CAJUNBOWHNTR

I never have liked bows shorter than 36".But after having to turn around,hanging sideways from my safety belt leaning way to my right and squatting to avoid the limbs behind me I'm reconsidering.Especially since my bow limb hit a limb and the arrow went wacky.All of my hunting is from stands in thick timber, shots over 20 yards are rare.I just never shot a short ata bow as good on the range at 30 yds plus.Maybe I need two bows

Billy

WHACKEM N STACKEM

DaveC

Bowfanatic, buuutt ...if your raise your deck to clear your armrest, it will most likely take two hands to get from the sitting to the standing position.
It's a weird trade off, but there is a perfect spot in relation to deck and seat height to were you can stand without the use of both hands (so you can hold your bow ready) and have SOME clearance above your arm rest.
It's sounds like you speek from experience- I'm just pointing out the conundrum I end up with each hunt-trying to find that perfect spot.

BOWFANATIC

Yep Dave , I'm speaking from experience. And Yes it's a little tougher standing up with more bend in the knee. Dont get me wrong , short ata bows have their advantages , but for me the trade off with my shooting ability wasn't worth it.
I'm not real familiar with most climbers (I prefer fixed position) , but can you 86 the arm rest?

BTW Dave , I have a great deal of respect for anyone who uses the word &quot;conundrum&quot; in their vocabulary<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle> It's just one of those words I love to hear<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

<---Doug---<<<

DaveC

Bowfanatic, 86ing the armrest is not an option. It turns long hours in the tree stand into enjoyable hunts by being able to rest an elbow on the armrest and therefore rest my head on my fist (kind of like back in school).
It did cost me a nice ten point last year though. I was following the buck from left to right with my bow held in front of me when my bow hung up on something. I looked down in horror to see that my lower cam was about 3&quot; too low, not clearing the armrest. The time it took me to slowly clear the obsticle without rushing allowed the buck to get so far to my right that I had to readjust my footing on the platform in order to draw back. Thats when he heard something I didn't and bolted.
BTW, I hunt with a 36&quot; ata bow. I'm still on the prowl for a shorter bow that fit's me like a glove. Recently considering the G2 (on sale for $399.00), but keep coming back to the Diamond hornet spec sheet- it's mighty impressive on paper.

Rangeball

And in your hand. And on the range. And in the field...

Sorry, couldn't resist...

DaveC

Hey rangeball, could you help clarify how much fletching clearance you have from the cables. The three Diamonds I shot had non adjustable cable guards that looked a little too close to the arrow at full draw. Are you doing OK with 4&quot; vanes? Or are you shooting 3&quot; vanes.

Rangeball

My hornet is a 2000 year model, a practical antique around here

It has an offset cable guard that can be adjusted. Fletching clearance with 4&quot; feathers has never been an issue.

Did you have a clearance problem with the diamonds you shot? I find it hard to imagine they would build such a quality product and make such a basic mistake as adequate fletching clearance engineered in...

DaveC

Yeah, I know that sounds silly and I agree. I doubt the bows would make it to production if it was an issue. But when I was shooting them I could barely torque the bow at full draw and the cables would be right next to the arrow. I know I'm not supposed to torque the bow, but it seemed really easy to do.
The bows I shot were not sighted in whatsoever and only one had sights, the nocksets were even slipping up and down the string so groups were impossible. Therefore I'm not sure if the fletching was hitting or not.

walks with a gimp

BigLouie, check out BowTech's TomKat package bow. It is 31 inches ATA with a 9 1/8 inch brace height and goes up to 70 pounds with draw length available from 27 inches to 32 inches. Price is around $450.00 for the bow, quiver, sight, vibra blocks and string silencers and arrow rest. IBO speed is 284 to 292 at 30 inches so you should be over 300 fps. The bow alone weighs 3.0 pounds.

8PT

DaveC, I just checked the vane clearence on my Diamond Hornet and it is 3/16&quot; - 1/4&quot;, no problem. It has the non adjustable carbon rod and I use 4&quot; duravanes. I have used several different vanes and never had a problem with clearence. Love that little jewell.