shoot a bunch
It is really lame advice, but shoot as many different bows as you can and see what works best for you. some bows work better for shooting fingers (longer ATA)than others, but most bows can be shot using a release. For hunting, I have heard that a brace height of 7" should be the minumum, but know quite a few people killed animlas with the PSE Baby G which has a 6.5" brace height. For me, I know that having a solid backwall is very important. My current bow is soft in the back and it is driving me crazy (see my post asking for help ("Help Please")). I am very interested in a short ATA bow, with a 7.25-7.5" brace height with the cam.5 system. Right now, I am looking very hard at the Hoyt "tech" line of bows for myself. I will look more seriously at purchasing one after the season. I don't feel that two weeks before a season starts is a good time to pick up new equipment.