Pretty much all of the answers given so far are right, but they are also wrong. Bowsvary a great deal in design and performance--you can get short "longbows", you can get long recurves. You can get light or heavy (mass weight) in either one. There are recurves that have a lot of handshock, and longbows that don't (and vice-versa). A few dozen arrows through any bow won't tell you a whole lot, and if the bow isn't properly tuned for you it will tell you even less. There are very old examples of both longbows and recurves (English longbows, Asian and Turkish recurves), even cave drawings of a deflex/reflex longbow. There are longbows that are faster than the average recurve. There are longbows with recurve grips, recurves with longbow grips, and some bows that don't exactly fit in either category.

What it all boils down to is personal preferance--there's no one right or wrong answer. Personally, I prefer longbows. I hunt from tree stands, a pop-up blind, and brush blinds. A longer bow does require more attention in a tight spot, but I don't have any problems with my 66" longbow and plan to use my 70" selfbow as well.

Something to consider is get a bow that fits you, especially if you buy used. If you get a bow that was built specifically for a 30" draw, it's not liable to perform nearly as well for your 26" draw. Just because a bow is a certain length doesn't mean it will fit you properly--there are some short bows made for a longer draw, and vice-versa.

Do your homework, ask a lot of questions, talk to bowyers/dealers/archers that have put time in behind the bows you are interested in, and it will save you some time and aggravation. Take opinions for just that--opinion (for instance, if you ask 'what is the best brand recurve' you will get a whole lot of opinion). Shoot as many different bows as you can get your hands on, and enjoy the journey. Be patient, and you will find the one that's just right for you.

Chad