bow hunting the sub 52" bow

[trashwood]

I call 'em butt bows cause most of the time I got shots with them I'm on my rear or at least on my knees.  Hunting with the sub-52" requires a different mind set.  The first thing ya need is knee pads.  If ya'as shooting a sub-52 you are shooting it cause your either crawling in pig tunnel (knee pads manitory) or hole up in a little hidie hole.

If ya are 4x4 it thru the brush, cactus, and poison ivy ya need a pair of gloves.  this keeps the cactus thorn, green brair claws, etc out of your hands.  Ya need to cut the fingers off your shooting hand to get your tab on.

Now the tab is another thing.  I have worked till I got my top two fingers strong enough to shoot the sub52 two fingers under up to 65#.  If ya want to shoot the little bows split finger I sure recommend a tab with a spacer in it.  Ya may have heard about short bows that don't have no finger pinch  but I ain't never ever shot one.  I have seen some guys shootering their shorties put enough pressure on the arrow with their top finger to spriung the arrow down.  a spacer on your tab or two under will help youor groups a lot.

next thing is pratice.  I don't know why in the world ya'd stand at the line and shoot your sub52.  if ya can stand up and shot where your hunting ya didn't need a sub52 to start with.  so practice like your gonna hunt....from a tree stand or on you rear.

the last thing is your expectations.  If ya think you are gonna back up 20 yds and put 5 for 5 arrows in the heart you are mistaken (likely).  I think the shorties are 10 to 15 yd bows.  I have on lucky days hit a jack rabbit at 30 or 40 yds with a shortie but that was an unlucky jack rabbit.

I reallhy enjoy hunting with shorties be they sinew backed or glass backed.  they are a productive bows.  they make ya change your hunting philisophy and attitude.  ya get down, get close and get quick     all of 'em ar good things

rusty

[trashwood]

The next thing is your "elbow".  ya will shoot your shortie with a lowish elbow or ya want hit the barn door.  getting any kinda release at all requires pull'n 'em string finger in line with your power stroke.  getting your fingers off smoothly at the same time is not easy with a shortie most of the time.  ya gotta do everything ya can to help that situation.

rusty

[trashwood]

OH! and I guess it goes without saying less than a 30" draw  

rusty

[trashwood]

Hunting the shorties does have a draw back....one time Wingnutty and I were hunting doe down at Gill's place.  I found a dandy covered hidy hole in a blow down.  I cleaned it out a little to be there the next morning.  An hour before sunup I'as in my hide.  Had a tree for a back rest. I was cool and misty.  The sun finally came up to good light.  The area was warming up and I could some foot steps.  I was looking at a patch of very pretty red and brownish leaves, concentrating on the foot steps.  I had just about made out their direction when the pretty patch of leaves start to crawl off about 3' from my boot.......I jumped about 6' straight out of my hide from a sitting postion as the copper head crawled off.  the 4 doe i jumped in the middle of were as surprised as I was.......be careful where ya put your hidy hole.  sumpin might life there too  

rusty

[AZStickman]

Rusty I have a tab that was designed by Jerry Killian up in Oregon.....I forget who manufactured it for him, I think it was Check it archery or something like that... but it was basically a 3-4" section of aluminum tubing with a slot down the length..... There was a dowell than had a leather strip wrapped around it and it slipped into the tube with the leather sticking out for the tab...... Both ends of the tube had plastic caps...there was an elastic strap that held the tab to your fingers.. It was designed for ya to shoot 2 fingers under with a 4 finger pull..... you had your pinky and index finger around the tubing and your middle finger and ring finger on the leather tab.... I shot an old  shorty Damon Howatt Super Diablo with it for years and loved it.....I may dig it out to use on that 56" sinew backed static I had out on the Javie hunt....After shooting that thing all week the finger pinch was getting a bit irritating.... Gotta love those short brush bows..... Terry

[trashwood]

That sounds like a tab I better make some of.  what diameter was the tube ya reckon?

rusty

[AZStickman]

Here's some pics of the tab for ya.... I'm better with pics than words....      
    http://bowyersworkshop.com/twofingertab.htm  

It pays to be a packrat sometimes.... I've been packing that tab around for over 15 years...

Terry

[trashwood]

so your bottom two fingers were not on the string?  just around the tube?  

it worked pretty good huh?

rusty -so much to learn, so little brain- Criane

[AZStickman]

Yep you've got 4 fingers sharing the load but you only have to get 2 off the string .... It took a little getting used to but I shot it real well....I'll have to give it a try again....Terry

[trashwood]

ah ha - as usual I had it wrong.  I'm gonna give 'at sucker a try  

thanks for the tip.

rusty

[trashwood]

dang that could solve several of my problems.  My worst release hand faults are too much pressure on the bottom finger or too much perssure on the top finger depending on what side of the bed I got up on.  

this here tab gets rib of my index finger and puts my bottom finger to work.  life could be good....if an old dog can learn a new trick

rusty

[southpawshooter]

Whoaaaaaaa, excellent idea.  I second the "tabalong" - that looks like the ticket for the shorties I plan on using this turkey season.

[wingnut]

Dang I thought a 62" bow was a 'shorty'.  You boys are making them so short your going to need wheels on em preety soon.

LOL

Mike

[Van/TX]

Great thread Rusty (as usual)            

Van - never shot a bow under 58" - TX  

[Van/TX]

Except for that 47" axle to axle Jennings     :rolleyes:  ....Van

[trashwood]

Van - the fact that ya never shot a bow under 58" just shows ya have good sense and ain't a masocist  

rusty

[Donald Clark]

That tab is a great idea.  But, keep in mind, that there are at least two other ancient and proven ways to release a short bow, 1) the "Amerind" pinch with two fingers under and 2) Oriental thumb ring.

Both of these alternate methods would require a good deal of retraining for people used to split finger or 3 under release methods.  The pinch with 2 under would reqire arrows with fat nock areas and the thumb ring would require shooting from the opposite side of the bow, but they are both proven methods of shooting short bows.

Don

[trashwood]

I thought I'd make a quicky to see how it worked.  I used a piece of privet (good strong tuff wood) that I use for arrow shafting.  I put a slot in it with a deremel tool

 http://www.trashwoodbow.com/javie05/shortietab1.jpg

of course as per usual I cut my leather tab too short and got to cut another one.

 http://www.trashwoodbow.com/javie05/shortietab2.jpg

I think I will just stitch a roll of leather at the back os the slot to keep the leather from pulling thru.

got any better ideas for a quicky shortie tab?

rusty

[Dave N./TX]

A friend of mine went with me to the Vanderpool Hill Country shoot a couple of years ago. He did not have a recurve to shoot so I lent him my wifes 52" Comanche static tipped recurve. First day we shot longbows, second day recurves. Now short bows are a bit tough to shoot well and this course is alway a challange to shoot anyway. About half way through the course he had either lost or broke (lots of rocks on this course) every arrow he brought with him. I started letting him use my arrows. He lost and broke several of mine by the time we finished.

When we got finished shooting the course he unstrung to bow, put it back in the case, hands it to me and says "tell Patsy thanks for letting me borrow her bow but I never want see it again".

I still laugh everytime I think about it!

And of course Wingnut was there and dressed very stylishly {;-)

Dave N/TX

[AZStickman]

Looks like a good start.... I've been planning on making one for quite a while now..... I was going to use antler for the finger bar and slot it just like you did.... I like your leather roll Idea....You're gonna need a finger strap too or it will fly out of your hand on release.....    Terry