I currently shoot a 9" Kyber or a 8" Stealth stabilizer on my hunting bow and do not feel anything under 11" hinders manuverability one bit. I think what your seeing is that archers are enjoying shooting 3D with thier hunting bows in preperation for the bow season and are looking for the best shooting setup without affecting huntability. I think most experienced archers would agree that a longer stabilizer usually does not affect accuracy in a negative way, so why not shoot the best shooting setup while hunting if your comfortable with it. I also shoot a CBE Microlight II sight with a single pin Shrewd housing and am sure we will get a lot of disagreement on that. Like many of you Ive been bowhunting for 25 years and know what works for me, maybe not the best choice for everyone but its what I like !!