Howard Hill (1899-1975), Archer
Howard Hill (1899-1975), Archer
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Howard Hill (1899-1975), Archer. Howard Hill, the first white man to kill an elephant with a bow and arrow. Notice the hole in the skull where afterward Hill attempted to shoot the skull.
Howard Hill was an archer who was unofficially referred to as the "World's Greatest Archer". He is the only person to win 196 archery field tournaments in succession. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 for his skill in archery.
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Howard Hill, Bowhunter
He would perform by doing difficult trick shots like shooting an apple or even a prune off of someone's head from as far as sixty feet, and then would likely top that by shooting at an even smaller target from the same distance or maybe even longer. He put out several short documentaries on archery, often featuring himself performing other trick shots like shooting a flipped coin from a distance or splitting a rolling ball made of wood. He would also sit on the ground and push his bow with his feet while pulling the arrow back; even from this position he was able to hit the bullseye.
Acting
• Cruise of the Zaca (1952)
• Deep Sea Fishing (1952)
• Tembo (1951)
• Arrow Artistry (1951)
• Battle of Champs (1947)
• Cavalcade of Archery (1946)
• Wild Boar Hunt (1940)
• Sword Fishing (1939)
• The Last Wilderness (1935)
Technical advisor and archery instructor
• Across the Wide Missouri (1951)
• The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)
• Buffalo Bill (1944)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
During his performance as stunt archer for the film The Adventures of Robin Hood (in which Errol Flynn plays the title character), Hill accomplished the most iconic archery shot of all time: Robin Hood splitting one arrow with another. In an episode of MythBusters, none of the cast were able to replicate the end to end splitting of an arrow, and it is concluded that Howard Hill used an arrow shaft made of bamboo, not wood, for the famous shot.
Byron Ferguson, traditional bow hunter and trick-shot (Hill's successor in archery showmanship), was able to perfectly split one arrow with another using a modern laminated longbow for the History Channel special "Extreme Marksmen". The average archer has a chance to shoot a "Robin Hood" (splitting an arrow with another) every 1 in 10,000 shots.[citation needed] Byron Ferguson, however, did not split a wooden arrow from nock to tip, as was portrayed in the movie, but telescoped a modern aluminum arrow into another. The aluminum and carbon fiber arrow shafts used by modern archers are more consistent and straighter than wood arrows, making for more consistent archery shots. These facts make Howard Hill's feat more impressive since he used only cedar wood arrows. Hill had, however, designed and used specially made aluminum shafts to hunt rogue elephants in Africa for his full length, color film Tembo.
The splitting of the arrow story is refuted by Hollywood stuntman Buster Wiles, in his book My Days With Errol Flynn. In the book, Wiles revealed that although Hill had split the end off of several arrows, he had been unable to split the arrow exactly as scripted (from end to end), and finally a specially constructed arrow with a large bladed head had been used, shot along a concealed wire. Nevertheless, Hill's accuracy was so great, he regularly hit the smallest of targets in live performances, as well as for films.
Both Wiles and Hill were long time friends of Errol Flynn and frequent guests at his house and on his yacht.
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The Legendary Howard Hill
Official ABC Game Records
• Lynx - 43 lb.. live weight, taken in Canada by Howard Hill of California.
• Moose - 800 lb.. live weight, taken in Wyoming in late 1940's by Howard Hill of CA.
• Javelina - 66 lb.. live weight, taken in Arizona by Howard Hill of CA in late 1940's.
• Mountain Sheep - Had 11/2 curl of horns. 15 3/4 inches around base of each horn.
• Taken in Wyoming in 1940 by Howard Hill of CA.
• Mountain Goat - 7 inch horns, 300 lb.. live weight. Taken in Wyoming by Howard Hill of CA around 1940.
• Alligator - 90011 score. Measured 9'11" tip to tip. Bowbagged in Florida by Howard Hill in the '30's. Howard lived in Florida then.
Hunting with a bow appealed to Howard much more than did target archery. Consequently, his love of hunting was to take him to all parts of the world following the game trails and pitting his skill against all kinds of game, some that nearly cost him his life. Howard's greatness is probably reflected most in his long list of game taken with bow and arrow, dating back to 1925 when he bagged his first moose and white tail deer while on a hunting trip in Canada. From 1925 until he passed away in 1975, Howard compiled a record of kills that will undoubtedly never be equaled.
The following is a partial list compiled from Howard's field notes showing his BOW & ARROW KILLS:
Gane Killed in Africa
Birds
• Egyptian Goose......1
• Sand Grouse......4
• Guinea Fowl......10
• Lesser Bustard......6
• Greater Bustard......2
• Golden Crested Crane......1
• Marabou Stork......2
• Spur Fowl......6
• Ducks......12
• Hornbill......1
• Buzzard......3
Big Game
• Elephant......3
• Buffalo......1
• Lions......2
• Leopard......1
• Zebra......1
• Impala......4
• Wildebeest......2
• Thomson's Gazelle......2
• Hartebeest......1
• Grant's Gazelle......2
• Wart Hog......3
• Forest Hog......1
• Cheetah......2
Reptiles and Fish
• Crocodile......13
• Rock Python......3
• Spotted Cobra......1
• Black Mamba......2
• Horned Viper......12
• Catfish......12
• Captain......1
Other Animals
• Jackals......2
• Hyenas......4
• Bat Eared Fox......3
• Mongoose......4
• Spring Hare......6
• True Hare......8
Game Killed in North America
Big Game
• Buffalo......1
• Moose......4
• Elk......3
• Wild Jackass......12
• Black Bear......6
• Grizzly Bear......1
• Mule Deer......27
• White Tail Deer......7
• Dwarf Deer......2
• Black Tail Deer......36
• Pacific Coast Deer......4
• Pronghorn Antelope......4
• Mountain Sheep......3
• Wild Goat......129
• Mountain Goat......2
• Peccary......6
• Wild Boar......101
• Cougar......5
• Jaguar......1
• Lynx Cat......3
• Bobcat......12
• Timber Wolf......1
• Coyote......5
• Bull Hairy Seal......6
• Bull Elephant Seal......1
Small Game
• Badger......6
• Fox......12
• Raccoon......25
• Beaver......3
• Armadillo......3
• Rabbit (estimate)......1500
• Opossum......6
• Gray Squirrel......20
• Red Squirrel......9
• Ground Squirrel......500
• Flying Squirrel......3
• Rock Chuck......7
• Ground Hog......4
• Chipmunk......9
• Marten......2
• Mink......3
• Weasel......6
Fish
• Shark......40
• Sailfish......3
• Black Marlin Swordfish......1
• Salt Water Rock Bass......3
• Tuna......30
• Ray......25
• Swordfish......8
• Sheephead......12
• California Flying Fish......7
• Mango Snapper......30
• Salmon......25
• Royal Chinook......64
• Rainbow Trout......30
• Broadbill Swordfish......2
• Brook Trout......20
• Small Mouth Bass......3
• Large Mouth Bass......50
• Cut Throat Trout......20
• Scissor Bill Gar......250
• Alligator Gar......2
Birds
• Eagle......4
• Hawk......17
• Owl......8
• Buzzard......20
• Crow......7
• Raven......3
• Sand Hill Crane......3
• Blue Grouse......26
• Dusky Grouse......18
• Ruffed Grouse......31
• Fool Hen......40
• Partridge......6
• Bittern......1
• Chukar Partridge......8
• Sage Hen......35
• Prairie Chicken......8
• Ducks on the Wing......20
• Other Ducks......30
• Chinese Pheasant......21
• Wild Turkey......4
• Canadian Goose......2
• Woodcock......4
• Wilson Jacksnipe......8
• California Mt. Quail......6
• California Valley Quail......40
Reptiles
• Alligator......8
• Snake......100
• Gila Monster......4
• Iguana......6
• Desert Swift......30
• Fresh Water Turtle......20
• Loggerhead Turtle......6
• Giant Sea Turtle......3
With a bow and arrow record such as this, it is little wonder that Howard Hill is considered the greatest archer-hunter of all time, and has often been referred to as "The Babe Ruth of Archery", "Mr. Archery", "King of the Archers", etc. .S. Even at the age of 62 years he could draw and shoot a 75 lb. hunting bow with ease and comfort. Infact, two or three times each week he would shoot a bow of that weight for 30 to 90 minutes, shooting from 110 to 150 arrows. Howard never liked the use of sights or other paraphernalia on his bows. He considered these to be crutches and felt they took away from the challenge of the bow. Also, he liked his bow clean and free of any encumbrances that would hinder the maneuverability of the bow for moving shots. He considered cable and pulley bows something that detracted from the romance of the ancient sport of archery.
Hunting with a bow appealed to Howard much more than did target archery. Consequently, his love of hunting was to take him to all parts of the world following the game trails and pitting his skill against all kinds of game, some that nearly cost him his life. Howard's greatness is probably reflected most in his long list of game taken with bow and arrow, dating back to 1925 when he bagged his first moose and white tail deer while on a hunting trip in Canada. From 1925 until he passed away in 1975, Howard compiled a record of kills that will undoubtedly never be equaled.
Monish
