Hill Guys...what's the big deal??

Benny Nganabbarru · January 20, 2011, 04:28:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by GingivitisKahn:
What's the big deal? I'm not sure but I think there's just something satisfyingly classic about Hill bows. There are other knives out there with more advanced steel and better handles and so forth but there's nothing quite like a stag handled Randall. I guarantee you can get better performance and efficiency from a modern foreign car but there is *nothing* like a '57 Chevy.

I think we're talking about the same intangible sweetness here.

x 2

Joe Subler · January 20, 2011, 05:34:00 PM

I wonder if the state of the economy these days has people getting more "back to basics" and Hill style bows meet that desire and need - keeping it simple?

Joe

Gordon Jabben · January 20, 2011, 05:35:00 PM

I bought a Wesley Special a few years ago and I have to admit, I had more fun shooting that bow than any bow I have owned. I really can't explain why. I really didn't shoot it very well although I did get a turkey with it. I guess I went and sold it because on paper my scores were poor. I now own a Northern Mist that is very simular and I shoot it ok, but I have never shot a classic longbow as well as a hybrid longbow. Every now and then, I drag out the Hill style longbow and shoot it a few days until I get aggravated at how I am shooting. I just love the looks and feel (even the handshock) of the classic longbow. Maybe I should just quit worrying about how I shoot if I am having fun.

SpankyNeal · January 20, 2011, 06:23:00 PM

Many times when a person shoots heavier risered recurves and hybrids very well but can't with the Hill, it's due to the light physical weight and arrow/bow tuning! With heavier, center shot bows we don't have to be as conscious(sp) of bow arm control because the heavier riser helps steady it, and arrow spine is not as critical, but it's quite the opposite with a Hill! Get those two things right and they become deadly killin machines!

January 20, 2011, 07:50:00 PM

oh...this is not as easy as I thought it could be...

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
'hill style' and 'D braced' can be two very different bows. i.e. - mild r/d longbows like mohawks have nothing seriously in common with a hill.

So, basically the straight sticks are hill – any pronounced r/d puts them into a different category.
Thanks Rob, your longer post was most helpful. What I am reading here so far is that you all really like the true traditional look and feel. Really not too worried about top performance.

QuoteOriginally posted by Mudd:
Tony it's kind of like genetics..lol
All line breeding is inbreeding but not all inbreeding is line breeding. With the exception of the Hill Badger I think I could say that all other Hills are "D" bows but not all "D" bows are Hills.
I hope I have clouded the issue.
God bless,Mudd

Ha!! Roy, it is clear as muddd now...thanks a lot!
-------------------------------

QuoteOriginally posted by leatherneck:

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
'hill style' and 'D braced' can be two very different bows. i.e. - mild r/d longbows like mohawks have nothing seriously in common with a hill.
x2!!!
I just found this out first hand. I tried both these bows recently. They are both great bows but with totally different "attitudes" if you will. [/b]

I think you hit on a key word.."ATTITUDE"
That is significant...I understand that. Maybe the real reason I will not keep some bows for long.

QuoteOriginally posted by GingivitisKahn:
What's the big deal? I'm not sure but I think there's just something satisfyingly classic about Hill bows. There are other knives out there with more advanced steel and better handles and so forth but there's nothing quite like a stag handled Randall. I guarantee you can get better performance and efficiency from a modern foreign car but there is *nothing* like a '57 Chevy.

I think we're talking about the same intangible sweetness here.

x 2 [/b][/QUOTE]
Ben and Jim, This is the reason why I have not let these bows fall by the wayside...I really love the way they look... Period. Ha! Seems that for many, there is a love/hate relationship..."love the way they look – hate the handshock" Guess that is where I am but DETERMINED to find the best design/length combination to find a keeper..
The beat goes on......

Thanks all for your feedback!

Rob DiStefano · January 20, 2011, 08:21:00 PM

macatawa sez...

QuoteWhat I am reading here so far is that you all really like the true traditional look and feel. Really not too worried about top performance.

i'd say that's a fair statement. imo, the closer a longbow gets to a recurve, the less "stability" it exhibits. the price to pay with hill style longbows is - the shooting learning curve to surmount/achieve, the longer limbs to deal with in the field and bush, and the thump of the release to the bowhand (YES, it IS there in one form or another). but once down pat, the stability and simplicity as a hunting machine is truly hard to beat. imho. ymmv.

Benny Nganabbarru · January 20, 2011, 10:35:00 PM

You're right about the lower fps, Macatawa. We just don't mind at all, because we know that it gets the job done at bowhunting range.

GingivitisKahn · January 21, 2011, 07:10:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Macatawa:
Ha! Seems that for many, there is a love/hate relationship..."love the way they look – hate the handshock" Guess that is where I am but DETERMINED to find the best design/length combination to find a keeper..

Cool then you are almost there. If you are getting handshock when you shoot your Hill, you can fix that problem by adjusting how you hold it. Howard's explanation, 'grip it like you would a suitcase' helps quite a bit as does this page (which goes into quite a bit more detail): http://www.howardhilllongbowmen.com/hillgrip/hillgrip.html

Fix your technique and you can change your love/hate relationship to a love/love one.

Ben Maher · January 21, 2011, 07:15:00 AM

Quotebut once down pat, the stability and simplicity as a hunting machine is truly hard to beat. imho. ymmv.

Sums it up nicely !

David Mitchell · January 21, 2011, 08:06:00 AM

Gordon Jabban...as long as you keep putting the Hill back on the rack and only shooting it from time to time, you will probably stay frustrated with it. If you decide that it is the style of bow you really want to shoot and stick to it a while, you may well discover that nothing else is quite the same again! Like most any style bow, some commitment is required to shoot Hill bows well, but they can be so much fun, so rewarding, and so effective in the field. Just dedicate this spring/summer to it and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.....Dave

Mudd · January 21, 2011, 10:29:00 AM

Gordon,why torture yourself and a perfectly good bow?

Certainly the bow deserves better, as do you!

Let me help you out, I'll make the self sacrifice of taking it away.(pm me and I'll send you my address)

Believe me it'll be better for you both...lol

We both know that's not gonna happen so....

Look into your minds eye where you are the perfect imagine of a true archer.

What do you see?

What bow is in your hand?

When I have my "perfect image" bow in my hand, I am becoming the best archer I can be the more I shoot it.

If your bow fits that image for "you", then David has hit the nail squarely on it's head!

Good luck, good shooting, but most of all God bless!

His servant, Mudd

straitera · January 21, 2011, 12:58:00 PM

Been a part of some good threads. Never seen such good straight Hill credible info. Once used to a straight handled smooth shooting longbow, it's hard to change. No elitism to it.

January 21, 2011, 01:31:00 PM

So then why exactly do we shoot these things, I have been shooting Hill style bows since the 60s. I have seen lots of different shaped bows that were just as stable and forgiving as my Hill style bows. Is there actually a concrete answer?

Greg Skinner · January 21, 2011, 02:45:00 PM

For me it is really a matter of consistency. Yes, I love the looks and the simplicity of Hills, but it is the fact that on any given day I can pick up that Tembo and know that I am going to hit what I aim at.

I have several nice r/d longbows that are a few pounds less in draw weight than my Tembo and will shoot the same arrow about the same speed. Some days I can shoot them very well - but some days I can't seem to be so consistent with them no matter what I do. That is when I go back to the Hill for reassurance that I can still hit what I shoot at.

For me, the romance factor of Hills is great, but hitting the target is the most important; I just don't shoot anything else as well.

Rik · January 21, 2011, 03:27:00 PM

In answer to Pavan's question, I hunt with Hill bows because I shoot tighter groups with them than any other type of longbow I have ever shot.

I can shoot tighter groups with heavy-handled recurves, but so far, not with any other longbow. And trust me, I've tried and owned a ton of top-quality longbows. I also tested quite a few great bows back when I was publishing the magazine.

Tightest groups out of all the longbows I have shot? Howard Hill's narrow, deep cored longbows.

Love 'em!

Plus, they have a shorter bottom limb that other longbow designs, and for a ridge-running ground hunter like me, that is a huge advantage.

lpcjon2 · January 21, 2011, 03:35:00 PM

It's like owning a 1967 corvette looks are incredible with great performance"Fast". And chicks that hunt think Hill Bows are hot!Have you ever held one, caressed it, heard it speak to you?.And it's one of the toughest bows I ever saw.

Gordon Jabben · January 23, 2011, 07:56:00 PM

David, I did shoot a Hill style bow for quite a while before the hybred type bow got popular. I did shoot them pretty well back then but when 21th century bows came out and I got one. my shooting improved. You are right, I need to just shoot them. I think I will take it out squirrel hunting tomorrow!

Ken Babicky · January 23, 2011, 08:21:00 PM

It took me a bit to get used to the Hills also. I was real inconsistent in the beginning and at one point many years ago I almost felt they weren't for me. Then, everytime I read a Hill post where someone uses a Hill or saw a photo it would get me all fired up about them again. I also talked to Craig about spine, thinking I was just having problems figuring out what arrow I should use. I eventually just started to focus more on my form (which for me I believe was the real culprit) and everything fell into place. For me, they are what I like in my hand when I am in the field, it just "feels right".

January 23, 2011, 08:47:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Ken Babicky:
It took me a bit to get used to the Hills also. I was real inconsistent in the beginning and at one point many years ago I almost felt they weren't for me. Then, every time I read a Hill post where someone uses a Hill or saw a photo it would get me all fired up about them again.

Ha! Sounds like me for sure!

longbowben · January 23, 2011, 10:56:00 PM

Im one of the lucky ones the hill bows shot great the first time i shot one.The straight grip and way shorter bow than most people think you should shoot felt great to me.Im hooked