On a personal note. Most people fall pray of the conventional wisdom that a recurve is better for bow hunting on the basis that it is shorter and thus more manageable in the thicket.
That is one selling point for the recurve that doesn't tell the whole story; the optimal length of a bow is a function of the draw length of the archer, 27" and above require a minimum bow length to avoid finger pinching on the string and thus a less than perfect release; a recurve might range between 54" and 62", a long bow anywhere between 62" and 70", at the draw lengths indicated, I can hardly say that my chances of success lay in the length of the bow if this aspect penalizes other more important aspects such as precision.
Howard Hill was once asked why he didn't shoot recurves, he replied: "I'm not that good of an archer". In his book "Hunting the hard way" he recounts his experience with the recurve as a basis for his statement.
The recuve appeals to many archers for the following reasons (not mentioning the aesthetic):
- It has a more mechanical shooting techniques than the LB, almost like a compound,
- It has a center shot window, thus it is less sensitive to poor arrow fine tuning than a LB some of which have the rest window but always offset from the bow center line,
However the recurve is the least forgiving bow on the market, either you have a perfect release or your arrows will go AWOL.
The reason for this statement is quite simple; pick up a recurve and try to twist the upper limbs with the hand, they twist readily; try to do this with a LB and you won't be able. The recurve limbs are very thin, while the LB limbs due to their geometry are a lot more resistant (I would say impervious) to twisting.
How this often overseen aspect affects the bow hunter? Have a less than perfect draw and your arrows will go left and right even if your aim is right on the spot. if you have a less than perfect draw with a LB, its limbs configuration will bring the string back in line and the shot will be still an acceptable shot. This aspect is more accentuated if you shoot from unconventional positions such as kneeling or canting the bow a lot.
The point is how many perfect form shots a bow hunter can do under the influence of cold, heat, emotion and others factors? Hard to say but on the same principle of having extra penetration on the arrow, just in case, the same applies to the bow selection.
I'm a LB shooter since long time, I have in my battery a Black Widow recurve a PCH-X (the one with fancy wood), it's one of early bow I purchased is a 50#@ 28" at 62" bow length, it shoot fine, however if I'm less than an inch of center with the release, good bye precision. Excellent bow, however if I compare it to my Howard Hill "Big 5" LB, I have to say that it is a lot heavier, a lot more noisy (the typical "stump" of the string on the limbs) and not as maneuverable as the LB, 8" more in length became the least of my concerns after trying the LB.
Another problem with shooting traditionals (recurves and LB) of high poundage (60# and above) is in the technique (not in the bow), most of the archers, but not all, learn and have been told the target shooting way which is; light pressure on the bow handle. This doesn't work very well with high poundage bows not set for target shooting (Olympic style with all the balancing contraptions); with high poundage bows as Howard Hill said, you have to "get hold of it" enough to avoid side and down cast. These two can wreck havoc in your aiming especially if you are shooting from unconventional positions. You have to have the trained arm, no other way. Imagine for a moment to have a high poundage recurve with a less than perfect draw; I'll bet you can miss a moose's vitals at 15 yards. Handle configuration selection becomes even more important in high poundage bows, a handle that is designed for shooting the "Olympic way" won't work very well in high poundage tackle, not enough surface to get "hold of the bow".
Aiming is not an issue at all once you understand the techniques and stick and practice on one.
My two unbiased cents.
