Has anyone hunted with short native american style bow?

[dogwood3]

I have been playing around with a 50" osage bow modeled from an actual native american bow.  It draws about 20 inches.  It has been a lot of fun.  It makes me curious if anyone has actually tried hunting with one of these, and how heavy the weight needs to be at that draw length to make a useful hunting bow.  I believe the bow is about 40 pounds and it seems pretty anemic for anything other than small game.  If anyone has had any experience with native american style archery please let me know how it worked.

Dogwood (John)

[El Destructo]

Native American Pony / Horse Bows were made to shoot Pinch Style with a Short Draw and no real definite Anchor Point. Because they were only Shooting from a very close distance off a Horses Back...they gave up Long Distance Accuracy for the Mobility and Ease of Shooting from the Back of a Running Horse with a Short and easy to Wield Horse Bow...if there is anything easy about shooting from a running Beasts Back.... I myself would never Hunt with a Bow of the Draw Length...and take a chance at wounding and losing an Animal ...only to have it die in Vain somewhere and not be found and used...I would not recommend one for Hunting anything besides a Blind at a Short Distance...JMO

[crooketarrow]

   About 15 years ago I built my shortest bow ever at the time I wasn't thinking indain bow.Not 50 but it was 56"s nock to nock 58#'s @ 26"s.I killed a 3 point at 13 yards and a doe that season at 18,19 yards.I kept it for about another 4 years and took it down off the rack and shoot it once and a while.Traded it for a stave,strip of rawhide and 2 strips of bambo.I saw the guy about 2 years later and he still used it some he said.He dsaid he also killed 2 doe's with it.

[Kegan]

There was an article about short bows back in PA. I thought it was really neat. They were about 48", using a 22" draw. They were, however, a bit on the hefty side, ranging- I believe- from about 65# to one at a hefty 80#. The one or two deer they mention being taken were pass throughs at close range (15-25 yards).

[dogwood3]

I have examined several bows in  the Grayson collection at U. of MO, and have looked at the examples in Hamm's books on native bows.  Even most of the woodland bows (Fox, Osage, etc. )were very short by our standards, and I know they used these bows for deer, elk, bison,and black bear.  If that is true, wouldn't a short drawn bow of sufficient weight be  suited to tree stand and ground blind for whitetails?  Anyway, I thought making the bow, arrows, quiver, arrows, and points would make an interesting project.  Learning to shoot well enough to humanely take deer would be another project.  Maybe I could get some stimulus money.

John M. (Dogwood)

[Kegan]

Steve Alley, I believe, has used West Coast replicas to cleanly take deer. I personally think that if you can get a 400+ gr. arrow moving quickly with a razor sharp broadhead, and you can routinley hit accurately with it, there would be no issue. Personally, I think the hardest part of the whole thing would be getting used to shooting with a short draw and floating anchor.

[billy]

I have used a 40-lb osage self bow that is 56" long and I've killed a number of animals with it.  It draws about 28", but it only pulls 40 lbs.  It even has a sinew string and it shoots very well.  As stated earlier, Steve Allely has killed several deer with his short west coast replica bows.  In fact, this past fall he killed a blacktail with a 42 lb sinew backed juniper bow that was a copy of the one that Ishi used.  That deer ran about 80 yards and collapsed.  Steve told me that his arrow hit exactly where he wanted it to go, and therein lies the key: accurate shot placement.  Even short bows are deadly on big game if you put the arrow in the right place.  My advice is to use whatever you are most accurate with, because that is the most important part.  Of course you must have arrows that fly perfectly and have sharp points. 

[dogwood3]

First of all, Billy, how did you learn to make sinew strings?

Second,I've noticed that a short draw is often very accurate, at least for me.  I've been fighting target panic for years,especially while hunting.  Some of my best shots  on deer, I'm  embarrassed to say, were short draws.  So, the idea of native archery seemed to fit my situation.

Third, it is interesting  we don't take native american archery  more seriously.  We seem to discount it  completely  in favor of English archery.

John (Dogwood)

[jbnizzle]

Hey Billy
             I love short bows,my perfect idea for a bow is a horse bow. Check out some
          of the Korean bows. You can get some great glass ones at a decent price. I own
          of those and also a Hunish type. They are short fast and depending on your choice
           very strong. The rest is up to you.

[billy]

I've been making sinew strings for years.  Basically, making a sinew string is just like twisting up a piece of 2-ply cordage.  Of course, the sinew is much shorter then a bowstring, so as each little strand runs out you must splice in additional strands.  Sinew bowstrings are time consuming to make, because you have several strands in each ply, and all the strands decrease in diameter as you twist the string.  you have to almost continually add sinew strands to each ply in order to maintain even diameter (which is very important).   

I have an article I was writing for Primitive Archer that shows how to make a sinew string, but it's been sitting in limbo for months.  Maybe I should finish it and send it in. 

[Kegan]

The main reason most folks don't consider NA archery is for the simple facts that A. a face anchor is easier to aim with, and B. a longer draw is one of the easiest and truest ways to get more power for hunting. So most folks find it preferable.

[dogwood3]

I agree the long draw is an easy way to increase velocity, but I'm not sure it is the most accurate aiming method for hunting.  I remember Jay Massey said his accuracy improved when he shortened his draw and went to "floating" anchor point.  I've noticed a draw with the base of the thumb at the chin is pretty good at objects at close range. 

[Kegan]

I for one suffered alot of grief until I extended my draw (about 3.5" total when I was done). I wound up putting alot less stress on my joints and muscles and became much more comfortable- even with my heavier bows (70-85#). More comfortable, slightly better penetration, and more accurate- all plusses. It's all an alignment thing. Proper form is proper because it takes advantage of bone structure to put less effort in the muscles and help make you more consistent.

Of course, if you can maintain proper accuracy, then you can shoot how you choose .

[huntertrapper]

My first and only bow ive made that was good enough for hunting is 54" and at around 54 or 55 pounds. I killed a groundhog with it and ive hunted turkeys. i would back if it i was you if you make one. Mine has cracks on the back of it but i wrapped them with artifcial sinew and glue.

[donnieonetrack]

I hunted with a 48" sinew backed bow drawing around 47# @ 22" last year with total confidence.  I hunted public land and never had a shot but, I can hit very well out to 25-30 yards.  20 yards would be me cutoff for big game.  It takes a lot of work to become proficent with short daw bows but it's doable.  If you stay with one bow you get pretty good in a short time.  I wrap sinew around the arrow shaft at 22" and when I feel the sinew I know I'm at full draw and let go, also my thumb joint is in the corner of my month.  My arrows are about 30" long and weigh around 600 grains which also helps with accuracy, short arrows are very hard for me to be accurate.   

If you want to hunt with short draw bows just shoot them and get comfortable with the draw length.

Take care,

Don