Does my arrow hit hard enough?
Kinetic energy and momentum tell you roughly how much a bow setup can push an arrow through hide and bone. Enter your total arrow weight and its speed for the numbers and the game class they suit - then remember that a sharp broadhead in the right spot beats raw energy every time.
Kinetic energy is a rough guide to penetration potential across game sizes.
⚠️ These are guidelines, not guarantees. Kinetic energy figures give a ballpark for the game a setup can handle, but arrow flight, broadhead choice and sharpness, front-of-centre balance and above all shot placement matter more than any single number. Heavier arrows carry momentum and penetrate better at a given energy, and many bowhunters weight toward momentum for big game. Check your local minimum draw-weight and equipment laws, practise to your honest effective range, and only take broadside or quartering-away shots inside it.
Shooting a rifle for the same game? See the cartridge & energy guide.