SHORT guys and LONG bows......

[medic77]

I'm 5'8 and built like a fire hydrant.  It seems that I can't shoot anything longer than a 56" bow because of the string angle.  The string ends up sitting on my chest and while it is ok when I'm in a t shirt, a coat is dang near impossible.

[Deadsmple]

I'm also 5'8" and the shortest bow I hunt with is 68" ntn. I hunt exclusively from the ground, usually from a torges style seat set up inches from the ground. I cant the bow only slightly. The trick is to maintain your regular form from the waist up and then bend at the waist.

[cahaba]

I'm also 5'8" and built like a fire hydrant. I have a 26" draw and although I have shot Hill style bows 66" long I much prefer 68". The small loss of speed if there is any means nothing to me compared to the smooth and stable shooting of a 68" bow. I regularly cant my bow. Where I hunt sometimes an extreme cant will be the only way to pull a shot off because of thick cover. Never had a problem with an extra inch on each end of the bow.

[njloco]

5'9" here, draw is 26 1\\2", I shoot them all, long, short, fat, thin, it don't matter, unless you do ! , meaning,  like previously stated, don't over think it.

[KAZ]

I'm 5'10" and I'm all in for the shorter bows from tree stand or ground blinds... Lower limb &/or string seem to get in the way for me. I have shorter arms, fairly large chest, and draw 27-1/2"... My go to bow is a 54" Black Widow KB and it has resolved all issues of mobility. My other bow is a 60" Black Widow HS60. It shoots awesome but I'm not as nimble in tighter quarters or short/steep tree stand shots. And to those that say don't think about it, that's great advice IF you're not hitting your string or limbs. It will affect your shot if you have contact. Either alter your form or find a bow that removes any doubt. For me it was a 54" KB, no more thinking about it.

[ChuckC]

Well, I am not certain that height even matters a lot in this conversation.  A 68" bow is a 68" bow.  It works or it doesn't. A lot of us routinely use long bows of 66" and more, even in a tree or from the brush.

I suggest that before you go hunting, you practice from a stand to see how you need to stand to shoot whatever bow you have, and then to be realistic.  

You are shooting a bow, it takes room, you will not be able to shoot 360 degrees around you, even if you prune the entire top off the tree.

Pick a bow that you like, shoot it a lot, then shoot it even more from within the brush, so you get a feel for clearances.  

Shoot it at an extreme down angle, as if a deer is beneath the tree stand you are hunting from. ( I might suggest you turn your body enough such that the lower limb, when bent at the waist and aiming down, is behind your knees.

ChuckC

[creekwood]

I am 5'5" and pull 27 inches of draw. I find more differences between different bow styles than I do with bow lengths.  That said, I have settled in on 58" as the best all around bow length for me with there being no science in it.  I do like my 52" Cascade for hunting turkeys out of a blind though.

String angles, a standard Hill design needs to be a lot longer than a recurve or a static recurve to have the same string angle. A longer longbow will not always be slower for a less than 28" draw than a shorter one, there are variables that can change all of that.  If one is good at canting the bow, it is possible to easily use a longer longbow in tighter situations. For those that do not vary their cant, there is a definite clearance issue to always be considered.  Luckily there are many options to choose for bows. I tried sitting in a blind, cannot do it. I like to see the sky, I also like to take late morning or early afternoon naps in the woods with my feet up on something.  I can shoot a Hill style or a mild r/d from my butt as easy a shorter recurve and still expect to hit. I am always amazed how often I need to use that shot.

[archer66]

I'm a big fan of natural ground blinds....usually I find myself sitting on a bucket or a short chair under a cedar tree or in some scrub oaks or tall weeds.  Couple years ago I had a nice fat doe at THREE YARDS....she was the last in a group of 5 that walked by me unsuspecting and as I let her pass for the shot I raised my bow and moved to draw and aim and my lower limb tip brushed ever so softly through some tall grass....she heard the noise and bounded away.  Successful bowhunt in my opinion to be that close but I sure would have liked some tenderloins for dinner that night.  That was with a 1966 Bear Kodiak Mag only 52 inches long.  I can't imagine having come so close to getting that shot with a 64 inch bow.....hence my question and comments.  

Remember also if you can't tell, I'm a recent convert from a wheelie bow...I'm used to a bow that's only 33 inches long axle to axle.....

[SCS]

I keep thinking about getting a Martin Savannah, but a 62" bow and a 25" draw just doesn't seem like the most efficiant set up. Or is that just in my head?

Steve

[kbetts]

I think I'm the one that inadvertently caused this thread.  The biggest question in my mind is how a guy 5'8" can only have a 25-26" draw.  I'm taking in account for bow design and short arms but are you guys using your back muscles?  Once I learned to engage them, I had to lengthen my arrows and retune almost every one of my bows.  Gotta get that elbow back.....if you can't, too much weight.

[Nathan Killen]

Originally posted by kbetts:
I think I'm the one that inadvertently caused this thread.  The biggest question in my mind is how a guy 5'8" can only have a 25-26" draw.  I'm taking in account for bow design and short arms but are you guys using your back muscles?  Once I learned to engage them, I had to lengthen my arrows and retune almost every one of my bows.  Gotta get that elbow back.....if you can't, too much weight.

Agreed !!

[archer66]

I need to get someone to watch me shoot then.

Question fie those who think I might be short drawing. Where is your anchor....as in where on your head do your fingers touch at full draw?

[jt85]

archer66, I am 5'8" tall I anchor about one inch under my eye with my index finger in my cheeck bone. My draw length is 27"

[dbd870]

Corner of my mouth

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by archer66:
   

Originally posted by Kirkll:
I guess the question that needs to be asked is why shoot a longer bow with a 25" draw length? There would be no advantage that i could see at all... actually... i see more disadvantages in your case.

Can you tell me more about that?  I notice on many bowyers sites that a buyer should choose bow length based on draw length.  I assume this is because a short draw length on a long bow doesn't take much advantage of the limbs ability to do work meaning loss of efficiency because only the distal ends of the limbs are used rather than the "meat" of the limb nearer the riser?????  Something like that? [/b]

Well first of all bro... All bows are not created equally and can't really be categorized as Long bows and short bows, and comparing performance.

I can build a 60" bow that draws smooth as silk to 32" without any finger pinch or stacking at all, and build another one that is identical in length and looks that stacks up tight at 28" just by shifting the wedges and shortening the working limb.... There are a lot of advantages in hunting conditions where a shorter bow is a lot more desirable.

Guys that love the nostalgia of the American long bows can not get the shorter lengths to draw smooth at longer draw lengths without stacking up and getting finger pinch....

Some of the guys that love their 68" american long bows even though they only draw 25-26"  can still get pretty decent performance, and a smooth draw if they are drawing 55-60 pounds at their 25-26"draw length. This is because the bow has good tension on the string at brace. The bow would be close to 61- 66# @ 28" and those D shaped bow design always do better at higher draw weights.

You pretty much have the right idea.... There is a lot of difference in limb designs.  Here is a 60" hybrid long bow that is very versatile from very short draws to very long draws.... look at the amount of limb travel and the string angle closely.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

One more thought here on advantages of a long D shape bow..... These bows are famous for a real smooth draw if you match you bow length to your draw length. But they are not known for real high performance unless you are drawing heavier draw weights....

In many ways this DOES make them more forgiving because the difference in your arrow speed doesn't change as much from 26-28" draw lengths. So you could easily short draw or long draw your bow with very little effect on your arrow trajectory.

The higher performance bow you have, the more difference you will see in slightly changing your draw length from shot to shot..... But they shoot a lot flatter trajectory.... Its a trade off.