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Thread: Hickory Creek Mini Verticle Crossbow

  1. #1
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    Default Hickory Creek Mini Vertical 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
    Last edited by SK33T3R; January 13th, 2018 at 04:37 PM.
    If you keep doing what you've always done. You'll keep getting what you've always got!
    Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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  3. #2
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    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

  4. #3
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    Cool looking bow!!!

  5. #4
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    Very interesting indeed Skeeter. Looking forward to a review once you get a chance to play with it a bit.

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    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!
    Last edited by SK33T3R; January 13th, 2018 at 04:44 PM.
    If you keep doing what you've always done. You'll keep getting what you've always got!
    Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by SK33T3R View Post
    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 ????
    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.

  8. #7
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    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!
    If you keep doing what you've always done. You'll keep getting what you've always got!
    Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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    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.

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by MikePal View Post
    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.
    Wow, now tactical crossbows in Afganistan, making me think of the history books with longbows in the trenches of WWI.

  11. #10
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    Always a need for things that can kill..."Silent but Deadly"...LOL..

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