I recently read the articles by Mr. Asbel in Traditional Bowhunter Magazine on the benefits to longer bows and lower poundage. I wanted to share my experience with the group here. I have been shooting a recurve that is 56" 54#@27 inches for a couple years and prided myself on being a pretty good shot after much coaching from this site. Unfortunetly my back was injured and pulling that weight has become somewhat of an issue. So, I began looking for a bow in lower poundage. I even thought about ordering new limbs in a lower poundage for my recurve. Fortune struck when a trade became available for a 62" recurve at 51#@29". When I began shooting this bow it was amazing how I could consentrate on form, I gained a half inch in draw length and my accuracy increased considerably. Additionally, I do not notice the finger pinch or have sore fingers after shooting. If any of you are experiancing these issues I would suggest you take Mr. Asbel up on his advice. You may be suprised!
longer is better with fingers guys that have really clean releases don't really notice that much but for the average archer imo longer bows really help with accuracy one of the most accurate bows i have shot to date was a 70" hill bow slow but i stacked arrows with that bow!
Every day of the week and twice on Sunday's I'd take a longer bow over a shorter one ... even at my 27" draw....
62" for Curves
66" longbows
I read the article by Mr. Asbel and found myself in agreement with almost everything he said.
At 62", you've got some length you can move out to and gain a little more sweetness.
God bless,Mudd
add me in to that "longer is better" camp, too.
however, there are times when "shorter is better" - like perhaps in a double bull blind, set up on a wyoming prairie, and a nice fat doe wanders within 20 yards, and yer at full draw and looking down the shaft at a tuft of hair over the vitals, and ya release only to hear "WHAP!!!" as the top limb tip of yer 62" longbow smacks the blind's roof. ask me how i know this ... :banghead:
I learned that lesson myself Rob! Not once, but twice, on the same turkey! :knothead: Didn't figure it out until after he left and I looked up to see two nice tears in the top of the blind.
But instead of a shorter bow I solved the problem by getting the Double Bull recurve model blind, which added 6" in height to the blind. :cool:
If you think the 62 inch recurve is nice to shoot, try a true longer recurve. In my opinion anything 62 inches and under is a "SHORT" recurve, 64 is medium, and over 64 is truly a "LONG" recurve bow. There is a reason the old target recurves from the 60's and 70's were virtually all 66 and more inches long.
I'm 5ft 6in tall (on a good day), I'm pretty broad thru the beam and draw a true 29 1/2 inches with a recurve, though. I shot 64 inch recurves for years, but I went to an old Jack Howard Jet this fall at 66 inches and it is a beauty! For the record, I've NEVER had a problem hunting with longer recurves from treestands (95% of my hunting) and in ground blinds I just make sure I have the room (like Joe said, get the "recurve model").
Ryan
I have always liked a longer bow.
i once hunted whitetail with my 69" 44# hoyt pro medalist target recurve (white limbs covered in olive drab tape) - man, was that a sweet shootin' recurve!!!! old earl built 'em right!
I went from a 60" 28.5 draw and when I switched limbs to 64" I gained 2" of draw which is now 30.5 and that added a extra 6# to the bow. My limbs are 64" @ 28 and 38# are now 44# at 30.5
Since switching to the longer LB's its all I've used for over 3 decades. Prefer 70". Never shot from an enclosed blind. No problem shooting from trees or on the ground. 31" draw.
You fine out you just plain enjoy shooting ALOT more.
Dead is dead no matter how fast your arrow gets there.
Longer works better for me.....Have fat/damaged fingers so a sloppy release. Long and heavy bows cure alot of my issues and have learned to hunt with those bows with no problems. I cant shoot anything less than 58 with any kind of consistancy so I dont even go there.........
I have also found that I'm not all tensed up after I shoot. Also my fingers don"t swell or hurt as much.
I have a 30 inch draw and have found what you gents have except...I have a nice, "short" Stalker recurve at 58in. It is my treestand/ground blind bow because it is shorter than my longbows (all 64 inches) and I don't notice ANY finger pinch with it. My ground-pounder, elk-hunter, non-blind/treestand bow is still a nice LONGbow with wood arras though, mainly 'cause life is too SHORT to shoot one bow :)
Here's another fan of the joys of shooting longer bows, but like others have mentioned, it has its problems in some hunting situations.
I notice heavier weight bows seem to pull easier with longer bows and my accuracy improves. Yep, 60"-62" recurve and 64-66" longbows work just, however, there are some quality short sticks out there that works just fine also.
I have always shot 64" Widows. Have shot lots of other shorter bows but nothing like a sweet 64 incher.
Rick
As I have grown in age my bows have gotten longer and lbs have gone lower. I prefer recurves at 66" and longbows at 68" and both in the low 40 lbs. Matched up with the right arrows you still get excellent cast and penetration.
I prefer them longer also. Like Rob, I have a 29" draw. My Hills are 68" 68" and 70". I have no issues shooting them.
I wouldn't believe it until I tried it. Always thought of myself as a short bow guy, but got a real good deal here on a 66" Mowhawk, 54#@28". I like everything about that bow. Also read BOTH of Fred Asbells articles on the advantages of the short and long bow. Liked the talk about improved accuracy with the longer bow (ala Olympic archers).
I tried to pull a 60" bow today and I could really tell the with my 30.5 draw. The bow was rated 45#@28.
Read Freds article in Traditional Bowhunter, "The case for the short bow" Feb/March 2008
I've shot 62-66" inch recurves for over 20 years and then I made a trade for a 52" Cascade recurve. I shoot 52" now. Dang it's nice! Got a new Night Hawk on order. I'm just as accurate if not more so and the bow is smooth out to my 28.5" draw. It matters which short bow you shoot when you do the comparison.
if i ever have a need to go short, hand's down it'd be a SHREW ... those short longbows are flat out awesome!!!
My signature says it all in what I prefer when it comes to the length of bows I shoot with my long draw length.
I must be doing something wrong. Always have bows rated at 28" of draw. On my Bob Lee's it adds 3# per inch with my 30.5 inches of draw.
QuoteOriginally posted by dad:
I must be doing something wrong. Always have bows rated at 28" of draw. On my Bob Lee's it adds 3# per inch with my 30.5 inches of draw.
The next time you order a bow and want the poundage at your 30.5" draw length, tell the custom bowyer and he will do it.
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc254/vkirov2950/600_BlacktailEliteSpecs2.jpg)
I will the next time, because I will go lighter in poundage.
longer is better for me.It seems smoother an easier for me to control.There are some minor issues when hunting from a blind but nothing that cant be worked out ahead of time.
It depends on the style of the bow. I love the shrews, griffins, and my favorite shorties are the elburg mites. I've been shooting since the sixties and can't tell one bit of difference in my accuracy when I'm shooting my 50" mite, or one of my longer 66"+ bows. I wouldn't want a hill style any shorter than 66", but I love the elburg mites anywhere from 48" to 54".
I like the shorts better on my das as the mediums and longs tend to cause string contact with my nose much more so with three under than the shorts. I own bows from 70" on down to 48" and the one I pick up most often is the 50" elburg jaguar mite.
I prefer a "happy medium." I think anytime one goes to extremes...be it really long, really short, really heavy, really light, etc...they loose performance. IMO, its about balance.
I have a 28" draw.
With our Protege Longbow design, I like 64."
When I shot recurves I seemed best fit with around 62."
When I shot a Hill bow I liked 67." A 66" was good, and a 68" was good, but 67" seemed perfect to me. (And, yes I could tell a difference between them).
typically, what minimum longbow lengths work best for me ...
hybrid aggressive r/d (thunderstick moab) - 60"
hybrid mid r/d (mohawk) - 62"
straight limbed (howard hill) - 66"
I have to agree with Ryan. There's a reason why bows for target archery -- where accuracy is king -- tend to be on the long side of things. For hunting I tend to stay around the middle (62-64" recurves), but every now and then I shoot my father's old 68" Root Pendulus Supreme and remember how nice a longer recurve feels.
I, too, prefer a longer bow. All my long bows are 66" or 68" in length. They just seem to draw more smoothly than shorter bows I have shot. I just stay out of tent style blinds to avoid problems with the top limb hitting anything. Besides, in the tent blinds, I feel a little claustrophibic. Does anyone else feel that way?
my main problem with traditional archery is that i want to try one of each flavor....the real bummer is being left handed.....i will remain focused until i try them all
I'm in the longer is better boat. I know olympic archers are not hunters necessarily, but their "job" is accuracy. If shorter bows were more accurate they would shoot them. They don't shoot short bows so I don't shoot them. All other factors are important, but none of it matters if you cant hit the spot. I am still working on that!
I have almost always shot 62-64". I have tried shorter, but I may try a 66". 62-64 is where most of my experience has been and will probably remain unless the 66" proves better. The length here in Ca is not as critical as it was back home in S.C. More hunting from trees back home.
I am a 29 inch draw and shoot a 67 .inch bow and love it.51#@28 inches osage self bow
I've shot and hunted with "long bows" (62" plus recurves, 66"-68" longbows) for 25 odd years and agree with everything you all are saying. However, recently I have gone to very short bows for my height (6"-1") and big hands/wide fingers (i.e. finger pinch). I also draw 28 plus inches. I am shooting a 54" Shrew Lil' Favorite and just killed a buck 12/23/10 with it and made one of the best shots of my life, from a tree stand, from a very difficult position. I am also shooting a 58" Shrew LB and killed a doe directly under me 12/16/10 that would have been more difficult with a longer bow. Last spring, I killed a 23# Tom from my Double Bull with my Lil' Favorite and made a very lethal shot, largely do to the fact, that I was not concerned about hitting my limb tips or anything else.
These examples are proof of nothing but are reassuring that I can get the job done with a shorter bow as well, and enjoy the other benefits they have to offer. Short bows for me, are fun, refreshing and equally accurate for my hunting distances this late season. I still own longer bows, I'm just not into using them lately.
I love both "long" and "short" bows, they each have their merits. If I were purely shooting targets...all my bows would be long, for sure. Long bows typically draw smooth and are forgiving. Short bows carry nice and are sweet handling. Field applications do warrant the use of a "shorter" bow at times.
Few of us own just one bow, use the one that lends itself for the situation at hand!
Kris
Longer bows are my over-whelming choice. Having said that, I believe that no one length is ideal for the many possible encounters. Bowyers have worked diligently to develop stable, forgiving and enjoyable-to-shoot shorter bows. My experiences with short bows in the past have not been enticing. However, I have the need for a short bow, have researched extensively and am having the big elf build me a dream TC. My expectations are hopefully realistic and my confidence is high. Turkeys beware!
I'd go along w/ longer generally being better for me. I don't have a long draw for my size, 28", but I shoot 'curves better in the 62-66" ranges and LBs that aree 66"+. Exceptions are the Shrews / Griffins and others similar, but even these I prefer at 58-60".
I like bows in the 60 inch range but recently got a old Bear Bearcat, 66". 44# recurve and it sure shoots nice. Its a target bow and white but for winter hunting in Pa. makes for a good hunting bow. Going to try it out this week for second season archery.
I only draw 27" and prefer 68" on my Hill style bows. Its a trade off sometimes due to clearance issues.
Never hit the top of my blind with my 62 inch recurve, I do have he DB recurve model blind though. Like the 62inches don't think I'd go less in a recurve, longbow last one I had was 68 inches too long for me next one will be 64 or 66 inches...everybody like something a little different....
I've shot short recurves and now I have a 64" longbow. I like the way it draws for me.
Went from 61@30 with a 60" recurve to 54@30.5" with a 62" curve. Best move ever!
My go-to bow for the last few years has been a 62" hybrid. My next one will be back to 66-68 inches.
Short bows seem like a great thing and for some reason, always feel faster. Longer bows (for me, anyway) are always the tortoise in the race...at the end of the day, they just get the job done with less fuss.
There are good reasons for long and short bows. That's why we have so many. In some situations a carbine bow is mighty handy: like when using low hemlocks as cover (especially when the branches are droopy with snow - and usually I am sitting against the trunk so I'm not outlined like this). Often there ain't no place for a 66" Palomino in there; though that's a 62" recurve in the picture. ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/Bowhunting/HPIM1934.jpg)
DON'T be tellin the wife I don't NEED bows of many lengths and draw weights. :scared:
I've been shooting bows 60" or less for years and really like them. Earlier this year I got a 65" Bama Hunter and I have to say I really like the smoothness of those long limbs. I have a 68" Quillian Bamboo Longhunter in the mail coming my way now and can't wait to try her out.
DannyBows you need to cut that out...lol
I don't need good rational reasons why I should hang onto my shorter than 66" bows....lol
I guess in my case good rational reason has less to do with what I carry and shoot and more to do with my "romanticized" image of what I "should" look and feel like when I'm skulking about the woods.
God bless,Mudd
Mudd--No worries, I doubt I'll ever turn-over more bows than you. Lol! Never would have guesed you might have a "romanticized" image of what you should look like. (Hint: your avatar) :laughing:
I'm expecting pics and review of the new Bama soon.
Great advice.♠
Nate tells me that I might get it before the end of the week.. wahoo! You can bet I'll be posting all about it(hopefully with pics)..lol
God bless,Mudd