Who likes to hunt or target shoot with a 68" or better recurve?

Don't have one that long but have 66 inchers in hunting weights..Most people don't know how well these long target bows can cast an arrow..

I haven't used a 68" recurve but have done a lot of shooting with 68" longbows. Should be getting a 66" recurve in the mail tomorrow and I'm not expecting any issues.

I have an older 66" Bearcat 54@28 and it will fling an arrow. Love it.

I tried to like competitive BB rigs several times now but the clatter of ILF limbs on a machined alum. riser along with cushion plungers and magnetic flipper rests always winds up being a turn-off for me but if nothing else?...those BB rigs taught me just how much sweeter a bow can be when it's 68"s and longer.

I was really happy to stumble upon a 25" wood/ILF riser (as I loved the draw cycle and performance of my CVX limbs) which together makes a 68" bow as my mind drifted back to memories of some of the first vintage recurves where I took notice that...

It seems that when the first static tip dog-legs and recurves came about?...no one was in a rush to see "How Short" they could make one as for the most part?...those first recurves retained longbow like lengths with most in 66"-69" offerings.

as it seems finger friendly string angles were much more valued and appreciated back then than they are today and many don't recognize that it isn't a short bow that makes a bow fast...it short limbs...and yoiu can have short limbs on a long risered bow making it the best of both worlds. :)

I used to do it all the time, and was never unable to get the position I needed to make a shot.

I have to admit though, my 64"er is much easier to wield for hunting.

Rick

I'm sure 68's would be very smooth and forgiving. My 64's are great in that dept. Love 'em!

Nothing over 60" for me. No need.

we just got back from Wyoming. my wife shoots a sky conquest 69'' long . 41 lbs. she shot a 8 point buck and a doe out of the tree stand the longer the bow the better

I have a couple of 68" plus Firedrakes...pretty stable and smooth platform for distance.

I have a Wes Wallace Mentor one-piece that is 66" in a nice hunting weight.... a very nice bow. I do like the look of the old Jack Howard hunting bows that were often 66" long, but never held one in my hand and probably never will.... can't compete with the collector market.

I draw around 27" and don't notice issues with shorter bows from 56" up vs very long bows with finger pinch and bad stability.

The original Gamemaster is 66" and, with the phenolic insert, it is smooth. But I prefer carrying a shorter bow where I hunt.

4 months ago i bought a Hoyt Pro Medalist 70 inches 35 pounds at 28 inches from an old timer that walked into my brothers archery shop.It is a first run bow.I set it up for indoor 20 yd target shooting with a fixed crawl. Shoots really nice, but I only draw 27 inches. Still not used to the length of the bow. Time will fix that I hope. Used to shooting a 62 inch bow for that kind of shooting, and hunt with a 58 inch bow.

When those first static recurves were produced the mindset wasn't toward short bows because they were difficult to make and stay together. It was more a process/material issue than a bow length issue. It wasn't too long after working recurves came along that short bows followed, and they were extremely popular....mostly for hunting for obvious reasons. Folks still opted for longer recurves for target and field work.

When hunting was in it's heyday, the 52" bow was selling right along side of the Bear Grizzly and hunting bows started getting shorter. I've shown here that the short bows can be accurate, but will never be best for long range work. As a short range hunting range weapon, they will hold their own with any bow.

Most folks I knew back in the 60's shot a relatively short hunting bow and kept a target bow also. For one year I hunted with a 70" Hoyt Pro Olympian from 1959 and it was great all around.

Shorter bows are great for packing around all day hunting. You will never know how smooth a bow can be until you go long. I have a couple of 70" bows and they are a pleasure to shoot>>>----> Ken

A leggy gal knows her way around an arrow as well as petite firecracker.

My trad shooting and Target Panic really took a turn for the worse last year. So at the beginning of this year I picked up a fancy Olympic style target bow 70” complete with clicker, stabilizers the works. To gain more shot control in my trad shooting. It has worked like a charm. And I’ve been floored by the comfort and shoot ability of a longer bow. I’m currently on javamans build list for a 68” impala supreme. As I don’t shoot from a tree stand It shouldn’t be an issue hunting from the ground.

I use a 70" ILF target bow for indoor shooting and form practice. Prefer 60-62" for hunting and 3D.

I know a few people who hunt with looong bows, just not my thing. Not into the RU class in 3D either.

Room in this sport for a wide range of approaches, so long as we all stay safe and have fun.

I have been shooting a ILF 68 " bow @ 37.lbs all summer and coming from a 66" long bow (HH)type @50.lbs. I thought that I was pretty actuate with the LB, but I'm amazed how dropping the DW by 13 .lbs and switching to a recurve has improved my enjoyment in accuracy.68" bow lenght works great for me shooting targets.

Funny that people are now finding out what we pretty much 'found out' fifty and more years ago. Almost all the archers around our area had hunting bows and target bows. The norm for the hunting bow was between 52 and 62 inches, and the target bows from 64 to 70 inches for the most part. We shot winter league (starting in late January) and also all summer shooting field and target with the lighter, longer bows. Que sera, sera. And it blows away the idea that you can't shoot both light weight and heavy weight bows.

That's very interesting George. They say history repeats itself. The guys back then got to enjoy more shooting because they did both. Hunting and target archery. Sounds like a win win to me. When I first started hunting I shot short recurves. Because I was told that's what you want for a hunting bow. I use to hunt mostly from trees back then. I had a Shakespeare Sierra, Browning Cobra, And a Bear Kodiak Magnum. I gave the Kodiak Magnum to my son cause he liked it. Today I enjoy shooting longer bows. Like the Ben Pearson Bushmaster 66", 1959 Bear Kodiak Special 66", Hoyt Pro Hunter PM 66". I really enjoy shooting these longer bows. I'm going to end this with. If you never shot a longer bow. Like at least 64" or longer. Do yourself a favor and try one.....;-) I'm glad I did.

I have a couple now, a 69” Tamerlane that I enjoy shooting so much that I recently picked up a 66” Tartar. I just use them for punching paper and practicing form but they are a real joy to shoot. Shooting a paper cup bottom from 20yds with the Tartar:

I've owned a couple of 'vintage' long target recurves, a White Wing and a Howatt Catalina. Both were fun to fling arrows with.

If you can release a light drawing bow well, heavier bows will practically shoot themselves. The reverse, sadly, is not necessarily true.

Tamerlane and Widow at 69 inches.

DDave

In the stable I have 68", 69", 70" and a couple 72" Tamerlanes, I prefer longbows and since I do not hunt in stands it works for me.

Been shooting my Wing Presentation, 69", at the Thursday indoor.

Very nice bow.

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