Longest Bow You've Hunted With?

[bradsmith2010]

bottom line for me is,, if the longer bows were better,, there would not have been so many short bows being used by people that made a living with them,, that being said, please understand my bow for elk hunting this year is 66 inches,, yes howard hunted with a longer bow ,, I really admire and respect his shooting talent,, as stated the east coast bows were longer for performance considerations in the humid conditions,, the subject is infinitely fascinating,, when I first started making bows 30 years ago,, most self bows were longer, and the short bows were not seen much at all,,Jay Massey shot a shorter than most at that time, and had a short draw for his size,, , when I started making and hunting with the shorter bows I was in the minority for sure,, I hunted at Jim Hamms ranch at that time with my short bow, and he joked maybe I should have brought a real bow,,I think his bow was 70 inches or so,, he had plenty of experience with the shorter sinew bows,, but preferred the accuracy of the longer bow,, so this discussion has been going on a while for me,, if you look at the bows at the first MOJAM the stats reflect the preference to the longer bow as well,, I think in time it will reach a balance just like the primitive archers did thousands of years ago,, sorry I rambled,,
thank you again Dictionary for the nice topic,,

[loon]

they have pros and cons.. I don't think either is better. I really have a thing for Korean and Turkish bows. I think learning to shoot shorter bows well could make it easier to move around, but longer bows are still attractive.

 if we want it easy, we can just shoot wheelies, no? it's just a matter of preference..

If shortbows are more finicky, I suppose it makes sense to practice more with them.

Some designs I'd like to do:

• 40#@28.5" red oak pyramid 66"ntn (a few of these? maybe some with flipped tips etc)
• 70#@28.5" hickory pyramid 66"ntn
• flipped tips pyramid? also some longer/shorter pyramids
• 60"ntn D bows 40-75#@29" maybe 1 1/4" wide
• 72"ntn D bows 35-75#@32.5"  1" wide at handle.. wizardgoat style built up handle at back?
  ..same 55"ntn 27" draw
• 36" bamboo D bow
• 58" reflex/deflex bow
• 45#-85#@33" 74" ntn Saami style static recurve with very slight bendy handle. Bamboo/ipe? bamboo backed osage? Compression spruce? Juniper and something?
• Ishi style shortbows.. maybe 53" with 28.5" draw? also with 26" draw
• 85" long with 8" of asymmetry, 32" draw

easy to dream and make a wall of text of ideas, much harder to do something. so far I've only assembled a Mead Longbows horsebow kit... ... bamboo static recurve, 50" long, 28" draw Dave Mead hunts with one.

Wonder if I'll ever go hunting with my 57" ttt horn bow. need to improve a lot for that. and find time.. thinking I'll start with small game. Which that bow is too heavy for (58#), except maybe with blunts. So I'd probably go with my 53" plastic Korean underdrawn with some 29" light arrows and small broadheads. I think I would use a 60" lightweight D bow to be primitive. for deer I guess I could use a 68" pyramid or something. or the hornbow

[Selfbowman]

69" is longest for me. My present hunting bow of chose  is 68" . I shoot a 67" well also. For me its draw length times two plus the handle in a selfbow . Bend in the handles can be shorter. I don't build many of them though. Arvin

[wstanley]

Cool thread!!

Short bow is my preference, and I'm constantly eyeing my longer bow to take out and hunt with because I know I'm more accurate with it. There is something to those shorties that I like, and it seems to be the snap style shooting, like shooting a revolver from the hip - its just kinda cool!

California Indians warfare is not something I know much of, however, I imagine a quick ambush and retreat was the methods they used. In that case a short bow is essential. Imagine your ambushed along a trail, you've got a your bow strung and arrow knocked with three more arrows in your bow hand (anticipation of an attack), your gonna want that shorty to launch arrow after arrow to quickly to fend off your attackers. I wouldn't want my 60'' bow with me in that situation - with a longer draw I wont get off two arrows before I'm impaled with 3 arrows from a short bow by an Indian who knows is weapon.

I read somewhere (American explorer who visited many western tribes, cant think of him!!) that a certain plains tribe could shoot seven arrows up in the air, and get the last one off before the first one hit the ground. Perhaps some embellishment, but still impressive.

When they hunted deer I imagine they wanted as much meat as possible. Therefore set up along migratory trails where tons of deer/elk/pronghorn are passing by. Your blind is perfectly placed and you've got 20 deer passing by at 20 yards. Give me that shorty! A quick shooter who knows their weapon might get a couple deer? Just my opinion.

With Ishi style method, there's something nice in having your two eyes available when drawing that bow. Your not scoping down the arrow, but have a wide perspective of your surroundings, your peripheral vision is more in use. I think that helps in a warfare situation where your enemy is close and you need to have your head on swivel.

Now what throws me off is the long bows of South America. I always thought that they were long because living in a dense rain forest your gonna want that accuracy to get that howler monkey 70 meters up in that tree?

Shorties are fun! Longer bows I like too!

[wstanley]

Paiute war chief "Numaga"

Look at that shorty he's holding. Look like a 3'' brace height too!!!

Looks like he's got a longer bow in his quiver.

[Will B]

I have a 29” draw and I hunt with a 67” rawhide-backed osage recurve bow I made. I also have a 68” osage bow I hunt with but I prefer the shorter bow.

[bassman]

54 to 62 for hunting 26 inch draw on a good day. could never get used to a long bow.

[bradsmith2010]

20 years ago I made a black locust bow I mentioned earlier..70inches.I shot a lot of tournaments,..was use to it so hunted deer and hogs ,,.killed both...I still have it
54 is what I use now