Hunting bow question

[Furseeker]

Guys I’ve taken a few deer with various compound bows over the years and now I’m looking forward to the challenge of taking some big game with some traditional gear. Currently the only traditional bow I have is an old Shakespeare Super Necedah that is 54” long and is rated at 45#s with a 28” draw. The bow was my fathers and I ended up with it after his passing.  When I was a kid and spent countless hours roving the fields and river bottoms with that bow. For some reason I’ve recently been drawn to shooting that bow again. I’ve spent the last few evenings shooting it at 15 and 20 yards in my basement range.
I’ve looked the bow over very carefully and it seems to still be in great shape for its age. The limbs are straight and smooth with no nicks or dings anywhere on them. The tips are still in great shape with no damage to them as well. My question is this bow suitable for hunting deer and elk? It seems like most of the research I’ve done proves this bow to be shorter than what seems to be on the market now. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Deer for sure, for elk I am sure most will say not.

[rrowslngr]

Some people like shorter bows. Nothing wrong with hunting with any length bow as Long as you can put the arrow where you need it. I like recurve bows from 52" to 62".  Shakespeare made some good bows.

[David Yukon]

How lonfg is your draw? What kind of arrow/broad head do you plan on using? I think it wi=ould be plenty for deer and elk, if you use a super sharp BH and heavy arrow, that you can place where it belongs, at a distance you are comfident you can make hit the right spot!!

[Furseeker]

David, my draw length is just a little shy of 28", probably even shorter until I get use to shooting recurves again. I haven't settled on shaft broad head combination yet. I will spend the next few months testing various set ups. It looks like where in for a long winter here in Utah so I will have plenty of time to get the set up dialed in. I'll spend alot of time in the basement range and probably even do some winter varmit hunting too.

[GRINCH]

Use your Dads bow for what it was intended for to put meat on the table,practice get a good arrow broadhead combination and shoot it.

[oldbohntr]

Mr Yukon said it all.  I'm very taken with the idea of using your father's bow and making even more special memories with it. However.....the statements he made about perfect placement of a super sharp bhd and heavy arrow are especially important with a bow of this weight.  For deer, absolutely, yes, do it.  For elk......all the above have to be done right. They're not african buffalo, but they do have a significantly bigger structure than deer.  Your bow will not shoot a heavy arrow with a very flat trajectory. You have to compensate by putting it exactly where you are aiming.  That's even harder with such a short bow....but there are guys who've done it over and over again. Depending on your draw length (relative to your father), & your level of experience, a good alternate plan might be to develop your form with a longer bow, get more expertise, and then make the memories you want with your father's bow.  Either way, I wish you well(I'd love to have the memories of my dad that you have with yours.)

[Furseeker]

Thanks for all the input guys, I'm glad I found my way to this site. As mentioned I've killed a few deer with my compound bows. I like getting close, the first deer I ever shot with a bow was taken at nine yards on the ground. The next year I scored on another one, a nice 4x4 muley from a whopping 12 yards. I've had elk within 30 yards but had to pass because I had a bad angle. I like the idea of walking the woods with my fathers bow and I do plan on making some memories with it. That way when I give it to my son he will have a little history with it too. Thanks agian.

[Possum Head]

Good gear! Go getem.

[YORNOC]

If you struggle with accuracy at all, try going a bit longer. A lot of guys who struggle with trad gear start with shorter bows and kinda give up or accept that this is how it is. A longer bow, ( which by no means is better)  tends to be easier to shoot and easier to learn form with. If you shoot the shorter bow well, beautiful. Fill the freezer my friend!

[limbshaker]

I love those old Shakespeares. Practice till your deadly accurate with it, and you will be the envy of a lot of people for being deadly with a short bow       Most guys that knock short bows tried a short bow after shooting a longer bow, and found it harder to shoot. But the people that start with short bows do fine and love em. They wouldnt have made a zilliion of em if nobody could shoot em! You'll be fine. As for the draw weight, I've always shot a bow pulling 42-45 pounds and shot wood arrows with 2 blades and never had a problem on deer. Ive never hunted elk, but the hunts Ive watched usually seemed to end with some close shots. Get close and stick em right and I bet you'd be pleased. Give it a go just don't rush yourself. Good luck and welcome to the other side of archery, where arch is still a part of it    :D

[doug77]

Glad you found us. Don't be afarid to use the bow it's what it was made for.Also check out the History & Collecting form, their's lots of us still useing vintage bows.

doug77

[YORNOC]

Originally posted by limbshaker:
I love those old Shakespeares. Practice till your deadly accurate with it, and you will be the envy of a lot of people for being deadly with a short bow        Most guys that knock short bows tried a short bow after shooting a longer bow, and found it harder to shoot. But the people that start with short bows do fine and love em. They wouldnt have made a zilliion of em if nobody could shoot em! You'll be fine. As for the draw weight, I've always shot a bow pulling 42-45 pounds and shot wood arrows with 2 blades and never had a problem on deer. Ive never hunted elk, but the hunts Ive watched usually seemed to end with some close shots. Get close and stick em right and I bet you'd be pleased. Give it a go just don't rush yourself. Good luck and welcome to the other side of archery, where arch is still a part of it     :D  

Just for the record, I'm definitely NOT knocking short bows!    
But you are right about one thing, I do wish I could shoot them as well as the longer ones, absolutely.

[bfrbmj]

Make sure you have a new string(non fast flite most likely) on it if you haven't already.  Get properly spined arrows(use Stu's calculator if needed).  Read up on Rob D's intro to trad archery for newbies and practice, practice ,practice.  Don't get frustrated and have fun.  Brian

[straitera]

Have a bud in Oregon who kills elk most years w/45# short recurve. He's 6'3" & 200#, a great hunter with long draw, & comes here seldom.

If/when you get used to the shot parameters (bow weight & arrows) you'll be much better fixed for hunting larger animals like elk. Normally, that comes from experience. Suggest hunting small animals to start.

[David Yukon]

One thing I would had, is, on biger animal, like moose and Elk, try to take the shot as the animal is quartering away from you, it will help on panaration, since you have more chances to slip true the ribs... If that make sens. And I would think that with a "light" set up like yours, you want every thing to be on your side!!
Cheers, and keep us updated on your progress!

[Rob W.]

my longbow is 54". Go kill something and post some pics.


Rob