In this article, we’re going to point you in the right direction to choose the best longbow for hunting deer.

Also, we have reviewed the 5 top rated traditional longbows for your quickly choice. Check these out:

Best Longbow Deer Hunt:


Best Longbow for Hunting Deer Reviews:

1. IRQ Traditional Handmade Longbow

The IRQ hunting wooden longbow is an all-new high performing traditional longbow that is designed for optimum use for both left and right-handed shooters.

The IRQ comes with a 32-inch arrow, plus 5-inch and 6-pack natural feather fletches as well as 100-grain silver broadhead.

It also delivers a 100% handmade design pump, coupled with a high-intensity resin material and top quality wood.

IRQ Traditional Handmade Longbow Horsebow for Adult,

Via Amazon.com

In addition to commendable performance, and well thought out design, the IRQ hunting bow also rooms a Cow leather material, as well as a fiberglass limb, which, translates to smooth draw and accurate shooting for both professionals and beginners deer hunting and other targeting practice.

Indeed, all these integrated designs allow for high performance, great comfort, flashy speed, low hand shock and more precise shooting.

The IRQ hunting bow we reviewed houses a maximum draw length of 32 inches, and a draw weight of 30-65 lbs with a bow length of 54 inches.

Pros

  • Integrated with the best materials for optimum use
  • Comfortable and perfect for both left and right-handed shooters
  • Comes with accessories to give a pleasurable hunting experience
  • Extremely strong and durable
  • Doesn't produce any hand shock

Cons

  • It isn't lightweight as compared to the Longbowmaker below

2. SAS Pioneer Traditional Wood Long Bow

We'd have high praise for this wonderfully crafted, well built, and strong traditional longbow due to the caliber of wood used to make the bow, making it look more like a traditional English longbow.

 SAS Pioneer Traditional Wood Long Bow

Via Amazon.com

For starters, the bow is carved from Makore and Cassia Siamea wood, which are perfect for medium draw strength as well as a steady shot on target.

It also features a strong fiberglass limb, which is made of Maple lamination to give your bow the needed stability and less hand shock.

Pros

  • Light as a feather, but sturdy
  • The release is superb and smooth
  • It is beautifully and expertly made
  • It produces smooth shots even without a proper setup of the brace height
  • Easy to use and practice with

Cons

  • You might notice a little bit of hand shock
  • Only for right-handed users

3. Longbowmaker Hungarian Style Handmade Longbow

The Longbowmaker Hungarian style Handmade Longbow turns you into a skillful archer and makes you shoot like a champ in no time.

Thanks to its fast, convenient, and reliable handmade design.

The best part is that the longbow riser, string, and Limbs are made from durable materials, which make this bow draw smoothly and accurately.

 Longbowmaker Hungarian style Handmade Longbow Flagella Recurve Horsebow Archery 20-110LBS H1

Via Amazon.com

The Longbowmaker earns our top position on our list by serving up a draw weight at 20-110 lbs and a bow body length at 145cm, which are perfect for both beginners and seasoned archers.

This hunting longbow is now the go-to gear if you are looking for a brand that delivers a safe draw length at 33 inches and a draw length of 28 inches to give you high accuracy on target at a flashy speed and with fewer vibrations or hand shock.

Expert Advice:

Wood feather arrows are most suitable for longbows because of traditional style. You should check them out on Amazon.com.

With a 131cm string, the Longbowmaker is suitable for all types of bow users, even though you aren't that tall.

The Longbowmaker is an absolute joy to shoot with as it gives you the necessary flexibility to shoot more than 200 shafts without any defects.

Pros

  • Very comfortable to use
  • Save a lot of time dissemble different parts for easy storage
  • Very accurate
  • It is sufficiently strong and durable
  • Doesn't produce any hand shock

Cons

  • No arrow attachment

4. Archerymax Handmade Mongolian Style Longbow

The Archerymax rooms a durable construction and also comes with a wrapped snake skin, spiraling the length of the belly to add to a traditional decor for the bow. It's a must for a Mongolian bow.

For starters, you can conveniently shoot out to 45 yards with this bow even without no holdover, and still hit a 12" diameter even as a beginner.

All thanks to its well-constructed fiberglass design and a rugged wood Shas.

 ArcheryMax Handmade Mongolian Style Longbow Black Leather Archery Traditional Recurve Bow 20-80LBS

Via Amazon.com

Just like the IRQ 54", the ArcheryMax is a cinch to use for both left and right-handed shooters. It measures 54" long at full stretch and still produces a smooth and quiet release.

That's all good, but it was its 20-80lbs draw weight, 54 inches bow body length and 52-inch string length that clinched the deal, making it the ideal type of bow for beginners.

Similarly, the ArcheryMax Longbow also features a standard Draw Length at 28 inches, and a safe draw Length @ 34 inches, which allows you to fire up to as many rounds as you want at any distance.

Pros

  • Purely handmade and excellent craftsmanship
  • The fiberglass material makes it extremely strong and reliable
  • You can easily shoot at a target without a nock point and still aim at your target accurately
  • Offers Integrated design for optimum performance
  • The release and the draw are smooth and supple

Cons

  • Offers a cheap string
Best Longbow for Hunting Deer

Longbow Vs Recurve for Hunting

If you are just starting out in bow hunting, one of the questions you might probably be asking is whether you should buy a longbow or a recurve bow? What are their differences?

To answer your question, let's get these two types of bows a bit straightened up, so you know their differences.

So, let's start with the longbow and critically look at its pros and cons.

longbow-vs-recurve-2

Longbow

The longbow is arguably older than the recurve bow due to its primitive design. One sweet perk about longbows is that they are more forgiving to shoot than recurve bows. This is because they have thin limbs compared to recurve bows that have large limbs.

Even at that, they are mostly well made of thick and durable material compared to a recurve bow. This means you can't twist the limbs, even when you didn't shoot it properly.

Apart from giving you a more forgiving release, the string in a longbow has a better opportunity to slide off your fingers smoothly instead of having a violent release.

Pros

Cons

Longbow

  • Perfect for ground hunting
  • More forgiving release in shooting
  • Lighter and a little bit quieter than recurve bows
  • Easy to draw and shoot smoothly
  • Quick and fast to reload after shooting

Recurve

  • Great Speed, and flexibility in the limbs
  • Comes with the perfect bow length
  • Perfect for tree hunt
  • Accurate and consistent at a longer distance
  • Less forgiving release in shooting
  • You can't quickly draw the bow and shoot smoothly without a release
  • Slow to handle and to draw

Recurve Bows

Just like we said earlier, recurve bows have larger limbs and also feature wider tips than a longbow. They are generally slim and wide.

So, when you're about to shoot and not releasing well, or your release is unstable, you might end up twisting the limb. And this can throw your shot off if you end up twisting or grabbing the string wrong.

Easily Slide Off

The string of a recurve bow has an opportunity to slide off your finger more easily and smoothly when pulling it. So, the shorter the bow, the more the angle of the string on your fingers.

And this will make any finger release a lot more difficult because now, you have more friction on the ends of the fingers. That is why you see most compound shooters use a release as opposed to fingers.

Faster Shooting

But one of the advantages of a recurve bow is that they tend to be a faster shooting bow. The reason is that the limb of the bow had been designed to have more power in the tips of the limb, and that transfers to arrow speed.

More Compact

Another big advantage of a recurve bow is that they are shorter and more compact than longbows. That means, it offers you the flexibility to easily maneuver it without producing much noise or hit tree branches when stalking deer.

Bottom Line:

Both recurve and longbows are great to work with. But the fact remains that longbows are more forgiving to shoot, they are light, fast and powerful enough, and all these make it something you want to a tryout.


How to Pick the Best Traditional Bow for Hunting

There are a lot of traditional bows out there. So you might want to look at some key factors before deciding to choose the one that best suits you.

Below are some factors you should consider in order to choose the best longbow for deer hunting.

Draw Length

 Best Longbow for Hunting Deer (2018)  In this article, we’re going to point you in the right direction to choose the best longbow for  hunting deer. Also, we have reviewed the 5 top rated longbows that are great for deer hunting. Best Longbow for Deer Hunting Reviews: IRQ 54

The draw length of a bow is the amount of distance between the nock point and the throat of the grip.

So, ensure you consider the length of the bow and if it matches your own draw length at full draw.

For example, 66” bow taper would be appropriate for 26” draw, while a 65-inch draw will be perfect for 25 1/2" draw. Similarly, if you have a 26 ½ inches draw, a 66" bow will be a perfect fit.

That said, draw length that exceeds 29" will suit a 62" longbow or longer and that of 30" or over, will be suitable for 64" bows.

But, in case you don’t know how to measure a bow’s length, here’re the steps you need to follow:

  • First, get your bow and nock arrow
  • Then pull the bow to full anchor with the arrow on it and have someone mark the arrow at the back of the bow, where your index finger is located
  • This will give you the length that you need
  • Do it two or three times because as you pull, you’ll tend to extend your muscle which will expand your draw a little further.

But if you don’t have someone to help you mark the arrow, here’s what you should do:

  • Make sure you draw the bow at your proper anchor
  • After that, get a stiff piece of paper cardboard and cut a x in the piece of paper
  • Then slide your arrow into the cardboard paper, and make sure it holds the arrow firmly without it falling off
  • Get the arrow, knock it on and pull back and when you come to full draw, you will see that the paper will hit your riser or your finger
  • When you let down your arrow, that particular point that the card stays put is going to be your measurement.
  • The next step is to measure the valley of the nock to where the mark or piece of paper is.
  • And that is how you get your draw length.

Draw Weight

The amount of weight you pull when drawing a longbow is known as draw weight. This is the amount of weight you will be holding when you fully draw the bow. But note that in longbows, the weight normally changes at every inch of the bow’s draw length.

For instance, if you see a bow whose weight is labeled at 27”, that isn't an indicator of the recommended draw limits or lengths. This is just a typical standard to measure bows since the bow weight will normally change at five percent per inch when drawn.

40# will take down all of North America's big game animals. So, we do recommend you go for a 40# longbow under 20 yards for deer hunting.

Distance to Prey

distance to prey

Determine the effective range that you want to shoot. A rule of thumb is to never shoot any further than 1/2 your bow draw weight in yards. Meaning, a 40-pound bow would have a limit of 20 yards. So choose the suitable weight according to your range.

Top Wood Materials

Longbows that are made from the top wood available are mostly accurate, smooth, reliable, and consistent in action.

Some of the best woods we recommend to look out for are Red oak, Bamboo, Hickory, Osage, Cedar (or Juniper) and a host of others.

You want to make sure you consider these features to see whether the bow you want to buy comes with the best wood to give you the best shot on target.

Deer Shot Placement

Deer shot placement

The best longbow has max power if you can shot precisely in deer anatomy area. Here they are:

  • Target the lung area, which is placed towards the front shoulder.
  • The heart, lungs, and liver of a deer are its most vital parts you should always aim at if you want to get a clean shot.

Broadhead Sharpness

broadhead sharpness

They are razor-sharp and can deliver a quick, clean kill on deer. So always ensure the broadhead is sharp enough to give you a smooth kill on prey.

Here are different ways you can test the broadhead sharpness:

  • The best way to test the broadhead sharpness is to see if it can have some cut through a leather, instead of piercing through it.
  • You can also use the broadhead to shave a piece of paper.

For a dull blade, you can use a med stone and give the broadhead a few passes on each side and strop it afterward.


So What's Next ?

On a practical budget, it's critical to find longbows that are budget-friendly and will also help you to save money.

All the above longbows are all excellent and come with outstanding features.

For whom finding for best budget longbow, the IRQ 54" Wooden Longbows Mongolian is a killer longbow machine you want to consider.

IRQ Traditional Handmade Longbow Horsebow for Adult,

Via Amazon.com

  • Designed for optimum use for both left and right-handed shooters
  • Provides combo package with bow and arrows at a reasonable price
  • You get a 100-grain silver broadhead
  • Top quality wood
  • Great comfort, flashy speed, low hand shock and more precise shooting.

So, what do you think about our list of the best longbow for hunting deer? Do you have any experience with longbows? Let us know you thought in the comments below.

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About the Author

Hi, I'm Robert Gate, a hunter from Texas and Founder of ArcheryTopic.

I first learned archery from my dad when I was 12 years old. He gave me a Mathew bow as a gift and instantly fell in love with the pursuit.

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