Double Creek

Been fighting the urge to get a "long" longbow.....66 or better... But I found out pretty quickly this hunting season that even a 64 incher can be a pain the butt when hunting on the ground......

For you guys with years of experience behind numerous bows I ask you this:

Is there a noticeable diffence in "shootability" at 0-30yds with a bow that is say 60-64 and one that is 66-68?

Longbow Bowhunter

I hunted with a 66" longbow and no problems, I primarily hunt spot and stalk, Also did a couple hog hunts to. I will admit that walking around with 62 or 64 inch longbow make it easier to shoot in the trees.

Guss

I shoot a 64in bow and didnt have any problems using it from the ground. I ran into truble in the stand, missed a 8 point becausemy limbgot caught on the seat. I had a hard time getting my stand set up this year for the new bow but setting up on the ground was simple and if a deer would have given me a chance I am 30% sure I would have got him .

Alex The Hawk

On the groung I use a 72" and from stands a 66", I like it because they are very light, the 72" i can use as a snake stick to pick them up and swing them out of the way.

LBR

Depends on the bow, your draw length, etc. I can shoot a 64" Crusader with no stack and pick up a little speed, but I prefer my 66". I've hunted from tree stands with 68" and 70" longbows--you just have to get used to it, and practice from hunting situations.

In some cases, you will gain some forgiveness with a longer bow, but go too long and basically you just give up performance.

Chad

Rangeball

I hear ya.

You read "longer bows are more stable and forgiving, plus sweeter to shoot" followed up by glowing reviews of the newest 54" shorty hybrid that is so "sweet, stable and forgiving".

I gave up worring about it, and now lean towards shorter bows for hunting purposes. For shots up to 25 yards, it probably doesn't make much difference as long as the grip fits nice, the bow doesn't stack and the riser design facilitates getting the arrow under your eye.

arrowsmit

IMO, if everything else is equal (bow design, arrow wt/draw wt, etc) a longer bow will always be more stable. But extra length may cost you in handiness, performance, etc...I've found that (usually) most everything in archery is a trade off & so we simply have to choose the best combination for our individual peculiarities.

...but what do I know, I prefer my longbows to be 64"& myrecurves 66"!

The Mind

I think its pretty much fact longer bows are more forgiving and feel sweeter. Are shorter bows better for hunting ?

Well, think back to when you were shooting a 34" ATA compound and compare that to a 58" or even 66" longbow ......... huge difference and so much so that an extra 2-4" in bow length isn't even noticable !

But IMO, I'll take the longer bow any day. I'm more worried about shooting well than I am about an extra few inches of limbs in the hunting woods !

That Silvertip you just got ........ isn't it a longer bow ?

Double Creek

Yep, so I guess I'll answer my own question in a week or so....

ewolf

Find someone that has two longbows that are identical except for the length and shoot them. I cannot shoot a 64". I prefer my 68" 21st century over my 66".

As for the speed, I have shot both of these bows over the speed meter and the 68" is faster. Same results with my black widows. Ken Beck told me that a longbow can be made faster if it is longer.