short traditional bows
 

New to the forum, and have several questions about using a shorter bow than my current 66inch longbow. I've just begun hunting deer wih trad. equipment in the last couple of years. I have taken 2 whitetail deer with my bow and enjoy shooting a great deal. It's truly become a passion. I have had some trouble shooting out of my climber,blinds and tight spots in the brush and in certain trees. I'm exploring the idea of shooting a shorter bow, although I hate to give up shooting my longbow. my questions: how short can a longbow be? (yes I know it's an oxymoron). Is a shorter longbow less forgiving? A horn bow is very short however I have not seen that many and have only taken one shot with it, not enough to know about how it performs. Then of course I am considering a recurve but have not shot one since I was a teenager and that was "a while ago". Appreciate any advice available

Thanks

RE: short traditional bows
 

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

RE: short traditional bows
 

The shortest bow I have shot was my first a 52" Bear recureve. in a longbow i have shot a 64" and 66" that 64" is a little better in tight places, but for now I shoot a 66" Crusader I got from Chad:) and have no problem with shooting in trees, arouns trees and in brush so far. just takes a minute to get situated.

RE: short traditional bows
 

:)Sorry for the delayed responce (thanks) to your input. It was extremely helpful. Right now I'm leaning towards having another bow custom bow built by a local bowyer who built my longbow. Last time I spoke with him the shortest recurve he was building was around 52". I currently draw 28"(which is 70lbs on my longbow). I had a chance to look at the ameristep blinds in the cabelas catalog and looks like it will definately work.

Thank appreciate the input

Jim

RE: short traditional bows
 

as far as longbows, I've shot a few "shorties" and didnt like a single one of them. Including some high end as well as some regular "name brand" models. I dont have a monkey draw like Chad does though I am a bit longer the Brunners 20" draw hehe.

Dunno about the tight spots as I havent had a real problem with it at all. Including treestands and tons of spot and stalking (my normal mode of hunting), along with sitting flat on my fanny, cross legged and managing to hit full draw and shoot my first stickbow buck right through the heart. All of it done with a 68" longbow. It wasnt to long ago I was shooting a 62" bob lee recurve and loved it also. My only problem was bow quivers in the brush.

I usually shoot with a backquiver for small gaming and target/3d practice and shoots. I hunt currently with a side stalker quiver made by jack bowyers and absolutely love it. Where weight counts I drop back to my strap on great northern LB quiver slung over my shoulder as asbell does with his nifty quiver. A friend of mine showed me this back in 95 time frame with a cheap old bear quiver. its one helluva concept and you can move it as needed for the brush. Not to mention its super light completely outta the way in a awkward tree, and completely adjustable to your needs at the time being. The only down fall is when you have to crawl on flat wide open ground, NOTHING beats a bow quiver in that situation.

Not trying to downplay short bows, just dont likem and have found ways to deal with to completely not even notice I am carry a long stick around (including one 70" john dodge longbow called...the thin horn ram.

RE: short traditional bows
 

I shoot a 46" bow most of the time now. It's no harder to shoot than my 56" & 62 recurves. You just got to work at it from the begining. Same as any bow lots of practice and a good set up.
That said not eveyone likes or enjoys shooting short bows. It's like everthing else. It's what you like and can shoot best.
Bodkin.

RE: short traditional bows
 

I spoke with the bowyer I may be using again should I decide on trying a recurve. His most recent production is a 48" recurve which he states is fast and flat and no hand shock. I've decided after the holidays to take a drive to his place and shoot one or two of the bows he's currently building and see how I like them. Whats the shortest longbow available? I've gotten some really good responces, but I guess I'm still unclear on how short could a longbow be built, anything in the 55"-58" ??? I've never seen one this short. Do they exist?

Thanks

Jim

RE: short traditional bows
 

Depends on your definition of a "longbow", but I do know Chek-Mate has two different flatbows (very similar to a longbow) that go as short as 58", and I am pretty sure there are others that are 56", maybe less.

Chad

RE: short traditional bows
 

Thanks for the continued help and I don't want to "beat a dead horse", but just gathering as much info as I can before making my decision. Are there any major differences between shooting a flatbow and longbow or a recurve for that matter? Is the flatbow faster, slower more forgiving? Or is it harder to master? Does it stack when drawn? I mean in general, I realize there are always exceptions.

Thanks

Jim

RE: short traditional bows
 

The shortest bow, other than my kid's 48" 'longbow', I've shot was a (IIRC) 52" recurve. I think it was a Raven, but it might have been a similar sized bow that Cascade sells. Smooth drawing even at my 30" but I find a bow that short is "twitchy". By that I mean the nock to nock stability isn't there- it's like trying to walk a fence with your arms out for balance as opposed to using a long pole for balance. I had to hold the bow very gently, cradled just between the webbing of the thumb & first finger and with just enough grip to prevent it from flying out of my hand. If I was a ham-fisted shooter I don't think it would have felt right to shoot. I shoot my 60" Firebird-style curve in a similar manner anyway, but if you're used to a full longbow style hold it might take a bit of getting used to. My buck & a half's worth... :)

RC