Howard Hill

Howard Hill, born November 13, 1899, in Wilsonville, Alabama, is known as "The World's Greatest Archer," but was also a remarkably good shooter with firearms. As a young man, Hill demonstrated natural athletic abilities and became state champion in baseball, basketball, and football. However, his true passion was archery, a skill he began developing in childhood.

Hill's precision with bow and arrow was so legendary that he could split another arrow at 60 meters distance - the famous "Robin Hood" shot. He could also hit an aspirin tablet in mid-air, shoot coins that were tossed up, and even shoot through a playing card placed on edge. While these achievements were impressive enough on their own, it was Hill's hunting feats that truly set him in a class by himself.

Throughout his career, Hill hunted and brought down 2,000 deer with bow and arrow, along with an impressive list of other animal species, including elephant, buffalo, bear, lion, and tiger. In 1928, he became the first white man to kill an African elephant with bow and arrow, a feat that required enormous strength and precision. To kill the elephant, Hill had to use a specially built bow with a draw weight of 172 pounds (78 kg) - more than twice as powerful as a typical modern hunting compound bow.

Hill's skills led him to Hollywood, where he worked as an archery consultant and performed all the archery stunts in classic films such as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" from 1938 with Errol Flynn. In this film, he performed the famous stunt where he shot an arrow that split another arrow already embedded in the target.

Hill also produced and appeared in a series of films about hunting and archery, including "Tembo" (1951), where he documented his African hunting safari. His book "Hunting the Hard Way" from 1953 remains a reference work for traditional archers.

What distinguished Hill from other shooters was his insistence on using traditional longbows for all shooting and hunting, even when more advanced compound bows became available. He designed and built all his own bows and arrows, and was known for using extremely heavy arrows to maximize penetration when hunting big game.

Hill died on February 4, 1975, in Birmingham, Alabama, leaving behind a legacy as one of the greatest archers of all time. In 1971, he was inducted into the Bowhunters Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.

Sources:

• Hill, Howard. Hunting the Hard Way. Jerry Hill Publishing, 1953.

• Comstock, Hugh. The Bows of Howard Hill. The Lyons Press, 2008.

• Howard Hill Archery

• Traditional Bowhunter Magazine Archive