Hickory Creek Mini Verticle Crossbow

That's an interesting idea, definitely. I can think of a few spots where I would rather have a vertical bow than a crossbow due to potential limb contact issues. One drawback that I can see (for me) is that it would be awkward to shoot from a sitting position. The majority of my shots are sitting with my left elbow rested on my left knee, or even from an actual rest in a blind. It appears that the intention is for it to be shot from a standing position, which is no trouble if that's what you're used to.

Let us know how it works out. Might be something I could add to my wish list for certain spots and certain conditions.

Looks good sketter. I think your onto something.

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Originally Posted by Greenhorn

Looks good sketter. I think your onto something.

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Brent I think so too.

I hunted long enough with an older guy with an excaliber exomag. I could hear him 2 fields over when he shot that thing. I made him a custom case to cover the thing when we came out at the end of a hunt. His original case was padded and huge. crossing a wind swept field and it was like carrying a kite!
he also had a crossbow hard case - it was friggen huge! I've got living room furniture smaller then that thing. Needed a pickup just to lug it around. As he aged I had to load it for him. I never did shoot the thing. Now he's offered it to me for free BUT ??? no thanks!
I have trailed lots of deer for friends with crossbows that were SMOKED, absolutely SMOKED. for miles .... they swear they smoked it! last thing they saw in the scope was the crosshairs on the sweet spot. One thing about those fast crossbows ... the arrow is there before you can recover from the recoil and see it. I always like using a conventional bow because I shoot with both eyes open and can always see the flight of the arrow. Looking through a scope with one eye, with recoil, you hear the wack but don't see the arrow till you look at the butt. All those SMOKED deer are still going. They have no idea where they hit it. They surely flinched or yanked the trigger but in their minds it was right on. A lot of sleepless nights for some of them.

this vertical crossbow has the option of a red dot site. I might go in that direction so I can still shoot with both eyes open and - see the flight of the arrow.

PS headed back to bear country today for a few more tweaks. 8 hrs round trip and $100 in gas. some bear is gonna pay this fall!

Just wondering what the mini cost you with the exchange rate. Looks like a cool crossbow..

$750 US and $10 for shipping to my US address. I got the complete package. Bow, 4 arrows, quiver, scope mount and scope. And it is pre-shot and sighted in right from them.

Going over next weekend to get it. No rush for me

here's an email I just sent to Jerry at Hickory Creek

Hello Jerry

I just completed a full fall hunting season with your Hickory Creek Mini Vertical Crossbow. It went on a successful bear hunt with me. Then on to a moose hunt and finally down around home for some late season deer hunting. Late season we had temperatures around -20C (-4F) with wind chill much lower then that. I guess you can say I did some cold weather testing.

Here is my season wrap up and evaluation on the mini after toting it for miles. It was everything I'd hoped it would be. It was compact, light, durable, dependable, and above all else, accurate! I had many other crossbows available to me and I shot a lot of them. I'm glad I chose your mini and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for the qualities I described earlier. Since I got my mini, three other friends of mine have also made the switch to the mini. Seeing is believing! Two were compound guys and the other guy shot that drag behind a truck, toss out of a tree model. That model is 270lbs for 335fps. The mini does that at 150lbs! It's lighter, more maneuverable, no cocking aids, regular plain old arrows and nocks, plain and simple – just a better system. The only complaint I had was the handles were so darn cold when I was setting up for both the does I ended up shooting. -20C (-4F) and aluminum ... brrrr! I will be wrapping those handles next December for sure! Sorry Jerry but I did find something wrong with the mini! ��

Freezer is full again!

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Thanks for posting a follow up; sounds like you got yourself a nice piece of kit. After hauling it around for a full season of mixed hunting and come out the back side with nothing but praise it must be good. Compact design, lightweight, easy to pack in, what is there not to love for a hunter.

Congrats on a good buy !!

Mike I think I made the right choice too!
And 3 other guys buying them after seeing mine only convinces me further.
I don't think the unit would survive the torture tests that the Excalibur puts theirs through but in reality I don't think there's a compound out there that would either. In all my years hunting I treated my compounds like they was made of glass. I've always been very aware of the cams/limbs/cables/string etc. Most of my old expensive guns look like new also.
So in my hands, with my care, and some luck, I think this mini will serve me well for a long, long time!
My neighbor has a chronograph so I'm going to shoot it through and find out exactly what speed I'm at.
Not that it matters but just for kicks.

The real test for bows speed, in general, is how far into the dirt the arrows goes on the far side after it had traveled thru the deer :)

My 150 lb xbow sinks arrows just far enough into the object on the far side I can pull out the arrow with little effort and little damage...some of these 325lb bows are burying the arrow so far into the ground/tree you have a hard time recovering them :)

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Originally Posted by MikePal

The real test for bows speed, in general, is how far into the dirt the arrows goes on the far side after it had traveled thru the deer :)

My 150 lb xbow sinks arrows just far enough into the object on the far side I can pull out the arrow with little effort and little damage...some of these 325lb bows are burying the arrow so far into the ground/tree you have a hard time recovering them :)

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I have never found an arrow shot at or through a deer with my Excalibur 225lb, I hunt from the ground though but you are spot on.