That s not to say there aren t others out there such as yew, iron wood, mulberry, elm, pecan, mountain juniper, and hackberry that will make just as good a bow. Choose the wood you like and use the design best suited for that type of wood and you will find success. Flatbows tend to cast an arrow with greater speed than a longbow design and with less speed that a recurved tip design. My personal preference is a modified English longbow design, which closely resembles the more flattened American longbow design of modern fiberglass bows. Instead of a true D shape, it has a thinner, more flattened belly.
Cast is sufficient and durability is superb.
Often times I back my bows with deer rawhide, snakeskin, or a layer or two of deer, elk, or moose sinew. I prefer bows in the 65 to 70 pound range for hunting deer and bigger game, with a nock to nock length of 64 to 66 inches. Remember, the longer the bow, the smoother it will be to shoot. Find a length that s right for your style of shooting and you can t go wrong. For arrows, I use everything from purchased Port Orford cedar to river cane and dogwood.