Advantages of a short bow??

dragonheart · January 06, 2015, 09:44:00 PM

I really think that the old bowhunters and archers that encouraged an archer to match the archers bow length with their draw length were dead on. I recently was reading that Jim Brackenbury only hunted with 66" recurves.

http://www.brackenburybows.com/interview.html

warden415 · January 06, 2015, 11:42:00 PM

I ask because I have shot plenty of shorter. 56 or 58" bows and they shot good. But i never shot any of those same bows in a longer version.
When I just recently got this new/used 62" I am shooting far better than I ever have. I can't decide if it is merely the design or the added length? I'm wondering if I had this 62" in a 58" if I would lose much as far as stability and accuracy? I think it is a mute point with a 30" draw and the longer bow would definitely be advantageous. I'm just not sure with my short draw?
Has anyone had the same bow in a long and short version to compare.

old_goat2 · January 07, 2015, 01:57:00 AM

Curious is the 62" a lower draw weight also? I have had bows from same bowyer in different lengths in similar draw weights, I did shoot the longer one better but I don't know if that is a bench mark you can trust because both of them were probably shorter than I should be shooting at what they pulled. I've read over and over, over the years that longer bows were more forgiving and that longer lever arms are more efficient, what I don't know is, at what point can the average archer shoot the difference! And if your only shooting 20-30 yards or less it's probably a mute point. I'll say this though, have you ever seen an Olympic archer shoot a short bow? To me that's a strong argument for the longest bow you can stand for what you do with one. My normal bow is 64" and I just put together a 58" setup for hunting turkeys from a blind and for rabbits in the brush, different tools for different jobs.

njloco · January 07, 2015, 07:23:00 AM

Ceme24 busted me !, just kidding,I stopped listing all of my bows awhile ago. Why would someone need more than one short bow.

Shot at 18 yds. The high shot was the first shot, I shot and posted this picture a while ago, due to someone posting that short bows are not that accurate.

P.S. I'd pretty much have to agree with what oldgoat states, the only exception would be about the Olympic shooter as they are shooting at longer distant targets and need the longer bows,but take a look at that old bow they just dug up in Europe, I think it was something like 43 " and like 5000 years old, probably was mine in another life, and that explains why I shoot a short bow pretty good.

January 07, 2015, 09:11:00 AM

I have a really nice 60" Grooves, I can shoot good with it as long as use a cant pinch tab, I get occasional fliers when I use a glove, twisting the release or something. Some call a 56" Bear takedown short, at my current draw that would be just right, to me that is not a short bow. Short is 52 or less. The old Super Mags had the glass strips on the grips, the new ones do not. I found that the flat back bugged me when handling it. I had one for a while, tried to shoot it three under, I cannot do that anymore. It also did not have the cast that my Super Kodiak had. I still hope to find a shorty that works for me, they do have their place, but they are not all created equal.

attack · January 07, 2015, 09:58:00 AM

The nicest short bow I have shot is probably my 54" Shakespeare Super Necedah. I can get good groups out to 40 yards with it and there is no finger pinch. It is also an extremely smooth drawing bow all the way to 30" with no noticeable stack.

cacciatore · January 07, 2015, 10:07:00 AM

I can't miss with any lenght of bows at 10 yards,so I use the bow that is more maneuverable in my hunting ground.
Said that maybe I would use a longer bow for 3D but I don't see a big difference of accuracy out of 30 yards,my max hunting range,between a short and a longer bow. If I have to hunt at longer distances that that I would pick up a wheely bow or a rifle.

elkken · January 07, 2015, 10:30:00 AM

Short bows make you look much taller .... so you'll look better in your hero shots

Pat B. · January 07, 2015, 11:11:00 AM

"I was peering over a hill with the rise in front of me I tried to draw my bow but realized due to the bottom limb being long I couldn't shoot. I let a 350 class bull walk all over me. With a bow shorter I make that shot. I never got another opportunity!"

I shoot 68" longbows and I guarantee I could have shot at that bull.. Cant that bow! I can shoot my bows almost horizontally if need be.

wapiti792 · January 07, 2015, 12:42:00 PM

Yeah Pat no doubt you could...My failing is that after laying in a thunderstorm with that herd of elk I wanted a no-doubter. I normally cant quite a bit, but even with a 3 o'clock can't I couldn't guarantee my limb wouldn't hit the rocks. Horizontal was a no go as it was not a shot I felt good about. Combined with a cow laying 10 feet away I elected to let it ride...

*Think maybe he is telling me to go to hell here

njloco · January 07, 2015, 01:08:00 PM

Wipiti792, now that's hunting,and great picture !

59Alaskan · January 07, 2015, 01:48:00 PM

That's a dream hunt for this Midwestern boy!

Cyclic-Rivers · January 07, 2015, 09:12:00 PM

I shoot a sort bow because lets face it... I'm married, Not trying to compensate or show women how big my junk may be. :p

**DONOTDELETE** · January 07, 2015, 09:28:00 PM

I can't count the number of times i've been very close to elk and the length of the bow didn't make a bit of difference. When you are busted... your busted...LOL

But i prefer hunting with a bow 60" or less.

You can find shorter bows out there that shoot very well from a canted position, but the center shot needs to be cut just too or just before center, and the shelf height cut low enough to keep the arrow shaft coming right off your knuckle.

I've built recurve bows that you can shoot at a 3 O-clock cant with no effect on windage at all.... Its not the shape of the limb that makes the difference, or the length of the bow either... It's having a the shelf cut to the point where you tune your arrows to come around the riser and keep them as close to center as possible from tip to tip, coming right off your knuckle.

A perfect example would be Ron LaClairs Shrew. If you have your arrows tuned properly, you can shoot those very short hybrid long bows at any angle.

Friend · January 07, 2015, 10:46:00 PM

Choosing the correct tool for the job at hand typically makes life a little easier.

Am a longer bow fan yet lost my two best shot opportunities last season that seem to have been easily possible with a shorter bow.

Have high expectations for a 56" TimberGhost which is soon to find its way to Kentucky. Don't believe I would attempt to draw any consensus for a particular benchmark. Since I regularly shoot 3Ds, I am aware of my 3d performance and how they relate to my effective hunting range. Note: am quite aware that the effective hunting range constantly changes pending conditions and varying circumstances.

If I can score an 8 or better average on a typical 3D range, then I will be extremely confident pursuing gobs at my typical shortened effective range in the field....hi expectations for me.

Pat B. · January 08, 2015, 06:16:00 AM

792

Got ya, I should have realized that circumstances prevented..