BOWFANATIC

I was visiting archerytalk earlier and couldn't help but laugh at the overwhelming majority of folks who are intrigued by Mathews Ovation for 3d and spot shooting , but feel it's too long for hunting[]

Is it just me or does this sound stupid to others? I remember (not too long ago) when a 40" ata bow would be considered short. I cant remember a single time when my 43" ata bows caused a single problem during hunting due to length. A bit heavier? Sure! But thats when a bow sling and bow holster come in handy!

If the ovation shoots as sweet as I expect it to with an ata of 40" and a brace height of 8" I wont hesitate to carry it in the woods with me!

I'm curious , for those who feel a 40" ata is too long to hunt with , what type of problems have you encountered while hunting that keeps you from hitting the woods with them?

Cougar Mag

Its not too long! To think a 40" bow is too long to hunt with is rediculous!!! Like everything else, it all depends on individual tastes. I hunt with a 36.5" bow and some people think my bow is too long, but I vow not to hunt with anything shorter.

Remember, it was not too many years ago that a short bow could not be manufactured to shoot accurately, smoothly, or without fear of breaking limbs. Technology has taken care of that for the most part. I think you will find that a lot of people still prefer to shoot a longer bow and hunt with a longer bow. My opinion is this......generally a longer bow is easier to shoot accurately, while a short bow is more critical and less forgiving of mistakes in form.

Its not the limbs that have changed so much making shorter bows acceptable today, its the cam/wheel technology that has made some of them shootable.

If you are more comfortable shooting a longer bow, then by all means do so! Only advantage a short bow brings to the table is being a little easier to manipulate in brush or a treestand, while weighing a little less, but then you see some guys adding a heavier than average-in-weight stabilizer to hold it down!

PABowhntr

I don't feel it is too long to hunt with...in general. However, when you look at the majority of bows on the market today and consider their specs then a 40 inch axle to axle length bow does look long and therefore folks tend to judge it a "spot or 3D bow".

WV Hunter

Frank's right. They LOOK long. These days, with some under 30", they are long in comparison. But I agree with you...it should pose no problem at all for a hunting bow. I remember using my 43" bow in the treestand as well....no probs I think 40" is fine, in fact I have one right now as a backup bow. Also it seems most folks with longer draw lengths seem to favor the longer bows, even for hunting. It will probably be a good seller and a good shooter.

Arthur P

My 46" ProTec is a lot shorter than my 62" recurve, 68" longbow or 73" selfbow. I can't think of any problems I've ever had while hunting with any of them.

You know... I've got ARROWS longer than a lot of bows out there now.

Belle Island

I shoot a 38 ATA bow and I can see where people think 40 is long. I know that I have to really be careful to make sure my bow clears the top climbing portion of my stand. I've missed deer due to my cam resting on the climber and not knowing it. Back in the day when everyone was shooting 40+ ATA bows, the treestands had open fronts, for the most part, bowhunters today have closed front stands. I think that is where the "too long" issue is coming from.

I personally like a long bow, but I must be conscience of my bottom cam when shooting. You really have to lean over the edge.

Kanga

Doug.

I can see that if you where only 4'6" and had a 40" AtA bow and had to take a shot from the kneeling position it could be a problem but otherwise I see no problem at all

Ossage

The first compound I ever ordered was a 52" Jim Dougherty. It was supposed to be better for finger shooting. At the time the 44 inch bows Browning was making were regarded as insane. A lot of advertising dollars have been put into making people believe that every year's inch or two reduction in ATA was important, as we headed for the 30" mark. The whole thing is a joke.

Longer bows shoot pretty nicely, and I currently have a Conquest II as my main compound for comp. There was a period a while back say 8 years, when the average 3D bow was about 36". Various HCA and Mathews bows in around that range were doing pretty good. Males where shooting things like the Mathews Ultralight at the highest level, with basicaly 36" ATA, and smaller radius cams than you see on the really short bows. I still think these bows are very shootable. So whether a person actualy needs a longer ATA bow for hunting is another mater, particularly with a release.

silentassassin

Well I can think of several instances in the past two years that a 34 in ATA bow was either too long or almost too long. I can see were bowhunters especially the ones that hunt out of climbers with a full tops would have problems with a 40 inch bow. If I hunted out of my lock ons all the time it wouldn't be as big of an issue, although I did blow a shot on a deer last year from a lock-on because the bottom limb of my 34 in ATA bow hit the bottom of the stand (I was sitting). So no it doesn't sound silly to me at all. They may be great for you but I wouldn't hunt with one if someone offered to give it to me for free. Now 3D that's another story, 40' is a wonderful for 3D.

DaveC

I've heard that people who hunt from ground blinds like the somewhat (sub 38") rigs.