deerkiller123

is it harder to shoot a long bow than a compound bow

SHoNUFF

Harder? i dont think so and i just started. After about the 5-6th shot i got a fill for it and its all good now. I dont get the groups i got with the compound yet but i will. I like shooting the longbow more than my compound.

Double Creek

Accuracy takes ALOT more practice...... 20yd accuracy with a compound requires almost no practice...... 20yd accuracy with a longbow takes almost constant practice...

Guss

DC has it, lots of practice, but it is lots more fun. I never like shooting the comp, but I love shooting my long bow.

Arthur P

And right there is the reason I truly believeyou so often hear that people"don't have time" to practice.They just don't like dragging all that crap out for just a half hour, or even10 minutes of shooting. With a longbow or recurve, you just string it up, slip on your glove or tab and an armguard, grab a few arrows and step out the back door. By the time you've gotten the compound out, hung the stabilizer on it, made sure none of the screws and bolts were loose and got your release strapped on, a longbow shooter has already shot 20-30 arrows!

When you enjoy doing something, you find you have plenty of time to do it. So, in those two respects, I feel fully confident in saying shooting a longbow is EASIER than shooting a compound.

At times, shooting a longbowcan beexasperating, frustrating, $%&@! stuff. Not as bad as trying to get that last little bit of tail left tear out when trying to paper tune a compound. But when it all comes together and all your arrows go right where you're looking, that's magical.

With a compound, you expect all the arrows to go 'right there.' That's why youspent all that money on all those doodads. When the arrows don't go 'right there' it takes all kinds of gyrations and gymnastics to find out which doodad is out of adjustment. Or could it possibly beYOU that's screwed up? With a longbow, it's pretty darn quick to find out. You check the brace height and nock point. If they're okay, then... It's you![8D]

But that's why the longbow is so much fun. You know when the arrow hits the mark that it was YOU that made it so. It wasn't the sights or the release, or the fancy dropaway rest, or the stabilizer, or this, that or the other. It was your own skill, luck or whatever that directed the arrow. When you make a good shot with a longbow, you don't have to share the credit with all those accessories. You get all the glory!

Now, the flip side of all that is, at first anyway, you'll be concentrating all your efforts to get proficient out to 20 yards before hunting season. So, all your hunting shots will be limited to 20 yards. No setting up your treestand with the expectation of taking 40-50 yard shots. As far as I'm concerned, that's the main advantage a compound has. Allowing an average shooter to take longer distance hunting shots.

And you won't be able to handle as much draw weight with a longbow. It certainly won't shoot nearly as fast. So none of that testosterone laced, chest thumping bragadocio about how fast your arrows blaze through a chronograph. I don't think it's an exaggeration at all to say 90% of guys shooting traditional have even a clue what their arrow speed is. Nor do they really care. That can be a bit of culture shock to folks coming from a compound background.

Anyway,to sum up, as pertaining topinpoint accuracy and distance, a longbow is harder to shoot than a compound. When it comes to convenience and just plain satisfaction, a longbow is easier to shoot than a compound.

The big thing is what kind of person are you? Are you someone who is mostly fascinated by metal, plastics, gears, space age design and making things as easy as possible? Or are you more in tune with fine woods and nature, someonewho loves a challenge? Are you a mechanic or an artist? A technical writer or a poet? Do you have a bit of gangsta in your blood or more a touch of Robin Hood? Identifying your innerself... That goes a long way to figuring out how hard a longbow will be for you.

BobCo19-65

I'd have to say most definetely.

We don't shoot traditional cause it easy.

We shoot tradiational because we have too.

It's all about the challenge. And pure enjoyment.

Guss

Wow AP, that was spot on.

Shootstuff4570

i agree with bob. i just started and im definitely not as good as i am with my compound. but i still love it. and i enjoy the challenge. thats why i went to shootin compound because its more of a challenge then rifle and now i went to longbow and it is harder. but that what i like about it.

OHdeerguts

I second everyone else but I third Arthur P. That is exactly what I try to tell all my compound friends.

Floxter

If by "harder" you mean is it more difficult to be accurate with a longbow than a compound, the answer has to be yes. Just look at the relative scores posted in most any competition and you'll find the compound scores are higher. The lighter holding weight, heavier mass, and use of sights and especiallymechanical releases with most compounds all contribute to higher scores and greater accuracy. The average individual with about two weeks of concentrated practice can become competent enough with a compound to hunt. The same individual would probably require months of practice with a longbow to achieve the same level of accuracy.