[Skybird]

I also did archery in a log forgotten past.

Longbows allow higher shooting frequency, I give them that.

But a compound bow brings the arrow to higher acceleration speeds, the arrows fly faster than with any Longbow. Next, the arrow travels more in a line, less in a ballistic curve. Therefore, it is more precise, and shortens the path to target: again, more energy saved. The arrow gets not accelerated with maximum speed from all beginning on, like with a longbow, but as long as the string still touches the arrow the acceleration constantly climbs until maximum when the arrow leaves the contact to the string. This leads to less distortions of the arrow while in midair, it moves less, becomes stiff again sooner, and therefore looses less energy to in-flight-vibration and deformation when impacting in/on target, it also gives it not only a more linear flightpath, but less own-movement - generally it looses less energy than an arrow shot with a longbow.

Not to mention that fully pulled, you can hold the string with just one third, even one tenth of the power that indeed is loaded. You start to pull with let'S say 70 pounds, but you hold it finally with just 7 pounds (if you canj afford such a boiw, most have 70% reduction or so). A huge advantage, also helping your precision. Handling and aiming is easier, much easier.

Less curvy flight, more stable flying, less arrow distortion, higher flight speed= less energy loss, greater precision, greater reach, greater penetration power at same pulling power.

The longbow, however, should be more powerful than the Recurve. The Recurve should be the weakest of them all.

For real hunting I would pick the compound: best precision. You do not want the animal suffer needlessly from badly aimed shots at too long distances.