Need ideas for a shorter hunting bow for next year

[scrub-buster]

This is my first hunting season with a traditional bow.  I am using a 65" osage self bow.  I am banging it around in my stands and while hunting off of the ground.  I am used to a 32" long compound bow I guess.  Does anyone have any ideas for a shorter bow for next year?  I would use osage and I should be able to sinew back it.  I would like for it to be 50-60 lbs @28".  I have some nice staves with good growth rings to use.

I love the trad hunting, just not the noise of my bow hitting everything around me.

[talkingcabbage]

You might try the same thing I'm about to try.  A D-shape osage bow.  From what i know (and please jump in if anyone knows better  

[Dano]

I sent this bow to a friend in Texas, he is shooting it at a 27" draw. The stave was marginal, with a good stave you could go even shorter than twice your draw length, that's an un-backed bow.

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001714

[Pat B]

The recurve in my avatar is 60" t/t selfbow, pulls 56#@26" and has a stiff handle and static tips. I don't own the bow anymore but I'm guessing it is about 1 1/4" from fades out to the recurves and tapered to 3/8" tips. If you sinew back a bow don't get much longer than 62" for 28" draw. A 60" straight limbed osage bow, sinew backed or not will make a good stand hunting bow.
 I have hunted with 70" bows from tree stands without any problems. You just have to prepare for the longer bow and be more careful.

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by talkingcabbage:
You might try the same thing I'm about to try.  A D-shape osage bow.  From what i know (and please jump in if anyone knows better    

The 65" bow that I am using now is a D style bow.  I guess I could have made it shorter.

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by Dano:
I sent this bow to a friend in Texas, he is shooting it at a 27" draw. The stave was marginal, with a good stave you could go even shorter than twice your draw length, that's an un-backed bow.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001714  

Thanks Dano.  I remember that bow now.  I saved a picture of the tips when you first posted it, I really liked how they looked.  If I were to try something like that, but sinew backed it, do you think the draw could go up to 28"?

[Dano]

No doubt, I only tillered that little bow to 26, I'm pretty sure it would have handled 28 just fine, osage is tuff stuff.

[kodiakkid]

First off congratulations on moving over to the traditional side of archery!
Here is a little bow I made. Not yet 100%  completed though.It came from a stave I took a belly split from. I was left with no wood for a handle on this one. It was a very unruly stave for a beginner such as myself. A little snakey and both limbs rollercoastered. Glued some shoe leather on for the handle. (per Pat B's advice) It is 1 3/8" at the fades with a continuous taper to 1/2" tips. It's about 1/2" thick just off the fades and tapers to 5/16" a couple inches from the tips. It measures 58 1/2" ntn and pulls 52" @ 27". I was outside shootin a few different bows one day and my wife was watching. When I shot this one she commented on how much faster it seemed to be. It really is pretty quick. I've managed to put a 100 or so arrows thru it with no problems. I think I'm gonna go ahead and finish this one up and make it my treestand bow. I said all that to say I was surprised at how it turned out. I was expecting to wind up with a much lighter pound bow.