Hunting and shooting with the English longbow

[Fitzcarraldo]

Who here hunts with the English longbow as their go-to bow?  I mean the later style Victorian ones, not the bend-through-the-handle medieval warbows.  My cousin and I are looking at switching over to the ELB completely.  I really love the look and elegance of them. 

So, I'd love to hear about your thoughts and experiences with shooting, and especially ground hunting, with the ELB.  There must be a few people here who do so!

Thanks!

[Pat B]

I have hunted with an ELB(70" w/ horn nocks) from a tree stand. From the ground would be an ideal situation as long as the brush isn't too thick.

[huntertrapper]

an older issue pf PA a guy hunts with one...i would if i had or made one nothing wrong with that. go for it brother. good luck

[Kegan]

I've used semi-ELB's a good bit for hunting. They're what I've carried for two years now (hunting from the ground). Not really true ELB's because I don't have yew or horn, but I like them. My current go-to bow is a white oak semi-ELB with a built up leather handle (which I need to post pictures on here soon enough).

For their ease of construction and stability, I'll always have a soft spot for them .

[Fitzcarraldo]

Thanks for the responses so far. 

Kegan – mine won't be a yew longbow most likely, since I want to try my hand at building an ELB.  Since I've never had much woodworking talent, I think it'd be an awful shame for someone like myself to butcher a nice yew staff. 

How do you find the white oak to perform?  Is it backed with anything?  How long have you had that bow?

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

I did hunt with ELB's quite a lot, at the moment most of the time I take out a big 92# one.

The Elb is a very stable and forgiving shooter, and the fact that you can't hunt them in thick cover on the ground is quite an overblown perception.

a long Elb can be shot in very tight body positions, check my thread " HUNTING PRACTICE SHOOTING VIDEOS"


I think this young mountain boar would have whished I wasn't carrying such a stable weapon, ..the shot was made as the porcker was trotting at a good clip thru the trees 

[Kegan]

Ahh. Now I think I'm getting an idea of what you're looking for .

It's unbacked, 70" long, with a heavily tempered belly, and pulling 70# at 27". I built it a few months ago, back when there was snow eveyrwhere, but have been shooting it alot. Hasn't shown any signs of giving out, and this is probably my most durable bow to date drawing around this weight. I put a FF string on it and it turned into an absolute beauty. Shoots striaght and quick, with some handshock, but quite accurately. It outshot my friends Bear Montanna with a similiar gpp arrow ratio.

Arrow tuning is a bit of a pain, and I prefer them stiff in the center to lessen handshock, but for the most part they're reliable hunting bows as I see it. And Manny's post sure shows that .

[Fitzcarraldo]

Nice picture, NP!

Kegan – that sounds like the sort of bow I might be able to try making without worrying about wrecking really expensive wood.  Funny that you mention it outshooting the Bear Montana – that's the longbow I'm currently using!

[Kegan]

I like then. Very easy to build and tiller. Reliable. Even this one, which could be alot better in design/tiller.

I was sorely dissapointed that the FG bow didn't outshoot my own longbows. From what everyone seems to say, FG bows trump even the best selfbows. Guess not .

[hawkbow]

I was fortunate to hunt with an old Yew english longbow as a young adult.. i took several deer and elk with the bow and really liked the accuracy... but the pull was seventy five pounds and the bow was so long that making the shot on elk was usually very hard in mountai terrain.. However i would say that if it bends and slings an arrow .. give her a go brother.. even the english had to eat back in the day and they sure seemed able to bring down plenty of meat.. Hawk

[Cromm]

Hi,
I've used a ELB to hunt and have had no worries with it doing the job, I think it is just what you are use too or willing to work at....I have friends who would never use a wood bow to hunt with, as they are not as good as FG bows in their mind, and other friends who cannot use a bow that hasn't a shelf to sit the arrow on......Maybe it's because I am bless to be British that I have a love for the bow.......
Thanks for your time.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Sounds like a lot of positive response.  I hope to try my hand at building one shortly.  I've been reading and researching a lot, so hopefully the first failure won't be too catastrophic (I've never made a bow before, but I'm not that interested in building an American longbow – I already have one or two anyway, but I have never owned an ELB).

Thanks for the help so far!

[Kegan]

Worked for the forefather's of American archery, should work for you too

[Hillbilly]

You just have to wear a necktie and tweed jacket while you're hunting, though....

[Kegan]

You just have to wear a necktie and tweed jacket while you're hunting, though....

It will certainly give you the woods to yourself. What camo-clad compounder would beleive there are still deer in the woods when they see a guy in a suit and tie walking through the place with a wooden bow?

Geeze, that guy MUST have already scared the deer away !