HH BUG GOT ME - Part Two!

No one was more surprised than me, but my wife has done it a number of times with similar weight recurves and these last years with her Lost Creek NAT.  I am incredibly anal about perfect arrow flight. A perfect flying arrow has a lot more power than a goofy flying arrow. Perhaps it helps that I always try to set up shooting up hill.  With the heavy bow and the stuffed Microflite 12, the arrow flew a long way after going through the deer. With the light bow, the arrow was on the ground in the same corn row that the doe was in.
I would no longer be surprised if Tony will get the same results with that Vixen, beautiful piece of work. Back when I was a heavy bow shooter, I thought it was a fluke when my wife shot deer and always had the arrow coming out the other side and sometimes complete pass throughs, not anymore.

[Ray Lyon]

Pavan,
I agree, perfect arrow flight is soooo important in penetration and of course the other Ashby 'principles' like FOC, long narrow two blade heads, ect. that were practiced (Howard Hill shot long narrow 3x1 heads, tapered arrows and they weighed 160 grains instead of 125 like many other points from the day) but not published are key as well.  A friend of mine had 2 sons that shot two whitetails each with a 20# at 24" Bear cub recurve. 440 grain total arrow weight Easton Axis skinny carbon arrows. 250 grains of point/insert shaving sharp Grizzly 2 blade heads and 12 yard shots at calm deer.  All 4 deer had two holes in them.

I'm certainly not advocating this as a general rule, however if you do have a situation where you're using light equipment, get the arrow flying perfect and utilize the published Ashby principles to tip the odds in your favor.

I would not want to recommend shooting light setups for shooting very much downward. The ribs of a northern whitetail are tougher on the top end than on the bottom half. If shooting steeply downward from a tree stand and the shot is a little high, the arrow has a much worse chance of getting stopped by the thick end of a rib. I tried to help a friend find a deer that he hit high with a 70 pound bow when he shot at a deer that was 15 feet away from his 15 foot ladder stand, he said that the arrow whipped when it hit the deer. We never found the deer, but it ran away with the arrow sticking way out of the deer.  I am sure that at that close range his carbon arrow was still 'S' curving as well.

[Blaino]

I have been really thinking of getting a 45# ASL to work on form with and make it my daisey cutter so to speak.... Then I see all the game RC and others bring down with mid 40's bows and wonder why I continue to shoot 70#    

70#'s makes working on form kinda difficult!

Thanks Ray...I like it a lot!  Good choice on the quiver.  Please post a pic when you get it.

[Cavscout9753]

Well, the Wesley Special and I are getting along very well. The only other ASL I've shot has been the Vixen so I foolishly thought the learning curve would be low.. I was wrong. The added weight which I was hesitant about at first turned out to be a bonus as it's actually more solid feeling. The difference between the Vixen's wood core and boo of the Wesley was the biggest change. It seemed very snappy at first but is becoming familiar now and I can see why its very popular. The HHA's grip is much narrower and while I'm not a caliper and measure tape kind of guy there seems to be more mass in the Vixen. For whatever reason the Vixen's grip is a little more forgiving to me but again, after lots of arrows through the Wesley I'm learning what she likes. All in all they are very different bows but I love them each - just have to remind the brain which one I'm shooting.

[Cavscout9753]

I had to do a search to find this thread. Where did all the Hill guys go?    

[Ray Lyon]

Now that the snow is gone, I'm out practicing full tilt for my turkey season opener this coming Monday.  

JD Berry Northstar
Microflite #8 vintage fiberglass arrows
155 grain Grizzly broadheads

Here's to hoping there's a good story and pics next week to put on here.

Ray,
Let the air outta a big one!  
   

[Cavscout9753]

Get em Ray! Few north American game animals could prove the effectivness and all around awesomeness (if it needed done at all) of a Hill bow than a dead turkey. Too long? Too slow? Pssh. Hogwash.

[Shinken]

Originally posted by Macatawa:
 

The riser wood is fab!  James is THE bowyer!

Enjoy!

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[ron w]

My Morning Star came in the mail today, I just took it from the packaging. It is Nice.......I have to go out and shoot it if it stops raining. Can't get a photo yet as my wife has the camera and she went to Pa. for a conference......but I will. Black glass on the back, Yew on the belly, heat treated boo and a Curly Myrtle riser. James did a great job........68"-45# @ 29".......smooth as silk.

[Green]

Congrats Ron!  I can tell from your description that it's a beautiful bow.  Hope it stops raining soon!

Awesome!
I'm sure it is "NICE"....

Can't help but to grin here  

[Cavscout9753]

Sounds like a great looking bow, can't wait to see pics!

[nineworlds9]

I just want to share-  Northern Mist bows have ruined me.  I got lucky with $ and right place right time and snagged a mint 2014 lefty Classic over on Stickbow less than two weeks ago.  Well, bar none the best ASL I have shot.  So far I've had 4 Howard Hills, 2 Millers, a Big River, and a Shrew Hill.  All were excellent bows for various reasons but this Northern Mist is just SWEET.  At 6 3/8" brace on a 68"er at 10-11gpp you can barely tell its a Hill when you shoot it, meaning the Shelton has got to be even sweeter still.

I've got it so bad I've already talked to Steve on the phone, SUPER guy btw, and placed an order for something really special (his wait is down to only around 6 months now people!!) AND I may be acquiring a second used bow this very week.

I've got it bad.

This means the dualie shelf Redman that got me "re-infected" recently is gonna go up for sale.  

I'm keeping what I ordered from Steve a surprise until it gets here around October...

 :D

[ron w]

The sun came out so I got to shoot the new Morning Star.......I think we will get along just fine!!!!!!!  

[Cavscout9753]

Very nice nineworlds, I have to get to a shoot and try a NM. I'm quite new to ASLs so I'm wayyyy behind the curve.  And Ron that's good news! Do you have a primary bow, or just rotate the sweet shooters? My bows have been laid up all week, somehow its turned into a monsoon season down here. Heading over to West Texas for a month this sunday and this site will be all I got, hah. Plenty of time for me to read the Good Book and a few hundred HH Bug Got Me threads!

[WESTBROOK]

Cavscout,  Steve will be at the Hill shoot in June..better go try one.  

[ron w]

Cavscout......I have to many to have a primary.....lol! I do have a few favorites that I shoot most of the time. Several from Chad Holm, a Zipper or two a N.M. Whisper and an old Hill Owl that is really a sweet heart. I also have 2 Wesley Specials......one is a T/D.