Hickory Creek Mini Verticle Crossbow

Here's something new. What are your feelings on this outfit.
I went out crossbow shopping and didn't like anything I tried. Every crossbow I tried had issues. bulky size, heavy weight, heavy draw weight, trigger pulls, let down issues, compactness, way overpriced! etc etc.

So with all my issues with the crossbows available I took the plunge and my new mini vertical is sitting at the border. I will go get it within 2 weeks. I have used the draw-loc system for 3 yrs on my Browning Illusion and am very familiar with it. Old age and shoulder issues have made me finally give in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5847wtGNGVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tyOfHPLXnY

Weird, like a compound with 100% let-off.

I have an Excalibur with a 225lb draw, I never thought it was heavy, lighter than any deer rifle or shotgun I ever use but yes, significantly heavier than my compound bow.

I have tried a number of new compound crossbows, they all see really front heavy, like the stock is being pulled up and out of your shoulder by the weight on the front end, opposite to the weight of a gun that buries into your shoulder.

I also tried my dads new excalibur matrix, the LOP on it is so short it feels like I am shooting a youth gun, very uncomfortable for the hands and arms, why they went this route for a standard crossbow I do not know.

Please give us a review when you get it, seems odd but I like odd :)

Cool looking bow!!!

Very interesting indeed Skeeter. Looking forward to a review once you get a chance to play with it a bit.

There were factors which led me to my decision. I went to the local bow shop with my hunting partner Mark. We were both looking. We shot Micro 355, micro 335, Cam x, PSE, Horton, etc. Being a long time bow hunter these all felt like a first date. awkward and no way as comfortable as my compound bow. I had a hard time cocking some of them, even with their so-called cocking aids. Mark tried 3x's to engage the micro355 and his neck veins were popping out of his neck! When I went to fire the micro I kept squeezing the trigger and it crept quite a distance. I pulled more and still nothing. I looked at the shop owner and said WTF? when's this supposed to go off? I've gone 3/8" .. nothing! Punching the trigger is not an option for me. The cam x bow (335) was the best all round. Easier to load, let down, great trigger, lighter and was our #1 choice. Speed is slower BUT the 91 deer I've shot and the 11 moose were all taken with bows much slower then that!
After shooting the drawlock for the last 3 seasons I know what to expect from this design with trigger pull, cocking and uncocking, lightness and compactability over crossbows and quietness when shot. The biggest drawback to the drawlock system is the overall size when added to a conventional bow and loaded. It can be cumbersome. A regular bow in a tree is way easier to maneuver. But for guys that still want to hold and shoot like a regular bow and watch the flight of the arrow it was my choice. The nice thing about the new mini is obviously it's size but also I can break it down in seconds and it will fit into a 2 racket tennis racket case. The bush and terrain I hunt all seems to be verticle - trees, grass, corn etc. a horizontal crossbow no matter how narrow will at some point cost me opportunity. A guy in our moose group had a bull (2 yrs ago) in under 20 yds behind him and had to let it walk because of crossbow limb contact.
It's way lighter then any horizontal crossbow, has a great trigger, and uses regular arrows! (I've got lots of them) and any lighted nock I want. AND no frigging cocking aid. I've hunted with guys that had to go back to camp because they forgot or lost their cocking aids. Also I always see guys cocking the crossbows in camp before they leave????? Some crossbows needed to be shot to be unloaded. Shop owner told me I could keep a small butt in the back of my truck. REALLY ???? At that moment I thought, why don't I keep my money in my backpocket and look for something else!

anyway it's my decision and my money. I never did go with the flow so we'll see when it arrives. I don't think I'll be disappointed!

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Originally Posted by SK33T3R

AND no frigging cocking aid. I've hunted with guys that had to back to camp because they forgot or lost their cocking aids. Also I always see guys cocking the crossbows in camp before they leave????? Some crossbows needed to be shot to be unloaded. Shop owner told me I could keep a small butt in the back of my truck. REALLY ????

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Ha ha ha, sorry, I have to laugh a little on the cocking aid part. The big reason here is that everyone wants a faster bow with heavier points and on and on and on, magnumitis again. I got a heavier pull bow because I wanted to buy one bow and use it for a long time, that is what I did, bought it in 2008, done and done.

The fact that it is easy to draw and no cocking aid is simply the weight of the draw on that bow, 125lb limbs, and it does not look like a long stroke. Since you are coming from the vertical bow arena then it makes sense, I have a 150lb draw crossbow and it is easy as pie to without an aid and uncock. The excalibur recurve bows can be uncocked with the rope cocking aid, simple too.

One thing to be aware of is consistency when cocking the bow. We all have 1 arm that is stronger than the other, I am not sure if the cams remove this but with a recurve style and cocking with your hands you can pull one side of the string up more than the other and not notice it. You may be able to be consistent when you load for sighting in but when cocking for hunting, awkward angle, or whatever, this may get messed up. What I did on the older bow that was hand cocked was to put electrical tape on the serving beside the deck, equidistant from the deck, this way it is obvious if the string is torqued when cocking. You can also do this with some bright paint, anything really to give you a visual to make sure you keep things cocking straight. The nice thing with a rope cocking aid is that it does this is the process of cocking automatically.

Ok, I just watched the video again, it uses a nock loop, so all that about indicating consistent string alignment is already taken care of, nice.

Fox

yup a string loop.

My current Browning Illusion has a string loop and is necessary when using the drawloc system. Nice to see that the string loop is still used on this mini vertical crossbow. We had a term for that in the auto industry "Idiot Proof".
HAH! My hunting partner also ordered a mini vertical for himself so we'll be like "twins" out there. Best of all I know where to get parts for mine after he falls asleep!

Come on you've been of this forum long enough to know you can't kill Whitetail in Ont with anything but an Excalibur...LOL..

What is it with engineers nowadays, they all seem to be enchanted with Hybrids...now we have a Vertical Compound Cross Bow...brilliant !!!

I'm impressed, more for it's potential in tactical applications in a SWAT environment, but not sure how rugged it would be in a military application like Afghanistan.

I never balk at innovative equipment, love to play with new stuff..congrats on the purchase and I hope to hear is serves you well....darn cool looking piece of kit.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

Come on you've been of this forum long enough to know you can't kill Whitetail in Ont with anything but an Excalibur...LOL..

What is it with engineers nowadays, they all seem to be enchanted with Hybrids...now we have a Vertical Compound Cross Bow...brilliant !!!

I'm impressed, more for it's potential in tactical applications in a SWAT environment, but not sure how rugged it would be in a military application like Afghanistan.

I never balk at innovative equipment, love to play with new stuff..congrats on the purchase and I hope to hear is serves you well....darn cool looking piece of kit.

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Wow, now tactical crossbows in Afganistan, making me think of the history books with longbows in the trenches of WWI.

Always a need for things that can kill..."Silent but Deadly"...LOL..

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.

Cool bow but I don't think its much different then a smaller crossbow

My advice to new archers was ...
If your equipment is blowing through and sticking 6 "in the dirt then go to a larger dia. broad head and get that energy working for you with larger wound channels, quicker recoveries, and a faster more humane kill. As long as accuracy is not affected!
I currently shoot a 1-3/4" expandable Rocket sidewinder. I still have about 30 heads left. When they're done then I'll need to (gulp) buy something new. I had about 300 heads back when I was doing prototype design changes for the original inventor of Rockets. He sold out to Trophy Ridge a few years back.

anyhow my 3 kills with the mini vertical crossbow were all pass throughs and stuck in the ground.
more then enough energy and all arrows were recovered because I was elevated.

Hi SK33T3R i was wondering what the Rocket sidewinder looks like-so looked it up-looks cool........you can still buy them on Amazon...now you may want to hurry to buy what is available, if they will not last,but at least you could postpone the GULP....:):):):).Cheers

I would be open to try that Vertical cross-bow. However I wouldn't give up my smooth shooting Scorpyd Death-stalker for anything... lol

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Originally Posted by gbk

Hi SK33T3R i was wondering what the Rocket sidewinder looks like-so looked it up-looks cool........you can still buy them on Amazon...now you may want to hurry to buy what is available, if they will not last,but at least you could postpone the GULP....:):):):).Cheers

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All the ones I see are 100 grain head. Mine are 87 (sold back then as 85) The only difference between the 85 and the 100 was the large Trocar bone splitting tip. We started back then with the 85g buckblaster and we had a few kickouts when shooting at hard quartering animals. I came up with the idea of lengthening the original buckblaster body and then stole a bone splitting tip from a thunderhead and machined to fit. This extra length engaged the tip before the blades could change the trajectory of the broadhead. Another complaint was small entry holes. ME again! I came up with the angled tip on the leading edge of the blade to capture more hide/flesh to ensure a large entry hole. I was working as a patternmaker for a big car company and had access to every type of tool known to any machine shop. I was doing the odd "gov't job" as was the term back then. Anyway I acquired 300 sidewinder 85g heads as a reward for my efforts. I also have a bunch of 85g 4 blade sidewinders. About 20 left of those. I only use these for bears. They are nasty and I like the shortest recovery trail possible. Anyway I'm cursed because I think way more then I should.

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Originally Posted by bellerivercrossbowhunter

I would be open to try that Vertical cross-bow. However I wouldn't give up my smooth shooting Scorpyd Death-stalker for anything... lol

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Lol, nobody wants to give up their smooth shooting compounds. My left hand Mathews was a dream to shoot until I lost The strength to hold at full draw.
Looking at 70 acres for deer hunting,so i’ll Need a new bow,lol.
I

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Originally Posted by Greenhorn

Lol, nobody wants to give up their smooth shooting compounds. My left hand Mathews was a dream to shoot until I lost The strength to hold at full draw.
Looking at 70 acres for deer hunting,so i’ll Need a new bow,lol.
I

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Keep us posted on whether you get the 70 acres or not. Always interested in hearing your bear/deer insights.

Skeeter - congrats on the unique crossbow. Sounds like a winner.

Last season was the first year I never had a video camera with me. When I went for bear, and I got into the tree the first night, was when I realized my camera was TOAST! Finally got another camera XMAS- Sony HD unit.

Then I found out my son upgraded to a new go pro 4K, so like a good father I took his old one, Hero3+. :happy:

I finally figured out a way to attach it to my mini vertical crossbow. There's was 2 tapped holes unused on the mini riser. for use in a left hand set-up. I took an old dovetail quiver mount I made 20 yrs ago and chopped it down. Then added a spacer for clearance, drilled some clearance holes and attached it to the two tapped holes in the riser.. Then I took a piece of aluminum angle iron and made a mating dovetail. Works pretty slick. Slips off and on quietly and quickly. I can carry the go pro in my pack for protection and in about 5 seconds slip it into place. Never had a bow mounted unit before so this should be fun with 2 cameras going. Mount needs final beauty touches and of course some paint.

any suggestions from you guys is always appreciated.
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The cannon EOS rebel T6i with a 135 mm lens takes nice videos at 30 yards. I need a bear and I’m videotaping a hunt for a new bear hunter.
Back in the 80’s , their were about 200 hunters working at GM using compound bows . I heard last year their all using cross bows.

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Originally Posted by SK33T3R

any suggestions from you guys is always appreciated.
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HEY I ASKED FOR SUGGESTIONS AND NO ONE CHIMED IN
Y'know what? that plastic weatherproof case doesn't allow the speaker to work! no sound! WTF!
So changes have been made and now the unit is even smaller and lighter and more compact.
Silver lining to this oops. Wish that happened all the time!

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Here's the finished mount. Then I had another problem. I kept bumping the ON switch. It goes ON very easy. So I took a piece of .150" thickness hard plastic and drilled a 1/2" hole then sized down the outside. I used 2 sided tape and stuck it to the face as per the picture. Now I need to actually put my finger into the shallow hole to turn on the camera.

Hopefully this is the end of this project and I can get to hunting with it.

Well it's speed day. My next door neighbor, and also one of the guys in my moose group, got a 6 month old, top of the line bow tech. He got it used but still paid over $1000 for it. Anyway he wanted to use my archery butt in the garage to chronograph his new toy. 270, 271, 269 fps.

I went and got my mini vertical crossbow .... 368, 370, 369 fps Wow! no wonder I was impressed with this little dynamo!
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wow a convert

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Originally Posted by COYHUNTER

wow a convert

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Not by choice!

Went on our moose hunt and 4 of the guys in the group have mini's now. seeing made them believers. Two of those guys used to use that recurve crossbow that seems to have most guys under a spell (like Tim's coffee).

Anyway 30yd shot, 90 yd recovery. archery moose # 48 for us. We seen 5 bulls and 2 cows in 3 days. Passed on the first one - a paddle head at about 6yds. had a 45" under 20yds but he winded the hunter and kept a cedar between himself and Mark as he slipped off. Also seen a 55" big guy with a cow but she would not let him visit with us!

Anyway the mini did it's job!

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Very nice......congrats

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Originally Posted by SK33T3R

Went on our moose hunt and 4 of the guys in the group have mini's now. seeing made them believers. Two of those guys used to use that recurve crossbow that seems to have most guys under a spell (like Tim's coffee).

Anyway 30yd shot, 90 yd recovery. archery moose # 48 for us. We seen 5 bulls and 2 cows in 3 days. Passed on the first one - a paddle head at about 6yds. had a 45" under 20yds but he winded the hunter and kept a cedar between himself and Mark as he slipped off. Also seen a 55" big guy with a cow but she would not let him visit with us!

Anyway the mini did it's job!

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Right on! Congrats guys

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Originally Posted by MikePal

Always a need for things that can kill..."Silent but Deadly"...LOL..

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That is me after eating a can of beans...

Interesting design. I may have to check it out.

W.

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Originally Posted by SK33T3R

Went on our moose hunt and 4 of the guys in the group have mini's now. seeing made them believers. Two of those guys used to use that recurve crossbow that seems to have most guys under a spell (like Tim's coffee).

Anyway 30yd shot, 90 yd recovery. archery moose # 48 for us. We seen 5 bulls and 2 cows in 3 days. Passed on the first one - a paddle head at about 6yds. had a 45" under 20yds but he winded the hunter and kept a cedar between himself and Mark as he slipped off. Also seen a 55" big guy with a cow but she would not let him visit with us!

Anyway the mini did it's job!

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Cool bow


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Skeeter, interesting bow, for myself however not sure it will work in all my stands, as in a couple tree stands I am unable to stand up to shoot and with the cross rails on the stands you would not be able to shoot sitting. I would be interested to see and hear your thoughts after you have shot a few times