i will be picking up my Northern Mist Shelton at Denton Hill and it will be made shortly by steve. i went with a 68 inch bow as i wanted it as smooth as possible. after thinking about it i am not sure now as i will be doing a lot of ground hunting this year. is there really a BIG difference betwen 66 and 68 when ground hunting??

Ken I don't think so, but I shoot 54" to 58" bows 99% of the time and there is really no differnce for me in those 4"s. I would think as a longbow shooter, you cant the bow quite a bit so I would say no! Shawn

I shot his 66''&68'' Sheltons @ the Baltimore shoot, Me personally, I'd stay with the 68'' SWEET !! @ my 29'' draw ... I doubt you'll notice much in manuverability ... Sweet, Sweet "True" L/B's with performance that will surprise ya for a string follow Bow !!

If your draw is 26" get the 66" 27-28" 68" stringfollow will let you get away with a 66" bow for a 28" draw, let you get away with is the key word there. An inch off each side ain't gonna make it a short bow.

I shoot both and can not see any difference at all. I usually hunt from ground blinds(natural)and haven't had a problem except turning the wrong way in the blind to shoot and hit a low hanging branch occasionally.

Not that much of a difference that I can tell . I draw 27" and prefer 66" for my string follow bows and 68" for my reflexed Hill style bows.

I've shot a bunch of Hills and still have some.  With a 28-inch draw length, I like 66 inches.  68 inches is a bit smoother, but I found the extra length cumbersome in the woods.  Wouldn't think a couple of inches would make much difference, but it sure did for me.  However, if your draw length is longer than 28 inches, say 29 or more, the longer bow would probably work better.

This is another one of those times when two inches in not all THAT important.    :rolleyes:

How tall are you over 6 feet...68inch!!

I haven't shot the Shelton but in the Hill bows I have the longer bows are smoother and have a better feel but I have a 29" draw. All my Hill's from Craig at Howard Hill Archery are 70". When I hunt it is exclusively from the ground and you learn to adjust for the length.

i have a 66" and its amazing, i have almost a 30" draw, i had one on order that was going to be 68", have nothing to compare to, like everyone else  said if u have a draw over 28" i would go with the 68" but the 66" is plenty smooth for me. favorite straight limb longbow ever.

Ken,

I see little difference!  If you go long and don't like it, get one shorter.  You may even be able to shorten it, but you cant lengthen it as easily.

imo, there are significant differences with smoothness of draw with different length hill style bows (limbs - back set, straight, belly set), and with each comparing the same draw length.  the following is how i view hill length versus draw ...

64"/26"
66"/27"
68"/28"
70"/28"-31"

... with my 29" draw length, i've gone from 66" and 68" hills to 70" (craig tembo, 54@29, belly set string follow boo limbs), and i sure as heck ain't looking back.  

for the same 70" hill smoothness of draw, but at a shorter bow length, i go to a 66" mild r/d "D" limb shape mohawk.  my bow length/draw formula for mild r/d longbows is ...

60"/26"-27"
62"/27"-29"
64"/28"-29"
66"/29"-30"
68"/29"-31"

... as always, ymmv.  

Great choice Ken. Longer bows "should" draw smoother especially for longer draws in heavier weights. All my Hill buds rave their NM bows. Prefer 70" straight handle for my 71" wingspan & never a problem in the woods. You'll honeymoon the new girl! Pics pdq.

Ken, Congrats on your new dream order She should be sweet.

If you had a long draw Ken I would be thing longer.....but you don't.

I ordered a Shelton at the Howard Hill Shoot.  I only have a 26" draw and went with a 66" length.  I say err to the longer length especially if smoothness is an important factor for you.

QuoteOriginally posted by newtotrad:
I ordered a Shelton at the Howard Hill Shoot.  I only have a 26" draw and went with a 66" length.  I say err to the longer length especially if smoothness is an important factor for you.

typically longer IS better with longbows!  

Ken, I"ve hunted with 66"&68" bows since the late 80's. Also have friends who have and do too. With alot of success!

No differnce really in the 2" length. Good tillering can make the difference. I don't have a "Gorilla length" draw, so the 2 lengths isn't much of a factor to me!

Tree stand or ground, you will learn to find the shot. Part of the challenge!

Hey Ken.I shoot primaraly longbows from 60 inch to 68 inch.My custom bows are 60 and 64 inch.My selfbows are typicaly 66 to 68 inch.The only time I notice a difference is in a pop up blind,where shorter is better.Glen