Warthog with a bow by 17 year old girl

[Dee S]

She's tall and has long arms. I'm 6' 1", she's probably 5' 7"

I hope to shoot some pigs here locally this year with our arrows but it's painful when you break an expensive arrow off in a feral hog in your back yard.

 

[Eric Anderson]

Help me out, what is FOC?
Regardless, good shooting on her part!

 

[Dee S]

FOC stands for Front Of Center... think of throwing a dart at a dart board. A light weight dart, with little weight up front, does not penetrate very well. But a dart that is heavy upfront, thrown at the same speed and velocity, tends to bury deep into the dart board. The higher the FOC (but up to a point), better penetration, arrow flight in gusty winds, etc. A typical hunting arrow, shot by the majority of bow hunters, is probably around 11-12% with an average total arrow weight of around 400 grains. High FOC shooters are probably in the 19-24% FOC with an arrow weight well above 600 grains.
It's also one of those age old debates between archers that will continue to be debated for as long as there are archers. As the non-believers like to say "don't drink the cool-aid"
It's the same principle as a light bullet versus a heavy bullet.
So please, pass the cool-aid, I'll have another glass.

 

[Lee M]

My current set up is in the middle. Approx 500 grains total weight and 16% FOC. I’m at 65 lbs draw weight with a 29” draw. Flying to Namibia in 11 hours!

 

[G Skinner]

Women and kids are the future to our sport ....... Congrats. to your young lady .... be proud Papa
Glen

 

[Dee S]

Have fun Lee, looking forward to a report when you get back. I'll probably call you to get the details.

 

[Eric Anderson]

FOC stands for Front Of Center... think of throwing a dart at a dart board. A light weight dart, with little weight up front, does not penetrate very well. But a dart that is heavy upfront, thrown at the same speed and velocity, tends to bury deep into the dart board. The higher the FOC (but up to a point), better penetration, arrow flight in gusty winds, etc. A typical hunting arrow, shot by the majority of bow hunters, is probably around 11-12% with an average total arrow weight of around 400 grains. High FOC shooters are probably in the 19-24% FOC with an arrow weight well above 600 grains.
It's also one of those age old debates between archers that will continue to be debated for as long as there are archers. As the non-believers like to say "don't drink the cool-aid"
It's the same principle as a light bullet versus a heavy bullet.
So please, pass the cool-aid, I'll have another glass.

Thanks for the info about arrows. Not an archer by any means.

 

[mrpoindexter]

It is actually Forward of Center (but Front gets the point across). Arrow laws were written long ago and bows (and archery in general) has gotten much more advanced since then. Most of the laws state a minimum draw weight of the bow. That ignores draw length and bow efficiency. The actual power being put into the arrow is a combination of all three. Better regulations would have kinetic energy and arrow weight requirements. The best regulations would use momentum, which is a better predictor for penetration. FOC is not listed anywhere and would be an endless debate topic. One of the most important things is for the bow to be well tuned so the arrow is stable in flight when it hits the target or you lose a lot of penetration.

Kinetic energy is the weight of the arrow (in grains) x the speed of the arrow squared (in FPS) / 450,800. The result is given in foot pounds of kinetic energy.
Momentum is the weight of the arrow (in grains) x the speed of the arrow (in FPS) / 225,400. The result is given in slugs.

105 Ft. Lbs and a 950 grain arrow is what is listed as the minimum power to take down an elephant (another bow discussion I am in right now in another thread here).

A warthog should have a minimum of a 400 grain arrow with 40 Ft-lbs of kinetic energy.

Much like with a gun, smaller than the suggested minimums can get the job done, but the chance of just wounding an animal becomes high and is not recommended. (There was a record grizzly taken with a single shot rimfire .22 but I don't know anybody who would recommend using that, including the woman who shot it. Sometimes you have to use the gun you have to save yourself)

 

[Dee S]

mrpoindexter….what he said, spot on....thanks, mine was a 'in a nutshell' explanation.