I have been hunting whitetails for a long time and I shoot a lot of does so my kill numbers are pretty high.  Even with all that, I can only think of a handful of deer I have shot at 50 yards or more.  That is not very many.  I sit on food plots and would have the chance for longer shots, but deer are notorious string jumpers and they rarely stand still.  A doe past 40 yards is a questionable target unless she is totally relaxed browing around her bedding areas.  Otherwise, they react to the shot and will cause problems for anything but a gun.  Yes, 20 more fps will help to reduce the distance she can drop, but only if it doesn't make the bow louder or harder to shoot accurately.  A bit more speed is not worth giving up quiet peformance and accuracy.

I recently conducted an informal e-mail survey of 16 of my serious deer hunting friends.  I asked for the shot distance from each of the most recent ten bucks they had shot.  160 bucks is a pretty good sample size.  I learned that the average shot distance of bucks that they killed was 19.1 yards.  The average longest shot was 39.2 yards and the average shortest shot was 4.2 yards. 

So, a flat trajectory from blazing arrow speed is not the most critical factor related to successful encounters with whitetails.  Usually, the stand area is pretty well scoped out in advance.  Most guys take range readings to all the main reference points around their stands and commit them to memory.

That is not to say, however, that speed is useless.  The main reason I like a fast arrow is because I can shoot through smaller openings in the woods without fear of a deflection from branches that are above my line of sight and therefore don't immediately register as a problem when aiming.  I want the fastest quiet bow that I can shoot accurately.  That usually requires a few compromises along the way, be it in the category of brace height, arrow weight, cam design (radical versus softer) or draw weight. 

I have my opinions, what I look for when I select a bow. They may not be your preferences, but they shouldn't steer you too far off line.  I like a bow with a 7 inch brace height.  I have not had a problem with such bows when it comes to accuracy.  That is not to say that you won't shoot a 6 inch brace height just fine, but I personally tend to shy away from them.  I like arrow weights that are roughly 6.5 grains of finished weight for every pound of your bow's maximum draw weight.  For a 65 pound bow, that would be an arrow weighing roughly 425 grains.  With 100 grains going to the broadhead and 25 grains (roughly) going to nock and fletching, that leaves about 300 grains for the arrow shaft and insert.

I have dropped my bow from the stand a few times.  One time I actually dropped it when preparing for a hunt on Realtree Outdoors.  It was the Wyoming whitetail hunt from 2004 (I think), if you happened to see it.  Nick Mundt was filming it so you can ask him if you don't believe me!  We both stared slack jawed as the bow bounced from limb to limb and crunched to the ground.  I climbed down, picked up the bow, dusted it off, tied it to the string and then climbed back up. I shot the buck at 40 yards a couple of hours later. 

I don't want a bunch of target-inspired features on my bow or accessories.  I just want rugged, quiet, simple.  I really like simple stuff.  True genius resides in simplicity.  Anyone can make something complicated.  You have to know what you are doing to make something that is both effective and simple.

Of course, Hoyt is one of our sponsors at Midwest Whitetail and their new AlphaMax fits the bill. It is the best bow they have ever made.  But there are also other bows from other manufacturers that are good.  Compare them at the archery shop, but don't get caught up with counting feet per second.  Raw speed is just one part of the equation - and it is not the most important part.