StickBowman

I just read Witchery of Archery, great book. In the book it mentions he likes an 70-80# longbow for large animals and a 50# for small game.

I have a new Fred Bear montana long bow, 50# pull. I can stick an arrow out the other side of my target "the block" at 20 yards. (w/field points).

The question is do the modern materials used in production longbows today store more energy than the ones of old.... or is my 50# bow really meant for small game?

Ty Mucho,

Guss

I dont know much about the energy storage in new or old bows, but I have hunted with people who has droped bears and deer with bow that drew 45lbs. I know this lady who killed a big Black bear drawing 45 at 27.

Wingbone

The old style longbows had a different limb cross-section called a "stacked" arch. Basically both the face and the back of the limb were arched to form a more-or-less asymmetric football . The cross-section of most modern longbow limbs is rectangular just like a recurve's. Tests have shown that this is a more efficient shape for storing and releasing energy. Plus, many of those old bows were self-bows and just not as snappy as laminated limbs.

grimrapier

Heya, Stick. I've been planning to get a Montana myself, though I've heard the grip is a little squarish. What's your opinion of the bow? I've been lookin' to shoot @ about 50# like you are, too.

Lilhunter

I cant stick through a block target with a 61 pound smoking r/d longbow, OR my 64lb bob lee recurve at 64lbs. hmmmph

Grim,

If ya dont like the grip, alter it with a file and seal it. This is what I did on my first two bows. There are so many bowyers now it is easy to find a bow that shoots how you want and has the grip you like w/o having to do any face lifts.

Arthur P

You also need to look at some of the distances Will and Maurice shot at game. When you're flinging at animals a hundred yards out there, you need some oomph to get penetration. Nowadays most of us consider 30 yards to be a long shot with a hunting arrow. It doesn't take nearly as much power to poleaxe a critter that close.

grimrapier

I've not read "Witchery of Archery" yet, so please bear with me... Um, our forebears shot at game from close to 100 yards??? Good grief! Were they not all that concerned about making humane kills? Well, anyway, thanks for the tips on the Montana. I think, for the money, it's what I want--a longbow with slightly recurved limbs, and under 350 bucks. But if you guys have any other suggestions...

Arthur P

I forget the exact yardage, seems like it was something like 170 yards, but Howard Hill killed an elk way out there. Stupid thing let him shoot about a half dozen arrows while he was dialing in the range.

But you'll have a conniption fit when you read 'Witchery of Archery', if you try to apply today's ethics to the mindset they had 130 years ago.

grimrapier

Int'resting stuff. If we were all alive 500 years ago and had to put food on the table ourselves, our notions of hunting ethics would probably be drastically different. I've read Native American hunting stories, for instance, in which hunters put several arrows into an animal before it was felled. As for Maurice and Howard, I wonder if they were a product of the age of the Great White Hunter...

Lol, sorry for the tangent.