I shoot a 66" longbow myself, and understand what you are saying. It can be aggravating at times, but so far I've been able to manage. I use an Ameristep Penthouse ground blind, and a Summit Goliath treestand.

How short you can go depends on the bow design and your draw lenght. I draw 30.5" on my longbow, and a 62" is the shortest I've found that I can comfortably shoot--that's in a flatbow. It's about the same with a recurve, as I draw those a little further usually--I can get by with some 60" recurves, but prefer a 62". Some 62" recurves won't handle my draw comfortably.

You can get shorter bows that are forgiving, but again it depends on the bow design and your draw length. In a given design, a longer bow will be more forgiving to a point, then you just loose performance. For instance, a 68" version of the bow I shoot would probably be a little more forgiving than my 66", but a 78" wouldn't be a lot more forgiving and it would be a lot slower.

There are a few things you can look for that will tell you if a bow is going to be more or less forgiving. It may start a controversy, but I'll say it anyway--bows that are built for speed are less forgiving--speed amplifies mistakes in form, release, and arrow spine. I like a fast bow as much as anyone, but your form has to be on to be able to control it. Look for a happy medium of speed and forgiveness--no one bow will have the best of both worlds. A bow with a deflexed riser will be more forgiving than a straight or reflexed riser. A riser cut to center or past will be more forgiving of arrow spine. Tiny strings are less forgiving than moderate sized ones. Short bows are generally less forgiving than long ones.

Of course there are exceptions to the rules, and a 62" in one style may be more forgiving than a 66" in another. No real answers unless you get down to specifying certain bows.

The up side is we generally take shorter shots when hunting, and don't need as forgiving a bow as a serious tournament shooter.

Hope this helps,

Chad