Do you 62?

[Ringneck]

Excuse the lame rhyme, it's late and I'm sleep deprived   :D  . I was reading Asbells article in the Traditional Bowhunter on the longer bow. I shoot my 62" recurve better than my shorter bows. I am even thinking about using it for deer hunting and buying a larger pop up blind. Anyone else think it's better to put up with the slightly longer length when ground hunting or from a blind?

[BrianfromTulsa]

I shoot a 62" H2 and sometimes have trouble in pop up groundblinds.  I don't shoot with alot of cant.  I have an Ameristep blind that I love (extra tall) but the name eludes me right now.  I think it's a penthouse.

[Earthdog]

I always have prefered 62" recurves for hunting,,I own two 58's but niether are anywhere near as smooth drawing as my 62".

[Ground Hunter]

I have nothing shorter than 64 to 70.  Never had a problem with length.  H

[Tom-Wisconsin]

I love my recurve. It is 62 inches and I draw about 29 inches.

[DesertDude]

62 is perfect for me also...

[carlo1404]

Hi, My draw is 29/29.5, my bows are from 52" to 64" but I prefer 60" (Black Widow) and/or 62" (Bob Lee or Gamemaster2) to shoot in 3D games. I think the 62" lenght for long draw shoooter is preferable.
Bye from Italy
Carlo

[Rob DiStefano]

i do believe that going longer is always better for shooting accuracy, but not necessarily for hunting manoeuvrability.  everyone's different, everyone needs to decide what's gonna work best.  

for me, 62" longbow for hunting, 68" longbow for really enjoying shooting and better overall accuracy.

[Hit-or-Miss]

I have 68" Longbows, 62', and 60" recurves, and also a 54" solid "Farbenglass" Herters recurve #65, that stacks like crazy. To be honest, I see no difference in length of the bow. I'm 6'2" and pull 30" at my anchor point. Long bow, short bow, it matters little, as I seem to miss with them all on an equal basis! Seriously though, if I pick one and spend a few days shooting just that one bow, no matter the length, everything seems to work better. I think practice and just shooting ONE bow with good arrows is the answer for me.

 Remember as a kid, with either a bow, slingshot or an airgun, how deadly you became over the course of a summer, just shooting that ONE weapon, day after day?

[thunder1]

The longer bows are smoother to draw and feel a bit different through the power stroke. I don't shoot any length of bow better than another to where it would effect hunting. Smaller bows in the stand are always welcome.

[buckracks7]

Maybe it depends on your draw length? I prefer 58" bows, but I only draw 27".

[mrpenguin]

I've shot shorter bows for a while... my first was a 56 Wasp, then I had a 58 Robertson, then went back to 56 with a Black Widow PSR and now am using a 62 Howatt Hunter.  In all honesty they all shoot about the same for me.  The Widow had some mojo in it and I just couldn't miss with that bow!!  But the the Howatt is a smooth drawing shooter.  I practice shooting in crouched positions and from behind trees with a practically horizontal cant and find the bow shoots the same for me as if I were shooting it Olympic style with 'proper form.'  It really comes down to what feels good for you, the rest (like how to maneuver in the woods) you'll figure out!

[Clint B.]

G. Fred Asbell needs to write one more article to complete the Trilogy - "The Case for the Medium Length Bow".   )

[muley40]

I shoot a 62" in Double Bull Matrix, no problems, and have used a 64" out of tree stand for years,wouldn`t think of going to the woods without it,

[Tom]

I have recurves 60-64", draw 29", and hunt with the 62" on a regular basis. I hunt from the trees and ground but do cant the bow at 45 degree in my regular form. 3d, indoor and hunting the 62" gets the nod for use as they are smooth and quiet. Have no problem with tree stand or ground due to cant.

[Rob DiStefano]

i'm far from being a rocket scientist, and it only takes some shooting to realise that a 68" longbow just feels and shoots smoother than the same bow in a 62" length.  if the form makes you feel better, the good function will follow.

imho, shorter is waaaaay better for bowhunting - it's an advantage most of us can't live without.  but shorter ain't better than longer if you take the equation out of the realm of bowhunting.

[JC]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
but shorter ain't better than longer if you take the equation out of the realm of bowhunting.

Better is subjective. After shooting shorter bows for the last 10 years, longer bows just feel markedly slower and definitely more unweildy. They also seem to take waaaaay longer for the limbs to stop their harmonics...short bows seem to go whump and stop...long bows seem to go sproiiinnngggggggggg to me. Quite disconcerting when I shot a longer bow a while ago, thought there was something wrong with the bow but then realized after shooting 5 or 6 different bows of long lengths at the state shoot two weekends ago it was the difference between what I was used to shooting and long limbs. Shot some long limbs last night Bob sent me to test. Same materials as short limbs, same beloved riser, but felt the same unwanted (at least for me) characteristics I had experienced with other long bows...so I know it's not just differences with the brands of bows I've shot but in limb lengths themselves.

I will admit long limbs do seem to feel like they are less poundage than marked, and they certainly have an advantage for those with a longer draw that can make use of them.

To each his own. Thankfully, there's plenty of choices for all of us!  

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by JC:
... I will admit long limbs do seem to feel like they are less poundage than marked, and they certainly have an advantage for those with a longer draw that can make use of them. ...

bingo!  the common denominator's gonna be yer effective draw length.  

at my 29" (or more) draw, longer just feels and shoots better for me. a 'longer' (bow) would be shorter if my draw length was less than 28"

[JC]

Sure wish I had 29....I could shoot 55-57 and still get the same as my 63@27.

[shadman]

I prefer 62-64" bows for my 29.5" draw length. Never had a problem with that length either from the ground or out of a stand.