There are a lot of whitetail bow hunters, and many bow hunters are now starting to use heavier arrows. A good arrow weight for almost all big game is 500 grains, but is that too heavy for deer? Are there better arrow weights? Do you need a heavy arrow to kill a deer? In this article, I will answer all those questions and more.
Here is the short answer:
A 500-grain arrow will work great for whitetail deer. With a 500-grain arrow, you are more likely to get a pass-through on a deer. A 500-grain arrow will have a lot of momentum and energy than lighter arrows meaning it will be more effective at killing deer. So yes, a 500-grain arrow will work great on whitetails.
With the short answer out of the way, we can look at when you would want a 500-grain arrow, when you wouldn’t want a 500-grain arrow, why there might be better options and why there might not be better options.
When and when you would not want a 500-grain arrow
Now that we have looked at the short answer, we can look at when you may not want 500 grain-arrow and when you may want a 500-grain arrow.
If you have to shoot deer at longer range, such as hunting whitetails in more open country, then you may not want a 500-grain arrow. A 500-grain arrow is heavy, so it will drop fast and will be moving slower so a deer may duck the arrow before it gets to them. If you have a longer draw length or a heavier draw weight, then it might not matter if you do or don’t have a 500-grain arrow cause your bow will shoot faster.
If you have a lighter poundage bow or shorter draw length, you will want a 500-grain arrow. The extra weight of the arrow will help get the needed momentum needed to get a pass through. So if you have a weaker setup, you probably should use a 500-grain arrow.
If you shoot an average step up (65-pound draw weight, 28-inch draw length, 330 FPS IBO) you can only gain from shooting a heavy arrow. You will get more momentum and energy shooting a 500-grain arrow.
Conclusion
You, most likely, should shoot a 500-grain arrow. It will give your setup more momentum, more energy, and more penetration. So overall, your setup will be more likely to kill a deer. However, if you are hunting deer that may duck the arrow, or you are shooting at longer ranges (longer range being anything past 40 yards), you may want to shoot a lighter arrow