Short bows have become increasingly popular during the past few years. They’ve got their place. When hunting in ground blinds or when tucked into tight quarters in a tree stand their compact dimensions help to keep the limbs clear of obstacles. Also, when you wear heavy clothing, the more acute string angle of these bows helps to keep it away from clothing as well as the binoculars hanging from your neck.

While these bows have much to offer, I personally don’t prefer to shoot a super-short bow. The shortest bow I shoot is Hoyt’s 36 inch VorTec. To handle the micro bows as accurately as longer models you need to maintain excellent form, a few aspects of which are especially critical.

If you’ve ever shot a slingshot you know that your pressure point on the grip is critical to consistency. Being off by a small amount creates poor accuracy. The same is true of short bows. How you take your grip and the way you apply pressure with your bow hand (high wrist vs. low wrist) has to be exactly the same on every shot. Pay particular attention to this aspect of your pre-shot routine and you’ll become more consistent when shooting a short bow.

Many bowhunters prefer to touch their nose to the string at full draw to form a secondary anchor point. When you try to do this with a super short bow, the acute string angle will force you to either draw the bow past your normal anchor point or tip your head unnaturally to meet the string. It is possible, when shooting such a bow, that you won’t be able use your nose as a secondary anchor point. Be aware of this fact and keep an open mind when establishing a new set of full draw checkpoints.

Some short bows have a low brace height, aggressive cams and high letoff. These elements comprise the recipe for disaster: difficult shooting that makes consistent accuracy under demanding hunting conditions all but impossible. When choosing a short bow, steer clear of these unforgiving design elements. A short bow with a moderate cam, 65% letoff and a brace height over 7 inches can be shot nearly as accurately as a bow 6 to 8 inches longer.