HH bug got me ... Part One!

[Ben Maher]

Rik , who is this mysterious bowyer ? My curiosity is piqued .
I might ask Nate , he seems to know most of them ...      

Are you chasing Muley's this weekend ?

Hawken ... welcome to this most esteemed brotherhood of archers ... pics are needed mate !

[Ray_G]

Wow!  I've been away from the Gang for a couple of days (work & personal) and all  of a sudden we're gonna have some company.  I am looking forward to NALS and hope you all can make the trip - a longbowpalooza.  

Those that want to hunt should just come on.  Bowhunting for deer, elk, bear, mountain lion and wolves traditionally runs Aug. 30th through Sept. 30th.  

Limber up the longbows, bring your arrows, pack your fat chewings and yarns and let's shoot some!

[Mudd]

Ray the rumor mill has it that you guys have a year round open season...on good rotting stumps.

Is there any truth in that rumor?

I most definitely want to come for a tradgang gathering( our own version of NALS). I think I could do a trip and cover the cost of a stump tag.

I will look into the cost of an out of state small game tag but the large game tags will be out of my budget range.

God bless,Mudd

[Overspined]

Hey MUDD, ever total  your bow shipping costs for a year??  

There's your tag!  Fully guided!

Stumps are considered opportunistic species but they do move slower.

Personally I would like to be blind to the price of being a HillAholic, but it's worth every penny.

[Mudd]

I too prefer to remain blind as to the cost of being an addict...lol

God bless,Mudd

[Shakes.602]

Denial is a Terrible Thing mudd!!      

[Overspined]

Hey Shakes, I have missed some bruiser bucks in Darlington and Colfax, IN area.  You ever tag one of the big bucks around there? I didn't get a shot this year, but last year I just choked on a Booner and hit limbs on 3 other shots with a Hill bow! It was a week of errors.  Not many deer but they are BIG. they were some lucky deer, and I was one unlucky hunter, well unlucky at the moment of truth.

[tadpole]

I might be up to making the trip to the shoot.  Sounds like a good time and a chance to meet all you Hill aholics.  Not sure if I would be able to hunt but the stumps would be in trouble!

[30coupe]

Darn this thread! I still haven't managed to catch up with the entire thread (deer season interrupted my internet usage), but you guys somehow managed to infect me with this bug anyway. Mudd, I think this may be your doing     .

Anyway, I bid on an won a Northern Mist Shelton on the auction site. It's supposed to be here by the 15th or 16th of December. After reading nothing but good about Steve's bows and the Shelton in particular (heck, Ron LeClair even has one), I couldn't resist putting a bit on it. What a loooong six days it has been waiting for the bidding to end      Maybe now I will be able to sleep at night...at least on the 17th anyway.

Specs are 66" 54# @ 28", straight grip, bamboo cores, wild cherry veneers under clear glass. I'm not sure what the riser is as it didn't say in the ad. It's pretty dark. I'm guessing Bolivian rosewood by looking at the samples on Steve's website. According to the ad, the bow was recently refinished by Steve at NM and the original owner's name removed.  I think it should be long enough. I draw 27.5 to 28" with my Kanati, so I imagine I may lose a bit with the straight grip/low wrist draw, which should put me in the ballpark with a string follow 66" bow from what I've gleaned from this rather lengthy thread.  

I've never shot a bow longer than 64" before. I'm rather vertically challenged: used to be 5'9" in my youth...more like 5'8" now, so I've always been a little scared of the 66+" bows. I hope those fears end up being unfounded.

Here are the pics that were posted for the auction:













I hope to post some better ones sometime next week.

Having read 300+ pages of this thread, I can see there is no known cure for this bug, but hopefully I'll feel better soon.

[Red Tailed Hawk]

30coupe admitting that you are infected is half the battle.  

Congrats on the Shelton "what a beaut"

[Ray_G]

30Coupe, your stuck in it now!  Nice bow and your height to bow length should be no problem.  

Mudd, stumps ... depends where you are.  Lots of sage brush to shoot at, though.  Any small game or varmints require a hunting license, no tags for most critters.  Here is the link to our F&G web site for information:  http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/

[JCJ]

I just added a Sunset Hill named "The Bone Collector" to my collection.

66", 53# @ 28".

Nicely made, good shooting bow.

[Ground Hunter]

Mudd, just call it therapy.  Its all good!  I've got plenty of open pegs on my wall to fill!

[Overspined]

I own a string follow, have had another, but I really prefer the standard backset Hill/Hill style longbows. I understand why they should be great shooters, I just can't help that I shoot the others better...has anyone else experienced this? I think maybe I need better follow through with them. They definitely feel different. I get quite a bit more performance from the standard backset bow too. I'm not about speed but it's noticeable. The reverse handle bows I really like, but the grips take some getting used to for me. They feel so stable to shoot. I am going to start shooting one consistently and see what I can do with it. The reverse handle just seems to feel the most inherently accurate to shoot.  My standard shooters are straight up modern hill bows and a Miller Split Bamboo.

Who else has actually spent some time comparing the different styles? What's your personal feedback? I've noticed spending time with a bow can really change how I connect with it. Even just a different string can change the feel.

[Overspined]

30coupe, that's a beautiful bow, but that dude in the pic might not be demonstrating the best grip for it!!  

I owned one almost identical to it and must say I loved the feel. The NM seems to be a better performing string follow in my opinion. I wish I got along with the one I had.

[Mudd]

Ground Hunter you're not the 1st to suggest that it could be called therapy.

If there are some who are in need of it, I might be one...lol

I love your Sheldon 30coupe and if I am in any way responsible for your infection, all I can say is "You're welcome!"..lol


JCJ where did you find a Sunset Hill?

I don't ever recall seeing one up for sale.

I may be ignorant as to where I should be watching for treasures like that.

I'd love to see pictures of "The Bone Collector".

God bless,Mudd

[30coupe]

Originally posted by Overspined:
30coupe, that's a beautiful bow, but that dude in the pic might not be demonstrating the best grip for it!!    

I noticed that too. I kinda figured that might have been part of why it was for sale, so I was glad he shot it that way. He did say he killed a couple deer with it though.    

[Molson]

The Shelton is a great bow! I was just talking to Steve yesterday about a two piece...      

[30coupe]

He also said in the ad that he was going to keep the mink fur silencers...boy was I glad.    

[JCJ]

Originally posted by Mudd:
Ground Hunter you're not the 1st to suggest that it could be called therapy.

If there are some who are in need of it, I might be one...lol

I love your Sheldon 30coupe and if I am in any way responsible for your infection, all I can say is "You're welcome!"..lol


JCJ where did you find a Sunset Hill?

I don't ever recall seeing one up for sale.

I may be ignorant as to where I should be watching for treasures like that.

I'd love to see pictures of "The Bone Collector".

God bless,Mudd

Roy:

It came for sale here on the board from another member from MN.

I don't have the patience to wait a year or more to get one but when this one came up and I could buy it for $400 and pick it up on my lunch break, I couldn't pass it up.

It is a pretty nice bow. Carmelized bamboo under clear glass. Chechen riser. Brown glass sandwiched between the limb cores.

Shoots good like most other Hill style bows I've owned.

Jay