All edged weapons,knife,spear or broadhead in the case of hunting arrows kill by heamorrage (blood loss)unless the spinal cord is severed.That is why in bowhunting the kill area is heart/lungs.Recurve hunting bows can be as low as 40lb(the weight you pull back with your fingers)but still have no problems with penetration due to arrow weight.Due to the cam mechanism a compound bow is easier to shoot for a first time bowhunter,hope this helps.