HH bug got me ... Part One!

[Nate Steen .]

I like the feel of a thick string and without dbl. serving...and don't need to pad loops. And they wear a long time and are quiet w/out silencers.

Most of the time the swing draw is actually pretty slow...about one second or so to reach full draw.

One thing I noticed about guys having shooting problems in the Hill style...they get more and more static in their form in trying to get accuracy...instead of just shooting as smoothly as possible, releasing as a positive anchor is reached and pulling through the shot with good back tension.  When we try to hold and make sure everything is in order before release we can fall prey to other second guessing problems.  Sometimes the answer to shooting issues is to exaggerate the casual fluidity.  Less is more....or like Hill said "too much thinking over a shot is bad"

[Mudd]

I could not agree more Nate.

As I watch some of the young men I shoot with I want to give some a tranquilizer to take away the stress and tension that they are displaying.

They swear up and down that they're having fun but it sure doesn't look it from where I'm standing...lol

One of the hardest things to get through to someone that I'm trying to teach Hill style shooting(IMHO) is...in the beginning where your arrow hits is the very least important thing that's happening right then.(IMHO, again)

Understanding that... allows for the cart to get back behind the horse where it belongs.

In the long run, yes we do care where the arrow hits but hopefully if we do our best to master form.. function will follow naturally.. the haircovered computer will run with less resistance and arrows will move to the center of our concentration.

I'm not a great wordsmith so I can only hope my opinions are clearly understood by someone...lol

God bless,Mudd

[Nate Steen .]

Mudd...someday you and me will shoot together   ....we might fall asleep because we're so relaxed though....

[Bud B.]

Originally posted by Nate Steen .:
.....Less is more....or like Hill said "too much thinking over a shot is bad"

I just read that part in his book this morning. I have to say I absolutely agree.

[smoke1953]

It seems to me that we begin to lose some of the fluidity when shooting with a group at the 3-D ranges but shooting alone or during the hunt all happens as it should.

[Goshawkin]

Bummed out here,been in the hospital since Friday,had emergency surgury and just got home today. I won't be shooting for a little while,but glad I got alot of catching up to do on this thread!
I skimmed through what I've missed quick and thought "Great! Nate's posting on here again!" Then I thought about it and realized if he's typing,he's not building bows!!! Gonna take that much longer for my name to come up on the list!
  :eek:    :D

[Overspined]

Howard did, and explained a lot of things that he glossed over with a non-descript explanation or with little emphasis that were vitally important to his style.  Schultz vid helped, but really a shooting coach would have been a great thing.  

Howard had it all figured out.  Problem is, we all struggle with different aspects, or lack some of the fundamentals to own his style. If we didn't, there'd be a bunch of Howard's running around shooting Asprin out of the air.  I sure wish I was taught the right way the first time! I'm thankful for the time I spend discussing the aspects of Hill form with one of the most well read archers I've met with similar challenges.

I always have fun, but I'm always looking for perfection in myself and I'm quite competitive.  Probably why I have TP.

[Goshawkin]

Originally posted by beaver#1:
Got my jungle cat in the mail today.  Strung it up and first shot at 12 yards( which is about the shooting distance at all my blinds) and it was a dead bullseye. Sure am glad I got it.

 
It's a beauty for sure. Now you have to get some leopardwood arrows for it.  

Overspine you asked what bow weights I shoot. These days I spend a good deal of time shooting 52 pound bows, a 55 pound yew/glass, a 58 pound yew/bamboo (my favorite), a 60 pound lefty and I am back doing some shooting with my 64 pound Schulz bows. The extra heavy days are behind me. I still work out drawing the two 64 pound Schulz bows at the same time with both hands. I have to be careful to stay off of my first joints when I do that.  I have been getting some stiff finger problems lately and I had the bottom joint of my middle finger develop a hyper extension that took a long time to heal. None of which is the best thing for a classical guitarist.  I have to watch how much right hand shooting I do. If I go stump shooting there is a bit of time between shots and I suffer no ill effects. I reserve my 5 hour shooting binges for just left hand shooting now. Once Schulz said that it was impossible to shoot a thousand arrows a day, there were some talking about it back in the day.  I made it with an 80 something big 5. The first couple of hours at the tempo I was going I thought that I could get it done in five hours. I used two large targets 18 yards apart and two dozen arrows. It took 14 hours and I do not think the last arrows were getting back to full draw, man was I hurting for a few days after that. I would not recommend trying it.

[Mudd]

I have always said.."It ain't rocket science"! but there are days my shooting says it might as well be...lol

Not being a detail oriented type when shooting in the yard I don't always seem to notice if an arrow is missing a feather or has a small bend in it.
Almost all of the arrows in "the bucket" are different from one another and yet most find their mark. Yep, it ain't rocket science...lol

For me...and I only speak for myself.. it's really all about a stroll through "Sherwood".

God bless,Mudd

PS: Chances are if you come shoot with me at some point you will be asked to put away the good arrows and shoot "out of the bucket".

PSS: My hunting equipment preparation and the attention I give to it's detail is a totally different story.

[Charlie Lamb]

PS: Chances are if you come shoot with me at some point you will be asked to put away the good arrows and shoot "out of the bucket".
 

Or to get off the Bass Pro parking lot!   :D

[tg2nd]

Originally posted by pavan:
The extra heavy days are behind me. I still work out drawing the two 64 pound Schulz bows at the same time with both hands. I have to be careful to stay off of my first joints when I do that.  I have been getting some stiff finger problems lately and I had the bottom joint of my middle finger develop a hyper extension that took a long time to heal. None of which is the best thing for a classical guitarist.  I have to watch how much right hand shooting I do.

pavan:
There would be a lot of younger guys, willing and able, to honor your Schulz bows, that are not good for your health!
Even over here in Germany!        

[Blaino]

Originally posted by Nate Steen .:
And they wear a long time and are quiet w/out silencers.  

I'm wanting to learn to make my own strings for my Hill.  I got some B55 because it's cheeper.... blah blah blah... Does a 3 bundle 15 strands sound ok with a 65@30"? Should I go thinker?  I'd like to not have to use silancers. Also, should I make my string short to make up for the stretch?

[two4hooking]

I use a 3 bundle 15 strand B50 for my 63 pound Hill with no problems.  I just pre-stretch the string overnight with a 35 pound dumbell to reduce intitial stretch and twist up as needed.  Do yourself a favor and make the string loops as small as you can get them to ride down the limb when unstrung.  For some reason my bow got a LOT quieter when I made the string loops small.

[Mudd]

Charlie I think they should've had customers come out and see how a pro shoots..

I couldn't taken pictures of you giving them  great demo.

God bless,Mudd

[Blaino]

Originally posted by two4hooking:
I use a 3 bundle 15 strand B50 for my 63 pound Hill with no problems.  I just pre-stretch the string overnight with a 35 pound dumbell to reduce intitial stretch and twist up as needed.  Do yourself a favor and make the string loops as small as you can get them to ride down the limb when unstrung.  For some reason my bow got a LOT quieter when I made the string loops small.

small loops. got it  

[R.V.T.B.]

"I am setting up a lighter weight hill style rig to shoot IFAA which is 112 arrows from 5 - 80 metres ... 4 arrows an end ... so I am developing my gaps ... Hill style against all them uber heavy risered "stealth" D bows ... heck yeah ..........."

Good for you Ben.  I enjoy roving and shooting 3-D's with the guys but nothing separates the men from the boys like a good old fashioned field round.  Anyone can get lucky and drop that one arrow in there at 25-30 yards.  To be able to make four consecutive shots at distance from 20 feet out to 80 yards takes another level of skill.  I am lucky in that I live about ten minutes from my club, Sherwood Archers, which has two 28 target field courses.

[R.V.T.B.]

I enjoy shooting my ILF Titans, and have several Bear takedowns that are a joy to shoot as well.  But, like a lot of you guys, there is just something special about shooting a "D" longbow.  I have hunted exclusively with Howard Hills or Whippenstick Classics for the past two years and shot about 15 deer with heavy Douglas Fir arrows.  It is funny, I shoot carbon off of my Titans, aluminum off of my Bears and wood off of my longbows. I make all of my own arrows, carbon, aluminum and wood and for me there is only one broadhead to have on the front end of my arrow... a snuffer.

I shoot a longbow a little different than most I guess, as I came up through the ranks shooting F.I.T.A. 35 years ago.  I shoot all of my bows with pretty much the same style...fairly upright, split finger with a tab, and I hold for several seconds at full draw while I build up back tension and pull through the shot.

I generally hunt with a bow quiver, even a Thunder Horn small fry on my longbow.  I just like the convienence.  I make, use and sell back quivers and that is all I use for targets, roving and chasing small game around.

[Longbowwally]

uh-oh Randall....you just blasphemed the Hill crowd admitting you put a quiver on your bow...      

Seriously though, I like the looks of a naked bow, especially a longbow...When I switched over to the Hill style bow, I put a bow quiver on it. It helped me 'transition' to the lighter physical weight of my Northern Mist Classic...After a month or so I took the quiver off and quickly came to prefer the bow without it...

However, if you like the bow quiver there's not a thing wrong with that...

[R.V.T.B.]

I also like the looks of a naked bow, but I also like the looks of a snuffer on the end of my arrows.  Snuffers and back quivers don't mix too well.  I have tried some of the side stalker types of quivers but they just get in my way.  I hunt thick, steep terrain.

My youngest son also hunts with a longbow and he has taken to just strapping a Kwikee Kwuiver on the outside of his back pack.  Works pretty well for him.