verified at full draw against a consistent anchor).
• Set draw weight to a number you can draw SLOWLY while seated and hold steady 20–30 sec. If you can only yank it once standing up, it's too high.
• ⚠ Safety Cut arrows to draw length plus an inch or two of rest clearance — never shorter. A too-short arrow can fall off the rest at full draw and drive a broadhead into your hand.
• Pick arrow spine from the maker's chart using your draw weight, arrow length, and point weight.
• ⚠ Safety Mount sharp broadheads and confirm they're shaving-sharp by hand. Handle broadheads with control; they cut you as easily as a deer.
• Tune the broadhead to your field point — both must group together at 20 yards before you hunt.
• Verify current SCDNR archery regulations for your season, zone, and any WMA rules. Rules change; the regulation book is the authority.

Sources

• South Carolina Hunting General Rules & Regulations (eRegulations, SCDNR-published) — archery defined as longbow, recurve, compound, or crossbow; no SC restrictions on draw weight, arrow, or broadhead; crossbow use during archery/muzzleloader/gun seasons. Verify against current SCDNR regulations. https://www.eregulations.com/southcarolina/hunting/general-rules-regulations
• South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — Deer Hunting (program, seasons, and regulations; primary authority). Verify against current SCDNR regulations. https://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/index.html
• Easton Archery — “Minimum Draw Weight to Kill a Whitetail” (manufacturer guidance on the practical ~40 lb deer floor and energy for penetration; secondary). https://eastonarchery.com/2014/06/minimum-draw-weight-to-kill-a-whitetail/
• Sportsman’s Warehouse — Arrow Spine Charts for compound, recurve, and traditional bows (how draw weight, arrow length, and point weight set spine; secondary). https://www.sportsmans.com/arrow-spine-charts
• Bowhunting.com — “How Much Draw Weight for Hunting?” (let-off, draw-weight fit, and deer-capable setups; secondary). https://www.bowhunting.com/bowhunt101/much-draw-weight-hunting/